arXiv subjects

Martin Leijnse

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Leijnse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Assessing Majorana states and qubits through quantum capacitance

Quantum capacitance (QC) has recently emerged as a promising tool for parity readout in topological qubits based on Majorana bound states (MBSs). Here, we show that this capability can be extended further: by employing an auxiliary quantum dot (QD) as a sensor, we demonstrate that QC measurements simultaneously resolve two fundamental figures of merit of the device, the ground-state energy splitting and the MBS overlap, thus providing direct access to the underlying internal degrees of freedom. Using a low-energy effective model, we provide analytic expressions for these two figures of merit that can be determined from the relative position and magnitude of the QC maxima in the even and odd parity sectors as functions of the auxiliary-QD energy. We further validate these results with a microscopic model of QD-based Kitaev chains and qubits, demonstrating their applicability in a wide range of MBS-based devices. Our results establish QC as a probe of MBS quality and a tool for topological-device optimization that preserves fermion parity.

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arXiv2025

Machine-learned tuning to protected states by probing noise resilience

Protected states are promising for quantum technologies due to their intrinsic resilience against noise. However, such states often emerge at discrete points or small regions in parameter space and are thus difficult to find in experiments. In this work, we present a machine-learning method for tuning to protected regimes, based on injecting noise into the system and searching directly for the most noise-resilient configuration. We illustrate this method by considering short quantum dot-based Kitaev chains which we subject to random parameter fluctuations. Using the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy we minimize the typical resulting ground state splitting, which makes the system converge to a protected configuration with well-separated Majorana bound states. We verify the robustness of our method by considering finite Zeeman fields, electron-electron repulsion, asymmetric couplings, and varying the length of the Kitaev chain. Our work provides a reliable method for tuning to protected states, including but not limited to isolated Majorana bound states.

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arXiv2025

Quantifying robustness and locality of Majorana bound states in interacting systems

Protecting qubits from perturbations is a central challenge in quantum computing. Topological superconductors with separated Majorana bound states (MBSs) provide a strong form of protection that only depends on the locality of perturbations. While the link between MBS separation, robust degeneracy, and protected braiding is well understood in non-interacting systems, recent experimental progress in short quantum-dot-based Kitaev chains highlights the need to establish these connections rigorously for interacting systems. We do this by defining MBSs from many-body ground states and show how their locality constrains their coupling to an environment. This, in turn, quantifies the protection of the energy degeneracy and the feasibility of non-abelian braiding.

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arXiv2025

Spin-photon coupling using circular double quantum dots

We propose and analyze a microwave spin-photon interface based on a circular double quantum dot, inspired by recent experimental observations of anisotropic g-factors and ring states in InAs nanowires. We develop an effective theoretical model capturing the interplay of spin-orbit coupling and the magnetic flux through the ring and show how ring states form at crossings of odd and even geometrical parity orbital states. Similar to bonding and antibonding states of conventional double quantum dots, the ring eigenstates can be changed into single dot states by detuning the dots, which enables a high degree of control over the system's properties. Applying a tilted magnetic field induces spin-charge hybridization which enables spin-photon coupling. For low disorder, the photons couple states of simultaneously (almost) opposite spin and angular momentum. With increasing disorder, the spin-photon coupling becomes analogous to the flopping mode mechanism of conventional double quantum dots where the spin is hybridized with the bonding and antibonding orbital states without angular momentum. We show that the system exhibits a second-order charge-noise sweet spot at a specific magnetic field angle, which lowers the system's sensitivity to dephasing while retaining a substantial spin-photon coupling strength. Moreover, the photon coupling mechanism can be switched off either electrically, by detuning to the single-dot regime, or magnetically, by rotating the field to disable the spin-charge hybridization.

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arXiv2025

Measuring coherence factors of states in superconductors through local current

The coherence factors of quasiparticles in a superconductor determine their properties, including transport and susceptibility to electric fields. In this work, we propose a way to infer the local coherence factors using local transport to normal leads. Our method is based on measuring the local current through a lead as the coupling to a second one is varied: the shape of the current is determined by the ratio between the local coherence factors, becoming independent of the coupling to the second lead in the presence of local electron-hole symmetry, {\it i.e.} coherence factors $|u|=|v|$. We apply our method to minimal Kitaev chains: arrays of quantum dots coupled via narrow superconducting segments. These chains feature Majorana-like quasiparticles (zero-energy states with $|u|=|v|$) at discrete points in parameter space. We demonstrate that the local current allows us to estimate the local Majorana polarization (MP) -- a measurement of the local Majorana properties of the state. We derive an analytical expression for the MP in terms of local currents and benchmark it against numerical calculations for 2- and 3-sites chains that include a finite Zeeman field and electron-electron interactions. These results provide a way to quantitatively assess the quality of Majorana states in short Kitaev chains.

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arXiv2025

Adiabatic nonabelian braiding of imperfect Majoranas

Demonstration of a nontrivial result of quasiparticle exchange (or braiding) is usually considered the definitive proof of a topological phase with nonabelian excitations, such as Majorana bound states (MBSs). However, in finite systems with disorder and smooth potential variations, the MBSs are imperfect in the sense that they are not fully isolated in space and can, to a varying degree, resemble conventional fermions. Here, we study the braiding properties of isolated MBSs, regular fermions, and anything in between. We find a way to compensate for the undesired splitting of the ground-state degeneracy which occurs during the protocol for imperfect MBS. This leads to a braiding outcome that depends on the degree of MBS isolation but remains robust and nonabelian except in the perfect fermion limit. Our protocol could be implemented in different platforms with nonabelian excitations, including quantum-dot-based minimal Kitaev chains.

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arXiv2025

Majorana sweet spots in 3-site Kitaev chains

Minimal Kitaev chains, composed of two quantum dots (QDs) connected via a superconductor, have emerged as an attractive platform to realize Majorana bound states (MBSs). These excitations exist when the ground state is degenerate. The additional requirement of isolating the MBS wavefunctions further restricts the parameter space to discrete sweet spots. While scaling up to Kitaev chains with more than two sites has the potential to improve the stability of the MBSs, longer chains offer more features to optimize, including the MBS localization length and the excitation gap. In this work, we theoretically investigate 3-site Kitaev chains and show that there are three different types of sweet spots, obtained by maximizing distinct MBS properties: genuine 3-site sweet spots with well-localized MBSs at the ends, effective 2-site sweet spots, where the middle site acts as a barrier, and sweet spots with delocalized MBSs that overlap in the middle of the chain. These three cases feature different degrees of robustness against perturbations, with the genuine 3-site being the most stable. We analyze the energy spectrum, transport, and microwave absorption associated with these three cases, showing how to distinguish them.

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arXiv2024

Current noise in quantum dot thermoelectric engines

We theoretically investigate a thermoelectric heat engine based on a single-level quantum dot, calculating average quantities such as current, heat current, output power, and efficiency, as well as fluctuations (noise). Our theory is based on a diagrammatic expansion of the memory kernel together with counting statistics, and we investigate the effects of strong interactions and next-to-leading order tunneling. Accounting for next-to-leading order tunneling is crucial for a correct description when operating at high power and high efficiency, and in particular affect the qualitative behavior of the Fano factor and efficiency. We compare our results with the so-called thermodynamic uncertainty relations, which provide a lower bound on the fluctuations for a given efficiency. In principle, the conventional thermodynamic uncertainty relations can be violated by the non-Markovian quantum effects originating from next-to-leading order tunneling, providing a type of quantum advantage. However, for the specific heat engine realization we consider here, we find that next-to-leading order tunneling does not lead to such violations, but in fact always pushes the results further away from the bound set by the thermodynamic uncertainty relations.

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arXiv2024

The poor man's Majorana tetron

The Majorana tetron is a prototypical topological qubit stemming from the ground state degeneracy of a superconducting island hosting four Majorana modes. This degeneracy manifests as an effective non-local spin degree of freedom, whose most paradigmatic signature is the topological Kondo effect. Degeneracies of states with different fermionic parities characterize also minimal Kitaev chains which have lately emerged as a platform to realize and study unprotected versions of Majorana modes, dubbed poor man's Majorana modes. Here, we introduce the ``poor man's Majorana tetron'', comprising four quantum dots coupled via a floating superconducting island. Its charging energy yields non-trivial correlations among the dots, although, unlike a standard tetron, it is not directly determined by the fermionic parity of the Majorana modes. The poor man's tetron displays parameter regions with a two-fold degenerate ground state with odd fermionic parity, that gives rise to an effective Anderson impurity model when coupled to external leads. We show that this system can approach a regime featuring the topological Kondo effect under a suitable tuning of experimental parameters. Therefore, the poor man's tetron is a promising device to observe the non-locality of Majorana modes and their related fractional conductance.

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arXiv2024

Controlling Majorana hybridization in magnetic chain-superconductor systems

We propose controlling the hybridization between Majorana zero modes at the ends of magnetic adatom chains on superconductors by an additional magnetic adatom deposited close by. By tuning the additional adatom's magnetization, position, and coupling to the superconductor, we can couple and decouple the Majorana modes as well as control the ground state parity. The scheme is independent of microscopic details in ferromagnetic and helical magnetic chains on superconductors with and without spin-orbit coupling, which we show by studying their full microscopic models and their common low-energy description. Our results show that scanning tunneling microscopy and electron spin resonance techniques are promising tools for controlling the Majorana hybridization in magnetic adatoms-superconductor setups, providing a basis for Majorana parity measurements, fusion, and braiding techniques.

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arXiv2024

Quantum-dot-based Kitaev chains: Majorana quality measures and scaling with increasing chain length

Realizing Majorana bound states (MBSs) in short, well-controllable chains of coupled quantum dots sidesteps the problem of disorder, but requires fine-tuning and does not give the true topological protection inherent to long chains. Here, we introduce a new quality measure that is applicable also in the presence of strong electron-electron interactions and that quantifies the closeness to topological protection of finetuned MBSs in short quantum-dot chains. We call this measure local distinguishability because it puts a bound to the degree an arbitrary local measurement can distinguish between two states. We study the local distinguishability for quantum-dot chains of different length. The three-dot chain is studied in detail, and we find that it may not always be an improvement over the two-dot case, a fact that can be understood within an effective model derived from perturbation theory. For longer chains, the local distinguishability vanishes exponentially, signalling a transition to a topological phase with two ground states that cannot be distinguished by any local measurement.

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arXiv2024

Thermoelectric cooling of a finite reservoir coupled to a quantum dot

We investigate non-equilibrium transport of charge and heat through an interacting quantum dot coupled to a finite electron reservoir. Both the quantum dot and the finite reservoir are coupled to conventional electric contacts, i.e., infinite electron reservoirs, between which a bias voltage can be applied. We develop a phenomenological description of the system, combining a rate equation for transport through the quantum dot with standard linear response expressions for transport between the finite and infinite reservoirs. The finite reservoir is assumed to be in a quasi-equilibrium state with time-dependent chemical potential and temperature which we solve for self-consistently. We show that the finite reservoir can have a large impact on the stationary state transport properties, including a shift and broadening of the Coulomb diamond edges. We also demonstrate that there is a region around the conductance lines where a heat current flows out of the finite reservoir. Our results reveal the dependence of the temperature that can be reached by this thermoelectric cooling on the system parameters, in particular the coupling between the finite and infinite reservoirs and additional heat currents induced by electron-phonon couplings, and can thus serve as a guide to experiments on quantum dot-enabled thermoelectric cooling of finite electron reservoirs. Finally, we study the full dynamics of the system, with a particular focus on the timescales involved in the thermoelectric cooling.

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arXiv2024

Subgap transport in superconductor--semiconductor hybrid islands: Weak and strong coupling regimes

Superconductor--semiconductor hybrid systems play a crucial role in realizing nanoscale quantum devices, including hybrid qubits, Majorana bound states, and Kitaev chains. For such hybrid devices, subgap states play a prominent role in their operation. In this work, we study such subgap states via Coulomb and tunneling spectroscopy through a superconducting island defined in a semiconductor nanowire fully coated by a superconductor. We systematically explore regimes ranging from an almost decoupled island to the open configuration. In the weak coupling regime, the experimental observations are very similar in the absence of a magnetic field and when one flux quantum is piercing the superconducting shell. Conversely, in the strong coupling regime, significant distinctions emerge between the two cases. We ascribe this different behavior to the existence of subgap states at one flux quantum, which become observable only for sufficiently strong coupling to the leads. We support our interpretation using a simple model to describe transport through the island. Our study highlights the importance of studying a broad range of tunnel couplings for understanding the rich physics of hybrid devices.

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arXiv2024

Fermion-parity qubit in a proximitized double quantum dot

Bound states in quantum dots coupled to superconductors can be in a coherent superposition of states with different electron number but with the same fermion parity. Electrostatic gating can tune this superposition to a sweet spot, where the quantum dot has the same mean electric charge independent of its electron-number parity. Here, we propose to encode quantum information in the local fermion parity of two tunnel-coupled quantum dots embedded in a Josephson junction. At the sweet spot, the qubit states have zero charge dipole moment. This protects the qubit from dephasing due to charge noise acting on the potential of each dot, as well as fluctuations of the (weak) inter-dot tunneling. At weak inter-dot tunneling, relaxation is suppressed because of disjoint qubit states. On the other hand, for strong inter-dot tunneling the system is protected against noise affecting each quantum dot separately (energy level noise, dot-superconductor tunneling fluctuations, and hyperfine interactions). Finally, we describe initialization and readout as well as single-qubit and two-qubit gates by pulsing gate voltages.

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arXiv2024

RealTimeTransport: An open-source C++ library for quantum transport simulations in the strong coupling regime

The description of quantum transport in the strong system-reservoir coupling regime poses a significant theoretical and computational challenge that demands specialized tools for accurate analysis. RealTimeTransport is a new open-source C++ library that enables the computation of both stationary and transient transport observables for generic quantum systems connected to metallic reservoirs. It computes the Nakajima-Zwanzig memory kernels for both dynamics and transport in real-time going beyond traditional expansions in the bare system-reservoir couplings. Currently, several methods are available: (i) A renormalized perturbation theory in leading and next-to-leading order which avoids the low-temperature breakdown that limits the traditional theory. (ii) Starting from this well-behaved reference solution a 2- and 3-loop self-consistent renormalization-group transformation of the memory kernels is implemented. This allows refined quantitative predictions even in the presence of many body resonances, such as the Kondo enhancement of cotunneling. This paper provides an overview of the theory, the architecture of RealTimeTransport and practical demonstrations of the currently implemented methods. In particular, we analyze the stationary transport through a serial double quantum dot and showcase for the $T=0$ interacting Anderson model the complete time-development of single-electron tunneling (SET), cotunneling-assisted SET (CO-SET) and inelastic cotunneling resonances throughout the entire gate-bias stability diagram. We discuss the range of applicability of the implemented methods and benchmark them against other advanced approaches.

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arXiv2024

Topological superconductivity in Fibonacci quasicrystals

We investigate the properties of a Fibonacci quasicrystal (QC) arrangement of a one-dimensional topological superconductor, such as a magnetic atom chain deposited on a superconducting surface. We uncover a general mutually exclusive competition between the QC properties and the topological superconducting phase with Majorana bound states (MBS): there are no MBS inside the QC gaps and the MBS never behaves as QC subgap states, and likewise, no critical, or winding, QC subgap states exist inside the topological superconducting gaps. Surprisingly, despite this competition, we find that the QC is still highly beneficial for realizing topological superconductivity with MBS. It both leads to additional large nontrivial regions with MBS in parameter space, that are topologically trivial in crystalline systems, and increases the topological gap protecting the MBS. We also find that shorter approximants of the Fibonacci QC display the largest benefits. As a consequence, our results promote QCs, and especially their short approximants, as an appealing platform for improved experimental possibilities to realize MBS as well as generally highlights the fundamental interplay between different topologies.

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arXiv2024

Machine-learned tuning of artificial Kitaev chains from tunneling-spectroscopy measurements

We demonstrate reliable machine-learned tuning of quantum-dot-based artificial Kitaev chains to Majorana sweet spots, using the covariance matrix adaptation algorithm. We show that a loss function based on local tunnelling-spectroscopy features of a chain with two additional sensor dots added at its ends provides a reliable metric to navigate parameter space and find points where crossed Andreev reflection and elastic cotunneling between neighbouring sites balance in such a way to yield near-zero-energy modes with very high Majorana quality. We simulate tuning of two- and three-site Kitaev chains, where the loss function is found from calculating the low-energy spectrum of a model Hamiltonian that includes Coulomb interactions and finite Zeeman splitting. In both cases, the algorithm consistently converges towards high-quality sweet spots. Since tunnelling spectroscopy provides one global metric for tuning all on-site potentials simultaneously, this presents a promising way towards tuning longer Kitaev chains, which are required for achieving topological protection of the Majorana modes.

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arXiv2024

Minimal quantum dot based Kitaev chain with only local superconducting proximity effect

The possibility to engineer a Kitaev chain in quantum dots coupled via superconductors has recently emerged as a promising path toward topological superconductivity and possibly nonabelian physics. Here, we show that it is possible to avoid some of the main experimental hurdles on this path by using only local proximity effect on each quantum dot in a geometry that resembles a two-dot version of the proposal in New J. Phys. 15 045020 (2013). There is no need for narrow superconducting couplers, additional Andreev bound states, or spatially varying magnetic fields; it suffices with spin-orbit interaction and a constant magnetic field, in combination with control of the superconducting phase to tune the relative strengths of elastic cotunneling and an effective crossed-Andreev-reflection-like process generated by higher-order tunneling. We use a realistic spinful, interacting model and show that high-quality Majorana bound states can be generated already in a double quantum dot.

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