arXiv subjects

C. -H. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to C. -H. Zhang.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

Observation of topological links associated with Hopf insulators in a solid-state quantum simulator

Hopf insulators are intriguing three-dimensional topological insulators characterized by an integer topological invariant. They originate from the mathematical theory of Hopf fibration and epitomize the deep connection between knot theory and topological phases of matter, which distinguishes them from other classes of topological insulators. Here, we implement a model Hamiltonian for Hopf insulators in a solid-state quantum simulator and report the first experimental observation of their topological properties, including fascinating topological links associated with the Hopf fibration and the integer-valued topological invariant obtained from a direct tomographic measurement. Our observation of topological links and Hopf fibration in a quantum simulator opens the door to probe rich topological properties of Hopf insulators in experiments. The quantum simulation and probing methods are also applicable to the study of other intricate three-dimensional topological model Hamiltonians.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Electron-Ion Interaction Effects in Attosecond Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectra

Photoionization by attosecond (as) extreme ultraviolet (xuv) pulses into the laser-dressed continuum of the ionized atom is commonly described in strong-field approximation (SFA), neglecting the Coulomb interaction between the emitted photoelectron (PE) and residual ion. By solving the time-dependent Schödinger equation (TDSE), we identify a temporal shift $δτ$ in streaked PE spectra, which becomes significant at small PE energies. Within an eikonal approximation, we trace this shift to the combined action of Coulomb and laser forces on the released PE, suggesting the experimental and theoretical scrutiny of their coupling in streaked PE spectra. The initial state polarization effect by the laser pulse on the xuv streaked spectrum is also examined.

physics.atm-clus↗

arXiv2008

Excitonic condensation of massless fermions in graphene bilayers

Graphene, a single sheet of graphite with honeycomb lattice structure, has massless carriers with tunable density and polarity. We investigate the ground state phase diagram of two graphene sheets (embedded in a dielectric) separated by distance $d$ where the top layer has electrons and the bottom layer has holes, using mean-field theory. We find that a uniform excitonic condensate occurs over a large range of carrier densities and is weakly dependent on the relative orientation of the two sheets. We obtain the excitonic gap, quasiparticle energy and the density of states. We show that both, the condensate phase stiffness and the mass of the excitons, with massless particles as constituents, vary as the square-root of the carrier density, and predict that the condensate will not undergo Wigner crystallization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Influence of Landau-level mixing on Wigner crystallization in graphene

Graphene, with its massless linearly-dispersing carriers, in the quantum Hall regime provides an instructive comparison with conventional two-dimensional (2D) systems in which carriers have a nonzero band mass and quadratic dispersion. We investigate the influence of Landau level mixing in graphene on Wigner crystal states in the $n^\mathrm{th}$ Landau level obtained using single Landau level approximation. We show that the Landau level mixing does not qualitatively change the phase diagram as a function of partial filling factor $ν$ in the $n^\mathrm{th}$ level. We find that the inter-Landau level mixing, quantified by relative occupations of the two Landau levels, $ρ_{n+1}/ρ_{n}$, oscillates around 2% and, in general, remains small ($< 4%$) irrespective of the Landau level index $n$. Our results show that the single Landau level approximation is applicable in high Landau levels, even though the energy gap between the adjacent Landau levels vanishes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Supersolid of indirect excitons in electron-hole quantum Hall systems

We investigate the ground state of a balanced electron-hole system in the quantum Hall regime using mean-field theory and obtain a rich phase diagram as a function of interlayer distance d and the filling factor within a layer. We identify an excitonic condensate phase, an excitonic supersolid phase, as well as uncorrelated Wigner crystal states. We find that balanced electron-hole system exhibits a supersolid phase a wide range of filling factors, with different crystal structure ground states. We obtain the ground state stiffness in the excitonic phases and show that the phase transitions from a uniform condensate to a supersolid is accompanied by a marked change in the stiffness. Our results provide the first semi-quantitative determination excitonic supersolid phase diagram and properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Wigner crystal and bubble phases in graphene in the quantum Hall regime

Graphene, a single free-standing sheet of graphite with honeycomb lattice structure, is a semimetal with carriers that have linear dispersion. A consequence of this dispersion is the absence of Wigner crystallization in graphene, since the kinetic and potential energies both scale identically with the density of carriers. We study the ground state of graphene in the presence of a strong magnetic field focusing on states with broken translational symmetry. Our mean-field calculations show that at integer fillings a uniform state is preferred, whereas at non-integer filling factors Wigner crystal states (with broken translational symmetry) have lower energy. We obtain the phase diagram of the system. We find that it is qualitatively similar to that of quantum Hall systems in semiconductor heterostructures. Our analysis predicts that non-uniform states, including Wigner crystal state, will occur in graphene in the presence of a magnetic field and will lead to anisotropic transport in high Landau levels.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

Collective Excitations of a Two-Component Bose Condensate at Finite Temperature

We compare the collective modes for Bose-condensed systems with two degenerate components with and without spontaneous intercomponent coherence at finite temperature using the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation. We show that the interaction between the condensate and non-condensate in these two cases results in qualitatively different collective excitation spectra. We show that at zero temperature the single-particle excitations of the incoherent Bose condensate can be probed by intercomponent excitations.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Single-particle and Interaction Effects on the Cohesion and Transport and Magnetic Properties of Metal Nanowires at Finite Voltages

The single-particle and interaction effects on the cohesion, electronic transport, and some magnetic properties of metallic nanocylinders have been studied at finite voltages by using a generalized mean-field electron model. The electron-electron interactions are treated in the self-consistent Hartree approximation. Our results show the single-particle effect is dominant in the cohesive force, while the nonzero magnetoconductance and magnetotension coefficients are attributed to the interaction effect. Both single-particle and interaction effects are important to the differential conductance and magnetic susceptibility.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

Superfluidity without Symmetry-Breaking: The Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock Approximation for Bose-Condensed Systems

We develop a time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation that is appropriate for Bose-condensed systems. Defining a {\it depletion Green's function} allows the construction of condensate and depletion particle densities from eigenstates of a single time-dependent Hamiltonian, guaranteeing that our approach is a conserving approximation. The poles of this Green's function yield the energies of number-changing excitations for which the condensate particle number is held fixed, which we show has a gapped spectrum in the superfluid state. The linearized time-dependent version of this has poles at the collective frequencies of the system, yielding the expected zero sound mode for a uniform infinite system. We show how the approximations may be expressed in a general linear response formalism.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Stability of Metal Nanowires at Ultrahigh Current Densities

We develop a generalized grand canonical potential for the ballistic nonequilibrium electron distribution in a metal nanowire with a finite applied bias voltage. Coulomb interactions are treated in the self-consistent Hartree approximation, in order to ensure gauge invariance. Using this formalism, we investigate the stability and cohesive properties of metallic nanocylinders at ultrahigh current densities. A linear stability analysis shows that metal nanowires with certain {\em magic conductance values} can support current densities up to 10^11 A/cm^2, which would vaporize a macroscopic piece of metal. This finding is consistent with experimental studies of gold nanowires. Interestingly, our analysis also reveals the existence of reentrant stability zones--geometries that are stable only under an applied bias.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Jahn-Teller Distortions and the Supershell Effect in Metal Nanowires

A stability analysis of metal nanowires shows that a Jahn-Teller deformation breaking cylindrical symmetry can be energetically favorable, leading to stable nanowires with elliptic cross sections. The sequence of stable cylindrical and elliptical nanowires allows for a consistent interpretation of experimental conductance histograms for alkali metals, including both the shell and supershell structures. It is predicted that for gold, elliptical nanowires are even more likely to form since their eccentricity is smaller than for alkali metals. The existence of certain metastable ``superdeformed'' nanowires is also predicted.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗