arXiv subjects

Maciej Misiorny

Publications and source records attributed to Maciej Misiorny.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Readout of quantum screening effects using a time-dependent probe

In voltage- and temperature-biased coherent conductors quantum screening effects occur if the conductor's transmission is energy-dependent. Here, we show that an additional ac-driven terminal can act as a probe for a direct readout of such effects, hitherto unexplored. We find that screening of charges induced by the static biases impacts already their standard linear thermoelectric response coefficients due to nonlinear effects when accounting for the frequency of the time-dependent driving. Those effects should be observable under realistic experimental conditions and can literally be switched on and off with the ac-driving.

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arXiv2019

Giant superconducting proximity effect on spintronic anisotropy

We investigate theoretically the interplay of proximity effects due to the presence of a superconductor and normal ferromagnetic leads on the formation of the spintronic quadrupolar exchange field in a large-spin molecule. We show that the spintronic anisotropy can be enhanced by a few orders of magnitude, and tuned by changing the strength of coupling to the superconductor. Especially large anisotropy is generated in the vicinity of the charge parity changing transition of the molecule. We also provide predictions of measurable spectral properties being the hallmarks of these phenomena.

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arXiv2019

Power, Efficiency and Fluctuations in a Quantum Point Contact as Steady-State Thermoelectric Heat Engine

The trade-off between large power output, high efficiency and small fluctuations in the operation of heat engines has recently received interest in the context of thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs). Here we provide a concrete illustration of this trade-off by theoretically investigating the operation of a quantum point contact (QPC) with an energy-dependent transmission function as a steady-state thermoelectric heat engine. As a starting point, we review and extend previous analysis of the power production and efficiency. Thereafter the power fluctuations and the bound jointly imposed on the power, efficiency and fluctuations by the TURs are analyzed as additional performance quantifiers. We allow for arbitrary smoothness of the transmission probability of the QPC, which exhibits a close to step-like dependence in energy, and consider both the linear and the non-linear regime of operation. It is found that for a broad range of parameters, the power production reaches nearly its theoretical maximum value, with efficiencies more than half of the Carnot efficiency and at the same time with rather small fluctuations. Moreover, we show that by demanding a non-zero power production, in the linear regime a stronger TUR can be formulated in terms of the thermoelectric figure of merit. Interestingly, this bound holds also in a wide parameter regime beyond linear response for our QPC device.

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arXiv2019

Minimal-excitation single-particle emitters: A comparison of charge and energy transport properties

We investigate different types of time-dependently driven single-particle sources whose common feature is that they produce pulses of integer charge and minimally excite the Fermi sea. These sources are: a slowly driven mesoscopic capacitor, a Lorentzian-shaped time-dependent bias voltage, and a local gate-voltage modulation of a quantum Hall edge state. They differ by their specific driving protocols, e.g., they have a pure ac driving or a driving with a dc component. In addition, only in the first of these setups, strong confinement leading to a discrete energy spectrum of the conductor, is exploited for the single-particle emission. Here, we study if and how these basic differences impact transport properties. Specifically, we address time- and energy-resolved charge and energy currents, as well as their zero-frequency correlators (charge-, energy- and mixed noise), as they are frequently used to characterize experiments in quantum optics with electrons. Beyond disparities due to a different number and polarity of particles emitted per period, we in particular identify differences in the impact, which temperature has on the observables for sources with and without energy-dependent scattering properties. We trace back these characteristics to a small set of relevant parameter ratios.

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arXiv2018

Vibration-induced modulation of magnetic anisotropy in a magnetic molecule

We theoretically analyze the spectrum of a magnetic molecule when its charge and spin can couple to the molecular vibrations. More specifically, we show that the interplay between charge-vibron and spin-vibron coupling leads to a renormalization of the magnetic anisotropy parameters of the molecule. This effect is discussed for a model device consisting of an individual magnetic molecule embedded in a junction. We study the transport properties of the device and illustrate how the differential conductance is affected by the vibrationally induced renormalization of the magnetic anisotropy. Depending on the total molecular spin and the bare (intrinsic) magnetic anisotropy, the induced modulation can lead to visible shifts and crossings in the spectrum, and it can even be the cause of a transport blockade. It is therefore of particular interest to use mechanically controllable break junctions, since in such a case, the relevant coupling between the molecular spin and vibrations can be controlled via deformations of the molecule when stretching or compressing the junction.

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arXiv2018

Shaping charge excitations in chiral edge states with a time-dependent gate voltage

We study a coherent conductor supporting a single edge channel in which alternating current pulses are created by local time-dependent gating and sent on a beam-splitter realized by a quantum point contact. The current response to the gate voltage in this setup is intrinsically linear. Based on a fully self-consistent treatment employing a Floquet scattering theory, we analyze the effect of different voltage shapes and frequencies, as well as the role of the gate geometry on the injected signal. In particular, we highlight the impact of frequency-dependent screening on the process of shaping the current signal. The feasibility of creating true single-particle excitations with this method is confirmed by investigating the suppression of excess noise, which is otherwise created by additional electron-hole pair excitations in the current signal.

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arXiv2018

Manipulating spins of magnetic molecules: Hysteretic behavior with respect to bias voltage

Formation of a magnetic hysteresis loop with respect to a bias voltage is investigated theoretically in a spin-valve device based on a single magnetic molecule. We consider a device consisting of two ferromagnetic electrodes bridged by a carbon nanotube, acting as a quantum dot, to which a spin-anisotropic molecule is exchange coupled. Such a coupling allows for transfer of angular momentum between the molecule and a spin current flowing through the dot, and thus, for switching orientation of the molecular spin. We demonstrate that this current-induced switching process exhibits a hysteretic behavior with respect to a bias voltage applied to the device. The analysis is carried out with the use of the real-time diagrammatic technique in the lowest-order expansion of the tunnel coupling of the dot to electrodes. The influence of both the intrinsic properties of the spin-valve device (the spin polarization of electrodes and the coupling strength of the molecule to the dot) and those of the molecule itself (magnetic anisotropy and spin relaxation) on the size of the magnetic hysteresis loop is discussed.

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arXiv2017

Probing charge and heat current noise by frequency-dependent temperature and potential fluctuations

The energetic properties of electron transport in mesoscopic and nanoscale conductors is of large current interest. Here we theoretically investigate the possibility of probing fluctuations of charge and heat currents as well as their mixed correlations via fluctuations of the temperature and electrochemical potential of a probe coupled to the conductor. Our particular interest is devoted to the charge and energy noise stemming from time-dependently driven nanoelectronic systems designed for the controlled emission of single electrons, even though our setup is appropriate for more general AC driving schemes. We employ a Boltzmann-Langevin approach in order to relate the frequency-dependent electrochemical potential and temperature fluctuations in the probe to the bare charge and energy current fluctuations emitted from the electron source. We apply our findings to the prominent example of an on-demand single-electron source, realized by a driven mesoscopic capacitor in the quantum Hall regime. We show that neither the background fluctuations of the probe in the absence of the working source, nor the fluctuations induced by the probe hinder the access to the sought-for direct source noise for a large range of parameters.

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arXiv2017

Dynamical spin accumulation in large-spin magnetic molecules

The frequency-dependent transport through a nano-device containing a large-spin magnetic molecule is studied theoretically in the Kondo regime. Specifically, the effect of magnetic anisotropy on dynamical spin accumulation is of primary interest. Such accumulation arises due to finite off-diagonal in spin components of the dynamical conductance. Here, employing the Kubo formalism and the numerical renormalization group (NRG) method, we demonstrate that the dynamical transport properties strongly depend on magnetic configuration of the device and intrinsic parameters of the molecule. Specifically, the effect of dynamical spin accumulation is found to be greatly affected by the type of magnetic anisotropy exhibited by the molecule, and it develops for frequencies corresponding to the Kondo temperature. For the parallel magnetic configuration of the device, the presence of dynamical spin accumulation is conditioned by the interplay of ferromagnetic-lead-induced exchange field and the Kondo correlations.

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arXiv2017

Spin-resolved dynamical conductance of correlated large-spin magnetic molecules

The finite-frequency transport properties of a large-spin molecule attached to ferromagnetic contacts are studied theoretically in the Kondo regime. The focus is on the behavior of the dynamical conductance in the linear response regime, which is determined by using the numerical renormalization group method. It is shown that the dynamical conductance depends greatly on the magnetic configuration of the device and intrinsic parameters of the molecule. In particular, conductance exhibits characteristic features for frequencies corresponding to the dipolar and quadrupolar exchange fields resulting from the presence of spin-dependent tunneling. Moreover, a dynamical spin accumulation in the molecule, associated with the off-diagonal-in-spin component of the conductance, is predicted. This spin accumulation becomes enhanced with increasing the spin polarization of the leads, and it results in a nonmonotonic dependence of the conductance on frequency, with local maxima occurring for characteristic energy scales.

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arXiv2017

Gate-voltage response of a one-dimensional ballistic spin valve without spin-orbit interaction

We show that engineering of tunnel barriers forming at the interfaces of a one-dimensional spin valve provides a viable path to a strong gate-voltage tunability of the magnetoresistance effect. In particular, we investigate theoretically a carbon nanotube (CNT) spin valve in terms of the influence of the CNT-contact interface on the performance of the device. The focus is on the strength and the spin selectivity of the tunnel barriers that are modelled as Dirac-delta potentials. The scattering matrix approach is used to derive the transmission coefficient that yields the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). We find a strong non-trivial gate-voltage response of the TMR in the absence of spin-orbit coupling when the energy of the incident electrons matches the potential energy of the barrier. Analytic expressions for the TMR in various limiting cases are derived. These are used to explain previous experimental results, but also to predict parameters for device optimization with respect to size and tunability of the TMR effect in the ballistic transport regime.

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arXiv2016

Transport mirages in single-molecule devices

Molecular systems can exhibit a complex, chemically tailorable inner structure which allows for targeting of specific mechanical, electronic and optical properties. At the single-molecule level, two major complementary ways to explore these properties are molecular quantum-dot structures and scanning probes. This article outlines comprehensive principles of electron-transport spectroscopy relevant to both these approaches and presents a new, high-resolution experiment on a high-spin single-molecule junction exemplifying these principles. Such spectroscopy plays a key role in further advancing our understanding of molecular and atomic systems, in particular the relaxation of their spin. In this joint experimental and theoretical analysis, particular focus is put on the crossover between resonant regime [single-electron tunneling (SET)] and the off-resonant regime [inelastic electron (co)tunneling (IETS)]. We show that the interplay of these two processes leads to unexpected mirages of resonances not captured by either of the two pictures alone. Although this turns out to be important in a large fraction of the possible regimes of level positions and bias voltages, it has been given little attention in molecular transport studies. Combined with nonequilibrium IETS -- four-electron pump-probe excitations -- these mirages provide crucial information on the relaxation of spin excitations. Our encompassing physical picture is supported by a master-equation approach that goes beyond weak coupling. The present work encourages the development of a broader connection between the fields of molecular quantum-dot and scanning probe spectroscopy.

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arXiv2016

Impact of tunnel barrier strength on magnetoresistance in carbon nanotubes

We investigate magnetoresistance in spin valves involving CoPd-contacted carbon nanotubes. Both temperature and bias voltage dependence clearly indicate tunneling magnetoresistance as the origin. We show that this effect is significantly affected by the tunnel barrier strength, which appears to be one reason for the variation between devices previously detected in similar structures. Modeling the data by means of the scattering matrix approach, we find a non-trivial dependence of the magnetoresistance on the barrier strength. Furthermore, analysis of the spin precession observed in a nonlocal Hanle measurement yields a spin lifetime of $τ_s = 1.1\,$ns, a value comparable with those found in silicon- or graphene-based spin valve devices.

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arXiv2015

Effect of magnetic anisotropy on spin-dependent thermoelectric effects in nanoscopic systems

Conventional and spin-related thermoelectric effects in electronic transport through a nanoscopic system exhibiting magnetic anisotropy $-$with both uniaxial and transverse components$-$ are studied theoretically in the linear response regime. In particular, a magnetic tunnel junction with a large-spin impurity $-$either a magnetic atom or a magnetic molecule$-$ embedded in the barrier is considered as an example. Owing to magnetic interaction with the impurity, conduction electrons traversing the junction can scatter on the impurity, which effectively can lead to angular momentum and energy exchange between the electrons and the impurity. As we show, such processes have a profound effect on the thermoelectric response of the system. Specifically, we present a detailed analysis of charge, spin and thermal conductance, together with the Seebeck and spin Seebeck coefficients (thermopowers). Since the scattering mechanism also involves processes when electrons are inelastically scattered back to the same electrode, one can expect the flow of spin and energy also in the absence of charge transport through the junction. This, in turn, results in a finite spin thermopower, and the magnetic anisotropy plays a key role for this effect to occur.

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arXiv2014

Spin-dependent thermoelectric effects in transport through a nanoscopic junction involving spin impurity

Conventional and spin-related thermoelectric effects in transport through a magnetic tunnel junction with a large-spin impurity, such as a magnetic molecule or atom, embedded into the corresponding barrier are studied theoretically in the linear-response regime. The impurity is described by the giant spin Hamiltonian, with both uniaxial and transverse magnetic anisotropy taken into account. Owing to the presence of transverse component of magnetic anisotropy, spin of a tunneling electron can be reversed during scattering on the impurity, even in the low temperature regime. This reversal appears due to exchange interaction of tunneling electrons with the magnetic impurity. We calculate Seebeck and spin Seebeck coefficients, and analyze their dependence on various parameters of the spin impurity and tunnel junction. In addition, conventional and spin figures of merit, as well as the electronic contribution to heat conductance are considered. We also show that pure spin current can be driven by a spin bias applied to the junction with spin impurity, even if no electron transfer between the electrodes can take place. The underlying mechanism employs single-electrode tunneling processes (electrode-spin exchange interaction) and the impurity as an intermediate reservoir of angular momentum.

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arXiv2014

Transverse anisotropy effects on spin-resolved transport through large-spin molecules

The transport properties of a large-spin molecule strongly coupled to ferromagnetic leads in the presence of transverse magnetic anisotropy are studied theoretically. The relevant spectral functions, linear-response conductance and the tunnel magnetoresistance are calculated by means of the numerical renormalization group method. We study the dependence of transport characteristics on orbital level position, uniaxial and transverse anisotropies, external magnetic field and temperature. It is shown that while uniaxial magnetic anisotropy leads to the suppression of the Kondo effect, finite transverse anisotropy can restore the Kondo resonance. The effect of Kondo peak restoration strongly depends on the magnetic configuration of the device and leads to nontrivial behavior of the tunnel magnetoresistance. We show that the temperature dependence of the conductance at points where the restoration of the Kondo effect occurs is universal and shows a scaling typical for usual spin-one-half Kondo effect.

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arXiv2014

Spintronic magnetic anisotropy

An attractive feature of magnetic adatoms and molecules for nanoscale applications is their superparamagnetism, the preferred alignment of their spin along an easy axis preventing undesired spin reversal. The underlying magnetic anisotropy barrier --a quadrupolar energy splitting-- is internally generated by spin-orbit interaction and can nowadays be probed by electronic transport. Here we predict that in a much broader class of quantum-dot systems with spin larger than one-half, superparamagnetism may arise without spin-orbit interaction: by attaching ferromagnets a spintronic exchange field of quadrupolar nature is generated locally. It can be observed in conductance measurements and surprisingly leads to enhanced spin filtering even in a state with zero average spin. Analogously to the spintronic dipolar exchange field, responsible for a local spin torque, the effect is susceptible to electric control and increases with tunnel coupling as well as with spin polarization.

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arXiv2013

Temperature dependence of electronic transport through molecular magnets in the Kondo regime

The effects of finite temperature in transport through nanoscopic systems exhibiting uniaxial magnetic anisotropy D, such as molecular magnets, adatoms, or quantum dots side-coupled to a large spin are analyzed in the Kondo regime. The linear-response conductance is calculated by means of the full density-matrix numerical renormalization group method as a function of temperature T, magnetic anisotropy D, and exchange coupling J between the molecule's core spin and the orbital level. It is shown that such system displays a two-stage Kondo effect as a function of temperature and a quantum phase transition as a function of the exchange coupling J. Moreover, additional peaks are found in the linear conductance for temperatures of the order of T\sim|J| and T\simD. It is also shown that the conductance variation with T remarkably depends on the sign of the exchange coupling J.

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