888 research outputs found

    Vibration multistability and quantum switching for dispersive coupling

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    We investigate a resonantly modulated harmonic mode, dispersively coupled to a nonequilibrium few-level quantum system. We focus on the regime where the relaxation rate of the system greatly exceeds that of the mode, and develop a quantum adiabatic approach for analyzing the dynamics. Semiclassically, the dispersive coupling leads to a mutual tuning of the mode and system into and out of resonance with their modulating fields, leading to multistability. In the important case where the system has two energy levels and is excited near resonance, the compound system can have up to three metastable states. Nonadiabatic quantum fluctuations associated with spontaneous transitions in the few-level system lead to switching between the metastable states. We provide parameter estimates for currently available systems

    Nonlocal Damping of Helimagnets in One-Dimensional Interacting Electron Systems

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    We investigate the magnetization relaxation of a one-dimensional helimagnetic system coupled to interacting itinerant electrons. The relaxation is assumed to result from the emission of plasmons, the elementary excitations of the one-dimensional interacting electron system, caused by slow changes of the magnetization profile. This dissipation mechanism leads to a highly nonlocal form of magnetization damping that is strongly dependent on the electron-electron interaction. Forward scattering processes lead to a spatially constant damping kernel, while backscattering processes produce a spatially oscillating contribution. Due to the nonlocal damping, the thermal fluctuations become spatially correlated over the entire system. We estimate the characteristic magnetization relaxation times for magnetic quantum wires and nuclear helimagnets.Comment: Final version accepted by Physical Review

    Composite Topological Excitations in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Heterostructures

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    We investigate the formation of a new type of composite topological excitation -- the skyrmion-vortex pair (SVP) -- in hybrid systems consisting of coupled ferromagnetic and superconducting layers. Spin-orbit interaction in the superconductor mediates a magnetoelectric coupling between the vortex and the skyrmion, with a sign (attractive or repulsive) that depends on the topological indices of the constituents. We determine the conditions under which a bound SVP is formed, and characterize the range and depth of the effective binding potential through analytical estimates and numerical simulations. Furthermore, we develop a semiclassical description of the coupled skyrmion-vortex dynamics and discuss how SVPs can be controlled by applied spin currents.Comment: Final version accepted by Physical Review Letters; 9 pages, 5 figure

    Topological characterization of periodically-driven quantum systems

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    Topological properties of physical systems can lead to robust behaviors that are insensitive to microscopic details. Such topologically robust phenomena are not limited to static systems but can also appear in driven quantum systems. In this paper, we show that the Floquet operators of periodically driven systems can be divided into topologically distinct (homotopy) classes, and give a simple physical interpretation of this classification in terms of the spectra of Floquet operators. Using this picture, we provide an intuitive understanding of the well-known phenomenon of quantized adiabatic pumping. Systems whose Floquet operators belong to the trivial class simulate the dynamics generated by time-independent Hamiltonians, which can be topologically classified according to the schemes developed for static systems. We demonstrate these principles through an example of a periodically driven two--dimensional hexagonal lattice model which exhibits several topological phases. Remarkably, one of these phases supports chiral edge modes even though the bulk is topologically trivial.Comment: 9 Pages + Appendi
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