arXiv subjects

Amnon Aharony

Publications and source records attributed to Amnon Aharony.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Transient probing of the symmetry and the asymmetry of electron interference

The transient processes of electron transport in nano-scale devices exhibit special phenomena that exist only in the transient regime. Besides how fast the steady states are approached, one interesting aspect of transient transport arises from its strong dependence on the initial state of the system. Here we address the issue of how the symmetries embedded in the initial state interplay with those of the system structure in the course of transient transports. We explicitly explore the transient currents arising from various initial occupations in a double-quantum-dot Aharonov-Bohm interferometer. We find symmetry relations between the transient in-tunneling and out-tunneling dynamics for initially empty or full quantum dots when the energy levels in the electrodes are symmetrically distributed with respect to the energy levels in the QDs. This is true for whatever applied fluxes. We also find the flux-even components of the currents and the flux-odd components of the currents exhibit distinct cross-lead symmetric relations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Real-time dynamics of spin-dependent transport through a double-quantum-dot Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with spin-orbit interaction

The spin-resolved non-equilibrium real-time electron transport through a double-quantum-dot (DQD) Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometer with spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is explored. The SOI and AB interference in the real-time dynamics of spin transport is expressed by effective magnetic fluxes. Analytical formulae for the time-dependent currents, for initially unpolarized spins, are presented. In many cases, there appear spin currents in the electrodes, for which the spins in each electrode are polarized along characteristic directions, pre-determined by the SOI parameters and by the geometry of the system. Special choices of the system parameters yield steady-state currents in which the spins are fully polarized along these characteristic directions. The time required to reach this steady state depends on the couplings of the DQD to the leads. The magnitudes of the currents depend strongly on the SOI-induced effective fluxes. Without the magnetic flux, the spin-polarized current cannot be sustained to the steady states, due to the phase rigidity for this system. For a non-degenerate DQD, transient spin transport can be produced by the sole effects of SOI. We also show that one can extract the spin-resolved currents from measurements of the total charge current.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Spin filtering in a Rashba-Dresselhaus-Aharonov-Bohm double-dot interferometer

We study the spin-dependent transport of spin-1/2 electrons through an interferometer made of two elongated quantum dots or quantum nanowires, which are subject to both an Aharonov-Bohm flux and (Rashba and Dresselhaus) spin-orbit interactions. Similar to the diamond interferometer proposed in our previous papers [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 84}, 035323 (2011); Phys. Rev. B {\bf 87}, 205438 (2013)], we show that the double-dot interferometer can serve as a perfect spin filter due to a spin interference effect. By appropriately tuning the external electric and magnetic fields which determine the Aharonov-Casher and Aharonov-Bohm phases, and with some relations between the various hopping amplitudes and site energies, the interferometer blocks electrons with a specific spin polarization, independent of their energy. The blocked polarization and the polarization of the outgoing electrons is controlled solely by the external electric and magnetic fields and do not depend on the energy of the electrons. Furthermore, the spin filtering conditions become simpler in the linear-response regime, in which the electrons have a fixed energy. Unlike the diamond interferometer, spin filtering in the double-dot interferometer does not require high symmetry between the hopping amplitudes and site energies of the two branches of the interferometer and thus may be more appealing from an experimental point of view.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Robustness of spin filtering against current leakage in a Rashba-Dresselhaus-Aharonov-Bohm interferometer

In an earlier paper [Phys. Rev. B 84, 035323 (2011)], we proposed a spin filter which was based on a diamond-like interferometer, subject to both an Aharonov-Bohm flux and (Rashba and Dresselhaus) spin-orbit interactions. Here we show that the full polarization of the outgoing electron spins remains the same even when one allows leakage of electrons from the branches of the interferometer. Once the gate voltage on one of the branches is tuned to achieve an effective symmetry between them, this polarization can be controlled by the electric and/or magnetic fields which determine the spin-orbit interaction strength and the Aharonov-Bohm flux.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Partial decoherence in mesoscopic systems

The coupling of a mesoscopic system with its environment usually causes total decoherence: at long times the reduced density matrix of the system evolves in time to a limit which is independent of its initial value, losing all the quantum information stored in its initial state. Under special circumstances, a subspace of the system's Hilbert space remains coherent, or "decoherence free", and the reduced density matrix approaches a non-trivial limit which contains information on its initial quantum state, despite the coupling to the environment. This situation is called "partial decoherence". Here we find the conditions for partial decoherence for a mesoscopic system (with $N$ quantum states) which is coupled to an environment. When the Hamiltonian of the system commutes with the total Hamiltonian, one has "adiabatic decoherence", which yields N-1 time-independent combinations of the reduced density matrix elements. In the presence of a magnetic flux, one can measure circulating currents around loops in the system even at long times, and use them to retrieve information on the initial state. For N=2, we demonstrate that partial decoherence can happen only under adiabatic decoherence conditions. However, for $N>2$ we find partial decoherence even when the Hamiltonian of the system does not commute with the total Hamiltonian, and we obtain the general conditions for such non-adiabatic partial decoherence. For an electron moving on a ring, with $N>2$ single-level quantum dots, non-adiabatic partial decoherence can arise only when the total flux through the ring vanishes (or equals an integer number of flux quanta), and therefore there is no asymptotic circulating current.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Landau theory for the phase diagram of the multiferroic Mn$_{1-x}$(Fe,Zn,Mg)$_{x}$WO$_{4}$

We present a theoretical analysis of the temperature-magnetic field-concentration phase diagram of the multiferroic Mn$_{1-x}$M$_{x}$WO$_{4}$ (M=Fe, Zn, Mg), which exhibits three ordered phases, with collinear and non-collinear incommensurate and with a commensurate magnetic order. The middle phase is also ferroelectric. The analysis uses a semi-phenomenological Landau theory, based on a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with a single-ion anisotropy. With a small number of adjustable parameters, the Landau theory gives an excellent fit to all three transition lines, as well as the magnetic and the ferroelectric order parameters. The fit of the magnetic and ferroelectric order parameters is further improved by including the effect of fluctuations near the transitions. We demonstrate the highly frustrated nature of these materials and suggest a simple explanation for the dramatic effects of doping with different magnetic ions at the Mn sites. The model enables an examination of different sets of exchange couplings that were proposed by a number of groups. Small discrepancies are probably a consequence of small errors in the experimental magnetic parameters. In addition, using the Ginzburg criterion we estimate the temperature range in which fluctuations of the order parameters become important.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Filtering and analyzing mobile qubit information via Rashba-Dresselhaus-Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

Spin-1/2 electrons are scattered through one or two diamond-like loops, made of quantum dots connected by one-dimensional wires, and subject to both an Aharonov-Bohm flux and (Rashba and Dresselhaus) spin-orbit interactions. With some symmetry between the two branches of each diamond, and with appropriate tuning of the electric and magnetic fields (or of the diamond shapes) this device completely blocks electrons with one polarization, and allows only electrons with the opposite polarization to be transmitted. The directions of these polarizations are tunable by these fields, and do not depend on the energy of the scattered electrons. For each range of fields one can tune the site and bond energies of the device so that the transmission of the fully polarized electrons is close to unity. Thus, these devices perform as ideal spin filters, and these electrons can be viewed as mobile qubits; the device writes definite quantum information on the spinors of the outgoing electrons. The device can also read the information written on incoming polarized electrons: the charge transmission through the device contains full information on this polarization. The double-diamond device can also act as a realization of the Datta-Das spin field-effect transistor.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Partial decoherence in a qubit coupled to a control register subject to telegraph noise

A qubit (containing two quantum states, 1 and 2), is coupled to a control register (state 3), which is subject to telegraph noise. We study the time evolution of the density matrix $ρ$ of an electron which starts in some coherent state on the qubit. At infinite time, $ρ$ usually approaches the fully decoherent state, with $ρ^{}_{nm}=δ^{}_{nm}/3$. However, when the Hamiltonian is symmetric under $1\leftrightarrow 2$, the element $ρ^{}_{12}$ approaches a non-zero real value, implying a partial coherence of the asymptotic state. The asymptotic density matrix depends only on ${\rm Re}[ρ^{}_{12}(t=0)]$. In several cases, the information stored on the qubit is protected from the noise.

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arXiv2008

Spin filtering by a periodic nanospintronic devices

For a linear chain of diamond-like elements, we show that the Rashba spin-orbit interaction (which can be tuned by a perpendicular gate voltage) and the Aharonov-Bohm flux (due to a perpendicular magnetic field) can combine to select only one propagating ballistic mode, for which the electronic spins are fully polarized along a direction that can be tuned by the electric and magnetic fields and by the electron energy. All the other modes are evanescent. For a wide range of parameters, this chain can serve as a spin filter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Discrete versus continuous wires on quantum networks

Mesoscopic systems and large molecules are often modeled by graphs of one-dimensional wires, connected at vertices. In this paper we discuss the solutions of the Schrödinger equation on such graphs, which have been named "quantum networks". Such solutions are needed for finding the energy spectrum of single electrons on such finite systems or for finding the transmission of electrons between leads which connect such systems to reservoirs. Specifically, we compare two common approaches. In the "continuum" approach, one solves the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation on each continuous wire, and then uses the Neumann-Kirchoff-de Gennes matching conditions at the vertices. Alternatively, one replaces each wire by a finite number of "atoms", and then uses the tight binding model for the solution. Here we show that these approaches cannot generally give the same results, except for special energies. Even in the limit of vanishing lattice constant, the two approaches coincide only if the tight binding parameters obey very special relations. The different consequences of the two approaches are demonstrated via the example of a T-shaped scatterer.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Order Parameters and Phase Diagram of Multiferroic RMn$_2$O$_5$

The generic magnetic phase diagram of multiferroic RMn$_2$O$_5$ (with R=Y, Ho, Tb, Er, Tm), which allows different sequences of ordered magnetic structures for different R's and different control parameters, is described using order parameters which explicitly incorporate the magnetic symmetry. A phenomenological magneto-electric coupling is used to explain why some of these magnetic phases are also ferroelectric. Several new experiments, which can test this theory, are proposed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Order Parameters and Phase Diagrams of Multiferroics

The symmetry properties, order parameters, and magnetoelectric phase diagrams of multiferroics are discussed. After brief reviews of Ni$_3$V$_2$O$_8$, TbMnO$_3$, and RbFe(MoO$_4$)$_2$, we present a detailed analysis of RMn$_2$O$_5$ (with R=Y, Ho, Dy, Er, Tb, Tm).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Effect of Inversion Symmetry on Incommensurate Order in Multiferroic RMn2O5, R=rare earth

Starting from the irreducible representations of the group of the wave vector we construct the spin wave functions consistent with inversion symmetry, neglected in the usual representation analysis. We obtain the relation between the basis functions of different members of the star of the wave vector. We introduce order parameters and determine their transformation properties under the operations of the space group of the paramagnetic crystal. The results are applied to construct terms in the magnetoelectric interaction which are quadratic and quartic in the magnetic order parameters. The higher order magnetoelectric interactions can in principle induce components of the spontaneous polarization which are not allowed by the lowest order magnetoelectric interaction. We also obtain the relation between the spin wave functions of the incommensurate phase and those of the commensurate phase which lead to analogous relations between the order parameters of these two phases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Unified description of correlations in double quantum dots

The two-level model for a double quantum dot coupled to two leads, which is ubiquitously used to describe charge oscillations, transmission-phase lapses and correlation-induced resonances, is considered in its general form. The model features arbitrary tunnelling matrix elements among the two levels and the leads and between the levels themselves (including the effect of Aharonov-Bohm fluxes), as well as inter-level repulsive interactions. We show that this model is exactly mapped onto a generalized Anderson model of a single impurity, where the electrons acquire a pseudo-spin degree of freedom, which is conserved by the tunnelling but not within the dot. Focusing on the local-moment regime where the dot is singly occupied, we show that the effective low-energy Hamiltonian is that of the anisotropic Kondo model in the presence of a tilted magnetic field. For moderate values of the (renormalized) field, the Bethe ansatz solution of the isotropic Kondo model allows us to derive accurate expressions for the dot occupation numbers, and henceforth its zero-temperature transmission. Our results are in excellent agreement with those obtained from the Bethe ansatz for the isotropic Anderson model, and with the functional and numerical renormalization-group calculations of Meden and Marquardt [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 146801 (2006)], which are valid for the general anisotropic case. In addition we present highly accurate estimates for the validity of the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation (which maps the Anderson Hamiltonian onto the low-energy Kondo model) at both the high- and low-magnetic field limits. Perhaps most importantly, we provide a single coherent picture for the host of phenomena to which this model has been applied.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Breakdown of `phase rigidity' and variations of the Fano effect in closed Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

Although the conductance of a closed Aharonov-Bohm interferometer, with a quantum dot on one branch, obeys the Onsager symmetry under magnetic field reversal, it needs not be a periodic function of this field: the conductance maxima move with both the field and the gate voltage on the dot, in an apparent breakdown of `phase rigidity'. These experimental findings are explained theoretically as resulting from multiple electronic paths around the interferometer ring. Data containing several Coulomb blockade peaks, whose shapes change with the magnetic flux, are fitted to a simple model, in which each resonant level on the dot couples to a different path around the ring.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

On the applicability of the equations-of-motion technique for quantum dots

The equations-of-motion (EOM) hierarchy satisfied by the Green functions of a quantum dot embedded in an external mesoscopic network is considered within a high-order decoupling approximation scheme. Exact analytic solutions of the resulting coupled integral equations are presented in several limits. In particular, it is found that at the particle-hole symmetric point the EOM Green function is temperature-independent due to a discontinuous change in the imaginary part of the interacting self-energy. However, this imaginary part obeys the Fermi liquid unitarity requirement away from this special point, at zero temperature. Results for the occupation numbers, the density of states and the local spin susceptibility are compared with exact Fermi liquid relations and the Bethe ansatz solution. The approximation is found to be very accurate far from the Kondo regime. In contrast, the description of the Kondo effect is valid on a qualitative level only. In particular, we find that the Friedel sum rule is considerably violated, up to 30%, and the spin susceptibility is underestimated. We show that the widely-used simplified version of the EOM method, which does not account fully for the correlations on the network, fails to produce the Kondo correlations even qualitatively.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Flux-dependent Kondo temperature in an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with an in-line quantum dot

An Aharonov-Bohm interferometer (ABI) carrying a quantum dot on one of its arms is analyzed. It is found that the Kondo temperature of the device depends strongly on the magnetic flux penetrating the ring. As a result, mesoscopic finite-size effects appear when the Kondo temperature of the dot on the ABI is significantly smaller than the nominal one of the quantum dot (when not on the interferometer), leading to plateaus in the finite-temperature conductance as function of the flux. The possibility to deduce the transmission phase shift of the quantum dot from measurements of the ABI conductance when it is opened (i.e., is connected to more than two leads) is examined, leading to the conclusion that finite-size effects, when significant, may hinder the detection of the Kondo phase shift

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Orbital order, anisotropic spin couplings, and the spin-wave spectrum of the ferromagnetic Mott insulator YTiO3

Using a point-charge calculation of the electrostatic crystal field, we determine the non-degenerate orbital ground state of the ferromagnetic Mott insulator YTiO3, which is found to agree perfectly with experiment. Based on the orbital order, we obtain by perturbation theory an effective spin Hamiltonian that describes the magnetic superexchange between nearest-neighbor Ti ions. The superexchange Hamiltonian includes, in addition to the isotropic Heisenberg coupling, antisymmetric (Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya) and symmetric anisotropy terms, caused by the spin-orbit interaction on the Ti ions. We find ferromagnetic Heisenberg couplings for Ti-Ti bonds in the crystallographic ab planes, but antiferromagnetic ones for Ti-Ti bonds between planes, in contradiction with experiment (which gives ferromagnetic couplings for both). Difficulties in calculating realistic values for the isotropic couplings of YTiO3 have been already reported in the literature. We discuss possible origins for these discrepancies. However, the much smaller values we obtain for the symmetric and antisymmetric anisotropies may be expected to be reliable. We therefore combine the experimentally-deduced isotropic coupling with the calculated anisotropic ones to determine the magnetic order of the Ti ions, which is found to be in satisfactory agreement with experiment. Based on this magnetic order, we derive the spin-wave spectrum. We find an acoustic branch with a very small zone-center gap and three optical spin-wave modes with sizeable zone-center gaps. The acoustic branch reproduces the one reported in experiment, and the optical ones are in a satisfactory agreement with experiment, upon a proper folding of the magnetic Brillouin zone.

cond-mat.str-el↗