Z4 parafermions in one-dimensional fermionic lattices

Abstract

Parafermions are emergent excitations which generalize Majorana fermions and are potentially relevant to topological quantum computation. Using the concept of Fock parafermions, we present a mapping between lattice ${\mathbb{Z}}_4$ parafermions and lattice spin-$1/2$ fermions which preserves the locality of operators with ${\mathbb{Z}}_4$ symmetry. Based on this mapping, we construct an exactly solvable, local, and interacting one-dimensional fermionic Hamiltonian which hosts zero-energy modes obeying parafermionic algebra. We numerically show that this parafermionic phase remains stable in a wide range of parameters, and discuss its signatures in the fermionic spectral function.

9 pages, 4 figures