We study the time evolution of a system of fermions with pairing interactions at a finite temperature. The dynamics is triggered by an abrupt increase of the BCS coupling constant. We show that if initially the fermions are in a normal phase, the amp
litude of the BCS order parameter averaged over the Boltzman distribution of initial states exhibits damped oscillations with a relatively short decay time. The latter is determined by the temperature, the single-particle level spacing, and the ground state value of the BCS gap for the new coupling. In contrast, the decay is essentially absent when the system was in a superfluid phase before the coupling increase.
Semiclassical methods can now explain many mesoscopic effects (shot-noise, conductance fluctuations, etc) in clean chaotic systems, such as chaotic quantum dots. In the deep classical limit (wavelength much less than system size) the Ehrenfest time (
the time for a wavepacket to spread to a classical size) plays a crucial role, and random matrix theory (RMT) ceases to apply to the transport properties of open chaotic systems. Here we summarize some of our recent results for shot-noise (intrinsically quantum noise in the current through the system) in this deep classical limit. For systems with perfect coupling to the leads, we use a phase-space basis on the leads to show that the transmission eigenvalues are all 0 or 1 -- so transmission is noiseless [Whitney-Jacquod, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 116801 (2005), Jacquod-Whitney, Phys. Rev. B 73, 195115 (2006)]. For systems with tunnel-barriers on the leads we use trajectory-based semiclassics to extract universal (but non-RMT) shot-noise results for the classical regime [Whitney, Phys. Rev. B 75, 235404 (2007)].
Fermi-Dirac integrals appear frequently in semiconductor problems, so a basic understanding of their properties is essential. The purpose of these notes is to collect in one place, some basic information about Fermi-Dirac integrals and their properti
es. We also present Matlab scripts that calculate Fermi-Dirac integrals (the script F defined by Dingle (1957)) in three different ways. The codes are available in Appendix and at the following website: Notes on Fermi-Dirac Integrals (4th Edition) by Raseong Kim, Xufeng Wang, and Mark Lundstrom at http://nanohub.org/resources/5475 In the 4th edition, we also provide a new table-based Matlab script (download available at https://github.com/wang159/FDIntegral_Table) that is less likely to give large errors in a wide range of input while still much faster than the rigorous numerical integration.
The spatial Fourier spectrum of the electron density distribution in a finite 1D system and the distribution function of electrons over single-particle states are studied in detail to show that there are two universal features in their behavior, whic
h characterize the electron ordering and the deformation of Wigner crystal by boundaries. The distribution function has a $delta$-like singularity at the Fermi momentum $k_F$. The Fourier spectrum of the density has a step-like form at the wavevector $2k_F$, with the harmonics being absent or vanishing above this threshold. These features are found by calculations using exact diagonalization method. They are shown to be caused by Wigner ordering of electrons, affected by the boundaries. However the common Luttinger liquid model with open boundaries fails to capture these features, because it overestimates the deformation of the Wigner crystal. An improvement of the Luttinger liquid model is proposed which allows one to describe the above features correctly. It is based on the corrected form of the density operator conserving the particle number.
Shot noise cross-correlations in normal metal-superconductor-normal metal structures are discussed at arbitrary interface transparencies using both the scattering approach of Blonder, Tinkham and Klapwik and a microscopic Greens function approach. Su
rprisingly, negative crossed conductance in such set-ups [R. Melin and D. Feinberg, Phys. Rev. B 70, 174509 (2004)] does not preclude the possibility of positive noise cross-correlations for almost transparent contacts. We conclude with a phenomenological discussion of interactions in the one dimensional leads connected to the superconductor, which induce sign changes in the noise cross-correlations.
The configuration interaction (CI) method for calculating the exact eigenstates of a quantum-mechanical few-body system is problematic when applied to particles interacting through contact forces. In dimensions higher than one the approach fails due
to the pathology of the Dirac delta-potential, making it impossible to reach convergence by gradually increasing the size of the Hilbert space. However, this problem may be cured in a rather simple manner by renormalizing the strength of the contact potential when diagonalizing in a truncated Hilbert space. One hereby relies on the comparison of the CI results to the two-body ground-state energy obtained by the exact solution of the Schroedinger equation for a regularized contact interaction. We here discuss a scheme that provides cutoff-independent few-body physical observables. The method is applied to a few-body system of ultracold atoms confined by a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator.
It is explained on a physical basis how contextuality allows Bell inequalities to be violated, without bringing an implication on locality or realism. The point is that the initial values of the hidden variables of the detectors are mutually exclusiv
e for different detector settings. Therefore they have no reason to possess a common probability distribution and hence no reason to satisfy Bell inequalities. To motivate this, we connect first to the local realistic theory Stochastic Electrodynamics, and then put the argument more broadly. Thus even if Bell Inequality Violation is demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt, it will have no say on local realism.
A phenomenology of magnetic chiral damping is proposed in the context of magnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry breaking. We show that the magnetic damping tensor adopts a general form that accounts for a component linear in magnetization grad
ient in the form of Lifshitz invariants. We propose different microscopic mechanisms that can produce such a damping in ferromagnetic metals, among which spin pumping in the presence of anomalous Hall effect and an effective $s$-$d$ Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya antisymmetric exchange. The implication of this chiral damping in terms of domain wall motion is investigated in the flow and creep regimes. These predictions have major importance in the context of field- and current-driven texture motion in noncentrosymmetric (ferro-, ferri-, antiferro-)magnets, not limited to metals.
The neutral biexciton cascade of single quantum dots is a promising source of entangled photon pairs. The character of the entangled state is determined by the energy difference between the excitonic eigenstates known as fine-structure splitting (FSS
). Here we reduce the magnitude of the FSS by simultaneously using two independent tuning mechanisms: in-plane magnetic field and vertical electric field. We observe that there exists a minimum possible FSS in each quantum dot which is independent of these tuning mechanisms. However, with simultaneous application of electric and magnetic fields, we show the FSS can be reduced to its minimum value as the energy of emission is tuned over several meV with a 5-T magnet.
Spin-orbit interaction (SOI) leads to spin precession about a momentum-dependent spin-orbit field. In a diffusive two-dimensional (2D) electron gas, the spin orientation at a given spatial position depends on which trajectory the electron travels to
that position. In the transition to a 1D system with increasing lateral confinement, the spin orientation becomes more and more independent on the trajectory. It is predicted that a long-lived helical spin mode emerges. Here we visualize this transition experimentally in a GaAs quantum-well structure with isotropic SOI. Spatially resolved measurements show the formation of a helical mode already for non-quantized and non-ballistic channels. We find a spin-lifetime enhancement that is in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. Lateral confinement of a 2D electron gas provides an easy-to-implement technique for achieving high spin lifetimes in the presence of strong SOI for a wide range of material systems.
