Dynamical formation and manipulation of Majorana fermions in driven quantum wires

Controlling the dynamics of Majorana fermions (MF) subject to time-varying driving fields is of fundamental importance for the practical realization of topological quantum computing. In this work we study how it is possible to dynamically generate and maintain the topological phase in one-dimensional superconducting nanowires after the temporal variation of the Hamiltonian parameters. Remarkably we show that for a sudden quench the system can never relax towards a state exhibiting fully developed MF, independently of the initial and final Hamiltonians. Only for sufficiently slow protocols the system behaves adiabatically, and the topological phase can be reached. Finally we address the crucial question of how "adiabatic" a protocol must be in order to manipulate the MF inside the topological phase without deteriorating their Majorana character.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figure

Transient dynamics in the Anderson-Holstein model with interfacial screening

We study the combined effects of electron-phonon coupling and dot-lead repulsion in the transport properties of the Anderson-Holstein model. We employ a recently proposed nonperturbative method to calculate the transient response of the system. By varying the initial conditions for the time propagation the current exhibits transient oscillations of different nature. We are able to disentangle two dynamical processes, namely the local charge rearrangement due to the dot-lead contacting and the establishment of the nonequilbrium many-body state due to the application of the external bias. These processes involve either Franck-Condon excitations or transitions between the resonant level and the Fermi energy of the leads.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

The dissection algorithm for the second-Born self-energy

We describe an algorithm to efficiently compute the second-Born self-energy of many-body perurbation theory. The core idea consists in dissecting the set of all four-index Coulomb integrals into properly chosen subsets, thus avoiding to loop over those indices for which the Coulomb integrals are zero or negligible. The scaling properties of the algorithm with the number of basis functions is discussed. The computational gain is demonstrated in the case of one-particle Kohn-Sham basis for organic molecules.Comment: 6 pages, contribution to the proceedings of the workshop "Progress in Nonequilibrium Green's Function VII

On-Site Repulsion as the Source of Pairing in Carbon Nanotubes and Intercalated Graphite

We show that different non-conventional superconductors have one fundamental feature in common: pair eigenstates of the Hamiltonian are repulsion-free, the W=0 pairs. In extended Hubbard models, pairing can occur for resonable parameter values. For $(N,N)$ nanotubes the binding energy of the pair depends strongly on the filling and decreases towards a reduced but nonzero value for the graphite sheet $N \to \infty$.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Cooper-pair propagation and superconducting correlations in graphene

We investigate the Cooper-pair propagation and the proximity effect in graphene under conditions in which the distance L between superconducting electrodes is much larger than the width W of the contacts. In the case of undoped graphene, supercurrents may exist with a spatial decay proportional to W^2/L^3. This changes upon doping into a 1/L^2 behavior, opening the possibility to observe a supercurrent over length scales above 1 micron at suitable doping levels. We also show that there is in general a crossover temperature T ~ v_F/k_B L that marks the onset of the strong decay of the supercurrent, and that corresponds to the scale below which the Cooper pairs are not disrupted by thermal effects during their propagation.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; corrected discussio

Molecular junctions and molecular motors: Including Coulomb repulsion in electronic friction using nonequilibrium Green's functions

We present a theory of molecular motors based on the Ehrenfest dynamics for the nuclear coordinates and the adiabatic limit of the Kadanoff-Baym equations for the current-induced forces. Electron-electron interactions can be systematically included through many-body perturbation theory, making the nonequilibrium Green's functions formulation suitable for first-principles treatments of realistic junctions. The method is benchmarked against simulations via real-time Kadanoff-Baym equations, finding an excellent agreement. Results on a paradigmatic model of molecular motor show that correlations can change dramatically the physical scenario by, e.g. introducing a sizable damping in the self-sustained van der Pol oscillations.Comment: 7 pages , 3 figs + Suppl. Informatio

Time-resolved charge fractionalization in inhomogeneous Luttinger liquids

The recent observation of charge fractionalization in single Tomanga-Luttinger liquids (TLLs) [Kamata et al., Nature Nanotech., 9 177 (2014)] opens new routes for a systematic investigation of this exotic quantum phenomenon. In this Letter we perform measurements on two adjacent TLLs and put forward an accurate theoretical framework to address the experiments. The theory is based on the plasmon scattering approach and can deal with injected charge pulses of arbitrary shape in TLL regions. We accurately reproduce and interpret the time-resolved multiple fractionalization events in both single and double TLLs. The effect of inter-correlations between the two TLLs is also discussed.Comment: 5 pages + Supplementary Material. To appear in Phys. Rev. B: Rapid. Com