Coherent information as a mixed-state topological order parameter of fermions

Abstract

Quantum error correction protects quantum information against decoherence, provided the noise strength remains below a critical threshold. This threshold marks the critical point for the decoding phase transition. Here, we connect this transition in the toric code to a topological phase transition in disordered Majorana fermions at high temperatures. A quantum memory in the error-correctable phase is captured by the presence of a Majorana zero mode, trapped in vortex defects associated with twisted boundary conditions. These results are established by expressing the coherent information, which measures the amount of recoverable quantum information in a given noisy code, in terms of a mixed-state topological order parameter of fermions. Our work hints at a broader connection of the robustness of quantum information in stabilizer codes and mixed-state topological phase transitions in symmetry-protected fermion matter.