Uniquely identifying topological order based on boundary-bulk duality and anyon condensation

Topological order is a new quantum phase that is beyond Landau’s symmetry-breaking paradigm. Its defining features include robust degenerate ground states, long-range entanglement and anyons. It was known that R and F matrices, which characterize the fusion-braiding properties of anyons, can be used to uniquely identify topological order. In this article, we explore an essential question: how can the R and F matrices be experimentally measured? We show that the braidings, i.e. the R matrices, can be completely determined by the half braidings of boundary excitations due to the boundary-bulk duality and the anyon condensation. The F matrices can also be measured by comparing the quantum states involving the fusion of three anyons in two different orders. Thus we provide a model-independent experimental protocol to uniquely identify topological order. By using quantum simulations based on a toric code model with boundaries encoded in three- and four-qubit systems and state-of-the-art technology, we obtain the first experimental measurement of R and F matrices by means of an NMR quantum computer at room temperature.