arXiv subjects

C. W. J. Beenakker

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

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Splitting of a Cooper pair by a pair of Majorana bound states

Majorana bound states are spatially localized superpositions of electron and hole excitations in the middle of a superconducting energy gap. A single qubit can be encoded nonlocally in a pair of spatially separated Majorana bound states. Such Majorana qubits are in demand as building blocks of a topological quantum computer, but direct experimental tests of the nonlocality remain elusive. Here we propose a method to probe the nonlocality by means of crossed Andreev reflection, which is the injection of an electron into one bound state followed by the emission of a hole by the other bound state (equivalent to the splitting of a Cooper pair over the two states). We have found that, at sufficiently low excitation energies, this nonlocal scattering process dominates over local Andreev reflection involving a single bound state. As a consequence, the low-temperature and low-frequency fluctuations $δI_{i}$ of currents into the two bound states $i=1,2$ are maximally correlated: $\overline{δI_{1}δI_{2}}=\overline{δI_{i}^{2}}$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Numerical test of the theory of pseudo-diffusive transmission at the Dirac point of a photonic band structure

It has recently been predicted that a conical singularity (= Dirac point) in the band structure of a photonic crystal produces an unusual 1/L scaling of the photon flux transmitted through a slab of thickness L. This inverse-linear scaling is unusual, because it is characteristic of radiative transport via diffusion modes through a disordered medium -- while here it appears for propagation of Bloch modes in an ideal crystal without any disorder. We present a quantitative numerical test of the predicted scaling, by calculating the scattering of transverse-electric (TE) modes by a two-dimensional triangular lattice of dielectric rods in air. We verify the 1/L scaling and show that the slope differs by less than 10% from the value predicted for maximal coupling of the Bloch modes in the photonic crystal to the plane waves in free space.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2008

Accuracy of the diffusion equation with extrapolated-boundary condition for transmittance of light through a turbid medium

The linear intensity profile of multiply scattered light in a slab geometry extrapolates to zero at a certain distance beyond the boundary. The diffusion equation with this "extrapolated boundary condition" has been used in the literature to obtain analytical formulas for the transmittance of light through the slab as a function of angle of incidence and refractive index. The accuracy of these formulas is determined by comparison with a numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation for radiative transfer.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2008

Calculation of the conductance of a graphene sheet using the Chalker-Coddington network model

The Chalker-Coddington network model (introduced originally as a model for percolation in the quantum Hall effect) is known to map onto the two-dimensional Dirac equation. Here we show how the network model can be used to solve a scattering problem in a weakly doped graphene sheet connected to heavily doped electron reservoirs. We develop a numerical procedure to calculate the scattering matrix with the aide of the network model. For numerical purposes, the advantage of the network model over the honeycomb lattice is that it eliminates intervalley scattering from the outset. We avoid the need to include the heavily doped regions in the network model (which would be computationally expensive), by means of an analytical relation between the transfer matrix through the weakly doped region and the scattering matrix between the electron reservoirs. We test the network algorithm by calculating the conductance of an electrostatically defined quantum point contact and comparing with the tight-binding model of graphene. We further calculate the conductance of a graphene sheet in the presence of disorder in the regime where intervalley scattering is suppressed. We find an increase in conductance that is consistent with previous studies. Unlike the tight-binding model, the network model does not require smooth potentials in order to avoid intervalley scattering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

How to detect the pseudospin-1/2 Berry phase in a photonic crystal with a Dirac spectrum

We propose a method to detect the geometric phase produced by the Dirac-type band structure of a triangular-lattice photonic crystal. The spectrum is known to have a conical singularity (= Dirac point) with a pair of nearly degenerate modes near that singularity described by a spin-1/2 degree of freedom (= pseudospin). The geometric Berry phase acquired upon rotation of the pseudospin is in general obscured by a large and unspecified dynamical phase. We use the analogy with graphene to show how complementary media can eliminate the dynamical phase. A transmission minimum results as a direct consequence of the geometric phase shift of pi acquired by rotation of the pseudospin over 360 degrees around a perpendicular axis. We support our analytical theory based on the Dirac equation by a numerical solution of the full Maxwell equations.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2008

Theory of the valley-valve effect in graphene nanoribbons

A potential step in a graphene nanoribbon with zigzag edges is shown to be an intrinsic source of intervalley scattering -- no matter how smooth the step is on the scale of the lattice constant a. The valleys are coupled by a pair of localized states at the opposite edges, which act as an attractor/repellor for edge states propagating in valley K/K'. The relative displacement Delta along the ribbon of the localized states determines the conductance G. Our result G=(e^{2}/h)[1-\cos(Nπ+2πΔ/3a)] explains why the ``valley-valve'' effect (the blocking of the current by a p-n junction) depends on the parity of the number N of carbon atoms across the ribbon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Electronic shot noise in fractal conductors

By solving a master equation in the Sierpinski lattice and in a planar random-resistor network, we determine the scaling with size L of the shot noise power P due to elastic scattering in a fractal conductor. We find a power-law scaling P ~ L^(d_f-2-alpha), with an exponent depending on the fractal dimension d_f and the anomalous diffusion exponent alpha. This is the same scaling as the time-averaged current I, which implies that the Fano factor F=P/2eI is scale independent. We obtain a value F=1/3 for anomalous diffusion that is the same as for normal diffusion, even if there is no smallest length scale below which the normal diffusion equation holds. The fact that F remains fixed at 1/3 as one crosses the percolation threshold in a random-resistor network may explain recent measurements of a doping-independent Fano factor in a graphene flake.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Andreev reflection and Klein tunneling in graphene

This is a colloquium-style introduction to two electronic processes in a carbon monolayer (graphene), each having an analogue in relativistic quantum mechanics. Both processes couple electron-like and hole-like states, through the action of either a superconducting pair potential or an electrostatic potential. The first process, Andreev reflection, is the electron-to-hole conversion at the interface with a superconductor. The second process, Klein tunneling, is the tunneling through a p-n junction. Existing and proposed experiments on Josephson junctions and bipolar junctions in graphene are discussed from a unified perspective. CONTENTS: I. INTRODUCTION II. BASIC PHYSICS OF GRAPHENE (Dirac equation; Time reversal symmetry; Boundary conditions; Pseudo-diffusive dynamics) III. ANDREEV REFLECTION (Electron-hole conversion; Retro-reflection vs. specular reflection; Dirac-Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation; Josephson junctions; Further reading) IV. KLEIN TUNNELING (Absence of backscattering; Bipolar junctions; Magnetic field effects; Further reading) V. ANALOGIES (Mapping between NS and p-n junction; Retro-reflection vs. negative refraction; Valley-isospin dependent quantum Hall effect; Pseudo-superconductivity)

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Boundary conditions for Dirac fermions on a terminated honeycomb lattice

We derive the boundary condition for the Dirac equation corresponding to a tight-binding model on a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice terminated along an arbitary direction. Zigzag boundary conditions result generically once the boundary is not parallel to the bonds. Since a honeycomb strip with zigzag edges is gapless, this implies that confinement by lattice termination does not in general produce an insulating nanoribbon. We consider the opening of a gap in a graphene nanoribbon by a staggered potential at the edge and derive the corresponding boundary condition for the Dirac equation. We analyze the edge states in a nanoribbon for arbitrary boundary conditions and identify a class of propagating edge states that complement the known localized edge states at a zigzag boundary.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Correspondence between Andreev reflection and Klein tunneling in bipolar graphene

Andreev reflection at a superconductor and Klein tunneling through an n-p junction in graphene are two processes that couple electrons to holes -- the former through the superconducting pair potential Delta and the latter through the electrostatic potential U. We derive that the energy spectra in the two systems are identical, at low energies E<<Delta and for an antisymmetric potential profile U(-x,y)=-U(x,y). This correspondence implies that bipolar junctions in graphene may have zero density of states at the Fermi level and carry a current in equilibrium, analogously to superconducting Josephson junctions. It also implies that nonelectronic systems with the same band structure as graphene, such as honeycomb-lattice photonic crystals, can exhibit pseudo-superconducting behavior.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Aharonov-Bohm effect and broken valley-degeneracy in graphene rings

We analyze theoretically the electronic properties of Aharonov-Bohm rings made of graphene. We show that the combined effect of the ring confinement and applied magnetic flux offers a controllable way to lift the orbital degeneracy originating from the two valleys, even in the absence of intervalley scattering. The phenomenon has observable consequences on the persistent current circulating around the closed graphene ring, as well as on the ring conductance. We explicitly confirm this prediction analytically for a circular ring with a smooth boundary modelled by a space-dependent mass term in the Dirac equation. This model describes rings with zero or weak intervalley scattering so that the valley isospin is a good quantum number. The tunable breaking of the valley degeneracy by the flux allows for the controlled manipulation of valley isospins. We compare our analytical model to another type of ring with strong intervalley scattering. For the latter case, we study a ring of hexagonal form with lattice-terminated zigzag edges numerically. We find for the hexagonal ring that the orbital degeneracy can still be controlled via the flux, similar to the ring with the mass confinement.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Aharonov-Bohm effect for a valley-polarized current in graphene

This is a numerical study of the conductance of an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer in a tight-binding model of graphene. Two single-mode ballistic point contacts with zigzag edges are connected by two arms of a hexagonal ring enclosing a magnetic flux $Φ$. The point contacts function as valley filters, transmitting electrons from one valley of the band structure and reflecting electrons from the other valley. We find, in the wider rings, that the magnetoconductance oscillations with the fundamental periodicity $ΔΦ=h/e$ are suppressed when the two valley filters have opposite polarity, while the second and higher harmonics are unaffected or enhanced. This frequency doubling is interpreted in terms of a larger probability of intervalley scattering for electrons that travel several times around the ring. In the narrowest rings the current is blocked for any polarity of the valley filters, with small, nearly sinusoidal magnetoconductance oscillations. Qualitatively similar results are obtained if the hexagonal ring is replaced by a ring with an irregular boundary.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Splitting of Andreev levels in a Josephson junction by spin-orbit coupling

We consider the effect of spin-orbit coupling on the energy levels of a single-channel Josephson junction below the superconducting gap. We investigate quantitatively the level splitting arising from the combined effect of spin-orbit coupling and the time-reversal symmetry breaking by the phase difference between the superconductors. Using the scattering matrix approach we establish a simple connection between the quantum mechanical time delay matrix and the effective Hamiltonian for the level splitting. As an application we calculate the distribution of level splittings for an ensemble of chaotic Josephson junctions. The distribution falls off as a power law for large splittings, unlike the exponentially decaying splitting distribution given by the Wigner surmise -- which applies for normal chaotic quantum dots with spin-orbit coupling in the case that the time-reversal symmetry breaking is due to a magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Anomalously large conductance fluctuations in weakly disordered graphene

We have studied numerically the mesoscopic fluctuations of the conductance of a graphene strip (width W large compared to length L), in an ensemble of samples with different realizations of the random electrostatic potential landscape. For strong disorder (potential fluctuations comparable to the hopping energy), the variance of the conductance approaches the value predicted by the Altshuler-Lee-Stone theory of universal conductance fluctuations. For weaker disorder the variance is greatly enhanced if the potential is smooth on the scale of the atomic separation. There is no enhancement if the potential varies on the atomic scale, indicating that the absence of backscattering on the honeycomb lattice is at the origin of the anomalously large fluctuations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Valley-isospin dependence of the quantum Hall effect in a graphene p-n junction

We calculate the conductance G of a bipolar junction in a graphene nanoribbon, in the high-magnetic field regime where the Hall conductance in the p-doped and n-doped regions is 2e^2/h. In the absence of intervalley scattering, the result G=(e^2/h)(1-cos Phi) depends only on the angle Phi between the valley isospins (= Bloch vectors representing the spinor of the valley polarization) at the two opposite edges. This plateau in the conductance versus Fermi energy is insensitive to electrostatic disorder, while it is destabilized by the dispersionless edge state which may exist at a zigzag boundary. A strain-induced vector potential shifts the conductance plateau up or down by rotating the valley isospin.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Demonstration of one-parameter scaling at the Dirac point in graphene

We numerically calculate the conductivity $σ$ of an undoped graphene sheet (size $L$) in the limit of vanishingly small lattice constant. We demonstrate one-parameter scaling for random impurity scattering and determine the scaling function $β(σ)=d\lnσ/d\ln L$. Contrary to a recent prediction, the scaling flow has no fixed point ($β>0$) for conductivities up to and beyond the symplectic metal-insulator transition. Instead, the data supports an alternative scaling flow for which the conductivity at the Dirac point increases logarithmically with sample size in the absence of intervalley scattering -- without reaching a scale-invariant limit.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Counting statistics of coherent population trapping in quantum dots

Destructive interference of single-electron tunneling between three quantum dots can trap an electron in a coherent superposition of charge on two of the dots. Coupling to external charges causes decoherence of this superposition, and in the presence of a large bias voltage each decoherence event transfers a certain number of electrons through the device. We calculate the counting statistics of the transferred charges, finding a crossover from sub-Poissonian to super-Poissonian statistics with increasing ratio of tunnel and decoherence rates.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Extremal transmission at the Dirac point of a photonic band structure

We calculate the effect of a Dirac point (a conical singularity in the band structure) on the transmission of monochromatic radiation through a photonic crystal. The transmission as a function of frequency has an extremum at the Dirac point, depending on the transparencies of the interfaces with free space. The extremal transmission $T_{0}=Γ_{0} W/L$ is inversely proportional to the longitudinal dimension $L$ of the crystal (for $L$ larger than the lattice constant and smaller than the transverse dimension $W$). The interface transparencies affect the proportionality constant $Γ_{0}$, and they determine whether the extremum is a minimum or a maximum, but they do not affect the ``pseudo-diffusive'' 1/L dependence of $T_{0}$.

physics.optics↗