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

Abstract: This work analyzes the propagation of a transverse domain wall (DW) motion under the action of an electric current along a nanowire (NW) with a curvature gradient. Our results evidence that the curvature gradient induces a chiral spin-transfer torque (CSTT) whose effect on the DW motion depends on the direction along which the DW points. The origin of the CSTT is explained in terms of a position and phase-dependent effective field associated with the DW profile and the electric current direction. Finally, our results reveal that this chiral mechanism can also affect the behavior of other magnetization collective modes, such as spin waves. This work shows the emergence of curvature-induced chiral spin transport and highlights a new phenomenon to be considered for designing spintronic devices.

Abstract: A delicate tension complicates the relationship between the topological magnetoelectric effect in three-dimensional $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulators (TIs) and time-reversal symmetry (TRS). TRS underlies a particular $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological classification of the electronic ground state of a bulk insulator and the associated quantization of the magnetoelectric coefficient calculated using linear response theory, but according to standard symmetry arguments simultaneously forbids any physically meaningful magnetoelectric response. This tension between theories of magnetoelectric response in bulk and finite-sized materials originates from the distinct approaches required to introduce notions of polarization and orbital magnetization in those fundamentally different environments. In this work we argue for a modified interpretation of the bulk linear response calculations in non-magnetic TIs that is more plainly consistent with TRS, and use this interpretation to discuss the effect's observation - still absent over a decade after its prediction. Our analysis is reinforced by microscopic bulk and thin film calculations carried out using a simplified but still realistic model for the well established V$_2$VI$_3$ (V $=$ (Sb,Bi) and VI $=$ (Se,Te)) family of non-magnetic $\mathbb{Z}_2$ TIs. We conclude that the topological magnetoelectric effect in non-magnetic $\mathbb{Z}_2$ TIs is activated by magnetic surface dopants, and that the charge density response to magnetic fields and the orbital magnetization response to electric fields in a given sample are controlled in part by the configuration of those dopants.

Abstract: Topological charge pumping occurs in the adiabatic limit, and the non-adiabatic effect due to finite ramping velocity reduces the pumping efficiency and leads to deviation from quantized charge pumping. In this work, we discuss the relation between this deviation from quantized charge pumping and the entanglement generation after a pumping circle. In this simplest setting, we show that purity $\mathcal{P}$ of the half system reduced density matrix equals to $\mathcal{R}$ defined as $(1-\kappa)^2+\kappa^2$, where $\kappa$ denotes the pumping efficiency. In generic situations, we argue $\mathcal{P}<\mathcal{R}$ and the pumping efficiency can provide an upper bound for purity and, therefore, a lower bound for generated entanglement. To support this conjecture, we propose a solvable pumping scheme in the Rice--Mele--Hubbard model, which can be represented as brick-wall type quantum circuit model. With this pumping scheme, numerical calculation of charge pumping only needs to include at most six sites, and therefore, the interaction and the finite temperature effects can be both included reliably in the exact diagonalization calculation. The numerical results using the solvable pumping circle identify two regimes where the pumping efficiency is sensitive to ramping velocity and support the conjecture $\mathcal{P}<\mathcal{R}$ when both interaction and finite temperature effects are present.

Abstract: The response of superfluids to the external rotation, evidenced by emergence of quantised vortices, distinguishes them from conventional fluids. In this work, we demonstrate that the number of vortices in a stirred polariton condensate depends on the characteristic size of the employed rotating potential induced by the nonresonant laser excitation. For smaller sizes, a single vortex with a topological charge of +-1 corresponding to the stirring direction is formed. However, for larger optical traps, clusters of two or three co-rotating vortices appear in the narrow range of GHz stirring speed.

Abstract: We investigate the finite-frequency optical response of systems described at low energies by Dirac-Weyl Hamiltonians with higher pseudospin $\mathcal{S}$ values. In particular, we examine the situation where a tilting term is applied in the Hamiltonian, which results in tilting of the Dirac electronic band structure. We calculate and discuss the optical conductivity for the cases $\mathcal{S}=1$, $3/2$, and $2$, in both two and three dimensions in order to demonstrate the expected signatures in the optical response. We examine both undertilted (type I) and overtilted (type II) as well as the critically-tilted case (type III). Along with the well-known case of $\mathcal{S} =1/2$, a pattern emerges for any $\mathcal{S}$. We note that in situations with multiple nested cones, such as happens for $\mathcal{S}>1$, the possibility of having one cone being type I while the other is type II allows for more rich variations in the optical signature, which we will label as type IV behavior. We also comment on the presence of optical sum rules in the presence of tilting. Finally, we discuss tilting in the $\alpha$-T$_3$ model in two dimensions, which is a hybrid of the $\mathcal{S}=1/2$ (honeycomb lattice) and $\mathcal{S}=1$ (dice or T$_3$ lattice) model with a variable Berry's phase. We contrast this model's conductivity with that of $\mathcal{S}=3/2$ and $\mathcal{S}=2$ as the resultant optical response has some similarities, although there are clear distinguishing features between the these cases.

Abstract: It is known that $n$-degenerate Landau levels with the same spin-valley quantum number can be realized by $n$-layer graphene with rhombohedral stacking under magnetic field $B$. We find that the wave functions of degenerate Landau levels are concentrated at the surface layers of the multi-layer graphene if the dimensionless ratio $\eta = \gamma_1/(v_F\sqrt{2e\hbar B/c}) \approx 9/ \sqrt{B[\text{Tesla}]} \gg 1$, where $\gamma_1$ is the interlayer hopping energy and $v_F$ the Fermi velocity of single-layer graphene. This allows us to suggest that: 1) filling fraction $\nu=\frac12$ (or $\nu_n = 5\frac12$) non-Abelian state with Ising anyon can be realized in three-layer graphene for magnetic field $ B \lesssim 9$ Tesla; 2) filling fraction $\nu=\frac23$ (or $\nu_n = 7\frac13$) non-Abelian state with Fibonacci anyon can be realized in four-layer graphene for magnetic field $ B \sim 2 - 9 $ Tesla. Here, $\nu$ is the total filling fraction in the degenerate Landau levels, and $\nu_n$ is the filling fraction measured from charge neutrality point which determines the measured Hall conductance. We have assumed the following conditions to obtain the above results: the exchange effective of Coulomb interaction polarizes the $SU(4)$ spin-valley quantum number and effective dielectric constant $\epsilon \gtrsim 10$ to reduce the Coulomb interaction. The high density of states of multi-layer graphene helps to reduce the Coulomb interaction via screening.

Abstract: We present a new velocity-gauge real-time, time-dependent density functional tight-binding (VG-rtTDDFTB) implementation in the open-source DFTB+ software package (https://dftbplus.org) for probing electronic excitations in large, condensed matter systems. Our VG-rtTDDFTB approach enables real-time electron dynamics simulations of large, periodic, condensed matter systems containing thousands of atoms with a favorable computational scaling as a function of system size. We provide computational details and benchmark calculations to demonstrate its accuracy and computational parallelizability on a variety of large material systems. As a representative example, we calculate laser-induced electron dynamics in a 512-atom amorphous silicon supercell to highlight the large periodic systems that can be examined with our implementation. Taken together, our VG-rtTDDFTB approach enables new electron dynamics simulations of complex systems that require large periodic supercells, such as crystal defects, complex surfaces, nanowires, and amorphous materials.