Nonlinear transport theory for hybrid normal-superconducting devices

We report a theory for analyzing nonlinear DC transport properties of mesoscopic or nanoscopic normal-superconducting (N-S) systems. Special attention was paid such that our theory satisfies gauge invariance. At the linear transport regime and the sub-gap region where the familiar scattering matrix theory has been developed, we provide confirmation that our theory and the scattering matrix theory are equivalent. At the nonlinear regime, however, our theory allows the investigation of a number of important problems: for N-S hybrid systems we have derived the general nonlinear current-voltage characteristics in terms of the scattering Green's function, the second order nonlinear conductance at the weakly nonlinear regime, and nonequilibrium charge pile-up in the device which defines the electrochemical capacitance coefficients

Experimental Trapped-ion Quantum Simulation of the Kibble-Zurek dynamics in momentum space

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism is the paradigm to account for the nonadiabatic dynamics of a system across a continuous phase transition. Its study in the quantum regime is hindered by the requisite of ground state cooling. We report the experimental quantum simulation of critical dynamics in the transverse-field Ising model by a set of Landau-Zener crossings in pseudo-momentum space, that can be probed with high accuracy using a single trapped ion. We test the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in the quantum regime in the momentum space and find the measured scaling of excitations is in accordance with the theoretical prediction.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures Published in Scientific Reports, http://www.nature.com/articles/srep3338