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

Abstract: We present the current-induced switching of the internal magnetization direction in a magnetic topological insulator/topological insulator heterostructure in the quantum anomalous Hall regime. The switching process is based on the bias current dependence of the coercive field, which is attributed to the effect of the spin-orbit torque provided by the unpolarized bias current. Increasing the bias current leads to a decrease in the magnetic order in the sample. When the applied current is subsequently reduced, the magnetic moments align with an externally applied magnetic field, resulting in repolarization in the opposite direction. This includes a reversal of the spin polarisation and hence a reversal of the chiral edge mode. Possible applications in spintronic devices are discussed.

Abstract: A spinwave Ising machine (SWIM) is a newly proposed type of time-multiplexed hardware solver for combinatorial optimization that employs feedback coupling and phase sensitive amplification to map an Ising Hamiltonian into phase-binarized propagating spin-wave RF pulses in an Yttrium-Iron-Garnet (YIG) film. In this work, we increase the mathematical complexity of the SWIM by adding a global Zeeman term to a 4-spin MAX-CUT Hamiltonian using a continuous external electrical signal with the same frequency as the spin pulses and phase locked with with one of the two possible states. We are able to induce ferromagnetic ordering in both directions of the spin states despite antiferromagnetic pairwise coupling. Embedding a planar antiferromagnetic spin system in a magnetic field has been proven to increase the complexity of the graph associated to its Hamiltonian and thus this straightforward implementation helps explore higher degrees of complexity in this evolving solver.

Abstract: Nonequilibrium quantum transport is of central importance in nanotechnology. Its description requires the understanding of strong electronic correlations, which couple atomic-scale phenomena to the nanoscale. So far, research in correlated transport focused predominantly on few-channel transport, precluding the investigation of cross-scale effects. Recent theoretical advances enable the solution of models that capture the interplay between quantum correlations and confinement beyond a few channels. This problem is the focus of this study. We consider an atomic impurity embedded in a metallic nanosheet spanning two leads, showing that transport is significantly altered by tuning only the phase of a single, local hopping parameter. Furthermore -- depending on this phase -- correlations reshape the electronic flow throughout the sheet, either funneling it through the impurity or scattering it away from a much larger region. This demonstrates the potential for quantum correlations to bridge length scales in the design of nanoelectronic devices and sensors.

Abstract: We theoretically investigate rapid adiabatic passage(RAP)-based super-resolution imaging in a two-level quantum dot system interacting with two structured beams. To understand the physical mechanism behind the formation of super-resolution for the experiment of Kaldewey {\it et. al.,}[Nature Photonics 10.1038/s41566-017-0079-y (2018)], we first use Liouville's density matrix where photon-mediated radiative and non-radiative decays are incorporated. A suitably chosen spatiotemporal envelope of the structured beams enables the formation of a super-resolution image. We also find that the feature size of the image depends on the intensity of the Laguerre Gaussian beam(LG). However, the created image resolution undergoes distortion due to the existence of a low-intensity circular ring. The unwanted circular ring arises from the dominance of the LG beam tail over the super-Gaussian(SG) beam tail, initiating the residual population transfer from the ground state to the excited state. This limitation can be overcome by using the Bessel-modulated truncated structured LG and SG beams. We next study the dynamics of the semiconductor quantum dot system at finite temperatures wherein the phonon interaction becomes imperative. We employ the polaron-transformed master equation to explore the system at higher temperatures. Our numerical results confirm that the sharpness of the image remains intact at low temperatures with weak phonon coupling. Hence, the proposed scheme may open up applications in nano-scale imaging with quantum dots.

Abstract: Weyl points are three-dimensional linear points between bands that exhibit unique stability to perturbations and are accompanied by topologically non-trivial surface states. However, the discovery and control of Weyl points in nature poses significant challenges. While recent advances have allowed for engineering Weyl points in photonic crystals and metamaterials, the topological transition between Weyl semimetals with distinct types of Weyl points remains yet to be reported. Here, exploiting the flexible measurement-feedback control of synthetic mechanical systems, we experimentally simulate Weyl semimetals and observe for the first time the transition between states with type-I and type-II Weyl points. We directly observe the change in the band structures accompanying the transition and identify the Fermi arc surface states connecting the Weyl points. Further, making use of the non-reciprocal feedback control, we demonstrate that the introduction of non-Hermiticity significantly impacts the topological transition point, as well as the edge localization of the Fermi arc surface states. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and realization of Weyl points in mechanical systems, providing a promising avenue for exploring novel topological phenomena in non-Hermitian physics.

Abstract: Confining particles to distances below their de Broglie wavelength discretizes their motional state. This fundamental effect is observed in many physical systems, ranging from electrons confined in atoms or quantum dots to ultracold atoms trapped in optical tweezers. In solid-state photonics, a long-standing goal has been to achieve fully tunable quantum confinement of optically active electron-hole pairs known as excitons. To confine excitons, existing approaches mainly rely on material modulation, which suffers from poor control over the energy and position of trapping potentials. This has severely impeded the engineering of large-scale quantum photonic systems. In this doctoral thesis, we demonstrate electrically controlled quantum confinement of neutral excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors. By combining gate-defined in-plane electric fields with inherent interactions between excitons and free charges in a lateral p-i-n junction, we achieve tunable exciton confinement lengths reaching values below 10 nm. Quantization of excitonic motion manifests in the measured optical response as a ladder of discrete voltage-dependent states below the continuum. Moreover, we observe that our confining potentials lead to a strong modification of the relative wave function of excitons. We further highlight the versatility of our approach by extending our confinement scheme to create quantum-dot-like zero-dimensional structures with a fully tunable confinement length. Our technique provides an experimental route towards achieving polariton blockade and creating scalable arrays of identical single-photon sources, which has wide-ranging implications for realizing strongly correlated photonic phases and on-chip optical quantum information processors.