Topological and holonomic quantum computation based on second-order topological superconductors

Majorana fermions feature non-Abelian exchange statistics and promise fascinating applications in topological quantum computation. Recently, second-order topological superconductors (SOTSs) have been proposed to host Majorana fermions as localized quasiparticles with zero excitation energy, pointing out a new avenue to facilitate topological quantum computation. We provide a minimal model for SOTSs and systematically analyze the features of Majorana zero modes with analytical and numerical methods. We further construct the fundamental fusion principles of zero modes stemming from single or multiple SOTS islands. Finally, we propose concrete schemes in different setups formed by SOTSs, enabling us to exchange and fuse the zero modes for non-Abelian braiding and holonomic quantum gate operations.