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

Abstract: Parametric oscillation occurs when a parameter of an oscillator is periodically modulated. Owing to time-reversal symmetry breaking in magnets, nonreciprocal magnons can be parametrically excited when spatial-inversion symmetry breaking is provided. This means that magnons with opposite propagation directions have different amplitudes. Here we demonstrate switching on and off the magnon parametric oscillation by reversing the external field direction applied to a Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ micro-structured film. The result originates from the nonreciprocity of surface mode magnons, leading to field-direction dependence of the magnon accumulation under a nonuniform microwave pumping. Our numerical calculation well reproduces the experimental result.

Abstract: Lattice relaxation in twistronic bilayers with close lattice parameters and almost perfect crystallographic alignment of the layers results in the transformation of moir\'e pattern into a sequence of preferential stacking domains and domain wall networks. Here, we show that reconstructed moir\'e superlattices of the perfectly aligned heterobilayers of same-chalcogen transition metal dichalcogenides have broken-symmetry structures featuring twisted nodes ('twirls') of domain wall networks. Analysing twist-angle-dependences of strain characteristics for the broken-symmetry structures we show that the formation of twirl reduces amount of hydrostatic strain around the nodes, potentially, reducing their infuence on the band edge energies of electrons and holes.

Abstract: We show that competition between local interactions in monoaxial chiral magnets provides the stability of two-dimensional (2D) solitons with identical energies but opposite topological charges. These skyrmions and antiskyrmions represent metastable states in a wide range of parameters above the transition into the saturated ferromagnetic phase. The symmetry of the underlying micromagnetic functional gives rise to soliton zero modes allowing efficient control of their translational movement by the frequency of the circulating external magnetic field. We also discuss the role of demagnetizing fields in the energy balance between skyrmion and antiskyrmion and in their stability.

Abstract: We take advantage of the polariton bistability in semiconductor microcavities to estimate the interaction strength between lower exciton-polariton and dark exciton states. We combine the quasiresonant excitation of polaritons and the nominally forbidden two-photon excitation (TPE) of dark excitons in a GaAs microcavity. To this end, we use an ultranarrow linewidth cw laser for the TPE process that allows us to determine the energy of dark excitons with high spectral resolution. Our results evidence a sharp drop in the polariton transmission intensity and width of the hysteresis cycle when the TPE process is resonant with the dark exciton energy, highly compromising the bistability of the polariton condensate. This behavior demonstrates the existence of a small symmetry breaking such as that produced by an effective in-plane magnetic field, allowing us to directly excite the dark reservoir. We numerically reproduce the collapse of the hysteresis cycle with the increasing dark exciton population, treating the evolution of a polariton condensate in a one-mode approximation, coupled to the exciton reservoir via polariton-exciton scattering processes.

Abstract: Spin qubits in semiconductor quantum dots are a promising platform for quantum computing, however scaling to large systems is hampered by crosstalk and charge noise. Crosstalk here refers to the unwanted off-resonant rotation of idle qubits during the resonant rotation of the target qubit. For a three-qubit system with crosstalk and charge noise, it is difficult to analytically create gate protocols that produce three-qubit gates, such as the Toffoli gate, directly in a single shot instead of through the composition of two-qubit gates. Therefore, we numerically optimize a physics-informed neural network to produce theoretically robust shaped pulses that generate a Toffoli-equivalent gate. Additionally, robust $\frac{\pi}{2}$ $X$ and CZ gates are also presented in this work to create a universal set of gates robust against charge noise. The robust pulses maintain an infidelity of $10^{-3}$ for average quasistatic fluctuations in the voltage of up to a few mV instead of tenths of mV for non-robust pulses.

Abstract: Quantum Hall systems host chiral edge states extending along the one-dimensional boundary of any two-dimensional sample. In solid state materials, the edge states serve as perfectly robust transport channels that produce a quantised Hall conductance; due to their chirality, and the topological protection by the Chern number of the bulk bandstructure, they cannot be spatially localized by defects or disorder. Here, we show experimentally that the chiral edge states of a lossy quantum Hall system can be localized. In a gyromagnetic photonic crystal exhibiting the quantum Hall topological phase, an appropriately structured loss configuration imparts the edge states' complex energy spectrum with a feature known as point-gap winding. This intrinsically non-Hermitian topological invariant is distinct from the Chern number invariant of the bulk (which remains intact) and induces mode localization via the "non-Hermitian skin effect". The interplay of the two topological phenomena - the Chern number and point-gap winding - gives rise to a non-Hermitian generalisation of the paradigmatic Chern-type bulk-boundary correspondence principle. Compared to previous realisations of the non-Hermitian skin effect, the skin modes in this system have superior robustness against local defects and disorders.

Abstract: Spin qubits defined by valence band hole states comprise an attractive candidate for quantum information processing due to their inherent coupling to electric fields enabling fast and scalable qubit control. In particular, heavy holes in germanium have shown great promise, with recent demonstrations of fast and high-fidelity qubit operations. However, the mechanisms and anisotropies that underlie qubit driving and decoherence are still mostly unclear. Here, we report on the highly anisotropic heavy-hole $g$-tensor and its dependence on electric fields, allowing us to relate both qubit driving and decoherence to an electric modulation of the $g$-tensor. We also confirm the predicted Ising-type hyperfine interaction but show that qubit coherence is ultimately limited by $1/f$ charge noise. Finally, we operate the qubit at low magnetic field and measure a dephasing time of $T_2^*=9.2$ ${\mu}$s, while maintaining a single-qubit gate fidelity of 99.94 %, that remains well above 99 % at an operation temperature T>1 K. This understanding of qubit driving and decoherence mechanisms are key for the design and operation of scalable and highly coherent hole qubit arrays.

Abstract: We theoretically investigate the lattice relaxation and the electronic property in non-symemtric chiral TTGs by using an effective continuum model. The relaxed lattice structure forms a patchwork of moir\'e-of-moir\'e domains, where the moir\'e patterns given by layer 1 and 2, and layer 2 and 3 become locally commensurate with a specific relative alignment. The band calculation reveals a wide energy window (> 50 meV) with low density of states, featuring sparsely distributed highly one-dimensional electron bands. The wave function of these one-dimensional bands exhibits sharp localization at the boundaries between super-moir\'e domains. By calculating the Chern number of the local band structure within commensurate domains, the one-dimensional state is identified as a topological boundary state between distinct Chern insulators.

Abstract: Many natural and artificial reactions including photosynthesis or photopolymerization are initiated by stimulating organic molecules into an excited state, which enables new reaction paths. Controlling light-matter interaction can influence this key concept of photochemistry, however, it remained a challenge to apply this strategy to control photochemical reactions at the atomic scale. Here, we profit from the extreme confinement of the electromagnetic field at the apex of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip to drive and control the rate of a free-base phthalocyanine phototautomerization with submolecular precision. By tuning the laser excitation wavelength and choosing the STM tip position, we control the phototautomerization rate and the relative tautomer population. This sub-molecular optical control can be used to study any other photochemical processes.

Abstract: Plasmons can be excited during photoemission and produce spectral photoelectron features that yield information on the nanoscale optical response of the probed materials. However, these so-called plasmon satellites have so far been observed only for planar surfaces, while their potential for the characterization of nanostructures remains unexplored. Here, we theoretically demonstrate that core-level photoemission from nanostructures can display spectrally narrow plasmonic features, reaching relatively high probabilities similar to the direct peak. Using a nonperturbative quantum-mechanical framework, we find a dramatic effect of nanostructure morphology and dimensionality as well as a universal scaling law for the plasmon-satellite probabilities. In addition, we introduce a pump--probe scheme in which plasmons are optically excited prior to photoemission, leading to plasmon losses and gains in the photoemission spectra and granting us access into the ultrafast dynamics of the sampled nanostructure. These results emphasize the potential of plasmon satellites to explore multi-plasmon effects and ultrafast electron--plasmon dynamics in metal-based nanoparticles and two-dimensional nanoislands.