arXiv subjects

C. W. J. Beenakker

Publications and source records attributed to C. W. J. Beenakker.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

Exponential sensitivity to dephasing of electrical conduction through a quantum dot

According to random-matrix theory, interference effects in the conductance of a ballistic chaotic quantum dot should vanish $\propto(τ_ϕ/τ_{D})^{p}$ when the dephasing time $τ_ϕ$ becomes small compared to the mean dwell time $τ_{D}$. Aleiner and Larkin have predicted that the power law crosses over to an exponential suppression $\propto\exp(-τ_{E}/τ_ϕ)$ when $τ_ϕ$ drops below the Ehrenfest time $τ_{E}$. We report the first observation of this crossover in a computer simulation of universal conductance fluctuations. Their theory also predicts an exponential suppression $\propto\exp(-τ_{E}/τ_{D})$ in the absence of dephasing -- which is not observed. We show that the effective random-matrix theory proposed previously for quantum dots without dephasing explains both observations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Andreev billiards

This is a review of recent advances in our understanding of how Andreev reflection at a superconductor modifies the excitation spectrum of a quantum dot. The emphasis is on two-dimensional impurity-free structures in which the classical dynamics is chaotic. Such Andreev billiards differ in a fundamental way from their non-superconducting counterparts. Most notably, the difference between chaotic and integrable classical dynamics shows up already in the level density, instead of only in the level--level correlations. A chaotic billiard has a gap in the spectrum around the Fermi energy, while integrable billiards have a linearly vanishing density of states. The excitation gap E_gap corresponds to a time scale h/E_gap which is classical (h-independent, equal to the mean time t_dwell between Andreev reflections) if t_dwell is sufficiently large. There is a competing quantum time scale, the Ehrenfest time t_E, which depends logarithmically on h. Two phenomenological theories provide a consistent description of the t_E-dependence of the gap, given qualitatively by E_gap min(h/t_dwell,h/t_E). The analytical predictions have been tested by computer simulations but not yet experimentally.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Antibunched photons emitted by a quantum point contact out of equilibrium

Motivated by the experimental search for "GHz nonclassical light", we identify the conditions under which current fluctuations in a narrow constriction generate sub-Poissonian radiation. Antibunched electrons generically produce bunched photons, because the same photon mode can be populated by electrons decaying independently from a range of initial energies. Photon antibunching becomes possible at frequencies close to the applied voltage V, when the initial energy range of a decaying electron is restricted. The condition for photon antibunching in a narrow frequency interval below V is derived in terms of the eigenvalues T_n of the transmission matrix. This condition is satisfied in a quantum point contact, where only a single T_n differs from 0 or 1. The photon statistics is then a superposition of binomial distributions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Coherent backscattering from a quantum dot is insensitive to the Ehrenfest time

This paper was withdrawn by the authors. The purpose of this paper was to provide conclusive evidence for the Ehrenfest-time-independence of weak localization, by means of a computer simulation of the coherent backscattering peak on very large systems. (Two orders of magnitude larger than we could reach in cond-mat/0405122 by studying weak localization directly.) We have decided to withdraw this paper, after Piet Brouwer convinced us that the one-to-one correspondence between weak localization and coherent backscattering can not be relied upon. For example, a reflection matrix with one half of its eigenvalues equal to 0 and the other half equal to 1 (hence without weak localization) would still show a coherent backscattering peak in a basis that is randomly related to its eigenbasis.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Weak localization of the open kicked rotator

We present a numerical calculation of the weak localization peak in the magnetoconductance for a stroboscopic model of a chaotic quantum dot. The magnitude of the peak is close to the universal prediction of random-matrix theory. The width depends on the classical dynamics, but this dependence can be accounted for by a single parameter: the level curvature around zero magnetic field of the closed system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Transition from pure-state to mixed-state entanglement by random scattering

We calculate the effect of polarization-dependent scattering by disorder on the degree of polarization-entanglement of two beams of radiation. Multi-mode detection converts an initially pure state into a mixed state with respect to the polarization degrees of freedom. The degree of entanglement decays exponentially with the number of detected modes if the scattering mixes the polarization directions and algebraically if it does not.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

Quantum-to-classical crossover of mesoscopic conductance fluctuations

We calculate the system-size-over-wave-length ($M$) dependence of sample-to-sample conductance fluctuations, using the open kicked rotator to model chaotic scattering in a ballistic quantum dot coupled by two $N$-mode point contacts to electron reservoirs. Both a fully quantum mechanical and a semiclassical calculation are presented, and found to be in good agreement. The mean squared conductance fluctuations reach the universal quantum limit of random-matrix-theory for small systems. For large systems they increase $\propto M^2$ at fixed mean dwell time $τ_D \propto M/N$. The universal quantum fluctuations dominate over the nonuniversal classical fluctuations if $N < \sqrt{M}$. When expressed as a ratio of time scales, the quantum-to-classical crossover is governed by the ratio of Ehrenfest time and ergodic time.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Quasiclassical fluctuations of the superconductor proximity gap in a chaotic system

We calculate the sample-to-sample fluctuations in the excitation gap of a chaotic dynamical system coupled by a narrow lead to a superconductor. Quantum fluctuations on the order of magnitude of the level spacing, predicted by random-matrix theory, apply if $τ_E\ll\hbar/E_T$ (with $τ_E$ the Ehrenfest time and $E_T$ the Thouless energy). For $τ_E\agt\hbar/ E_T$ the fluctuations are much greater than the level spacing. We demonstrate the quasiclassical nature of the gap fluctuations in the large-$τ_E$ regime by correlating them to an integral over the classical dwell-time distribution.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Charge detection enables free-electron quantum computation

It is known that a quantum computer operating on electron-spin qubits with single-electron Hamiltonians and assisted by single-spin measurements can be simulated efficiently on a classical computer. We show that the exponential speed-up of quantum algorithms is restored if single-charge measurements are added. These enable the construction of a CNOT (controlled NOT) gate for free fermions, using only beam splitters and spin rotations. The gate is nearly deterministic if the charge detector counts the number of electrons in a mode, and fully deterministic if it only measures the parity of that number.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Entanglement in Mesoscopic Structures: Role of Projection

We present a theoretical analysis of the appearance of entanglement in non-interacting mesoscopic structures. Our setup involves two oppositely polarized sources injecting electrons of opposite spin into the two incoming leads. The mixing of these polarized streams in an ideal four-channel beam splitter produces two outgoing streams with particular tunable correlations. A Bell inequality test involving cross-correlated spin-currents in opposite leads signals the presence of spin-entanglement between particles propagating in different leads. We identify the role of fermionic statistics and projective measurement in the generation of these spin-entangled electrons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Relation between entanglement measures and Bell inequalities for three qubits

For two qubits in a pure state there exists a one-to-one relation between the entanglement measure (the concurrence ${\cal C}$) and the maximal violation ${\cal M}$ of a Bell inequality. No such relation exists for the three-qubit analogue of ${\cal C}$ (the tangle $τ$), but we have found that numerical data is consistent with a simple set of upper and lower bounds for $τ$ given ${\cal M}$. The bounds on $τ$ become tighter with increasing ${\cal M}$, so they are of practical use. The Svetlichny form of the Bell inequality gives tighter bounds than the Mermin form. We show that the bounds can be tightened further if the tangle is replaced by an entanglement monotone that can identify both the W state and the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Entanglement production in a chaotic quantum dot

It has recently been shown theoretically that elastic scattering in the Fermi sea produces quantum mechanically entangled states. The mechanism is similar to entanglement by a beam splitter in optics, but a key distinction is that the electronic mechanism works even if the source is in local thermal equilibrium. An experimental realization was proposed using tunneling between two edge channels in a strong magnetic field. Here we investigate a low-magnetic field alternative, using multiple scattering in a quantum dot. Two pairs of single-channel point contacts define a pair of qubits. If the scattering is chaotic, a universal statistical description of the entanglement production (quantified by the concurrence) is possible. The mean concurrence turns out to be almost independent on whether time-reversal symmetry is broken or not. We show how the concurrence can be extracted from a Bell inequality using low-frequency noise measurements, without requiring the tunneling assumption of earlier work.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Dephasing of entangled electron-hole pairs in a degenerate electron gas

A tunnel barrier in a degenerate electron gas was recently discovered as a source of entangled electron-hole pairs. Here, we investigate the loss of entanglement by dephasing. We calculate both the maximal violation E_max of the Bell inequality and the degree of entanglement (concurrence) C. If the initially maximally entangled electron-hole pair is in a Bell state, then the Bell inequality is violated for arbitrary strong dephasing. The same relation E_max=2\sqrt{1+C^{2}} then holds as in the absence of dephasing. More generally, for a maximally entangled superposition of Bell states, the Bell inequality is satisfied for a finite dephasing strength and the entanglement vanishes for somewhat stronger (but still finite) dephasing strength. There is then no one-to-one relation between E_max and C.

cond-mat↗

arXiv2003

Dynamical model for the quantum-to-classical crossover of shot noise

We use the open kicked rotator to model the chaotic scattering in a ballistic quantum dot coupled by two point contacts to electron reservoirs. By calculating the system-size-over-wave-length dependence of the shot noise power we study the crossover from wave to particle dynamics. Both a fully quantum mechanical and a semiclassical calculation are presented. We find numerically in both approaches that the noise power is reduced exponentially with the ratio of Ehrenfest time and dwell time, in agreement with analytical predictions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Noiseless scattering states in a chaotic cavity

Shot noise in a chaotic cavity (Lyapunov exponent $λ$, level spacing $δ$, linear dimension $L$), coupled by two $N$-mode point contacts to electron reservoirs, is studied as a measure of the crossover from stochastic quantum transport to deterministic classical transport. The transition proceeds through the formation of {\em fully} transmitted or reflected scattering states, which we construct explicitly. The fully transmitted states contribute to the mean current $\bar{I}$, but not to the shot-noise power $S$. We find that these noiseless transmission channels do not exist for $N\alt\sqrt{k_{F}L}$, where we expect the random-matrix result $S/2e\bar{I}=1/4$. For $N\agt\sqrt{k_{F}L}$ we predict a suppression of the noise $\propto (k_{F}L/N^{2})^{Nδ/π\hbarλ}$. This nonlinear contact dependence of the noise could help to distinguish ballistic chaotic scattering from random impurity scattering in quantum transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Feedback of the electromagnetic environment on current and voltage fluctuations out of equilibrium

A theory is presented for low-frequency current and voltage correlators of a mesoscopic conductor embedded in a macroscopic electromagnetic environment. This Keldysh field theory evaluated at its saddle-point provides the microscopic justification for our earlier phenomenological calculation (using the cascaded Langevin approach). The nonlinear feedback from the environment mixes correlators of different orders, which explains the unexpected temperature dependence of the third moment of tunneling noise observed in a recent experiment. At non-zero temperature, current and voltage correlators of order three and higher are no longer linearly related. We show that a Hall bar measures voltage correlators in the longitudinal voltage and current correlators in the Hall voltage. We go beyond the saddle-point approximation to consider the environmental Coulomb blockade. We derive that the leading order Coulomb blockade correction to the n-th cumulant of current fluctuations is proportional to the voltage derivative of the (n+1)-th cumulant, generalizing to any n the earlier results for n=1,2.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Production and detection of entangled electron-hole pairs in a degenerate electron gas

We demonstrate theoretically that the shot noise produced by a tunnel barrier in a two-channel conductor violates a Bell inequality. The non-locality is shown to originate from entangled electron-hole pairs created by tunneling events -- without requiring electron-electron interactions. The degree of entanglement (concurrence) equals 2(T_1 T_2)^1/2 (T_1+T_2)^-1, with T_1,T_2 << 1 the transmission eigenvalues. A pair of edge channels in the quantum Hall effect is proposed as experimental realization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Adiabatic quantization of Andreev levels

We identify the time $T$ between Andreev reflections as a classical adiabatic invariant in a ballistic chaotic cavity (Lyapunov exponent $λ$), coupled to a superconductor by an $N$-mode point contact. Quantization of the adiabatically invariant torus in phase space gives a discrete set of periods $T_{n}$, which in turn generate a ladder of excited states $ε_{nm}=(m+1/2)π\hbar/T_{n}$. The largest quantized period is the Ehrenfest time $T_{0}=λ^{-1}\ln N$. Projection of the invariant torus onto the coordinate plane shows that the wave functions inside the cavity are squeezed to a transverse dimension $W/\sqrt{N}$, much below the width $W$ of the point contact.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗