arXiv subjects

Marcel Franz

Publications and source records attributed to Marcel Franz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interaction-mediated Co-existence of Altermagnetism and Topology

We study an extended Hubbard model on Lieb lattice at electron filling 2 and 4, and demonstrate that the interactions lead to the simultaneous emergence of altermagnetic order and a topological gap. Using unrestricted Hartree-Fock theory, we evaluate both the altermagnetic and topological order parameters and show that they co-exist with an associated quantum spin Hall effect in a large region of the phase diagram, which we further support using exact diagonalization. Moreover, we demonstrate that inversion-symmetry breaking terms can also mediate second-order topological phases with associated corner modes.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Topological Altermagnetic Insulators

We study the emergence of altermagnetic topological phases stabilized by Ising spin-orbit coupling in a prototypical Lieb lattice model of a correlated altermagnet. Treating the electron interactions within the Hartree-Fock and the exact diagonalization techniques, we establish the co-existence of a quantum spin Hall effect with altermagnetic spin order over a wide region of the parameter space for average electron densities of 2 and 4 per unit cell. We explore how the magnetic structure along edges influences the electronic behavior of the associated topological edge modes, demonstrating their robustness against inversion-symmetry breaking terms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Spontaneous altermagnetism in multi-orbital correlated electron systems

Altermagnets have attracted considerable attention in recent years owing to their potential technological applications in spintronics and magnonics. Recently, a new class of spontaneous altermagnets has been theoretically predicted in a correlated two orbital model, driven by the coexistence of antiferromagnetic spin and staggered orbital ordering, thus broadening the scope of altermagnetic phenomena to systems with strong correlations. It has been noted, however, that the required spin and orbital order violates the well-established Goodenough-Kanamori (GK) rules, which underlie much of our understanding of magnetism in complex systems. Here we show that materials with three active orbitals may offer a more realistic route to this exotic state. Specifically, we consider a two-dimensional system with $t_{2g}^{2}$ electrons and identify a novel microscopic mechanism that allows the formation of a spontaneous altermagnetic Mott insulator. We explain how the GK rules are circumvented and provide the stability criteria by employing unbiased mean-field and density matrix renormalization group calculations. In addition, for the first time, we uncover the presence and microscopic origin of chirally split magnons in these spontaneous altermagnets, with experimentally measurable spin conductivities. Finally, we predict that the application of a small in-plane magnetic field induces, in the presence of weak atomic spin-orbit coupling, an as-yet unreported hybrid chiral magnon-orbiton mode with a non-zero orbital polarization giving rise to finite longitudinal and transverse orbital conductivities under a thermal gradient.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Strain-induced Berry phase in chiral superconductors

We study the topology of the order parameter in the intermediate phase between the superconducting and time-reversal symmetry breaking transitions of a $p_x+ip_y$ superconductor under strain. The application of in-plane strain reduces the underlying crystal symmetry and lifts the degeneracy of the critical temperature between the $p_x$ and $p_y$ orbitals, resulting in a Dirac cone structure in the thermodynamic phase diagram. When the strain is varied adiabatically along a closed path enclosing the Dirac cone, the order parameter acquires a Berry phase of $\pi$, which originates from a half rotation of the superconducting gap function. This half rotation leaves a topological signature in the superfluid stiffness tensor, making it directly observable through the geometry of vortices and the upper critical field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Coherent high-velocity chiral magnons in the metallic altermagnet CrSb

We report the collective magnetism of the metallic altermagnet CrSb. Magnetic susceptibility and polarized neutron diffraction measurements show that CrSb is a perfectly compensated Ising altermagnet below a N\'eel temperature of $T_N = 733(4)$ K. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments reveal coherent and highly-dispersive antiferromagnetic spin waves with large group velocities of 61(2) km s$^{-1}$ and 58(2) km s$^{-1}$ along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions, respectively. The observed magnon dispersions along high-symmetry directions of the Brillouin zone are well described by a minimal Heisenberg model up to third nearest neighbors of alternating antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic character, $J_1 = 23(4)$ meV, $J_2 = -5.4(8)$ meV, $J_3 = 5.2(8)$ meV, and an Ising single-ion anisotropy term $D = 0.15(4)$ meV. We observe clear momentum space signatures of chiral spin splitting along the low-symmetry $\Gamma$-$L$ direction, characteristic of higher-order altermagnetic exchange interactions, the first such observation in a metallic altermagnet. These findings identify CrSb as a singular material: a metallic altermagnet in which coherent spin-split magnons persist well above room temperature, providing a compelling platform for spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Proximitizing altermagnets with conventional superconductors

Recent theoretical work highlighted unique properties of superconducting altermagnets, including the wealth of topologically non-trivial phases as well as their potential uses in spintronic applications. Given that no intrinsically superconducting altermagnets have yet been discovered, we study here the possibility of superconducting order induced by proximity effect from a conventional s-wave superconductor. Through symmetry analysis and microscopic modeling we find that interesting superconducting phases can indeed be proximity-induced in a thin altermagnetic film provided that weak Rashba spin-orbit coupling is present at the interface. Surprisingly, the resulting superconductor is generically nodal with a mixed singlet/triplet order parameter and, importantly for applications, capable of generating spin-polarized persistent current. We propose a set of candidate heterostructures with low lattice mismatch suitable to probe these effects experimentally.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Persistent spin currents in superconducting altermagnets

Superconductors are famously capable of supporting persistent electrical currents, that is, currents that flow without any measurable decay as long as the material is kept in the superconducting state. We introduce here a class of materials -- superconducting altermagnets -- that can both generate and carry persistent {\em spin} currents. This includes spin-polarized electrical supercurrent as well as pure spin supercurrent that facilitates spin transport in the absence of any charge transport. A key to this remarkable property is the realization that the leading superconducting instability of altermagnetic metals consists of two independent condensates formed of spin-up and spin-down electrons. In the non-relativistic limit the two condensates are decoupled and can thus naturally support persistent currents with any spin polarization, including pure spin supercurrents realized in the charge counterflow regime. We describe a novel ``spin-current dynamo effect'' that can be used to generate pure spin supercurrent in such systems by driving a charge current along certain crystallographic directions. Away from the non-relativistic limit, when spin-orbit interactions and magnetic disorder are present, we find that the spin current generically develops spatial oscillations but, importantly, no dissipation or decay. This is in stark contrast to spin currents in normal diffusive metals which tend to decay on relatively short lengthscales. We illustrate the above properties by performing model calculations relevant to two distinct classes of altermagnets and various device geometries.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Frustrated edge currents in bilayers formed of s- and d-wave superconductors

We explore edge currents in heterostructures formed of a high-$T_c$ cuprate and a conventional $s$-wave superconductors. The resulting $d\pm is$ superconductor spontaneously breaks time reversal symmetry and, remarkably, exhibits large edge currents along certain edge directions in spite of being topologically trivial. In addition we find that the edge currents are frustrated such that they appear to emerge from or flow into sample corners, seemingly violating charge conservation. Careful self-consistent solutions that guarantee charge conservation are required to understand how this frustration is resolved in physical systems. Calculations within the Ginzburg-Landau theory framework and fully self-consistent microscopic lattice models reveal intriguing patterns of current reversals depending on edge orientation, accompanied by spontaneous formation of magnetic flux patterns which can be used to detect these phenomena experimentally. Our study illuminates the interplay between time-reversal symmetry breaking and unconventional superconductivity in high-$T_c$ superconducting heterostructures, and shows that sizable edge currents are possible even in the absence of non-trivial bulk topology.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Family of multilayer graphene superconductors with tunable chirality: Momentum-space vortices nucleated by a ring of Berry curvature

Recent experiments in rhombohedrally-stacked multilayer graphene heterostructures have reported signatures of chiral superconductivity, emerging from a spin and valley-polarized normal state with broken time-reversal symmetry and an associated anomalous Hall effect. These findings bring into focus the role of the electronic Bloch wavefunction and the quantum geometric tensor in determining the superconducting pairing channel. In this work, we examine superconducting instabilities of a model of $N$-layer rhombohedral graphene that possesses an enhanced Berry curvature distribution on an extended ring in momentum space $-$ that we dub the 'Berry ring of fire' $-$ in the presence of an isotropic attractive interaction with a parametrically controlled spatial range. We determine that local interactions favor a $N$-fold winding in the order parameter phase for odd-$N$ layered systems, with even-$N$ layers requiring a spatially extended attraction range to achieve pairing. For generic interaction lengths, we discover a family of chiral superconductors and, remarkably, momentum-space vortices nucleated on the Berry ring of fire. The existence of these vortices can be traced to a momentum-space flux quantization condition involving the Berry curvature, with the phase winding dictated by a combination of the Berry flux and a 'statistical flux' to enforce Fermi-Dirac statistics. Such an order parameter structure allows for the possibility of in-situ tuning between various chiral superconducting phases through changes in the electron density or the displacement field. We discuss ways in which these predictions can be experimentally tested and potentially exploited in future devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Correlated insulating states in slow Dirac fermions on a honeycomb moir{\'e} superlattice

Strong Coulomb repulsion is predicted to open a many-body charge gap at the Dirac point of graphene, transforming the semimetal into a Mott insulator. However, this correlated insulating phase has remained inaccessible in pristine graphene, where a large Fermi velocity dominates the interaction effects. To overcome this limitation, we realize a honeycomb moir{\'e} superlattice in a twisted MoSe$_2$ homobilayer, where a graphene-like band structure forms with a Fermi velocity reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude. These slow moir{\'e} bands are folded from the valence band maximum at the $\Gamma$ valley of the extended Brillouin zone with negligible spin-orbital coupling, and can therefore simulate massless Dirac fermions in the strongly correlated regime with full SU(2) symmetry. By correlating Rydberg exciton sensing with moir{\'e} trions of different spatial characters, we detect a Mott gap at the Dirac point that persists up to 110 K. We further identify correlated insulating states at $\nu=-1$ with a weak ferromagnetic coupling as well as at several fractional fillings. Our results highlight the potential of studying a wide range of quantum many-body phenomena in twisted two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Comment on: "Dynamics of disordered quantum systems with two- and three-dimensional tensor networks" arXiv:2503.05693

In a recent preprint [1] (arXiv:2503.05693), Tindall et al. presented impressive classical simulations of quantum dynamics using tensor networks. Their methods represent a significant improvement in the classical state of the art, and in some cases show lower errors than recent simulations of quantum dynamics using a quantum annealer [2] (King et al., Science, eado6285, 2025). However, of the simulations in Ref. [2], Ref. [1] did not attempt the most complex lattice geometry, nor reproduce the largest simulations in 3D lattices, nor simulate the longest simulation times, nor simulate the low-precision ensembles in which correlations grow the fastest, nor produce the full-state and fourth-order observables produced by Ref. [2]. Thus this work should not be misinterpreted as having overturned the claim of Ref. [2]: the demonstration of quantum simulations beyond the reach of classical methods. Rather, these classical advances narrow the parameter space in which beyond-classical computation has been demonstrated. In the near future these classical methods can be combined with quantum simulations to help sharpen the boundary between classical and quantum simulability.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Altermagnetism in modified Lieb lattice Hubbard model

We study the emergence of altermagnetism from repulsive interactions for electrons on the Lieb lattice as a model of quasi-2D oxychalcogenides with the so-called "anti-CuO$_{2}$" lattice structure. A comprehensive study of the Lieb lattice Hubbard model, using unrestricted Hartree-Fock and exact diagonalization techniques, establishes the presence of spin-${1\over 2}$ altermagnetic Mott insulating ground state for average electron densities of 2 and 4 per unit cell. Both phases show the characteristic spin splitting in the electron bands as well as in the magnon bands, as indicated by solutions of an effective spin-${1\over 2}$ Heisenberg model that we construct. We also provide evidence for altermagnetic metal formation in the electron- and hole-doped Mott state, giving rise to Fermi surfaces with $d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}$-wave spin splitting and quasi-one-dimensional characteristics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Probing topological degeneracy on a torus using superconducting altermagnets

The notion of topological order (TO) can be defined through the characteristic ground state degeneracy of a system placed on a manifold with non-zero genus $g$, such as a torus. This ground state degeneracy has served as a key tool for identifying TOs in theoretical calculations but it has never been possible to probe experimentally because fabricating a device in the requisite toroidal geometry is generally not feasible. Here we discuss a practical method that can be used to overcome this difficulty in a class of topologically ordered systems that consist of a TO and its time reversal conjugate $\overline{\rm TO}$. The key insight is that a system possessing such ${\rm TO}\otimes\overline{\rm TO}$ order fabricated on an annulus behaves effectively as TO on a torus, provided that one supplies a symmetry-breaking perturbation that gaps out the edge modes. We illustrate this general principle using a specific example of a spin-polarized $p_x\pm ip_y$ chiral superconductor which is closely related to the Moore-Read Pfaffian fractional quantum Hall state. Specifically, we introduce a simple model with altermagnetic normal state which, in the presence of an attractive interaction, hosts a helical $(p_x-ip_y)^\uparrow\otimes(p_x+ip_y)^\downarrow$ superconducting ground state. We demonstrate that when placed on an annulus with the appropriate symmetry-breaking edge perturbation this planar two-dimensional system, remarkably, exhibits the same pattern of ground state degeneracy as a $p_x+ ip_y$ superconductor on a torus. We discuss broader implications of this behavior and ways it can be tested experimentally.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

NMon: enhanced transmon qubit based on parallel arrays of Josephson junctions

We introduce a novel superconducting qubit architecture utilizing parallel arrays of Josephson junctions. This design offers a substantialy improved relative anharmonicity, typically within the range of $|\alpha_r| \approx 0.1 - 0.3$, while maintaining transition matrix elements in both the charge and flux channels that are on par with those of transmon qubits. Our proposed device also features exceptional tunability and includes a parameter regime akin to an enhanced version of the fluxonium qubit. Notably, it enables an additional order of magnitude reduction in matrix elements influenced by flux noise, thus further enhancing its suitability for quantum information processing applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Light-element and purely charge-based topological materials

We examine a class of Hamiltonians characterized by interatomic, interorbital even-odd parity hybridization as a model for a family of topological insulators without the need for spin-orbit coupling. Non-trivial properties of these materials are exemplified by studying the topologically-protected edge states of s-p hybridized alkali and alkaline earth atoms in one and two-dimensional lattices. In 1D the topological features are analogous to the canonical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model but, remarkably, occur in the absence of dimerization. Alkaline earth chains, with Be standing out due to its gap size and near particle-hole symmetry, are of particular experimental interest since their Fermi energy without doping lies directly at the level of topological edge stats. Similar physics is demonstrated to occur in a 2D honeycomb lattice system of s-p bonded atoms, where dispersive edge states emerge. Lighter elements are predicted using this model to host topological states in contrast to spin-orbit coupling-induced band inversion favoring heaving atoms.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Edge currents as probe of topology in twisted cuprate bilayers

Bilayers made of high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ assembled with a twist angle close to $45^\circ$ have been recently shown to spontaneously break time reversal symmetry $\mathcal{T}$, consistent with theoretical predictions for emergent chiral topological $d_{x^2-y^2}+id_{xy}$ phase in such twisted $d$-wave superconductors. Here we use a minimal microscopic model to estimate the size of spontaneous chiral edge currents expected to occur in the $\mathcal{T}$-broken phase. In accord with previous theoretical studies of chiral $d$-wave superconductors we find small but non-vanishing edge currents which we nevertheless predict to be above the detection threshold of the state-of-the-art magnetic scanning probe microscopy. In addition, by deriving a simple relation between the edge current and the electron spectral function we help elucidate the longstanding disparity between the size of edge currents in chiral $d$-wave and $p$-wave superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Beyond-classical computation in quantum simulation

Quantum computers hold the promise of solving certain problems that lie beyond the reach of conventional computers. However, establishing this capability, especially for impactful and meaningful problems, remains a central challenge. Here, we show that superconducting quantum annealing processors can rapidly generate samples in close agreement with solutions of the Schr\"odinger equation. We demonstrate area-law scaling of entanglement in the model quench dynamics of two-, three-, and infinite-dimensional spin glasses, supporting the observed stretched-exponential scaling of effort for matrix-product-state approaches. We show that several leading approximate methods based on tensor networks and neural networks cannot achieve the same accuracy as the quantum annealer within a reasonable time frame. Thus, quantum annealers can answer questions of practical importance that may remain out of reach for classical computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum error mitigation in quantum annealing

Quantum Error Mitigation (QEM) presents a promising near-term approach to reduce error when estimating expectation values in quantum computing. Here, we introduce QEM techniques tailored for quantum annealing, using Zero-Noise Extrapolation (ZNE). We implement ZNE through zero-temperature extrapolation as well as energy-time rescaling. We conduct experimental investigations into the quantum critical dynamics of a transverse-field Ising spin chain, demonstrating the successful mitigation of thermal noise through both of these techniques. Moreover, we show that energy-time rescaling effectively mitigates control errors in the coherent regime where the effect of thermal noise is minimal. Our ZNE results agree with exact calculations of the coherent evolution over a range of annealing times that exceeds the coherent annealing range by almost an order of magnitude.

quant-ph↗