Steering Majorana braiding via skyrmion-vortex pairs: a scalable platform

Majorana zero modes are quasiparticles that hold promise as building blocks for topological quantum computing. However, the litmus test for their detection, the observation of exotic non-abelian statistics revealed by braiding, has so far eluded experimental efforts. Here we take advantage of the fact that skyrmion-vortex pairs in superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures harboring Majorana zero modes can be easily manipulated in two spatial dimensions. We adiabatically braid the hybrid topological structures and explicitly confirm the non-abelian statistics of the Majorana zero modes numerically using a self-consistent calculation of the superconducting order parameter. Our proposal of controlling skyrmion-vortex pairs provides the necessary leeway toward a scalable topological quantum computing platform. [1] J. Nothhelfer, K. M. D. Hals, K. Everschor-Sitte, and M. Rizzi, European Patent Application EP3751472A1 / International Patent Application WO2020EP66120 (2019).