Topologically protected quantum state transfer in a chiral spin liquid

Topology plays a central role in ensuring the robustness of a wide variety of physical phenomena. Notable examples range from the current-carrying edge states associated with the quantum Hall and the quantum spin Hall effects to topologically protected quantum memory and quantum logic operations. Here we propose and analyse a topologically protected channel for the transfer of quantum states between remote quantum nodes. In our approach, state transfer is mediated by the edge mode of a chiral spin liquid. We demonstrate that the proposed method is intrinsically robust to realistic imperfections associated with disorder and decoherence. Possible experimental implementations and applications to the detection and characterization of spin liquid phases are discussed. Most quantum technologies rely upon quantum wires to ensure the faithful transfer of quantum states between remote locations—a process that is especially vulnerable to decoherence. Yao et al. propose a means to harness topological protection to design a quantum wire that is intrinsically robust against decoherence.