Approximating the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model with Majorana wires

Abstract

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model describes a collection of randomly interacting Majorana fermions that exhibits profound connections to quantum chaos and black holes. We propose a solid-state implementation based on a quantum dot coupled to an array of topological superconducting wires hosting Majorana zero modes. Interactions and disorder intrinsic to the dot mediate the desired random Majorana couplings, while an approximate symmetry suppresses additional unwanted terms. We use random-matrix theory and numerics to show that our setup emulates the SYK model (up to corrections that we quantify) and discuss experimental signatures.