We theoretically explore quench dynamics in a finite-sized topological fermionic p-wave superconducting wire with the goal of demonstrating that topological order can have marked effects on such non-equilibrium dynamics. In the case studied here, topological order is reflected in the presence of two (nearly) isolated Majorana fermionic end bound modes together forming an electronic state that can be occupied or not, leading to two (nearly) degenerate ground states characterized by fermion parity. Our study begins with a characterization of the static properties of the finite-sized wire, including the behavior of the Majorana end modes and the form of the tunnel coupling between them; a transfer matrix approach to analytically determine the locations of the zero energy contours where this coupling vanishes; and a Pfaffian approach to map the ground state parity in the associated phase diagram. We next study the quench dynamics resulting from initializing the system in a topological ground state and then dynamically tuning one of the parameters of the Hamiltonian. For this, we develop a dynamic quantum many-body technique that invokes a Wick's theorem for Majorana fermions, vastly reducing the numerical effort given the exponentially large Hilbert space. We investigate the salient and detailed features of two dynamic quantities -the overlap between the time-evolved state and the instantaneous ground state (adiabatic fidelity) and the residual energy. When the parity of the instantaneous ground state flips successively with time, we find that the time-evolved state can dramatically switch back and forth between this state and an excited state even when the quenching is very slow, a phenomenon that we term "parity blocking". This parity blocking becomes prominently manifest as non-analytic jumps as a function of time in both dynamic quantities.

We study the decay and oscillations of Majorana fermion wavefunctions and ground state (GS) fermion parity in one-dimensional topological superconducting lattice systems. Using a Majorana transfer matrix method, we find that Majorana wavefunction properties are encoded in the associated Lyapunov exponent, which in turn is the sum of two independent components: a 'superconducting component' which characterizes the gap induced decay, and the 'normal component', which determines the oscillations and response to chemical potential configurations. The topological phase transition separating phases with and without Majorana end modes is seen to be a cancellation of these two components. We show that Majorana wavefunction oscillations are completely determined by an underlying non-superconducting tight-binding model and are solely responsible for GS fermion parity switches in finite-sized systems. These observations enable us to analytically chart out wavefunction oscillations, the resultant GS parity configuration as a function of parameter space in uniform wires, and special parity switch points where degenerate zero energy Majorana modes are restored in spite of finite size effects. For disordered wires, we find that band oscillations are completely washed out leading to a second localization length for the Majorana mode and the remnant oscillations are randomized as per Anderson localization physics in normal systems. Our transfer matrix method further allows us to i) reproduce known results on the scaling of mid-gap Majorana states and demonstrate the origin of its log-normal distribution, ii) identify contrasting behavior of disorder-dependent GS parity switches for the cases of even versus odd number of lattice sites, and iii) chart out the GS parity configuration and associated parity switch points as a function of disorder strength.

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Motivated by recent experimental realizations of topological edge states in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chains, we theoretically study a ladder system whose legs are comprised of two such chains.We show that the ladder hosts a rich phase diagram and related edge mode structure dictated by choice of inter-chain and intra-chain couplings. Namely, we exhibit three distinct physical regimes: a topological hosting localized zero energy edge modes, a topologically trivial phase having no edge mode structure, and a regime reminiscent of a weak topological insulator having unprotected edge modes resembling a "twin-SSH" construction. In the topological phase, the SSH ladder system acts as an analog of the Kitaev chain, which is known to support localized Majorana fermion end modes, with the difference that bound states of the SSH ladder having the same spatial wavefunction profiles correspond to Dirac fermion modes. Further, inhomogeneity in the couplings can have a drastic effect on the topological phase diagram of the ladder system. In particular for quasiperiodic variations of the inter-chain coupling, the phase diagram reproduces Hofstadter's butterfly pattern. We thus identify the SSH ladder system as a potential candidate for experimental observation of such fractal structure.