Majorana Edge Modes Reshape Kibble-Zurek Scaling in Kitaev Honeycomb Ribbons

Abstract:Recent progress in programmable quantum simulators motivates exact benchmarks for nonequilibrium dynamics in topological quantum matter. We study the Kitaev honeycomb model driven through its critical regions by a linear ramp of the bond coupling $J_z$ over a ramp time $\tau$, comparing zigzag and armchair ribbons with fully periodic tubes. The production of excitations exhibits a geometry-dependent finite-size crossover controlled by $N_2/\sqrt{\tau}$, the ratio of the ribbon width to the Kibble--Zurek length. Periodic tubes obey the expected critical-line Kibble--Zurek scaling and serve as the boundary-free benchmark. Zigzag ribbons follow the same scaling until defect production is exponentially suppressed by a finite-width algebraic gap floor associated with the formation of Majorana edge modes, whose occupation is pinned by inversion parity. Armchair ribbons instead support transient Majorana edge modes with exponentially small gaps, producing width-parity-dependent defect plateaus: exactly one defect per unit length for odd widths and an approximate, transient plateau near one half for even widths. The quench-generated entanglement entropy and fermionic logarithmic negativity inherit the same geometry-dependent structure, and the negativity further distinguishes the coherence-borne entanglement of the Kibble--Zurek regime from the population-borne entanglement of the edge-mode plateaus. These results identify boundary Majorana modes as the mechanism controlling departures from ideal Kibble--Zurek dynamics and provide geometry-resolved benchmarks for programmable simulations of topological matter.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)

arXiv:2610.19923 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2610.19923v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2610.19923 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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