arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G. B. Lesovik.
We consider a measurement of finite-frequency current fluctuations, using a resonance circuit as a model for the detector. We arrive at an expression for the measurable response in terms of the current-current correlators which differs from the standard (symmetrized) formula. The possibility of detection of vacuum fluctuations is discussed.
It this paper we consider various methods for measuring current fluctuations. It is shown, that the {\it temporal} zero-point fluctuations of current are measurable in a natural set-ups.
The charge of the subgap states in an Andreev quantum dot (AQD; this is a quantum dot inserted into a superconducting loop) is very sensitive to the magnetic flux threading the loop. We study the sensitivity of this device as a function of its parameters for the limit of a large superconducting gap. In our analysis, we account for the effects of a weak Coulomb interaction within the dot. We discuss the suitability of this setup as a device detecting weak magnetic fields.
We show that a quantum dot connected via tunnel barriers to superconducting leads traps a continuously tunable and hence fractional charge. The fractional charge on the island is due to particle-hole symmetry breaking and can be tuned via a gate potential acting on the dot or via changes in the phase difference across the island. We determine the groundstate, equilibrium, and excitation charges and show how to identify these quantities in an experiment.
We point out the similarities in the definition of the `fidelity' of a quantum system and the generating function determining the full counting statistics of charge transport through a quantum wire and suggest to use flux- or charge qubits for their measurement. As an application we use the notion of fidelity within a first-quantized formalism in order to derive new results and insights on the generating function of the full counting statistics.
The possibility for detecting energy entanglement in normal metal - superconductor junctions is examined. For the first time we proved that two electrons in a NS structure originating from the same Cooper pair are entangled in the energy subspace. This work follows previous works where spin entanglement was studied in similar circuits. The device consists of a superconducting beam splitter connected to two electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers. In each arms of the interferometers, energies are filtered with coherent quantum dots. In contrast to previous studies of zero-frequency cross-correlations of electrical currents for this system, attention is drawn to finite-time measurements. This allows to observe two-particle interference for particles with different energies above and below Fermi level. Entanglement is first characterized via the concurrence for the two-particle spatial density matrix. Next, we formulate the Bell inequality, which is written in terms of finite-time noise correlators, and thereby we find a specific set of parameters for which entanglement can be detected.
We suggest an operating scheme for the deliberate generation of spin-entangled electron pairs in a normal-metal mesoscopic structure with fork geometry. Voltage pulses with associated Faraday flux equal to one flux unit $Φ_0=hc/e$ drive individual singlet-pairs of electrons towards the beam splitter. The spin-entangled pair is created through a post-selection in the two branches of the fork. We analyze the appearance of entanglement in a Bell inequality test formulated in terms of the number of transmitted electrons with a given spin polarization.
We propose a novel method for detecting gravitational waves (GW), where a light signal emitted from a distant star interacts with a local (also distant) GW source and travels towards the Earth, where it is detected. While traveling in the field of the GW, the light acquires specific phase modulation (which we account in the eikonal approximation). This phase modulation can be considered as a coherent spreading of the given initial photons energy over a set of satellite lines, spaced at the frequency of GW (from quantum point of view it is multi-graviton absorption and emission processes). This coherent state of photons with the energy distributed among the set of equidistant lines, can be analyzed and identified on Earth either by passing the signal through a Fabry-Perot filter or by monitoring the intensity-intensity correlations at different times.
We propose a new cryptographic protocol. It is suggested to encode information in ordinary binary form into many-qubit entangled states with the help of a quantum computer. A state of qubits (realized, e.g., with photons) is transmitted through a quantum channel to the addressee, who applies a quantum computer tuned to realize the inverse unitary transformation decoding of the message. Different ways of eavesdropping are considered, and an estimate of the time needed for determining the secret unitary transformation is given. It is shown that using even small quantum computers can serve as a basis for very efficient cryptographic protocols. For a suggested cryptographic protocol, the time scale on which communication can be considered secure is exponential in the number of qubits in the entangled states and in the number of gates used to construct the quantum network.
We determine the non-local in time and space current-current cross correlator $<\hat{I}(x_1,t_1) \hat{I}(x_2,t_2)>$ in a mesoscopic conductor with a scattering center at the origin. Its excess part appearing at finite voltage exhibits a unique dependence on the retarded variable $t_1-t_2-(|x_1|-|x_2|)/ v_{\rm\scriptscriptstyle F}$, with $v_{\rm\scriptscriptstyle F}$ the Fermi velocity. The non-monotonic dependence of the retardation on $x_1$ and its absence at the symmetric position $x_1 = -x_2$ is a signature of the wave function collapse, which thus becomes amenable to observation in a mesoscopic solid state device.
We study the time dependent electron-electron and electron-hole correlations in a mesoscopic device which is splitting an incident current of free fermions into two spatially separated particle streams. We analyze the appearance of entanglement as manifested in a Bell inequality test and discuss its origin in terms of local spin-singlet correlations already present in the initial channel and the action of post-selection during the Bell type measurement. The time window over which the Bell inequality is violated is determined in the tunneling limit and for the general situation with arbitrary transparencies. We compare our results with alternative Bell inequality tests based on coincidence probabilities.
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.
Although quantum mechanics is a mature theory, fundamental problems discussed during its time of foundation have remained with us to this day. These problems are centered on the problematic relation between the quantum and classical worlds. The most famous element is the measurement problem, i.e., the measurement of a quantum system by a classical apparatus, and the concomitant phenomena of wave packet reduction, the appearance of probability, and the problems related to Schrödinger cat states. A fundamental question in this context is whether quantum mechanics can bootstrap itself to the classical world: is quantum mechanics self-consistent, such that the measurement process can be understood within quantum mechanics itself, or does this process require additional elements from the realm outside of traditional quantum mechanics? Here, we point to a problematic aspect in the traditional Schrödinger cat argument which can be overcome through its extension with a proper macroscopic preparation device; the deliberate creation of a cat state and its identification then turns into a non-trivial problem requiring the determination of the evolution of a quantum system entangled with a macroscopic reservoir. We describe a new type of wave-function correlator testing for the appearance of Schrödinger cat states and discuss its implications for theories deriving the wave function collapse from a unitary evolution.
We present the most complete scattering theory for noise in noninteracting case. The exact formula for spectral density of current fluctuations at finite frequency is presented in terms of scattering matrix for a coherent quantum conductor. We show that the shot noise at finite frequency in an ideally conducting contact is finite and the spectral density of the noise has a singularity at the "Josephson" frequency $ω=eV/\hbar $, set by the voltage. We also discuss fluctuations of charge in an ideal conductor.
We discuss controversial results for the statistics of charge transport through coherent conductors. Two distribution functions for the charge transmitted was obtained previously, first by L.Levitov and G.Lesovik, [JETP Letters Vol.55 p.555 (1992)] and the other initially by the same authors [ibid. Vol.58 p.230 (1993)], and later the result was reproduced by several authors. The latter distribution functions actually coincides with classical binomial distribution (though obtained purely quantum mechanically) former (result of 1992) is different and we call it here quantum binomial distribution. The two distribution function represent two opposite universal limits - one is purely quantum, where interference is important, and the other is semiclassical, where interference is smeared out. We show, that high order charge correlators, determined by the either distribution functions, can all be measured in different setups. The high order current correlators, starting the third order, reveal (missed in previous studies) special oscillating frequency dependence on the scale of the inverted time flight from the obstacle to the measuring point. Depending on setup, the oscillating terms give substantially different contributions.
The general scattering-matrix formalism is suggested for the description of shot noise in single-channel quantum NS contacts in the presence of smeared Andreev levels in the $eV<Δ$ regime. It is shown that the noise spectral density as a function of frequency shows a number of characteristic features due to the presence of the Andreev resonances in the system. It turns out that, by analyzing these singularities, one can determine the relative phases of the Andreev reflection amplitudes corresponding to the neighboring resonances.
We propose a device which implements a solid-state nanostructured electron entangler. It consists of a single-walled carbon nanotube connected at both end to normal state electrodes and coupled in its middle part to a superconducting nanowire. Such a device acts as an electronic beam splitter for correlated electrons originating from the superconductor. We first show that it can be used to detect positive (bosonic--like) noise correlations in an fermionic system. Furthermore, it provides a source for entangled electrons in the two arms of the splitter. For generating entangled electron states, we propose two kinds of setup based either on spin or energy filters. It respectively consists of ferromagnetic pads and of a system of electrostatic gates which define quantum dots. The fabrication of this device would require state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques, carbon nanotube synthesis and integration, as well as atomic force microscopy imaging and manipulation.
We analyze the transport through a narrow ballistic superconductor-normal- metal-superconductor Josephson contact with non-ideal transmission at the superconductor-normal-metal interfaces, e.g., due to insulating layers, effective mass steps, or band misfits (SIN interfaces). The electronic spectrum in the normal wire is determined through the combination of Andreev- and normal reflection at the SIN interfaces. Strong normal scattering at the SIN interfaces introduces electron- and hole-like resonances in the normal region which show up in the quasi-particle spectrum. These resonances have strong implications for the critical supercurrent $I_c$ which we find to be determined by the lowest quasi-particle level: tuning the potential $μ_{x0}$ to the points where electron- and hole-like resonances cross, we find sharp peaks in $I_{\rm c}$, resulting in a transitor effect. We compare the performance of this Resonant Josephson-Transistor (RJT) with that of a Superconducting Single Electron Transistor (SSET).