Current correlations of Cooper-pair tunneling into a quantum Hall system

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2020), 102

Transport properties of coupled Majorana bound states in the Coulomb blockade regime

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2020)

Topologically protected qubits based on nanostructures hosting Majorana bound states (MBSs) hold great promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. We study the transport properties of nanowire networks ... [more ▼]

Topologically protected qubits based on nanostructures hosting Majorana bound states (MBSs) hold great promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. We study the transport properties of nanowire networks hosting MBSs with a focus on the effects of the charging energy and the overlap between neighboring MBSs in short mesoscopic samples. In particular, we investigate structures hosting four MBSs such as T junctions and Majorana boxes. Using a master equation in the Markovian approximation, we discuss the leading transport processes mediated by the MBSs. Single-electron tunneling and processes involving creation and annihilation of Cooper pairs dominate in the sequential-tunneling limit. In the cotunneling regime the charge in the MBSs is fixed and transport is governed by transitions via virtual intermediate states. Our results show that four-terminal measurements in the T junction and Majorana box geometries can be useful tools for the characterization of the properties of MBSs with finite overlaps and charging energy. [less ▲]

Experimental observation of third-order effect in magnetic small-angle neutron scattering

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2020), 101

Parafermion braiding in fractional quantum Hall edge states with a finite chemical potential

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2019), 100

Parafermions are non-Abelian anyons which generalize Majorana fermions and hold great promise for topological quantum computation. We study the braiding of Z2n parafermions which have been predicted to ... [more ▼]

Parafermions are non-Abelian anyons which generalize Majorana fermions and hold great promise for topological quantum computation. We study the braiding of Z2n parafermions which have been predicted to emerge as localized zero modes in fractional quantum Hall systems at filling factor ν=1/n (n odd). Using a combination of bosonization and refermionization, we calculate the energy splitting as a function of distance and chemical potential for a pair of parafermions separated by a gapped region. Braiding of parafermions in quantum Hall edge states can be implemented by repeated fusion and nucleation of parafermion pairs. We simulate the conventional braiding protocol of parafermions numerically, taking into account the finite separation and finite chemical potential. We show that a nonzero chemical potential poses challenges for the adiabaticity of the braiding process because it leads to accidental crossings in the spectrum. To remedy this, we propose an improved braiding protocol which avoids those degeneracies. [less ▲]

Erratum: Third-order effect in magnetic small-angle neutron scattering by a spatially inhomogeneous medium [Phys. Rev. B 91, 054404 (2015)]

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2019), 99

Unconventional superconductivity in the extended Hubbard model: Weak-coupling renormalization group

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2018)

Time-resolved energy dynamics after single electron injection into an interacting helical liquid

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2016), 94(03), 5404

The possibility of injecting a single electron into ballistic conductors is at the basis of the new field of electron quantum optics. Here, we consider a single electron injection into the helical edge ... [more ▼]

The possibility of injecting a single electron into ballistic conductors is at the basis of the new field of electron quantum optics. Here, we consider a single electron injection into the helical edge channels of a topological insulator. Their counterpropagating nature and the unavoidable presence of electron-electron interactions dramatically affect the time evolution of the single wave packet. Modeling the injection process from a mesoscopic capacitor in the presence of nonlocal tunneling, we focus on the time-resolved charge and energy packet dynamics. Both quantities split up into counterpropagating contributions whose profiles are strongly affected by the interaction strength. In addition, stronger signatures are found for the injected energy, which is also affected by the finite width of the tunneling region, in contrast to what happens for the charge. Indeed, the energy flow can be controlled by tuning the injection parameters, and we demonstrate that, in the presence of nonlocal tunneling, it is possible to achieve a situation in which charge and energy flow in opposite directions. [less ▲]

Phonon-limited carrier mobility and resistivity from carbon nanotubes to graphene

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2015)

Under which conditions do the electrical transport properties of one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and 2D graphene become equivalent? We have performed atomistic calculations of the phonon ... [more ▼]

Under which conditions do the electrical transport properties of one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and 2D graphene become equivalent? We have performed atomistic calculations of the phonon-limited electrical mobility in graphene and in a wide range of CNTs of different types to address this issue. The theoretical study is based on a tight-binding method and a force-constant model from which all possible electron-phonon couplings are computed. The electrical resistivity of graphene is found in very good agreement with experiments performed at high carrier density. A common methodology is applied to study the transition from one to two dimensions by considering CNTs with diameter up to 16 nm. It is found that the mobility in CNTs of increasing diameter converges to the same value, i.e., the mobility in graphene. This convergence is much faster at high temperature and high carrier density. For small-diameter CNTs, the mobility depends strongly on chirality, diameter, and the existence of a band gap. [less ▲]

Ab initio perspective on the Mollwo-Ivey relation for F centers in alkali halides

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2015), 92

We revisit the well-known Mollwo-Ivey relation that describes the ``universal'' dependence of the absorption energies of F-type color centers on the lattice constant a of alkali-halide crystals, E-abs ... [more ▼]

We revisit the well-known Mollwo-Ivey relation that describes the ``universal'' dependence of the absorption energies of F-type color centers on the lattice constant a of alkali-halide crystals, E-abs proportional to a(-n). We perform both state-of-the-art ab initio quantum chemistry and post-DFT calculations of F-center absorption spectra. By ``tuning'' independently the lattice constant and the atomic species we show that the scaling with the lattice constant alone 2 in agreement with the ``particle-in-the-box'' model. Keeping the lattice constant fixed and changing the atomic species enables us to quantify the ion-size effects which are shown to be responsible for the exponent n approximate to 1.8. [less ▲]

Screening of electron-phonon coupling in graphene on Ir(111)

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2013), 88(205403),

The phonon dispersion of graphene on Ir(111) has been determined by means of angle-resolved inelastic electron scattering and density functional calculations. Kohn anomalies of the highest optical-phonon ... [more ▼]

The phonon dispersion of graphene on Ir(111) has been determined by means of angle-resolved inelastic electron scattering and density functional calculations. Kohn anomalies of the highest optical-phonon branches are observed at the ¯ and ¯K point of the surface Brillouin zone. At ¯K the Kohn anomaly is weaker than observed for pristine graphene and graphite. This observation is rationalized in terms of a decrease of the electron-phonon coupling due to screening of graphene electron correlations by the metal substrate. [less ▲]