Identifying topological-band insulator transitions in silicene and other 2D gapped Dirac materials by means of R\'enyi-Wehrl entropy

We propose a new method to identify transitions from a topological insulator to a band insulator in silicene (the silicon equivalent of graphene) in the presence of perpendicular magnetic and electric fields, by using the R\'enyi-Wehrl entropy of the quantum state in phase space. Electron-hole entropies display an inversion/crossing behavior at the charge neutrality point for any Landau level, and the combined entropy of particles plus holes turns out to be maximum at this critical point. The result is interpreted in terms of delocalization of the quantum state in phase space. The entropic description presented in this work will be valid in general 2D gapped Dirac materials, with a strong intrinsic spin-orbit interaction, isoestructural with silicene.Comment: to appear in EP

Searching for pairing energies in phase space

We obtain a representation of pairing energies in phase space, for the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick and general boson Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing models. This is done by means of a probability distribution of the quantum state in phase space. In fact, we prove a correspondence between the points at which this probability distribution vanishes and the pairing energies. In principle, the vanishing of this probability distribution is experimentally accessible and additionally gives a method to visualize pairing energies across the model control parameter space. This result opens new ways to experimentally approach quantum pairing systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Wave packet revivals in a graphene quantum dot in a perpendicular magnetic field

We study the time-evolution of localized wavepackets in graphene quantum dots under a perpendicular magnetic field, focusing on the quasiclassical and revival periodicities, for different values of the magnetic field intensities in a theoretical framework. We have considered contributions of the two inequivalent points in the Brillouin zone. The revival time has been found as an observable that shows the break valley degeneracy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, corrected typo, To appear in Phys. Rev.