arXiv subjects

Niccolò Traverso Ziani

Publications and source records attributed to Niccolò Traverso Ziani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Scanning Gate Microscopy Modulation of Supercurrent in Graphene Josephson Junctions

Graphene Josephson junctions represent an excellent platform for quantum technologies, thanks to the combination of high carrier mobility, ballistic transport, and large gate-tunable critical currents, preserved even under quantizing magnetic fields. Investigating the spatial distribution of supercurrent flow could be crucial for elucidating transport mechanisms and advancing the engineering of these devices. In this work, we employ a Scanning Gate Microscope to investigate supercurrent transport in hBN-encapsulated graphene Josephson junctions contacted by Niobium leads. We study the supercurrent modulation as a function of the applied tip voltage bias and tip-to-sample distance, and provide a complete characterization of the tip-induced modulation. Our experimental results are quantitatively consistent with numerical simulations and pave the way towards local mapping and manipulation of gate-tunable superconducting phenomena with unprecedented spatial resolution.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Cluster Ising quantum batteries can mimic super-extensive charging power

Quantum batteries, miniaturized devices able to store and release energy on demand, are promising both because their intrinsic energy and time scales can match those of other quantum technologies and due to the intriguing possibility of achieving super-extensive charging power. While this enhanced scaling is known to appear in several settings, it is generally believed to be forbidden in Jordan-Wigner integrable spin chains charged via quantum-quench protocols. Here, we show that an extended cluster-Ising model, despite belonging to the above category, exhibits super-extensive charging power over wide ranges of system sizes, reaching up to a thousand spins, in proper parameter regimes. This remarkable anomalous scaling is due to a corresponding super-extensive growth of the stored energy, implying that it is limited to a large but finite size of the system and cannot persist in the thermodynamic limit. This phenomenon appears robust against finite-temperature effects.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Confinement-induced Majorana modes in a nodal topological superconductor

We investigate the topological phase diagram of {an extension of the Haldane model with equal spin pairing superconductivity}. In two dimensions, we find a topological nodal superconducting phase, which exhibits a chiral Majorana mode propagating along the edges of nanoribbons with cylindrical boundary conditions. This phase is however unstable in a finite two-dimensional rectangular-shaped lattice, yielding corner states close to zero energy in a flake with alternating zigzag and armchair edges. When we reduce one of the dimensions, quantum confinement gaps out the bulk bands faster than the edge states. In this scenario, hybridization between the edge states can then result in Majorana zero modes. Our results hence suggest quantum confinement as a crucial ingredient in building quasi-one-dimensional topological superconducting phases out of two-dimensional nodal topological superconductors. Furthermore, we characterize the emergence of this novel topological phase by means of its topological invariant, coinciding with a quantized conductance of $2 e^2/h$ in a normal-superconducting junction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Charging Quantum Batteries via Dissipative Quenches

We investigate work extraction in open quantum batteries composed of interacting spin chains weakly coupled to engineered environments. Focusing on two- and four-qubit XX models initially prepared in thermal Gibbs states, we analyze how dissipation and dephasing, acting either locally or collectively, can generate and shape ergotropy during both transient and steady-state dynamics. By introducing a continuous interpolation between parallel and collective noise channels, we systematically characterize the impact of environmental structure on work extractability. We show that purely dissipative dynamics can activate finite ergotropy from completely passive thermal states, giving rise to temperature-dependent transient regimes where hotter initial states temporarily outperform colder ones in an ergotropic Mpemba-like fashion. In contrast, collective dissipation leads to steady states whose passivity crucially depends on the initial temperature and system size, a behavior we trace back to the emergence of non-trivial dark subspaces. Finally, we demonstrate that dephasing channels suppress both transient advantages and steady-state work extraction, highlighting the qualitative difference between dissipative and dephasing environments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Finite-Time Protocols Stabilize Charging in Noisy Ising Quantum Batteries

Reliable charging protocols are crucial for advancing quantum batteries toward practical use. We investigate a transverse-field Ising chain as a quantum battery, focusing on the combined role of qubit interactions in the battery model and finite charging time. This interplay yields smoother and more controllable charging compared to sudden protocols or non-interacting batteries. Introducing stochastic noise reveals a strong dependence on the charging trajectory. Protocols that weakly excite the system gain energy under noise but lose extractable work. In contrast, protocols that strongly excite many modes show the opposite trend: noise reduces stored energy yet improves efficiency, defined as the ratio of ergotropy to stored energy. These findings demonstrate that finite-time ramps stabilize charging and highlight that noise can either hinder or enhance quantum-battery performance depending on the protocol.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Universal features of non-analytical energy storage in quantum critical quantum batteries

Quantum batteries are quantum mechanical systems able to store and release energy in a controlled fashion. Among them, a special role is played by quantum structures defined as networks of two-level systems. In this context, it has recently been shown that the energy stored in free fermion quantum batteries is sensitive to the quantum phase diagram of the battery itself. This sensitivity is relevant for stabilizing the stored energy and designing optimal charging protocols. In this article, we explore universal charging behaviors of free fermion quantum batteries across quantum phase transitions. We first analyze a Dirac cone-like model to extract general features. Then, we verify our findings by means of two relevant lattice models, namely the Ising chain in a transverse field and the Haldane model.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Charging free fermion quantum batteries

The performances of many-body quantum batteries strongly depend on the Hamiltonian of the battery, the initial state, and the charging protocol. In this article we derive an analytical expression for the energy stored via a double sudden quantum quench in a large class of quantum systems whose Hamiltonians can be reduced to 2x2 free fermion problems, whose initial state is thermal. Our results apply to conventional two-band electronic systems across all dimensions and quantum spin chains that can be solved through the Jordan-Wigner transformation. In particular, we apply our analytical relation to the quantum Ising chain, to the quantum XY chain, to the cluster Ising and to the long range SSH models. We obtain several results: (i) The strong dependence of the stored energy on the quantum phase diagram of the charging Hamiltonian persists even when the charging starts from a thermal state. Interestingly, in the thermodynamic limit, such a strong dependence manifests itself as non-analyticities of the stored energy corresponding to the quantum phase transition points of the charging Hamiltonian. (ii) The dependence of the stored energy on the parameters of the Hamiltonian can, in the Ising chain case, be drastically reduced by increasing temperature; (iii) Charging the Ising or the XY chain prepared in the ground state of their classical points leads to an amount of stored energy that, within a large parameter range, does not depend on the charging parameters; (iv) The cluster Ising model and the long range SSH model, despite showing quantum phase transitions (QPTs) between states with orders dominated by different interaction ranges, do not exhibit super-extensive, i.e. more than linear in the number of sites, scaling of the charging power.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Charging a Dimerized Quantum XY Chain

Quantum batteries are quantum systems designed to store energy and release it on demand. The optimization of their performance is an intensively studied topic within the realm of quantum technologies. Such optimization forces the question: how do quantum many-body systems work as quantum batteries? To address this issue, we rely on symmetry and symmetry breaking via quantum phase transitions. Specifically, we analyze a dimerized quantum XY chain in a transverse field as a prototype of an energy storage device. This model, which is characterized by ground states with different symmetries depending on the Hamiltonian parameters, can be mapped onto a spinless fermionic chain with superconducting correlations, displaying a rich quantum phase diagram. We show that the stored energy strongly depends on the quantum phase diagram of the model when large charging times are considered.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Controlling energy storage crossing quantum phase transitions in an integrable spin quantum battery

We investigate the performance of a one-dimensional dimerized XY chain as a spin quantum battery. Such integrable model shows a rich quantum phase diagram that emerges through a mapping of the spins onto auxiliary fermionic degrees of freedom. We consider a charging protocol relying on the double quench of an internal parameter, namely the strength of the dimerization, and address the energy stored in the systems. We observe three distinct regimes, depending on the time-scale characterizing the duration of the charging: a short-time regime related to the dynamics of the single dimers, a long-time regime related to the recurrence time of the system at finite size, and a thermodynamic limit time regime. In the latter, the energy stored is almost unaffected by the charging time and the precise values of the charging parameters, provided the quench crosses a quantum phase transition. Such a robust many-body effect, that characterizes also other models like the quantum Ising chain in a transverse field, as we prove analytically, can play a relevant role in the design of stable solid-state quantum batteries.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Anomalous supercurrent and diode effect in locally perturbed topological Josephson junctions

The simultaneous breaking of time-reversal and inversion symmetry can lead to peculiar effects in Josephson junctions, such as the anomalous Josephson effect or supercurrent rectification, which is a dissipationless analog of the diode effect. Due to their impact in new quantum technologies, it is important to find robust platforms and external means to manipulate the above effects in a controlled way. Here, we theoretically consider a Josephson junction based on a quantum spin Hall system as the normal channel, subjected to a magnetic field in the direction defined by spin-momentum locking, and in presence of a local tip in close proximity to one of the metallic edges in the normal region. We consider different local perturbations, model normal and magnetic tips, and study how they affect the Josephson response of the device. In particular, we argue that magnetic tips are a useful tool that allows for tunability of both $ϕ_0$ response and supercurrent rectification.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Emerging topological bound states in Haldane model zigzag nanoribbons

Zigzag nanoribbons hosting the Haldane Chern insulator model are considered. In this context, a reentrant topological phase, characterized by the emergence of quasi zero dimensional in-gap states, is discussed. The bound states, which reside in the gap opened by the hybridization of the counter-propagating edge modes of the Haldane phase, are localized at the ends of the strip and are found to be robust against on-site disorder. These findings are supported by the behavior of the Zak phase over the parameter space, which exhibits jumps of $π$ in correspondence to the phase transitions between the trivial and the non-trivial phases. The effective mass inversion leading to the jumps in the Zak phase is interpreted in a low energy framework. Setups with non-uniform parameters also show topological bound states via the Jackiw-Rebbi mechanism. All the properties reported are shown to be extremely sensitive to the strip width.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Few-body precursors of topological frustration

Quantum spin chains - the prototypical model for coupled two-level systems - offer a fertile playground both for fundamental and technological applications, ranging from the theory of thermalization to quantum computation. The effects of frustration induced by the boundary conditions have recently been addressed in this context. In this work, we analyze the effects of such frustration on a few spin system and we comment the strong even-odd effects induced in the ground state energy. The purpose of this work is to show that such signatures are visible on current quantum computer platforms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Towards a phase diagram of the topologically frustrated XY chain

Landau theory's implicit assumption that microscopic details cannot affect the system's phases has been challenged only recently in systems such as antiferromagnetic quantum spin chains with periodic boundary conditions, where topological frustration can be induced. In this work, we show that the latter modifies the zero temperature phase diagram of the XY chain in a transverse magnetic field by inducing new quantum phase transitions. In doing so, we come across the first case of second order boundary quantum phase transition characterized by a quartic dispersion relation. Our analytical results are supported by numerical investigations and lay the foundation for understanding the phase diagram of this frustrated model.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

An exact local mapping from clock-spins to fermions

Clock-spin models are attracting great interest, due to both their rich phase diagram and their connection to parafermions. In this context, we derive an exact local mapping from clock-spin to fermionic partition functions. Such mapping, akin to techniques introduced by Fedotov and Popov for spin $\frac{1}{2}$ chains, grants access to well established numerical tools for the perturbative treatment of fermionic systems in the clock-spin framework. Moreover, in one dimension, it allows to use bosonization to access the low energy properties of clock-spin models. Finally, aside from the direct application in clock-spin models, this new mapping enables the conception of interesting fermionic models, based on the clock-spin counterparts.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Reconstruction-Induced $φ_0$ Josephson Effect in Quantum Spin Hall Constrictions

The simultaneous breaking of time-reversal and inversion symmetry, in connection to superconductivity, leads to transport properties with disrupting scientific and technological potential. Indeed, the anomalous Josephson effect and the superconducting-diode effect hold promises to enlarge the technological applications of superconductors and nanostructures in general. In this context, the system we theoretically analyze is a Josephson junction (JJ) with coupled reconstructed topological channels as a link; such channels are at the edges of a two-dimensional topological insulator (2DTI). We find a robust $φ_0$ Josephson effect without requiring the presence of external magnetic fields. Our results, which rely on a fully analytical analysis, are substantiated by means of symmetry arguments: Our system breaks both time-reversal symmetry and inversion symmetry. Moreover, the anomalous current increases as a function of temperature. We interpret this surprising temperature dependence by means of simple qualitative arguments based on Fermi's golden rule.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Effects of the Vertices on the Topological Bound States in a Quasicrystalline Topological Insulator

The experimental realization of twisted bilayer graphene strongly pushed the inspection of bilayer systems. In this context, it was recently shown that a two layer Haldane model with a thirty degree rotation angle between the layers represents a higher order topological insulator, with zero-dimensional states isolated in energy and localized at the physical vertices of the nanostructure. We show, within a numerical tight binding approach, that the energy of the zero dimensional states strongly depends on the geometrical structure of the vertices. In the most extreme cases, once a specific band gap is considered, these bound states can even disappear just by changing the vertex structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Effects of the Spatial Extension of the Edge Channels on the Interference Pattern of a Helical Josephson Junction

Josephson junctions (JJs) in the presence of a magnetic field exhibit qualitatively different interference patterns depending on the spatial distribution of the supercurrent through the junction. In JJs based on two-dimensional topological insulators (2DTIs), the electrons/holes forming a Cooper pair (CP) can either propagate along the same edge or be split into the two edges. The former leads to a SQUID-like interference pattern, with the superconducting flux quantum $ϕ_0$ (where $ϕ_0=h/2e$) as a fundamental period. If CPs' splitting is additionally included, the resultant periodicity doubles. Since the edge states are typically considered to be strongly localized, the critical current does not decay as a function of the magnetic field. The present paper goes beyond this approach and inspects a topological JJ in the tunneling regime featuring extended edge states. It is here considered the possibility that the two electrons of a CP propagate and explore the junction independently over length scales comparable to the superconducting coherence length. As a consequence of the spatial extension, a decaying pattern with different possible periods is obtained. In particular, it is shown that, if crossed Andreev reflections (CARs) are dominant and the edge states overlap, the resulting interference pattern features oscillations whose periodicity approaches $2ϕ_0$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Role of the edges in a quasicrystalline Haldane model

We study the role of the edges in determining the features of the topological phase in a quasicrystalline higher order topological insulator. We consider a specific model consisting of two stacked Haldane models with opposite Chern number and a $30^\circ$ twist, whose structure is crystallographically equivalent to that of the graphene quasicrystal. We find that the gap-opening in the low energy spectrum of the higher order topological insulator occurs at different energies when different kinds of edges are considered. Crucially, bearded bonds appear to be necessary for the gap to appear close to the charge neutrality point. In the more realistic case of zigzag edges, the gap opens symmetrically in the electron and hole sectors, away from zero energy. We explain our findings by inspecting the edge-bands of the decoupled bilayer, in the approximation of quasi-periodicity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗