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Guan-Hao Feng

Publications and source records attributed to Guan-Hao Feng.

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Symmetry-Based Microscopic Theory of the Unconventional Pairing Mechanism in La$_5$Ni$_3$O$_{11}$

Recent experiments report high-temperature superconductivity in the hybrid nickelate $\mathrm{La}_5\mathrm{Ni}_3\mathrm{O}_{11}$, which is composed of alternating stacks of bilayer $\mathrm{La}_3\mathrm{Ni}_2\mathrm{O}_7$ and monolayer $\mathrm{La}_2\mathrm{NiO}_4$. However, the superconducting transition temperature $T_c \approx 64~\mathrm{K}$ for $\mathrm{La}_5\mathrm{Ni}_3\mathrm{O}_{11}$ is remarkably lower than the $80~\mathrm{K}$ observed for pressurized $\mathrm{La}_3\mathrm{Ni}_2\mathrm{O}_7$. Thus, an unified microscopic theory is required to address the difference in the pairing mechanisms between these systems. Here, we develop a phenomenological symmetry-based approach to systematically analyze the low-energy physics in $\mathrm{La}_5\mathrm{Ni}_3\mathrm{O}_{11}$, which is obtained by a charge self-consistent density functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory method. We show that the superconductivity in $\mathrm{La}_5\mathrm{Ni}_3\mathrm{O}_{11}$ exhibits a two-gap nature, consisting of a leading interlayer pairing between the $d_{z^2}$ orbitals and a subleading intralayer pairing between the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals. The reduction of $T_c$ can be attributed to the diminished contribution of the interlayer pairing, as reflected by the hopping parameter ratio $|t_{\perp}^z/t_{\parallel}^{x}|$. Base on this unified picture, we discuss the possible pairing mechanism and the role of $γ$ pocket for the superconductivity in the bilayer NiO$_2$ planes of nickelate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con

Unconventional Superconductivity in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ from the Perspective of Symmetry

The recently discovered superconductor $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ has attracted significant attention due to its remarkably high transition temperature ($T_{c}$) under high pressure. Shortly after this discovery, thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ was demonstrated to exhibit ambient-pressure superconductivity; however, the corresponding $T_c$ is only about half that of the pressurized bulk material. This striking difference raises questions about the underlying mechanisms governing superconductivity in these two structures. To address this issue, we develop a phenomenological symmetry-based method to investigate the superconducting gap structure in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$. Using density-functional theory methods (DFT+$U$), together with the experimentally determined $T_c$ and structural symmetry, we find that both pressurized bulk and thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ exhibit $s_{\pm}$-wave pairing symmetry and two-gap superconductivity, yet their dominant microscopic pairing configurations are distinct. In the pressurized bulk, superconductivity is dominated by the out-of-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{z^2}$ orbitals, while in the thin film, the in-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals prevails. Furthermore, the observed reduction in $T_c$ can be attributed to this transition of the dominant pairing type, driven by the decreased ratio of inter-layer to intra-layer hoppings in the thin film. Our result sheds lights on the microscopic pairing in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ and reveals the significance of the symmetry. This method can potentially be generalized to a broader range of unconventional superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con

Nodal higher-order topological superconductivity from C6-symmetric Dirac semimetals

Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals (DSMs) have been shown to exhibit one-dimensional hinge modes which are termed the higher-order hinge Fermi-arc (HOFA) states. They are the topological consequences of Dirac points. Superconducting states from Dirac semimetals can inherit the Dirac points to form nodal Dirac superconducting states, raising a question of whether there exists a topological superconducting bulk-hinge correspondence similar to DSMs. In this work, we discuss the nodal superconducting states from half-filled DSMs respecting non-magnetic (Type-II) Shubnikov space group (SSG) $P6/mmm1'$. We find that the BdG Dirac points can lead to higher-order topological Dirac superconducting (HOTDSC) states instead of the expected higher-order Majorana-arc (HOMA) states. The HOTDSC states can be regarded as a crossing between the HOFAs in normal states and the BdG shadow states. We demonstrate that HOTDSC states can be indicated by relative topologies of BdG Dirac points by utilizing the theory of magnetic topological quantum chemistry (MTQC).

cond-mat.supr-con

Probing Robust Majorana Signatures by Crossed Andreev Reflection with a Quantum Dot

We propose a three-terminal structure to probe robust signatures of Majorana zero modes. This structure consists of a quantum dot coupled to the normal metal, s-wave superconducting and Majorana Y-junction leads. The zero-bias differential conductance at zero temperature of the normal-metal lead peaks at $2e^{2}/h$, which will be deflected after Majorana braiding. This quantized conductance can entirely arise from the Majorana-induced crossed Andreev reflection, protected by the energy gap of the superconducting lead. We find that the effect of thermal broadening is significantly suppressed when the dot is on resonance. In the case that the energy level of the quantum dot is much larger than the superconducting gap, tunneling processes are dominated by Majorana-induced crossed Andreev reflection. Particularly, a novel kind of crossed Andreev reflection equivalent to the splitting of charge quanta $3e$ occurs after Majorana braiding.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Monte Carlo studies of modified scalable designs for quantum computation

As the building blocks of topological quantum computation, Majorana zero modes (MZMs) have attracted tremendous attention in recent years. Scalable mesoscopic island designs with MZMs show great potential in quantum information processing. However, these systems are susceptible to quasi-particle poisoning which would induce various parity-breaking errors. To solve this problem, we modify the mesoscopic islands with gate-tunable valves and non-topological backbones. We study the lifetime of the Majorana qubits on these modified islands which are coupled to local bosonic and fermionic thermal baths. We consider both the parity-breaking and parity-preserving errors, and propose a parity correction scheme. By using Jordan-Wigner transformation, we analyze the probability of logical X and Y errors. The open quantum system is described by the Pauli master equation, and standard Monte Carlo simulations are applied to observe the behavior of the system when the parity correction proposal is implemented. The results demonstrate that (1) our parity correction proposal is effective to most of the parity-breaking errors; (2) the lifetime of the qubit benefits from larger island size before it meets the threshold; (3) small chemical potential $ μ$ on the non-topological backbones and fine tuned paring potential $ Δ$ of the topological bulk segment are required for high probability of correctness. Our results provide an effective error correction scheme for the parity-breaking errors.

cond-mat.mes-hall