Demonstrating anyonic non-Abelian statistics with a minimal $d = 6$ qudit lattice

Abstract: Quantum double models provide a natural framework for realising anyons by manipulating a lattice of qudits, which can be directly encoded in quantum simulators. In this work, we consider a lattice of $d=6$ qudits that give rise to $\mathbf{D}(\mathbf{S}_3)$ non-Abelian anyons. We present a method that demonstrates the non-commutativity of the braiding and fusion evolutions solely by utilising the operators that create and measure anyons. Furthermore, we provide a dense coding scheme where only two qudits are sufficient to determine the anyonic braiding and fusion matrices. The minimal resource requirement of our approach offers a viable blueprint for demonstrating the non-Abelian nature of anyons in various quantum platforms, including optical, atomic, and solid-state systems, where higher-spin states can be effectively encoded. This work represents a foundational step towards the realisation of non-Abelian quantum error-correcting codes.