1,518 research outputs found
Edge states and topological orders in the spin liquid phases of star lattice
A group of novel materials can be mapped to the star lattice, which exhibits
some novel physical properties. We give the bulk-edge correspondence theory of
the star lattice and study the edge states and their topological orders in
different spin liquid phases. The bulk and edge-state energy structures and
Chern number depend on the spin liquid phases and hopping parameters because
the local spontaneous magnetic flux in the spin liquid phase breaks the time
reversal and space inversion symmetries. We give the characteristics of bulk
and edge energy structures and their corresponding Chern numbers in the
uniform, nematic and chiral spin liquids. In particular, we obtain analytically
the phase diagram of the topological orders for the chiral spin liquid states
SL[\phi,\phi,-2\phi], where \phi is the magnetic flux in two triangles and a
dodecagon in the unit cell. Moreover, we find the topological invariance for
the spin liquid phases, SL[\phi_{1},\phi_{2},-(\phi_{1}+\phi_{2})] and
SL[\phi_{2},\phi_{1},-(\phi_{1}+\phi_{2})]. The results reveal the relationship
between the energy-band and edge-state structures and their topological orders
of the star lattice.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
Reconstruction and thermal stability of the cubic SiC(001) surfaces
The (001) surfaces of cubic SiC were investigated with ab-initio molecular
dynamics simulations. We show that C-terminated surfaces can have different
c(2x2) and p(2x1) reconstructions, depending on preparation conditions and
thermal treatment, and we suggest experimental probes to identify the various
reconstructed geometries. Furthermore we show that Si-terminated surfaces
exhibit a p(2x1) reconstruction at T=0, whereas above room temperature they
oscillate between a dimer row and an ideal geometry below 500 K, and sample
several patterns including a c(4x2) above 500 K.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, figures 1 and 2 available in gif form at
http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig1.gif and
http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig2.gi
An Optical-Lattice-Based Quantum Simulator For Relativistic Field Theories and Topological Insulators
We present a proposal for a versatile cold-atom-based quantum simulator of
relativistic fermionic theories and topological insulators in arbitrary
dimensions. The setup consists of a spin-independent optical lattice that traps
a collection of hyperfine states of the same alkaline atom, to which the
different degrees of freedom of the field theory to be simulated are then
mapped. We show that the combination of bi-chromatic optical lattices with
Raman transitions can allow the engineering of a spin-dependent tunneling of
the atoms between neighboring lattice sites. These assisted-hopping processes
can be employed for the quantum simulation of various interesting models,
ranging from non-interacting relativistic fermionic theories to topological
insulators. We present a toolbox for the realization of different types of
relativistic lattice fermions, which can then be exploited to synthesize the
majority of phases in the periodic table of topological insulators.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure
Photonic zitterbewegung and its interpretation
In term of the volume-integrated Poynting vector, we present a quantum
field-theory investigation on the zitterbewegung (ZB) of photons, and show that
this ZB occurs only in the presence of virtual longitudinal and scalar photons.
To present a heuristic explanation for such ZB, by assuming that the space time
is sufficiently close to the flat Minkowski space, we show that the
gravitational interaction can result in the ZB of photons.Comment: 9 pages, no figure, to be published in Chinese Physics
Real-space mapping of tailored sheet and edge plasmons in graphene nanoresonators
Plasmons in graphene nanoresonators have many potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics, including room-temperature infrared and terahertz photodetectors, sensors, reflect arrays or modulators1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The development of efficient devices will critically depend on precise knowledge and control of the plasmonic modes. Here, we use near-field microscopy8, 9, 10, 11 between λ0 = 10–12 μm to excite and image plasmons in tailored disk and rectangular graphene nanoresonators, and observe a rich variety of coexisting Fabry–Perot modes. Disentangling them by a theoretical analysis allows the identification of sheet and edge plasmons, the latter exhibiting mode volumes as small as 10−8λ03. By measuring the dispersion of the edge plasmons we corroborate their superior confinement compared with sheet plasmons, which among others could be applied for efficient 1D coupling of quantum emitters12. Our understanding of graphene plasmon images is a key to unprecedented in-depth analysis and verification of plasmonic functionalities in future flatland technologies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Photoemission study of the metal-insulator transition in VO_2/TiO_2(001) : Evidence for strong electron-electron and electron-phonon interaction
We have made a detailed temperature-dependent photoemission study of
VO_2/TiO_2(001) thin films, which show a metal-insulator transition at \sim 300
K. Clean surfaces were obtained by annealing the films in an oxygen atmosphere.
Spectral weight transfer between the coherent and incoherent parts accompanying
the metal-insulator transition was clearly observed. We also observed a
hysteretic behavior of the spectra for heating-cooling cycles. We have derived
the ``bulk'' spectrum of the metallic phase and found that it has a strong
incoherent part. The width of the coherent part is comparable to that given by
band-structure calculation in spite of its reduced spectral weight, indicating
that the momentum dependence of the self-energy is significant. This is
attributed to by ferromagnetic fluctuation arising from Hund's rule coupling
between different d orbitals as originally proposed by Zylbersztejn and Mott.
In the insulating phase, the width of the V 3d band shows strong temperature
dependence. We attribute this to electron-phonon interaction and have
reproduced it using the independent boson model with a very large coupling
constant.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
A lattice model for the kinetics of rupture of fluid bilayer membranes
We have constructed a model for the kinetics of rupture of membranes under
tension, applying physical principles relevant to lipid bilayers held together
by hydrophobic interactions. The membrane is characterized by the bulk
compressibility (for expansion), the thickness of the hydrophobic part of the
bilayer, the hydrophobicity and a parameter characterizing the tail rigidity of
the lipids. The model is a lattice model which incorporates strain relaxation,
and considers the nucleation of pores at constant area, constant temperature,
and constant particle number. The particle number is conserved by allowing
multiple occupancy of the sites. An equilibrium ``phase diagram'' is
constructed as a function of temperature and strain with the total pore surface
and distribution as the order parameters. A first order rupture line is found
with increasing tension, and a continuous increase in proto-pore concentration
with rising temperature till instability. The model explains current results on
saturated and unsaturated PC lipid bilayers and thicker artificial bilayers
made of diblock copolymers. Pore size distributions are presented for various
values of area expansion and temperature, and the fractal dimension of the pore
edge is evaluated.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Relativistic quantum effects of Dirac particles simulated by ultracold atoms
Quantum simulation is a powerful tool to study a variety of problems in
physics, ranging from high-energy physics to condensed-matter physics. In this
article, we review the recent theoretical and experimental progress in quantum
simulation of Dirac equation with tunable parameters by using ultracold neutral
atoms trapped in optical lattices or subject to light-induced synthetic gauge
fields. The effective theories for the quasiparticles become relativistic under
certain conditions in these systems, making them ideal platforms for studying
the exotic relativistic effects. We focus on the realization of one, two, and
three dimensional Dirac equations as well as the detection of some relativistic
effects, including particularly the well-known Zitterbewegung effect and Klein
tunneling. The realization of quantum anomalous Hall effects is also briefly
discussed.Comment: 22 pages, review article in Frontiers of Physics: Proceedings on
Quantum Dynamics of Ultracold Atom
Decoherence-protected quantum gates for a hybrid solid-state spin register
Protecting the dynamics of coupled quantum systems from decoherence by the
environment is a key challenge for solid-state quantum information processing.
An idle qubit can be efficiently insulated from the outside world via dynamical
decoupling, as has recently been demonstrated for individual solid-state
qubits. However, protection of qubit coherence during a multi-qubit gate poses
a non-trivial problem: in general the decoupling disrupts the inter-qubit
dynamics, and hence conflicts with gate operation. This problem is particularly
salient for hybrid systems, wherein different types of qubits evolve and
decohere at vastly different rates. Here we present the integration of
dynamical decoupling into quantum gates for a paradigmatic hybrid system, the
electron-nuclear spin register. Our design harnesses the internal resonance in
the coupled-spin system to resolve the conflict between gate operation and
decoupling. We experimentally demonstrate these gates on a two-qubit register
in diamond operating at room temperature. Quantum tomography reveals that the
qubits involved in the gate operation are protected as accurately as idle
qubits. We further illustrate the power of our design by executing Grover's
quantum search algorithm, achieving fidelities above 90% even though the
execution time exceeds the electron spin dephasing time by two orders of
magnitude. Our results directly enable decoherence-protected interface gates
between different types of promising solid-state qubits. Ultimately, quantum
gates with integrated decoupling may enable reaching the accuracy threshold for
fault-tolerant quantum information processing with solid-state devices.Comment: This is original submitted version of the paper. The revised and
finalized version is in print, and is subjected to the embargo and other
editorial restrictions of the Nature journa
First direct detection of an exoplanet by optical interferometry; Astrometry and K-band spectroscopy of HR8799 e
To date, infrared interferometry at best achieved contrast ratios of a few
times on bright targets. GRAVITY, with its dual-field mode, is now
capable of high contrast observations, enabling the direct observation of
exoplanets. We demonstrate the technique on HR8799, a young planetary system
composed of four known giant exoplanets. We used the GRAVITY fringe tracker to
lock the fringes on the central star, and integrated off-axis on the HR8799e
planet situated at 390 mas from the star. Data reduction included
post-processing to remove the flux leaking from the central star and to extract
the coherent flux of the planet. The inferred K band spectrum of the planet has
a spectral resolution of 500. We also derive the astrometric position of the
planet relative to the star with a precision on the order of 100as. The
GRAVITY astrometric measurement disfavors perfectly coplanar stable orbital
solutions. A small adjustment of a few degrees to the orbital inclination of HR
8799 e can resolve the tension, implying that the orbits are close to, but not
strictly coplanar. The spectrum, with a signal-to-noise ratio of
per spectral channel, is compatible with a late-type L brown dwarf. Using
Exo-REM synthetic spectra, we derive a temperature of \,K and a
surface gravity of cm/s. This corresponds to a radius
of and a mass of , which is an independent confirmation of mass estimates from evolutionary
models. Our results demonstrate the power of interferometry for the direct
detection and spectroscopic study of exoplanets at close angular separations
from their stars.Comment: published in A&
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