arXiv subjects

Michele Governale

Publications and source records attributed to Michele Governale.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Spin pumping through quantum dots

We propose schemes for generating spin currents into a semiconductor by adiabatic or non-adiabatic pumping of electrons through interacting quantum dots. The appeal of such schemes lies in the possibility to tune the pumping characteristics via gate voltages that control the properties of the quantum dot. The calculations are based on a systematic perturbation expansion in the tunnel-coupling strength and the pumping frequency, expressed within a diagrammatic real-time technique. Special focus is put on the possibility of pure spin pumping, i.e., of pumping spin currents without charge currents.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Waiting time distributions for the transport through a quantum dot tunnel coupled to one normal and one superconducting lead

We have studied the Waiting Time Distributions (WTDs) for sub-gap transport through a single-level quantum dot tunnel coupled to one normal and one superconducting lead. The WTDs reveal the internal dynamics of the system in particular the coherent transfer of Cooper pairs between the dot and the superconductor. The WTDs exhibit oscillations that can be directly associated to the coherent oscillation between the empty and doubly occupied dot. The oscillation frequency is equal to the energy splitting between the Andreev bound states. These effects are more pronounced when the empty state and double occupied state are in resonance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Theory of spin pumping through an interacting quantum dot tunnel coupled to a ferromagnet with time-dependent magnetization

We investigate two schemes for pumping spin adiabatically from a ferromagnet through an interacting quantum dot into a normal lead, which exploit the possibility to vary in time the ferromagnet's magnetization, either its amplitude or its direction. For this purpose, we extend a diagrammatic real-time technique for pumping to situations in which the leads' properties are time dependent. In the first scheme, the time-dependent magnetization amplitude is combined with a time-dependent level position of the quantum dot to establish both a charge and a spin current. The second scheme uses a uniform rotation of the ferromagnet's magnetization direction to generate a pure spin current without a charge current. We discuss the influence of an interaction-induced exchange field on the pumping characteristics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Renormalization effects in interacting quantum dots coupled to superconducting leads

We study subgap transport through an interacting quantum dot tunnel coupled to one normal and two superconducting leads. To check the reliability of an approximation of an infinitely-large gap $Δ$ in the superconducting leads and weak tunnel coupling to the normal lead, we perform a $1/Δ$ expansion, and we analyze next-to-leading order corrections in the tunnel coupling to the normal lead. Furthermore, we propose a resummation approach to calculate the Andreev bound states for finite $Δ$. The results are substantially more accurate than those obtained by mean-field treatments and favorably compare with numerical exact results.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

AC Josephson transport through interacting quantum dots

We investigate the AC Josephson current through a quantum dot with strong Coulomb interaction attached to two superconducting and one normal lead. To this end, we perform a perturbation expansion in the tunneling couplings within a diagrammatic real-time technique. The AC Josephson current is connected to the reduced density matrix elements that describe superconducting correlations induced on the quantum dot via proximity effect. We analyze the dependence of the AC signal on the level position of the quantum dot, the charging energy, and the applied bias voltages.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Tunneling-induced renormalization in interacting quantum dots

We analyze tunneling-induced quantum fluctuations in a single-level quantum dot with arbitrarily strong onsite Coulomb interaction, generating cotunneling processes and renormalizing system parameters. For a perturbative analysis of these quantum fluctuations, we remove off-shell parts of the Hamiltonian via a canonical transformation. We find that the tunnel couplings for the transitions connecting empty and single occupation and connecting single and double occupation of the dot renormalize with the same magnitude but with opposite signs. This has an important impact on the shape of the renormalization extracted for example from the conductance. Finally, we verify the compatibility of our results with a systematic second-order perturbation expansion of the linear conductance performed within a diagrammatic real-time approach.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Driven superconducting proximity effect in interacting quantum dots

We present a theory of non-equilibrium superconducting proximity effect in an interacting quantum dot induced by a time-dependent tunnel coupling between dot and a superconducting lead. The proximity effect, that is established when the driving frequency fulfills a gate-voltage-dependent resonance condition, can be probed through the tunneling current into a weakly-coupled normal lead. Furthermore, we propose to generate and manipulate coherent superpositions of quantum-dot states with electron numbers differing by two, by applying pulsed oscillatory variations to the couplings between dot and superconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Time scales in the dynamics of an interacting quantum dot

We analyze the dynamics of a single-level quantum dot with Coulomb interaction, weakly tunnel coupled to an electronic reservoir, after it has been brought out of equilibrium, e.g. by a step-pulse potential. We investigate the exponential decay towards the equilibrium state, which is governed by three time scales. In addition to the charge and spin relaxation time there is a third time scale which is independent of the level position and the Coulomb interaction. This time scale emerges in the time evolution of physical quantities sensitive to two-particle processes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Adiabatic pumping in a double-dot Cooper-pair beam splitter

We study adiabatic pumping through a double quantum dot coupled to normal and superconducting leads. For this purpose a perturbation expansion in the tunnel coupling between the dots and the normal leads is performed and processes underlying the pumping current are discussed. Features of crossed Andreev reflection are investigated in the average pumped charge and related to local Andreev reflection in a single quantum dot. In order to distinguish Cooper pair splitting from quasi-particle pumping, we compare the properties of Cooper pair pumping with single-electron pumping in a system with only normal leads. The dependence on the average dot level and the coupling asymmetry turn out to be the main distinguishing features. This is contrasted with the linear conductance for which it is more difficult to distinguish single-particle from Cooper pair transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Band-mixing-mediated Andreev reflection of semiconductor holes

We have investigated Andreev-reflection processes occurring at a clean interface between a $p$-type semiconductor and a conventional superconductor. Our calculations are performed within a generalized Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism where the details of the semiconductor band structure are described by a $6\times 6$ Kane model. It is found that Andreev reflection of light-hole and heavy-hole valence-band carriers is generally possible and that the two valence-band hole types can be converted into each other in the process. The normal-reflection and Andreev-reflection amplitudes depend strongly on the semiconductor's carrier concentration and on the angle of injection. In the special case of perpendicular incidence, Andreev reflection of heavy holes does not occur. Moreover, we find conversion-less Andreev reflection to be impossible above some critical angle, and another critical angle exists above which the conversion of a heavy hole into a light hole cannot occur.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Superconducting proximity effect in interacting quantum dots revealed by shot noise

We study the full counting statistics of charge transport through a quantum dot tunnel-coupled to one normal and one superconducting lead with a large superconducting gap. As function of the level detuning, there is a crossover from a regime with strong superconducting correlations in the quantum dot to a regime in which the proximity effect on the quantum dot is suppressed. We analyze the current fluctuations of this crossover in the shot-noise regime. In particular, we predict that the full counting statistics changes from Poissonian with charge 2e, typical for Cooper pairs, to Poissonian with charge e, when the superconducting proximity effect is present. Thus, the onset of the superconducting proximity effect is revealed by the reduction of the Fano factor from 2 to 1.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Spin-dependent transport through quantum-dot Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

We study the influence of spin polarization on the degree of coherence of electron transport through interacting quantum dots. To this end, we identify transport regimes in which the degree of coherence can be related to the visibility of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the current through a quantum-dot Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with one normal and one ferromagnetic lead. For these regimes, we calculate the visibility and, thus, the degree of coherence, as a function of the degree of spin polarization of the ferromagnetic lead.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Probing the exchange field of a quantum-dot spin valve by a superconducting lead

Electrons in a quantum-dot spin valve, consisting of a single-level quantum dot coupled to two ferromagnetic leads with magnetizations pointing in arbitrary directions, experience an exchange field that is induced on the dot by the interplay of Coulomb interaction and quantum fluctuations. We show that a third, superconducting lead with large superconducting gap attached to the dot probes this exchange field very sensitively. In particular, we find striking signatures of the exchange field in the symmetric component of the supercurrent with respect to the bias voltage applied between the ferromagnets already for small values of the ferromagnets' spin polarization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Generation of pure spin currents by superconducting proximity effect in quantum dots

We investigate electronic transport in a three-terminal hybrid system, composed by an interacting quantum dot tunnel coupled to one superconducting, one ferromagnetic, and one normal lead. Despite the tendency of the charging energy to suppress the superconducting proximity effect when the quantum dot is in equilibrium, the non-equilibrium proximity effect can give rise to a large Andreev current. The presence of the ferromagnet can lead to a finite spin accumulation on the dot. We find that the interplay of the Andreev current and spin accumulation can generate a pure spin current, with no associated charge transport, in the normal lead. This situation is realised by tuning the quantum-dot spectrum by means of a gate voltage.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Superconducting proximity effect in interacting double-dot systems

We study subgap transport from a superconductor through a double quantum dot with large on-site Coulomb repulsion to two normal leads. Non-local superconducting correlations in the double dot are induced by the proximity to the superconducting lead, detectable in non-local Andreev transport that splits Cooper pairs in locally separated, spin-entangled electrons. We find that the $I$--$V$ characteristics are strongly asymmetric: for a large bias voltage of certain polarity, transport is blocked by populating the double dot with states whose spin symmetry is incompatible with the superconductor. Furthermore, by tuning gate voltages one has access to splitting of the Andreev excitation energies, which is visible in the differential conductance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Charge and spin dynamics in interacting quantum dots

The transient response of a quantum dot with strong Coulomb interaction to a fast change in the gate potential, as well as the stationary ac-response to a slow harmonic variation of the gate potential are computed by means of a real-time diagrammatic expansion in the tunnel-coupling strength. We find that after a fast switching, the relaxation of charge and spin are governed by a single time constant each, which differ from each other due to Coulomb repulsion. We compare the response to a step potential with the $RC$ time extracted from the ac response.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Interference and interaction effects in adiabatic pumping through quantum dots

In order to investigate the effects of interference and interaction in adiabatic pumping, we consider an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometer with a quantum dot embedded either in one or in both arms. We employ a real-time formalism and we perform an expansion both in the tunnel-coupling strengths between dot and leads and in the pumping frequency, taking into account the Coulomb interaction non perturbatively. We find that pumping in a single-dot AB interferometer has a peristaltic but phase-coherent character. In a double-dot AB interferometer, we find a pumping mechanism that relies purely on quantum mechanical interference and has no classical counterpart.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Non-adiabatic pumping through interacting quantum dots

We study non-adiabatic two-parameter charge and spin pumping through a single-level quantum dot with Coulomb interaction. For the limit of weak tunnel coupling and in the regime of pumping frequencies up to the tunneling rates, $Ω\lesssim Γ/\hbar$, we perform an exact resummation of contributions of all orders in the pumping frequency. As striking non-adiabatic signatures, we find frequency-dependent phase shifts in the charge and spin currents, which allow for an effective single-parameter pumping as well as pure spin without charge currents.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗