Exactly solving the Kitaev chain and generating Majorana-zero-modes out of noisy qubits

TL;DR

This paper exactly solves the Kitaev chain using quantum computing and demonstrates the generation of Majorana-zero-modes on noisy qubits, providing comprehensive validation and reproducibility in physical systems.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum computing methodology to exactly solve the Kitaev chain and validate Majorana-zero-modes on noisy qubits, addressing reproducibility issues.

Findings

Eigenstates exhibit eight signatures of MZMs

Validation of MZMs in noisy quantum hardware

Reproducible methodology for future research

Abstract

Majorana-zero-modes (MZMs) were predicted to exist as edge states of a physical system called the Kitaev chain. MZMs should host particles that are their own antiparticles and could be used as a basis for a qubit which is robust-to-noise. However, all attempts to prove their existence gave inconclusive results. Here, the Kitaev chain is exactly solved with a quantum computing methodology and properties of MZMs are probed by generating eigenstates of the Kitev Hamiltonian on 3 noisy qubits of a publicly available quantum computer. After an ontological elaboration I show that two eigenstates of the Kitaev Hamiltonian exhibit eight signatures attributed to MZMs. The results presented here are a most comprehensive set of validations of MZMs ever conducted in an actual physical system. Furthermore, the findings of this manuscript are easily reproducible for any user of publicly available quantum computers, solving another important problem of research with MZMs-the result reproducibility crisis.