Fermionized parafermions and symmetry-enriched Majorana modes

Abstract

Parafermion zero modes are generalizations of Majorana modes that underlie comparatively rich non-Abelian-anyon properties. We introduce exact mappings that connect parafermion chains, which can emerge in two-dimensional fractionalized media, to strictly one-dimensional fermionic systems. In particular, we show that parafermion zero modes in the former setting translate into symmetry-enriched Majorana modes that intertwine with a bulk order parameter—yielding braiding and fusion properties that are impossible in standard Majorana platforms. Fusion characteristics of symmetry-enriched Majorana modes are directly inherited from the associated parafermion setup and can be probed via two kinds of anomalous pumping cycles that we construct. Most notably, our mappings relate ℤ_4 parafermions to conventional electrons with time-reversal symmetry. In this case, one of our pumping protocols entails fairly minimal experimental requirements: Cycling a weakly correlated wire between a trivial phase and time-reversal-invariant topological superconducting state produces an edge magnetization with quadrupled periodicity. Our work highlights new avenues for exploring beyond-Majorana physics in experimentally relevant one-dimensional electronic platforms, including proximitized ferromagnetic chains.

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