Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Greedy optimization of the geometry of Majorana Josephson junctions

  André Melo, Tanko Tanev, Anton R. Akhmerov

  SciPost Phys. 14, 047 (2023) · published 23 March 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Josephson junctions in a two-dimensional electron gas with spin-orbit coupling are a promising candidate to realize topological superconductivity. While it is known that the geometry of the junction strongly influences the size of the topological gap, the question of how to construct optimal geometries remains unexplored. We introduce a greedy numerical algorithm to optimize the shape of Majorana junctions. The core of the algorithm relies on perturbation theory and is embarrassingly parallel, which allows it to explore the design space efficiently. By introducing stochastic variations in the junction Hamiltonian, we avoid overfitting geometries to specific system parameters. Furthermore, we constrain the optimizer to produce smooth geometries by applying image filtering and fabrication resolution constraints. We run the algorithm in various setups and find that it reliably produces geometries with increased topological gaps over large parameter ranges. The results are robust to variations in the optimization starting point and the presence of disorder, which suggests the optimizer is capable of finding global maxima.

  2 citations

• Topological quantum phase transition of nickelocene on Cu(100)

  Germán G. Blesio, Rok Žitko, Luis O. Manuel, Armando A. Aligia

  SciPost Phys. 14, 042 (2023) · published 21 March 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Local quantum phase transitions driven by Kondo correlations have been theoretically proposed in several magnetic nanosystems; however, clear experimental signatures are scant. Modeling a nickelocene molecule on a Cu(100) substrate as a two-orbital Anderson impurity with single-ion anisotropy coupled to two conduction bands, we find that recent scanning tunneling spectra reveal the existence of a topological quantum phase transition from the usual local Fermi liquid with high zero-bias conductance to a non-Landau Fermi liquid, characterized by a non-trivial quantized Luttinger integral, with a small conductance. The effects of intermediate valence, finite temperature, and structural relaxation of the molecule position allow us to explain the different observed behaviors.

  2 citations

• Efficient flow equations for dissipative systems

  Gary Schmiedinghoff, Götz S. Uhrig

  SciPost Phys. 13, 122 (2022) · published 13 December 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Open quantum systems provide an essential theoretical basis for the development of novel quantum technologies, since any real quantum system inevitably interacts with its environment. Lindblad master equations capture the effect of Markovian environments. Closed quantum systems can be treated using flow equations with the particle conserving generator. We generalize this generator to non-Hermitian matrices and open quantum systems governed by Lindbladians, comparing our results with recently proposed generators by Rosso et al. (arXiv:2007.12044). In comparison, we find that our advocated generator provides an efficient flow with good accuracy in spite of truncations.

  2 citations

• HEJ 2.2: W boson pairs and Higgs boson plus jet production at high energies

  Jeppe R. Andersen, Bertrand Ducloué, Conor Elrick, Hitham Hassan, Andreas Maier, Graeme Nail, Jérémy Paltrinieri, Andreas Papaefstathiou, Jennifer M. Smillie

  SciPost Phys. Codebases 21 (2023) · published 6 December 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present version 2.2 of the High Energy Jets (HEJ) Monte Carlo event generator for hadronic scattering processes at high energies. The new version adds support for two further processes of central phenomenological interest, namely the production of a W boson pair with equal charge together with two or more jets and the production of a Higgs boson with at least one jet. Furthermore, a new prediction for charged lepton pair production with high jet multiplicities is provided in the high-energy limit. The accuracy of HEJ 2.2 can be increased further through an enhanced interface to standard predictions based on conventional perturbation theory. We describe all improvements and provide extensive usage examples. HEJ 2.2 can be obtained from https://hej.hepforge.org.

  2 citations

• Asymmetric transport in long-range interacting chiral spin chains

  Javad Vahedi

  SciPost Phys. Core 5, 021 (2022) · published 13 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Harnessing power-law interactions ($1/r^\alpha$) in a large variety of physical systems are increasing. We study the dynamics of chiral spin chains as a possible multi-directional quantum channel. This arises from the nonlinear character of the dispersion with complex quantum interference effects. Using complementary numerical and analytical techniques, we propose a model to guide quantum states to a desired direction. We illustrate our approach using the long-range XXZ model modulated by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction. By exploring non-equilibrium dynamics after a local quantum quench, we identify the interplay of interaction range $\alpha$ and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling giving rise to an appreciable asymmetric spin excitations transport. This could be interesting for quantum information protocols to transfer quantum states, and it may be testable with current trapped-ion experiments. We further explore the growth of block entanglement entropy in these systems, and an order of magnitude reduction is distinguished.

  2 citations

• Quantum chaos in perturbative super-Yang-Mills Theory

  Tristan McLoughlin, Raul Pereira, Anne Spiering

  SciPost Phys. 14, 049 (2023) · published 27 March 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We provide numerical evidence that the perturbative spectrum of anomalous dimensions in maximally supersymmetric $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theory is chaotic at finite values of $N$. We calculate the probability distribution of one-loop level spacings for subsectors of the theory and show that for large $N$ it is given by the Poisson distribution of integrable models, while at finite values it is the Wigner-Dyson distribution of the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble random matrix theory. We extend these results to two-loop order and to a one-parameter family of deformations. We further study the spectral rigidity for these models and show that it is also well described by random matrix theory. Finally we demonstrate that the finite-$N$ eigenvectors possess properties of chaotic states.

  2 citations

• Fermionization of a few-body Bose system immersed into a Bose-Einstein condensate

  Tim Keller, Thomás Fogarty, Thomas Busch

  SciPost Phys. 15, 095 (2023) · published 14 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the recently introduced self-pinning transition [Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 053401 (2022)] in a quasi-one-dimensional two-component quantum gas in the case where the component immersed into the Bose-Einstein condensate has a finite intraspecies interaction strength. As a result of the matter-wave backaction, the fermionization in the limit of infinite intraspecies repulsion occurs via a first-order phase transition to the self-pinned state, which is in contrast to the asymptotic behavior in static trapping potentials. The system also exhibits an additional superfluid state for the immersed component if the interspecies interaction is able to overcome the intraspecies repulsion. We approximate the superfluid state in an analytical model and derive an expression for the phase transition line that coincides with well-known phase separation criteria in binary Bose systems. The full phase diagram of the system is mapped out numerically for the case of two and three atoms in the immersed component.

  2 citations

• Renormalization group for open quantum systems using environment temperature as flow parameter

  Konstantin Nestmann, Maarten R. Wegewijs

  SciPost Phys. 12, 121 (2022) · published 7 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present the $T$-flow renormalization group method, which computes the memory kernel for the density-operator evolution of an open quantum system by lowering the physical temperature $T$ of its environment. This has the key advantage that it can be formulated directly in real time, making it particularly suitable for transient dynamics, while automatically accumulating the full temperature dependence of transport quantities. We solve the $T$-flow equations numerically for the example of the single impurity Anderson model. We benchmark in the stationary limit, readily accessible in real-time for voltages on the order of the coupling or larger using results obtained by the functional renormalization group, density-matrix renormalization group and the quantum Monte Carlo method. Here we find quantitative agreement even in the worst case of strong interactions and low temperatures, indicating the reliability of the method. For transient charge currents we find good agreement with results obtained by the 2PI Green's function approach. Furthermore, we analytically show that the short-time dynamics of both local and non-local observables follow a universal temperature-independent behaviour when the metallic reservoirs have a flat wide band.

  2 citations

• Quantum wavefront shaping with a 48-element programmable phase plate for electrons

  Chu-Ping Yu, Francisco Vega Ibañez, Armand Béché, Johan Verbeeck

  SciPost Phys. 15, 223 (2023) · published 4 December 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present a 48-element programmable phase plate for coherent electron waves produced by a combination of photolithography and focused ion beam. This brings the highly successful concept of wavefront shaping from light optics into the realm of electron optics and provides an important new degree of freedom to prepare electron quantum states. The phase plate chip is mounted on an aperture rod placed in the C2 plane of a transmission electron microscope operating in the 100-300 kV range. The phase plate's behavior is characterized by a Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm, showing a phase sensitivity of 0.075 rad/mV at 300 kV, with a phase resolution of approximately 3$\cdot$10$^{-3} \pi$. In addition, we provide a brief overview of possible use cases and support it with both simulated and experimental results.

  2 citations

• Lucky planets: how circum-binary planets survive the supernova in one of the inner-binary components

  Fedde Fagginger Auer, Simon Portegies Zwart

  SciPost Astro. 2, 002 (2022) · published 1 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A planet hardly ever survives the supernova of the host star in a bound orbit, because mass loss in the supernova and the natal kick imparted to the newly formed compact object cause the planet to be ejected. A planet in orbit around a binary has a considerably higher probability to survive the supernova explosion of one of the inner binary stars. In those cases, the planet most likely remains bound to the companion of the exploding star, whereas the compact object is ejected. We estimate this to happen to $\sim 1/33$ the circum-binary planetary systems. These planetary orbits tend to be highly eccentric ($e \ {\raise-.5ex\hbox{$\buildrel>\over\sim$}}\ 0.9$), and $\sim 20$% of these planets have retrograde orbits compared to their former binary. The probability that the planet as well as the binary (now with a compact object) remains bound is about ten times smaller ($\sim 3\cdot 10^{-3}$). We then expect the Milky way Galaxy to host $\ {\raise-.5ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over\sim$}}\ 10$ x-ray binaries that are still orbited by a planet, and $\ {\raise-.5ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over\sim$}}\ 150$ planets that survived in orbit around the compact object's companion. These numbers should be convolved with the fraction of massive binaries that is orbited by a planet.

  2 citations