arXiv subjects

M. Möttönen

Publications and source records attributed to M. Möttönen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Decay of an isolated monopole into a Dirac monopole configuration

We study numerically the detailed structure and decay dynamics of isolated monopoles in conditions similar to those of their recent experimental discovery. We find that the core of a monopole in the polar phase of a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate contains a small half-quantum vortex ring. Well after the creation of the monopole, we observe a dynamical quantum phase transition that destroys the polar phase. Strikingly, the resulting ferromagnetic order parameter exhibits a Dirac monopole in its synthetic magnetic field.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Quantum Treatment for Bose-Einstein Condensation in Non-Equilibrium Systems

We develop an approach based on stochastic quantum trajectories for an incoherently pumped system of interacting bosons relaxing their energy in a thermal reservoir. Our approach enables the study of the versatile coherence properties of the system. We apply the model to exciton polaritons in a semiconductor microcavity. Our results demonstrate the onset of macroscopic occupation in the lowest-energy mode accompanied by the establishment of both temporal and spatial coherence. We show that temporal coherence exhibits a transition from a thermal to coherent statistics and the spatial coherence reveals off-diagonal long-range order.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Fluctuations of work in nearly adiabatically driven open quantum systems

We extend the quantum jump method to nearly adiabatically driven open quantum systems in a way that allows for an accurate account of the external driving in the system-environment interaction. Using this framework, we construct the corresponding trajectory-dependent work performed on the system and derive the integral fluctuation theorem and the Jarzynski equality for nearly adiabatic driving. We show that such identities hold as long as the stochastic dynamics and work variable are consistently defined. We numerically study the emerging work statistics for a two-level quantum system and find that the conventional diabatic approximation is unable to capture some prominent features arising from driving such as the continuity of the probability density of work. Our results reveal the necessity of using accurate expressions for the drive-dressed heat exchange in future experiments probing jump time distributions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Observation of Dirac Monopoles in a Synthetic Magnetic Field

Magnetic monopoles --- particles that behave as isolated north or south magnetic poles --- have been the subject of speculation since the first detailed observations of magnetism several hundred years ago. Numerous theoretical investigations and hitherto unsuccessful experimental searches have followed Dirac's 1931 development of a theory of monopoles consistent with both quantum mechanics and the gauge invariance of the electromagnetic field. The existence of even a single Dirac magnetic monopole would have far-reaching physical consequences, most famously explaining the quantization of electric charge. Although analogues of magnetic monopoles have been found in exotic spin-ices and other systems, there has been no direct experimental observation of Dirac monopoles within a medium described by a quantum field, such as superfluid helium-3. Here we demonstrate the controlled creation of Dirac monopoles in the synthetic magnetic field produced by a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate. Monopoles are identified, in both experiments and matching numerical simulations, at the termini of vortex lines within the condensate. By directly imaging such a vortex line, the presence of a monopole may be discerned from the experimental data alone. These real-space images provide conclusive and long-awaited experimental evidence of the existence of Dirac monopoles. Our result provides an unprecedented opportunity to observe and manipulate these quantum-mechanical entities in a controlled environment.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Microwave nanobolometer based on proximity Josephson junctions

We introduce a microwave bolometer aimed at high-quantum-efficiency detection of wave packet energy within the framework of circuit quantum electrodynamics, the ultimate goal being single microwave photon detection. We measure the differential thermal conductance between the detector and its heat bath, obtaining values as low as 5 fW/K at 50 mK. This is one tenth of the thermal conductance quantum and corresponds to a theoretical lower bound on noise-equivalent-power of order $10^{-20}$ $W/\sqrt{\mbox{Hz}}$ at 50 mK. By measuring the differential thermal conductance of the same bolometer design in qualitatively different environments and materials, we determine that electron--photon coupling dominates the thermalization of our nanobolometer.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

An accurate single-electron pump based on a highly tunable silicon quantum dot

Nanoscale single-electron pumps can be used to generate accurate currents, and can potentially serve to realize a new standard of electrical current based on elementary charge. Here, we use a silicon-based quantum dot with tunable tunnel barriers as an accurate source of quantized current. The charge transfer accuracy of our pump can be dramatically enhanced by controlling the electrostatic confinement of the dot using purposely engineered gate electrodes. Improvements in the operational robustness, as well as suppression of non-adiabatic transitions that reduce pumping accuracy, are achieved via small adjustments of the gate voltages. We can produce an output current in excess of 80 pA with experimentally determined relative uncertainty below 50 parts per million.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Quantum driving and work

As quantum systems become more experimentally accessible, we are forced to reconsider the notions of control and work to fully account for quantum effects. To this end, we identify the work injected into a quantum system during a general quantum-mechanical driving protocol and quantify the relevant heat flows. The known results that are applicable in the limit of a classical drive are shown to emerge from our equations as a special case. Using the established framework, we show that the Bochkov--Kuzovlev identity for the exclusive work distribution is modified in a nontrivial way by the accumulation of system--drive correlations resulting from quantum backaction. Our results accentuate the conceptual and discernible differences between a fully quantum-mechanical and classical driving protocols of quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Creation and dynamics of two-dimensional skyrmions in antiferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates

We numerically simulate the creation process of two-dimensional skyrmionic excitations in antiferromagnetic spin-1 Bose--Einstein condensates by solving the full three-dimensional dynamics of the system from the Gross--Pitaevskii equation. Our simulations reproduce quantitatively the experimental results of [Choi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 035301 (2012)] without any fitting parameters. Furthermore, we examine the stability of the skyrmion by computing the temporal evolution of the condensate in a harmonic potential. The presence of both the quadratic Zeeman effect and dissipation in the simulations is vital for reproducing the experimentally observed decay time.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Effects of the rotating wave and secular approximations on non-Markovianity

We study the effect of the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) and the secular approximation (SA) on the non-Markovian behavior in the spin-boson model at zero-temperature. We find that both the RWA and SA lead to a dramatic reduction in the observed non-Markovianity. In general, non-Markovian dynamics is observed for the whole relaxation time of the system, whereas the RWA and SA lead to such dynamics only on the short time scale of the environmental correlation time. Thus, the RWA and SA are not necessarily justified in the studies of non-Markovianity although they can estimate the state of the system precisely. Furthermore, we derive an accurate analytical expression for the non-Markovianity measure without the RWA or SA. This expression yields important insight into the physics of the problem.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Highly Controllable Qubit-Bath Coupling Based on a Sequence of Resonators

Combating the detrimental effects of noise remains a major challenge in realizing a scalable quantum computer. To help to address this challenge, we introduce a model realizing a controllable qubit-bath coupling using a sequence of LC resonators. The model establishes a strong coupling to a low-temperature environment which enables us to lower the effective qubit temperature making ground state initialization more efficient. The operating principle is similar to that of a recently proposed coplanar-waveguide cavity (CPW) system, for which our work introduces a complementary and convenient experimental realization. The lumped-element model utilized here provides an easily accessible theoretical description. We present analytical solutions for some experimentally feasible parameter regimes and study the control mechanism. Finally, we introduce a mapping between our model and the recent CPW system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Tunable electromagnetic environment for superconducting quantum bits

We introduce a setup which realises a tunable engineered environment for experiments in circuit quantum electrodynamics. We illustrate this concept with the specific example of a quantum bit, qubit, in a high-quality-factor cavity which is capacitively coupled to another cavity including a resistor. The temperature of the resistor, which acts as the dissipative environment, can be controlled in a well defined manner in order to provide a hot or cold environment for the qubit, as desired. Furthermore, introducing superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) into the cavity containing the resistor, provides control of the coupling strength between this artificial environment and the qubit. We demonstrate that our scheme allows us to couple strongly to the environment enabling rapid initialization of the system, and by subsequent tuning of the magnetic flux of the SQUIDs we may greatly reduce the resistor-qubit coupling, allowing the qubit to evolve unhindered.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Distribution of Entropy Production in a Single-Electron Box

Recently, the fundamental laws of thermodynamics have been reconsidered for small systems. The discovery of the fluctuation relations has spurred theoretical and experimental studies on thermodynamics of systems with few degrees of freedom. The concept of entropy production has been extended to the microscopic level by considering stochastic trajectories of a system coupled to a heat bath. However, the experimental observation of the microscopic entropy production remains elusive. We measure distributions of the microscopic entropy production in a single-electron box consisting of two islands with a tunnel junction. The islands are coupled to separate heat baths at different temperatures, maintaining a steady thermal non-equilibrium. As Jarzynski equality between work and free energy is not applicable in this case, the entropy production becomes the relevant parameter. We verify experimentally that the integral and detailed fluctuation relations are satisfied. Furthermore, the coarse-grained entropy production from trajectories of electronic transitions is related to the bare entropy production by a universal formula. Our results reveal the fundamental roles of irreversible entropy production in non-equilibrium small systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Quantum effect of inductance on geometric Cooper-pair transport

We introduce a model for a flux-assisted Cooper-pair pump, the sluice, which is used to study geometric charge transport. Our model allows for a nonvanishing loop inductance going beyond the usual treatment with an exact phase bias. We derive the device Hamiltonian and current operators for different elements of the system and calculate the pumped charge carried by the ground state in the adiabatic limit. We show that extending the model beyond the exact phase bias, has a weak but potentially non-negligible effect on the charge transport. This effect is observed to depend on the external flux bias. The adiabatic energy level and eigenstate structures are studied and the unusual features are explained. Finally, we discuss the requirements of adiabaticity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Test of Jarzynski and Crooks fluctuation relations in an electronic system

Recent progress on micro- and nanometer scale manipulation has opened the possibility to probe systems small enough that thermal fluctuations of energy and coordinate variables can be significant compared with their mean behavior. We present an experimental study of nonequilibrium thermodynamics in a classical two-state system, namely a metallic single-electron box. We have measured with high statistical accuracy the distribution of dissipated energy as single electrons are transferred between the box electrodes. The obtained distributions obey Jarzynski and Crooks fluctuation relations. A comprehensive microscopic theory exists for the system, enabling the experimental distributions to be reproduced without fitting parameters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Single-electron current sources: towards a refined definition of ampere

Controlling electrons at the level of elementary charge $e$ has been demonstrated experimentally already in the 1980's. Ever since, producing an electrical current $ef$, or its integer multiple, at a drive frequency $f$ has been in a focus of research for metrological purposes. In this review we first discuss the generic physical phenomena and technical constraints that influence charge transport. We then present the broad variety of proposed realizations. Some of them have already proven experimentally to nearly fulfill the demanding needs, in terms of transfer errors and transfer rate, of quantum metrology of electrical quantities, whereas some others are currently "just" wild ideas, still often potentially competitive if technical constraints can be lifted. We also discuss the important issues of read-out of single-electron events and potential error correction schemes based on them. Finally, we give an account of the status of single-electron current sources in the bigger framework of electric quantum standards and of the future international SI system of units, and briefly discuss the applications and uses of single-electron devices outside the metrological context.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Tunable single-photon heat conduction in electrical circuits

We build on the study of single-photon heat conduction in electronic circuits taking into account the back-action of the superconductor--insulator--normal-metal thermometers. In addition, we show that placing capacitors, resistors, and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) into a microwave cavity can severely distort the spatial current profile which, in general, should be accounted for in circuit design. The introduction of SQUIDs also allows for in situ tuning of the photonic power transfer which could be utilized in experiments on superconducting quantum bits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Conservation law of operator current in open quantum systems

We derive a fundamental conservation law of operator current for master equations describing reduced quantum systems. If this law is broken, the temporal integral of the current operator of an arbitrary system observable does not yield in general the change of that observable in the evolution. We study Lindblad-type master equations as examples and prove that the application of the secular approximation during their derivation results in a violation of the conservation law. We show that generally any violation of the law leads to artificial corrections to the complete quantum dynamics, thus questioning the accuracy of the particular master equation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Adiabatically steered open quantum systems: Master equation and optimal phase

We introduce an alternative way to derive the generalized form of the master equation recently presented by J. P. Pekola et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 030401 (2010)] for an adiabatically steered two-level quantum system interacting with a Markovian environment. The original derivation employed the effective Hamiltonian in the adiabatic basis with the standard interaction picture approach but without the usual secular approximation. Our approach is based on utilizing a master equation for a non-steered system in the first super-adiabatic basis. It is potentially efficient in obtaining higher-order equations. Furthermore, we show how to select the phases of the adiabatic eigenstates to minimize the local adiabatic parameter and how this selection leads to states which are invariant under a local gauge change. We also discuss the effects of the adiabatic noncyclic geometric phase on the master equation.

quant-ph↗