Topological order in random interacting Ising-Majorana chains stabilized by many-body localization

TL;DR

This paper investigates how topological order in random interacting Ising-Majorana chains is stabilized by many-body localization, revealing a complex phase diagram with distinct MBL regimes and potential for topological qubits.

Contribution

It uncovers a rich phase diagram with two MBL regimes separated by a broad thermal phase, and suggests the existence of MBL-protected topological qubits via spectral pairing.

Findings

Two MBL regimes separated by a thermal phase

MBL spin-glass order linked to spectral pairing

Potential for MBL-protected topological qubits

Abstract

We numerically explore $\mathbb Z_2$-symmetric random interacting Ising-Majorana chains at high energy. A very rich phase diagram emerges with two topologically distinct many-body localization (MBL) regimes separated by a much broader thermal phase than previously found. This is a striking consequence of the avalanche theory. We further find MBL spin-glass order always associated to a many-body spectral pairing, presumably signaling a strong zero mode operator which opens fascinating perspectives for MBL-protected topological qubits.