arXiv subjects

Mathias Albert

Publications and source records attributed to Mathias Albert.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Superfluid motion and drag-force cancellation in a fluid of light

Quantum fluids of light merge many-body physics and nonlinear optics, through the study of light propagation in a nonlinear medium under the shine of quantum hydrodynamics. One of the most outstanding evidence of light behaving as an interacting fluid is its ability to carry itself as a superfluid. Here, we report a direct experimental detection of the transition to superfluidity in the flow of a fluid of light past an obstacle in a bulk nonlinear crystal. In this cavityless all- optical system, we extract a direct optical analog of the drag force exerted by the fluid of light and measure the associated displacement of the obstacle. Both quantities drop to zero in the superfluid regime characterized by a suppression of long-range radiation from the obstacle. The experimental capability to shape both the flow and the potential landscape paves the way for simulation of quantum transport in complex systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Fingerprints of Majorana fermions in current-correlations measurements from a superconducting tunnel microscope

We compute various current correlation functions of electrons flowing from a topological nanowire to the tip of a superconducting scanning tunnel microscope and identify fingerprints of a Majorana bound state. In particular, the spin resolved cross-correlations are shown to display a clear distinction between the presence of a such an exotic state (negative correlations) and an Andreev bound state (positive correlations). Similarity and differences with measurements with a normal tunnel microscope are also discussed, like the robustness to finite temperature for instance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Strongly correlated one-dimensional Bose-Fermi quantum mixtures: symmetry and correlations

We consider multi-component quantum mixtures (bosonic, fermionic, or mixed) with strongly repulsive contact interactions in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. In the limit of infinitely strong repulsion and zero temperature, using the class-sum method, we study the symmetries of the spatial wave function of the mixture. We find that the ground state of the system has the most symmetric spatial wave function allowed by the type of mixture. This provides an example of the generalized Lieb-Mattis theorem. Furthermore, we show that the symmetry properties of the mixture are embedded in the large-momentum tails of the momentum distribution, which we evaluate both at infinite repulsion by an exact solution and at finite interactions using a numerical DMRG approach. This implies that an experimental measurement of the Tan's contact would allow to unambiguously determine the symmetry of any kind of multi-component mixture.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

High-momentum tails as magnetic structure probes for strongly-correlated $SU(κ)$ fermionic mixtures in one-dimensional traps

A universal $k^{-4}$ decay of the large-momentum tails of the momentum distribution, fixed by Tan's contact coefficients, constitutes a direct signature of strong correlations in a short-range interacting quantum gas. Here we consider a repulsive multicomponent Fermi gas under harmonic confinement, as in the experiment of Pagano et al. [Nat. Phys. {\bf 10}, 198 (2014)], realizing a gas with tunable $SU(κ)$ symmetry. We exploit an exact solution at infinite repulsion to show a direct correspondence between the value of the Tan's contact for each of the $κ$ components of the gas and the Young tableaux for the $S_N$ permutation symmetry group identifying the magnetic structure of the ground-state. This opens a route for the experimental determination of magnetic configurations in cold atomic gases, employing only standard (spin-resolved) time-of-flight techniques. Combining the exact result with matrix-product-states simulations, we obtain the Tan's contact at all values of repulsive interactions. We show that a local density approximation (LDA) on the Bethe-Ansatz equation of state for the homogeneous mixture is in excellent agreement with the results for the harmonically confined gas. At strong interactions, the LDA predicts a scaling behavior of the Tan's contact. This provides a useful analytical expression for the dependence on the number of fermions, number of components and on interaction strength. Moreover, using a virial approach in the limit of infinite interactions, we show that the contact increases with the temperature and the number of components. At zero temperature, we predict that the weight of the momentum distribution tails increases with interaction strength and the number of components if the population per component is kept constant. This latter property was experimentally observed in Ref.~[Nat. Phys. {\bf 10}, 198 (2014)].

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Exact density profiles and symmetry classification for strongly interacting multi-component Fermi gases in tight waveguides

We consider a mixture of one-dimensional strongly interacting Fermi gases up to six components, subjected to a longitudinal harmonic confinement. In the limit of infinitely strong repulsions we provide an exact solution which generalizes the one for the two-component mixture. We show that an imbalanced mixture under harmonic confinement displays partial spatial separation among the components, with a structure which depends on the relative population of the various components. Furthermore, we provide a symmetry characterization of the ground and excited states of the mixture introducing and evaluating a suitable operator, namely the conjugacy class sum. We show that, even under external confinement, the gas has a definite symmetry which corresponds to the most symmetric one compatible with the imbalance among the components. This generalizes the predictions of the Lieb-Mattis theorem for a fermionic mixture with more than two components.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Distributions of electron waiting times in quantum-coherent conductors

The distribution of electron waiting times is useful to characterize quantum transport in mesoscopic structures. Here we consider a generic quantum-coherent conductor consisting of a mesoscopic scatterer in a two-terminal setup. We extend earlier results for single-channel conductors to setups with several (possibly spin-degenerate) conduction channels and we discuss the effect of a finite electronic temperature. We present detailed investigations of the electron waiting times in a quantum point contact as well as in two mesoscopic interferometers with energy-dependent transmissions: a Fabry-Pérot interferometer and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We show that the waiting time distributions allow us to determine characteristic features of the scatterers, for instance the number of resonant levels in the Fabry-Pérot interferometer that contribute to the electronic transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Waiting time distribution for trains of quantized electron pulses

We consider a sequence of quantized Lorentzian pulses of non-interacting electrons impinging on a quantum point contact (QPC) and study the waiting time distribution (WTD), for any transmission and any number of pulses. As the degree of overlap between the electronic wave functions is tuned, the WTD reveals how the correlations between particles are modified. In the weak overlap regime, the WTD is made of several equidistant peaks, separated by the same period as the incoming pulses, contained in an almost exponentially decaying envelope. In the other limit, the WTD of a single quantum channel subjected to a constant voltage is recovered. In both cases, the WTD stresses the difference between the fluctuations induced by the scatterer and the ones encoded in the incoming quantum state. A clear cross-over between these two situations is studied with numerical and analytical calculations based on scattering theory.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

A quantum magnetic RC circuit

We propose a setup that is the spin analog of the charge-based quantum RC circuit. We define and compute the spin capacitance and the spin resistance of the circuit for both ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AF) systems. We find that the antiferromagnetic setup has universal properties, but the ferromagnetic setup does not. We discuss how to use the proposed setup as a quantum source of spin excitations, and put forward a possible experimental realization using ultracold atoms in optical lattices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Electron Waiting Times in Mesoscopic Conductors

Electron transport in mesoscopic conductors has traditionally involved investigations of the mean current and the fluctuations of the current. A complementary view on charge transport is provided by the distribution of waiting times between charge carriers, but a proper theoretical framework for coherent electronic systems has so far been lacking. Here we develop a quantum theory of electron waiting times in mesoscopic conductors expressed by a compact determinant formula. We illustrate our methodology by calculating the waiting time distribution for a quantum point contact and find a cross-over from Wigner-Dyson statistics at full transmission to Poisson statistics close to pinch-off. Even when the low-frequency transport is noiseless, the electrons are not equally spaced in time due to their inherent wave nature. We discuss the implications for renewal theory in mesoscopic systems and point out several analogies with energy level statistics and random matrix theory.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Distributions of Waiting Times of Dynamic Single-Electron Emitters

The distribution of waiting times between elementary tunneling events is of fundamental importance for understanding the stochastic charge transfer processes in nanoscale conductors. Here we investigate the waiting time distributions (WTDs) of periodically driven single-electron emitters and evaluate them for the specific example of a mesoscopic capacitor. We show that the WTDs provide a particularly informative characterization of periodically driven devices and we demonstrate how the WTDs allow us to reconstruct the full counting statistics (FCS) of charges that have been transferred after a large number of periods. We find that the WTDs are capable of describing short-time physics and correlations which are not accessible via the FCS alone.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Resonant Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates

We study double-barrier interfaces separating regions of asymptotically subsonic and supersonic flow of Bose condensed atoms. These setups contain at least one black hole sonic horizon from which the analog of Hawking radiation should be generated and emitted against the flow in the subsonic region. Multiple coherent scattering by the double-barrier structure strongly modulates the transmission probability of phonons, rendering it very sensitive to their frequency. As a result, resonant tunneling occurs with high probability within a few narrow frequency intervals. This gives rise to highly non-thermal spectra with sharp peaks. We find that these peaks are mostly associated to decaying resonances and only occasionally to dynamical instabilities. Even at achievable nonzero temperatures, the radiation peaks can be dominated by the spontaneous emission, i.e. enhanced zero-point fluctuations, and not, as often in analog models, by stimulated emission.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Noise and Counting Statistics of a Single Electron Emitter: Theory

We review the latest progress in understanding the fundamental noise properties of a coherent single electron emitter known as the mesoscopic capacitor. The system consists of a sub-micron cavity connected to a two-dimensional electron gas via a quantum point contact. When subject to periodic gate voltage modulations, the mesoscopic capacitor absorbs and re-emits single electrons at giga-hertz frequencies as it has been demonstrated experimentally. Recent high-frequency noise measurements have moreover allowed for a precise characterization of the device in different operating regimes. Here we discuss a simple model of the basic charge transfer processes in the mesoscopic capacitor and show how the model is capable of fully reproducing the measured high-frequency noise spectrum. We extend our analysis to the counting statistics of emitted electrons during a large number of periods which we use to discuss the accuracy of the mesoscopic capacitor as a single electron source. Finally, we consider possible applications of the mesoscopic capacitor in future experiments and identify novel pathways for further theoretical research.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Accuracy of the quantum capacitor as a single-electron source

A periodically driven quantum capacitor may function as an on-demand single electron source as it has recently been demonstrated experimentally. However, the accuracy at which single electrons are emitted is not yet understood. Here we consider a conceptually simple model of a quantum capacitor and find analytically the noise spectrum as well as the counting statistics of emitted electrons. We find that the failure rate of the capacitor can be arbitrarily small when operated under favorable conditions. Our theoretical predictions may be tested in future experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Localization by bichromatic potentials versus Anderson localization

The one-dimensional propagation of waves in a bichromatic potential may be modeled by the Aubry-André Hamiltonian. The latter presents a delocalization-localization transition, which has been observed in recent experiments using ultracold atoms or light. It is shown here that, in contrast to Anderson localization, this transition has a classical origin, namely the localization mechanism is not due to a quantum suppression of a classically allowed transport process. Explicit comparisons with the Anderson model, as well as with experiments, are done.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗