Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid correlations and Fabry-Perot interference in conductance and finite-frequency shot noise in a single-walled carbon nanotube

We present a detailed theoretical investigation of transport through a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) in good contact to metal leads where weak backscattering at the interfaces between SWNT and source and drain reservoirs gives rise to electronic Fabry-Perot (FP) oscillations in conductance and shot noise. We include the electron-electron interaction and the finite length of the SWNT within the inhomogeneous Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL) model and treat the non-equilibrium effects due to an applied bias voltage within the Keldysh approach. In low-frequency transport properties, the TLL effect is apparent mainly via power-law characteristics as a function of bias voltage or temperature at energy scales above the finite level spacing of the SWNT. The FP-frequency is dominated by the non-interacting spin mode velocity due to two degenerate subbands rather than the interacting charge velocity. At higher frequencies, the excess noise is shown to be capable of resolving the splintering of the transported electrons arising from the mismatch of the TLL-parameter at the interface between metal reservoirs and SWNT. This dynamics leads to a periodic shot noise suppression as a function of frequency and with a period that is determined solely by the charge velocity. At large bias voltages, these oscillations are dominant over the ordinary FP-oscillations caused by two weak backscatterers. This makes shot noise an invaluable tool to distinguish the two mode velocities in the SWNT.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

Powdery bark in Eucalyptus accedens deters arthropods? An evaluation using ants

Powderbark wandoo (Eucalyptus accedens) has a powdery triterpenoid-containing substance on the surface of its smooth bark, which is formed from sloughing peridermal cells. When compared with the similar-appearing wandoo (E. wandoo), which occurs inthe same area and which does not accumulate powder, fewer bark-associated arthropods are found. Exposure to this powder accelerated mortality of the ant, Iridomyrmexchasei, a species that tends scale and other sap-sucking insects on the foliage of eucalypts. Ants of this and two other species were unable to reach baits on the top of vertical wooden dowels that had been coated with powder taken from the bark of E. accedens. The powdermay deter arthropods from living or moving on the bark by chemical or physical means. It is postulated that the function of the powder is to reduce the threat from herbivorous or scale-tending arthropods that may live on, or traverse, the bark of this species

Electron-tunneling-assisted non-Abelian braiding

It is common knowledge that fluctuations of fermion parity are harmful for the demonstration of non-Abelian anyonic statistics. Here, we demonstrate a striking exception in which such fluctuations are actively used. We present a theory of coherent electron transport from a tunneling tip into a Corbino geometry Josephson junction where four Majorana bound states (MBSs) rotate. While the MBSs rotate, electron tunneling happens from the tip to one of the MBSs thereby changing the fermion parity of the MBSs. The tunneling events in combination with the rotation allow us to identify a novel braiding operator that does not commute with the braiding cycles in the absence of tunneling, revealing the non-Abelian nature of MBSs. The time-averaged tunneling current exhibits resonances as a function of the tip voltage with a period that is a direct consequence of the interference between the non-commuting braiding operations. Our work opens up a possibility for utilizing parity non-conserving processes to control non-Abelian states.Comment: Revised version: 7 pages, 3 figures + Supplemental material (10 pages, 3 figures

Enhanced quasiparticle dynamics of quantum well states: the giant Rashba system BiTeI and topological insulators

In the giant Rashba semiconductor BiTeI electronic surface scattering with Lorentzian linewidth is observed that shows a strong dependence on surface termination and surface potential shifts. A comparison with the topological insulator Bi2Se3 evidences that surface confined quantum well states are the origin of these processes. We notice an enhanced quasiparticle dynamics of these states with scattering rates that are comparable to polaronic systems in the collision dominated regime. The Eg symmetry of the Lorentzian scattering contribution is different from the chiral (RL) symmetry of the corresponding signal in the topological insulator although both systems have spin-split surface states.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Trunk invertebrate faunas of Western Australian forests and woodlands: Influence of tree species and season

Trunk-associated invertebrates were sampled on two rough-barked tree species (jarrah, Eucalyptus marginata and marri, E. calophylla) at Karragullen, in the hills near Perth, Western Australia, and on these two species plus two smooth-barked species (wandoo, E. wandoo, and powderbark wandoo, E. accedens) at Dryandra, a drier site situated 150 km to the south-east. Invertebrates were sampled by intercept traps, which collect animals that attempt to land on the trunks, and photo-eclector bark traps, which collect invertebrates that move, or live, on the trunk. The range and abundance of invertebrates sampled was generally greater in the intercept than the bark traps. Invertebrate abundance and activity (but not biomass) on bark was strongly seasonal, with greater numbers being found during the moister periods. The two smooth-barked species supported, and were visited by, more invertebrates than the two rough-barked species. There was some evidence that jarrah supported more invertebrates than marri at both Karragullen and Dryandra, although the results were equivocal. Within the two smooth-barked species, wandoo tended to support more invertebrates than powderbark wandoo. These trends are discussed in terms of the characteristics of the bark of these trees and the environments in which they occur

Helical edge states in multiple topological mass domains

The two-dimensional topological insulating phase has been experimentally discovered in HgTe quantum wells (QWs). The low-energy physics of two-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) is described by the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang (BHZ) model, where the realization of a topological or a normal insulating phase depends on the Dirac mass being negative or positive, respectively. We solve the BHZ model for a mass domain configuration, analyzing the effects on the edge modes of a finite Dirac mass in the normal insulating region (soft-wall boundary condition). We show that at a boundary between a TI and a normal insulator (NI), the Dirac point of the edge states appearing at the interface strongly depends on the ratio between the Dirac masses in the two regions. We also consider the case of multiple boundaries such as NI/TI/NI, TI/NI/TI and NI/TI/NI/TI.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figure

Helical edge states in multiple topological mass domains

The two-dimensional topological insulating phase has been experimentally discovered in HgTe quantum wells (QWs). The low-energy physics of two-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) is described by the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang (BHZ) model, where the realization of a topological or a normal insulating phase depends on the Dirac mass being negative or positive, respectively. We solve the BHZ model for a mass domain configuration, analyzing the effects on the edge modes of a finite Dirac mass in the normal insulating region (soft-wall boundary condition). We show that at a boundary between a TI and a normal insulator (NI), the Dirac point of the edge states appearing at the interface strongly depends on the ratio between the Dirac masses in the two regions. We also consider the case of multiple boundaries such as NI/TI/NI, TI/NI/TI and NI/TI/NI/TI.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figure

Two electron entanglement enhancement by an inelastic scattering process

In order to assess inelastic effects on two fermion entanglement production, we address an exactly solvable two-particle scattering problem where the target is an excitable scatterer. Useful entanglement, as measured by the two particle concurrence, is obtained from post-selection of oppositely scattered particle states. The $S$ matrix formalism is generalized in order to address non-unitary evolution in the propagating channels. We find the striking result that inelasticity can actually increase concurrence as compared to the elastic case by increasing the uncertainty of the single particle subspace. Concurrence zeros are controlled by either single particle resonance energies or total reflection conditions that ascertain precisely one of the electron states. Concurrence minima also occur and are controlled by entangled resonance situations were the electron becomes entangled with the scatterer, and thus does not give up full information of its state. In this model, exciting the scatterer can never fully destroy phase coherence due to an intrinsic limit to the probability of inelastic events.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev

Andreev-Tunneling, Coulomb Blockade, and Resonant Transport of Non-Local Spin-Entangled Electrons

We propose and analyze a spin-entangler for electrons based on an s-wave superconductor coupled to two quantum dots each of which is tunnel-coupled to normal Fermi leads. We show that in the presence of a voltage bias and in the Coulomb blockade regime two correlated electrons provided by the Andreev process can coherently tunnel from the superconductor via different dots into different leads. The spin-singlet coming from the Cooper pair remains preserved in this process, and the setup provides a source of mobile and nonlocal spin-entangled electrons. The transport current is calculated and shown to be dominated by a two-particle Breit-Wigner resonance which allows the injection of two spin-entangled electrons into different leads at exactly the same orbital energy, which is a crucial requirement for the detection of spin entanglement via noise measurements. The coherent tunneling of both electrons into the same lead is suppressed by the on-site Coulomb repulsion and/or the superconducting gap, while the tunneling into different leads is suppressed through the initial separation of the tunneling electrons. In the regime of interest the particle-hole excitations of the leads are shown to be negligible. The Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the current are shown to contain single- and two-electron periods with amplitudes that both vanish with increasing Coulomb repulsion albeit differently fast.Comment: 11 double-column pages, 2 figures, REVTeX, minor revision

Seed ecology of 'Castanospermum australe' in subtropical rainforest remnants in northeastern New South Wales

Seed predation and seedling recruitment of 'Castanospermum australe' (Fabaceae) were compared among five remnants of subtropical rainforest in the Big Scrub, northeastern New South Wales, Australia, to investigate the effect of forest fragmentation on animal-plant interactions, and some of the mechanisms affecting seed survival. The study followed the fate of the entire seed crop from three trees within each site in 1989. Seed survival was determined at 3-4 weekly intervals during the period of seedfall (April-October) and subsequent seedling survival was measured periodically until July 1994. Patterns of seed removal and types of seed damage attributable to various seed predators were compared between sites. Level of seed removal was also determined for the seed crops produced in 1990 and 1991