Title: Manipulating Majorana zero modes in the spin-1/2 Kitaev ladder

Abstract: The one-dimensional $p$-wave superconductor, characterized by boundary Majorana modes, has attracted significant interest owing to its potential application in topological quantum computation. Similarly, spin-1/2 Kitaev ladder systems with bond-dependent Ising interactions, featuring Majorana fermions coupled with $Z_2$ flux, exhibit boundary Majorana modes when in a topological phase. However, the ground state degeneracy, inherent in these systems, may result in the annihilation of Majorana modes due to the superposition of the two states. To address this issue, we introduce a projective measurement that selects one of the degenerate $Z_2$ sectors, enabling the emergence of Majorana modes. Once the state is selected, we show that the application of the local spin operators on a bond flips the sign of the adjacent $Z_2$ flux. Repeating such operators enables the system to reach a desired $Z_2$ flux configuration. We present the phase diagram and the appearance of Majorana modes at the interfaces of topological and non-topological phases. These modes, along with boundary Majorana modes, can be manipulated and fused by tuning the flux sectors achievable through applying local spin operators. We also discuss the engineering of the Kitaev ladder and open questions for future studies.