An Interferometry-Free Protocol for Demonstrating Topological Order

Understand

We propose a protocol to demonstrate the topological order of a spin-1/2 lattice model with four-body interactions.

• Unlike other proposals, it does not rely on the controlled movement of quasiparticles, thus eliminating the addressing, decoherence and dynamical phase problems related to them.
• Rather, the protocol profits from the degeneracy of the ground state.
• It involves the addition of Zeeman terms to the original Hamiltonian that are used to create holes and move them around in the system.