Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)

Abstract: Recent experiments have observed Cooper pair splitting in quantum dots coupled to superconductors, and efficient schemes for controlling and timing the splitting process are now called for. Here, we propose and analyze an adiabatic Cooper pair splitter that can produce a regular flow of spin-entangled electrons in response to a time-dependent and periodic gate voltage. The splitting process is controlled by moving back and forth along an avoided crossing between the empty state and the singlet state of two quantum dots that are coupled to a superconductor, followed by the emission of the split Cooper pairs into two normal-state drains. The scheme does not rely on fine-tuned resonance conditions and is therefore robust against experimental imperfections in the driving signal. We identify a range of driving frequencies, where the output currents are quantized and proportional to the driving frequency combined with suppressed low-frequency noise. We also discuss the main sources of cycle-missing events and evaluate the statistics of electrons emitted within a period of the drive as well as the distribution of waiting times between them. Realistic parameter estimates indicate that the Cooper pair splitter can be operated in the gigahertz regime.

Abstract: It is far well accepted that the morphology of nanoparticles and nanoalloys is of paramount importance to understand their properties. Furthemore, the morphology depends on the growth mechanism with coalescence generally accepted as one the most common mechanisms both in liquid and in the gas phase. Coalescence refers when two existing seeds collide and aggregate into a larger object. It is expected that the resulting aggregate shows a compact, often spherical structure, although strongly out of the equilibrium, referring to its global minimum. While the coalescence of liquid droplet is widely studied, the first stages of the coalescence between nanoseeds has attracted less interest, although important as multiple aggregation can take place. Here we simulate the coalescence of Au and Pd seeds by the Molecular Dynamics method, comparing the initial stage of the coalescence in vacuum and when there is an interacting surrounding around them. We show that the surface chemical composition of the resulting aggregate depend on the environment as well as the overall morphology.

Abstract: $\Delta_T$ noise generated due to temperature gradient in the absence of charge current has recently attracted a lot of interest. In this paper, for the first time, we derive spin-polarized charge $\Delta_T$ noise and spin $\Delta_T$ noise along with its shot noise-like and thermal noise-like contributions. Introducing a spin flipper at the interface of a bilayer metal junction with a temperature gradient, we examine the impact of spin-flip scattering. We do a detailed analysis of charge and spin $\Delta_T$ noise in four distinct setups for two distinct temperature regimes: the first case of one hot \& the other cold reservoir and the second case of reservoirs with comparable temperatures, and also two distinct bias voltage regimes: the first case of zero bias voltage and second case of finite bias voltage. In all these regimes, we ensure that the net charge current transported is zero always. We find negative charge $\Delta_T$ noise for reservoirs at comparable temperatures while for the one hot \& another cold reservoir case, charge $\Delta_T$ noise is positive. We also see that spin $\Delta_T$ noise and spin $\Delta_T$ thermal noise-like contributions are negative for one hot and the other cold reservoir case. Recent work on the general bound for spin $\Delta_T$ shot noise with a spin-dependent bias suggests it is always positive. In this paper, we see spin $\Delta_T$ shot noise-like contribution to be negative in contrast to positive charge $\Delta_T$ shot noise contribution, although in the absence of any spin-dependent bias. Spin-flip scattering exhibits the intriguing effect of a change in sign in both charge and spin $\Delta_T$ noise, which can help probe spin-polarized transport.

Abstract: Topological insulators are characterized by insulating bulk and conducting surface, the latter is a necessity consequence of the nontrivial topology of the wavefunctions forming the valence band. This chapter gives a historical overview of the discovery of topological insulators and a concise description of the $Z_2$ topology which defines them. The concept of topological insulators have been extended to various other topologies, giving rise to the recognition of further topological states of matter such as topological crystalline insulators and higher-order topological insulators. Representative materials of topological insulators, their synthesis techniques, and the ways for the experimental confirmation of the topological nature are introduced. Among the interesting phenomena derived from topological insulators, topological superconductivity, Majorana zero modes, and quantum anomalous Hall effect are briefly discussed.

Abstract: Within the Floquet theory of periodically driven quantum systems, we demonstrate that an off-resonant high-frequency electromagnetic field can induce the Lifshitz phase transition in periodical structures described by the one-dimensional repulsive Hubbard model with the nearest and next-nearest neighbor hopping. The transition changes the topology of electron energy spectrum at the Fermi level, transforming it from the two Fermi-points to the four Fermi-points, what facilitates the emergence of the superconducting fluctuations in the structure. Possible manifestations of the effect and conditions of its experimental observability are discussed.

Abstract: Boundaries between structural twins of bilayer graphene (so-called AB/BA domain walls) are often discussed in terms of the formation of topologically protected valley-polarised chiral states. Here, we show that, depending on the width of the AB/BA boundary, the latter can also support non-chiral one-dimensional (1D) states that are confined to the domain wall at low energies and take the form of quasi-bound states at higher energies, where the 1D bands cross into the two-dimensional spectral continuum. We present the results of modeling of electronic properties of AB/BA domain walls with and without magnetic field as a function of their width and interlayer bias.

Abstract: In the paper, we study the non-Hermitian system under dissipation in which the energy band shows an imaginary line gap and energy eigenstates are bound to a specific region. To describe these phenomena, we propose the concept of "non-Hermitian tearing", in which the degree of tearing we defined reveals a continuous phase transition at the exceptional point. The non-Hermitian tearing manifests in two forms -- bulk state separation and boundary state decoupling. For a deeper understanding of non-Hermitian tearing, we give the effective 2*2 Hamiltonian in the k-space by reducing the N*N Hamiltonian in the real space. In addition, we also explore the non-Hermitian tearing in the one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model and the Qi-Wu-Zhang model. Our results provide a theoretical approach for studying non-Hermitian tearing in more complex systems.