arXiv subjects

Francesco Buccheri

Publications and source records attributed to Francesco Buccheri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Phonon-driven nodal surface superconductivity of Fermi arcs

According to recent observations, the topological surface states of Weyl semimetals may develop a superconducting gap, while bulk superconductivity remains absent. What drives the formation of this novel superconducting state is an open question. Here, we show that this phenomenon can arise from the interaction of Fermi arc electrons with both surface and bulk phonons in time-reversal-invariant Weyl semimetals. We identify two competing pairing channels, intra-arc and inter-arc, whose relative strength is governed by the efficiency of Coulomb screening at the surface. The combined effect of the Fermi arcs being disconnected and the weak screening of the Coulomb repulsion at the system's surface causes nodes to appear in the superconducting gap, as observed recently by photoelectron spectroscopy experiments on PtBi2. This suggests manipulation of the Coulomb screening, e.g. by a surface layer coating, as a pathway to engineer the critical temperature, as well as size and symmetry of the surface superconducting gap.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Spin and thermal current scaling at a $Y$-junction of XX spin chains

We study the boundary phase diagram and the low-temperature heat and magnetization transport at a $Y$-junction of XX spin chains. Depending on the magnetization axis anisotropy between the magnetic exchange interactions at the junction, the system exhibits two different strong-coupling regimes at low energies/temperatures, similar to the overscreened (topological) four- and to the two-channel Kondo fixed points. Using renormalization group arguments combined with boundary conformal field theory methods, we show the instability of the former under any XY-type anisotropy at the junction. We analyze the low-temperature spin and the heat conductances. We find evidence of spin fractionalization of the elementary excitations at the four-channel Kondo fixed point by means of the magnetic Wiedemann-Franz law. We caution that the instability under XY anisotropy may hinder the detection of the phenomenology related to the four-channel Kondo effect, therefore requiring careful control in experimental realizations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Angular-momentum-selective nanofocusing with Weyl semimetals

We investigate the theory of surface plasmon polaritons on a magnetic Weyl semimetal conical tip. We show that the axion term in the effective electrodynamics modifies the surface plasmon polariton dispersion relation and allows all modes with a given sign of the orbital angular momentum to be focused at the end of the tip. This is in contrast with normal metals, in which only one mode can reach the end. We discuss how this orbital angular momentum nanofocusing expands the potential of technologies that use this degree of freedom.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Localized surface plasmons in a Weyl semimetal nanosphere

In this study, we investigate the localized surface plasmon modes of a sub-wavelength spherical nanoparticle composed of a Weyl semimetal, taking into account the axion modification of electrodynamics. We derive analytical solutions for dipole and quadrupole normal modes by employing the quasistatic approximation. The axion term leads to modified Fröhlich conditions, resulting in multiple non-degenerate plasmonic resonances with distinct polarization dependencies. In contrast to isotropic conventional metals, the magnetoelectric properties of Weyl semimetals enable an incident electromagnetic field, with the electric field transverse to the surface of the sphere, to excite a localized surface plasmon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Nonreciprocal Weyl semimetal waveguide

We study a cylindrical plasmonic waveguide consisting of a magnetic Weyl semimetal embedded in a dielectric medium. We determine the dispersion relation of the surface plasmon polaritons and show how it depends on the plasma frequency, the radius of the semimetal and the separation between the nodes. We show that the band structure, which modifies the electrodynamics in the medium, manifests itself through a pronounced asymmetry in the dispersion curves and a giant splitting in the group velocity, with the orbital angular momentum as a control parameter for the direction of propagation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Quantum description of Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetals in a magnetic field

For a Weyl semimetal (WSM) in a magnetic field, a semiclassical description of the Fermi-arc surface state dynamics is usually employed for explaining various unconventional magnetotransport phenomena, e.g., Weyl orbits, the three-dimensional Quantum Hall Effect, and the high transmission through twisted WSM interfaces. For a half-space geometry, we determine the low-energy quantum eigenstates for a four-band model of a WSM in a magnetic field perpendicular to the surface. The eigenstates correspond to in- and out-going chiral Landau level (LL) states, propagating (anti-)parallel to the field direction near different Weyl nodes, which are coupled by evanescent surface-state contributions generated by all other LLs. These replace the Fermi arc in a magnetic field. Computing the phase shift accumulated between in- and out-going chiral LL states, we compare our quantum-mechanical results to semiclassical predictions. We find quantitative agreement between both approaches.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Lifshitz transitions and Weyl semimetals from a topological superconductor with supercurrent flow

A current flowing through a superconductor induces a spatial modulation in its superconducting order parameter, characterized by a wavevector $Q$ related to the total momentum of a Cooper pair. Here we investigate this phenomenon in a $p$-wave topological superconductor, described by a one-dimensional Kitaev model. We demonstrate that, by treating $Q$ as an extra synthetic dimension, the current carrying non-equilibrium steady state can be mapped into the ground state of a half-filled two-dimensional Weyl semimetal, whose Fermi surface exhibits Lifshitz transitions when varying the model parameters. Specifically, the transition from Type-I to Type-II Weyl phases corresponds to the emergence of a gapless $p$-wave superconductor, where Cooper pairs coexist with unpaired electrons and holes. Such transition is signaled by the appearance of a sharp cusp in the $Q$-dependence of the supercurrent, at a critical value $Q^*$ that is robust to variations of the chemical potential $μ$. We determine the maximal current that the system can sustain in the topological phase, and discuss possible implementations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Interfaces of nodal-line semimetals: drum states, transport and refraction

We study transport through interfaces in topological nodal-line semimetals, focusing on two geometries: a single interface between two large samples, one nodal-line semimetal and one metal, and an infinite nodal-line semimetal slab in between two metallic regions. We investigate the dependence of the spectra on the boundary conditions, showing how they affect the surface states and the band dispersion. We find a set of drum states, arising from the hybridization of the drumhead states on opposite surfaces at finite slab width, and describe their signatures in the transport properties of a clean sample. Finally, we compute the electronic trajectories in the ballistic regime and show that there is a series of resonant angles that ensure perfect transmission. We also show how the current density profile acquires an inhomogeneous distribution in the radial direction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Dispersive Drumhead States in Nodal-Line Semimetal Junctions

We consider a smooth interface between a topological nodal-line semimetal and a topologically trivial insulator (e.g., the vacuum) or another semimetal with a nodal ring of different radius. Using a low-energy effective Hamiltonian including only the two crossing bands, we show that these junctions accommodate a two-dimensional zero-energy level and a set of two-dimensional dispersive bands, corresponding to states localized at the interface. We characterize the spectrum, identifying the parameter ranges in which these states are present, and highlight the role of the nodal radius and the smoothness of the interface. We also suggest material-independent ways to detect and identify these states, using optical conductivity and infrared absorption spectroscopy in magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Transport, refraction and interface arcs in junctions of Weyl semimetals

We study the low-energy single-electron transport across a junction of two magnetic Weyl semimetals, in which the anisotropy axes are tilted one respect to the other. Using a two-band model with a potential step, we compute the transmission factor for normal and Klein tunneling and the refraction properties of the interface as a function of the tilt angle. We show that the interface acts as a beam splitter, separating electrons with different chiralities. We also characterize interface states, only appearing for finite tilt angle, which connect the projection of the Fermi surfaces on the two sides of the junction, and we discuss transport effects due to their interplay with Fermi arcs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Phonon-limited Transport and Fermi Arc Lifetime in Weyl Semimetals

Weyl semimetals harbor topological Fermi-arc surface states which determine the nontrivial charge current response to external fields. We here study the quasiparticle decay rate of Fermi arc states arising from their coupling to acoustic phonons, as well as the phonon-limited conductivity tensor for a clean Weyl semimetal slab. Using the phonon modes for an isotropic elastic continuum with a deformation potential coupling to electrons, we determine the temperature dependence of the quasiparticle decay rate, both near and far away from the arc termination points. By solving the coupled Boltzmann equations for the bulk and arc state distribution functions in the slab geometry, we show how the linear response conductivity depends on key parameters such as the temperature, the chemical potential, the geometric shape of the Fermi arcs, or the slab width. The chiral nature of Fermi arc states causes an enhancement of the longitudinal conductivity along the chiral direction at low temperatures, together with a 1/T^2 scaling regime at intermediate temperatures without counterpart for the conductivity along the perpendicular direction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law in the Topological Kondo model

We study the thermal transport through a Majorana island connected to multiple external quantum wires. In the presence of a large charging energy, we find that the Wiedemann-Franz law is nontrivially violated at low temperature, contrarily to what happens for the overscreened Kondo effect and for nontopological junctions. For three wires, we find that the Lorenz ratio is rescaled by a universal factor 2/3 and we show that this behavior is due to the presence of localized Majorana modes on the island.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Phonon-induced magnetoresistivity of Weyl semimetal nanowires

We study longitudinal magnetotransport in disorder-free cylindrical Weyl semimetal nanowires. Our theory includes a magnetic flux $Φ$ piercing the nanowire and captures the finite curvature of the Fermi arc in the surface Brillouin zone through a boundary angle $α$. Electron backscattering by acoustic phonons via the deformation potential causes a finite resistivity which we evaluate by means of the semiclassical Boltzmann approach. We find that low-energy transport is dominated by surface states, where transport observables are highly sensitive to the angle $α$ and to Aharonov-Bohm phases due to $Φ$. A generic subband dispersion relation allows for either one or two pairs of Fermi points. In the latter case, intra-node backscattering is possible and implies a parametrically larger resistivity than for a single Fermi point pair. As a consequence, large and abrupt resistivity changes take place across the transition points separating parameter regions with a different number of Fermi point pairs in a given subband.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Superconductivity from piezoelectric interactions in Weyl semimetals

We present an analytical low-energy theory of piezoelectric electron-phonon interactions in undoped Weyl semimetals, taking into account also Coulomb interactions. We show that piezoelectric interactions generate a long-range attractive potential between Weyl fermions. This potential comes with a characteristic angular anisotropy. From the one-loop renormalization group approach and a mean-field analysis, we predict that superconducting phases with either conventional s-wave singlet pairing or nodal-line triplet pairing could be realized for sufficiently strong piezoelectric coupling. For small couplings, we show that the quasi-particle decay rate exhibits a linear temperature dependence where the prefactor vanishes only in a logarithmic manner as the quasi-particle energy approaches the Weyl point. For practical estimates, we consider the Weyl semimetal TaAs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Parafermionic generalization of the topological Kondo effect

We propose and study a parafermionic generalization of the topological Kondo effect. The latter has been predicted to arise for a Coulomb-blockaded mesoscopic topological superconductor (Majorana box), where at least three normal leads are tunnel-coupled to different Majorana zero modes on the box. The Majorana states represent a quantum impurity spin that is partially screened due to cotunneling processes between leads, with a stable non-Fermi liquid ground state. Our theory studies a generalization where (i) Majorana states are replaced by topologically protected parafermionic zero modes, (ii) charging effects again define a spin-like quantum impurity on the resulting parafermion box, and (iii) normal leads are substituted by fractional edge states. In this multi-terminal problem, different fractional edge leads couple only via the parafermion box. We show that although the linear conductance tensor exhibits similar behavior as in the Majorana case, both at weak and strong coupling, our parafermionic generalization is actually not a Kondo problem but defines a rich new class of quantum impurity problems. At the strong-coupling fixed point, a current injected through a reference lead will be isotropically partitioned into outgoing currents in all other leads, together with a universal negative current scattered into the reference lead. The device can thus be operated as current extractor, where the current partitioning is noiseless at the fixed point. We describe a fractional quantum Hall setup proximitized by superconductors and ferromagnets, which could allow for an experimental realization in the near future.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Thermodynamics of the Topological Kondo Model

Using the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz, we investigate the topological Kondo model, which describes a set of one-dimensional external wires, pertinently coupled to a central region hosting a set of Majorana bound states. After a short review of the Bethe ansatz solution, we study the system at finite temperature and derive its free energy for arbitrary (even and odd) number of external wires. We then analyse the ground state energy as a function of the number of external wires and of their couplings to the Majorana bound states. Then, we compute, both for small and large temperatures, the entropy of the Majorana degrees of freedom localized within the central region and connected to the external wires. Our exact computation of the impurity entropy provides evidence of the importance of fermion parity symmetry in the realization of the topological Kondo model. Finally, we also obtain the low-temperature behaviour of the specific heat of the Majorana bound states, which provides a signature of the non-Fermi-liquid nature of the strongly coupled fixed point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Finite temperature one-point functions in non-diagonal integrable field theories: the sine-Gordon model

We study the finite-temperature expectation values of exponential fields in the sine-Gordon model. Using finite-volume regularization, we give a low-temperature expansion of such quantities in terms of the connected diagonal matrix elements, for which we provide explicit formulas. For special values of the exponent, computations by other methods are available and used to validate our findings. Our results can also be interpreted as a further support for a previous conjecture about the connection between finite- and infinite-volume form factors valid up to terms exponentially decaying in the volume.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Generating function for sine-Gordon correlators in finite volume from the inhomogeneous XXZ chain

We present an expression for the generating function of correlation functions of the sine-Gordon integrable field theory on a cylinder, with compact space. This is derived from the Destri-De Vega integrable lattice regularization of the theory, formulated as an inhomogeneous Heisenberg XXZ spin chain, and from more recent advances in the computations of spin form factors in the thermodynamic limit.

hep-th↗