arXiv subjects

P. Wölfle

Publications and source records attributed to P. Wölfle.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Emergent chirality in multi-lead Luttinger-liquid junctions out of equilibrium

We study charge transport through $N$-lead junctions ($N\geq 3$) of spinless Luttinger liquid wires with bias voltages applied to Fermi-liquid reservoirs. In particular, we consider a Y junction, which is a setup characteristic of the tunneling experiment. In this setup, the strength of electron-electron interactions in one of the arms ("tunneling tip") is different from that in the other two arms (which form together the "main wire"). For a generic single-particle $S$ matrix of the junction, we find that the bias voltage $V$ applied---even symmetrically---to the main wire generates a current proportional to $|V|$ in the tip wire. We identify two mechanisms of this nonequilibrium-induced "emergent chirality" in a setup characterized by the time-reversal and parity symmetric Hamiltonian of the junction. These are: (i) the emergence of an effective magnetic flux, which breaks time-reversal symmetry, and (ii) the emergence of parity-breaking asymmetry of the setup, both proportional to the interaction strength and the sign of the voltage. The current in the tip wire generated by mechanism (i) is reminiscent of the Hall current in the linear response of a system the Hamiltonian of which breaks time-reversal symmetry; however, in the absence of any magnetic field or a local magnetic moment. Similarly, mechanism (ii) can be thought of as an emergent "photogalvanic effect"; however, in the presence of inversion symmetry within the main wire. The nonequilibrium chirality implies a rectification of the current in the tip when the main wire is biased by $\it ac$ voltage.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Conductance scaling of junctions of Luttinger-liquid wires out of equilibrium

We develop the renormalization group theory of the conductances of N-lead junctions of spinless Luttinger-liquid wires as functions of bias voltages applied to N independent Fermi-liquid reservoirs. Based on the perturbative results up to second order in the interaction we demonstrate that the conductances obey scaling. The corresponding renormalization group $β$ functions are derived up to second order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Y-junction of Luttinger-liquid wires out of equilibrium

We calculate the conductances of a three-way junction of spinless Luttinger-liquid wires as functions of bias voltages applied to three independent Fermi-liquid reservoirs. In particular, we consider the setup that is characteristic of a tunneling experiment, in which the strength of electron-electron interactions in one of the arms of the junction ("tunneling tip") is different from that in the other two arms (which together form a "main wire"). The scaling dependence of the two independent conductances on bias voltages is determined within a fermionic renormalization-group approach in the limit of weak interactions. The solution shows that, in general, the conductances scale with the bias voltages in an essentially different way compared to their scaling with the temperature $T$. Specifically, unlike in the two-terminal setup, the nonlinear conductances cannot be generically obtained from the linear ones by simply replacing $T$ with the "corresponding" bias voltage or the largest one. Remarkably, a finite tunneling bias voltage prevents the interaction-induced breakup of the main wire into two disconnected pieces in the limit of zero $T$ and a zero source-drain voltage.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Transport properties of a two-lead Luttinger liquid junction out of equilibrium: fermionic representation

The electrical current through an arbitrary junction connecting quantum wires of spinless interacting fermions is calculated in fermionic representation. The wires are adiabatically attached to two reservoirs at chemical potentials differing by the applied voltage bias. The relevant scale-dependent contributions in perturbation theory in the interaction up to infinite order are evaluated and summed up. The result allows one to construct renormalization group equations for the conductance as a function of voltage (or temperature, wire length). There are two fixed points at which the conductance follows a power law in terms of a scaling variable $Λ$, which equals the bias voltage $V$, if $V$ is the largest energy scale compared to temperature $T$ and inverse wire length $L^{-1}$, and interpolates between these quantities in the crossover regimes.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Transport measurements of the spin wave gap of thin Mn films

Temperature dependent transport measurements on ultrathin antiferromagnetic Mn films reveal a heretofore unknown non-universal weak localization correction to the conductivity which extends to disorder strengths greater than 100 k$Ω$ per square. The inelastic scattering of electrons off of gapped antiferromagnetic spin waves gives rise to an inelastic scattering length which is short enough to place the system in the 3d regime. The extracted fitting parameters provide estimates of the energy gap ($Δ= 16$ K) and exchange energy ($\bar{J} = 320$ K).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Chiral Y-junction of Luttinger liquid wires at strong coupling: fermionic representation

We calculate the conductances of a three-terminal junction set-up of spinless Luttinger liquid wires threaded by a magnetic flux, allowing for different interaction strength g_3 != g in the third wire. We employ the fermionic representation in the scattering state picture, allowing for a direct calculation of the linear response conductances, without the need of introducing contact resistances at the connection points to the outer ideal leads. The matrix of conductances is parametrized by three variables. For these we derive coupled renormalization group (RG) equations, by summing up infinite classes of contributions in perturbation theory. The resulting general structure of the RG equations may be employed to describe junctions with an arbitrary number of wires and arbitrary interaction strength in each wire. The fixed point structure of these equations (for the chiral Y-junction) is analyzed in detail. For repulsive interaction (g,g_3>0) there is only one stable fixed point, corresponding to the complete separation of the wires. For attractive interaction (g<0 and/or g_3<0) four fixed points are found, the stability of which depends on the interaction strength. We confirm our previous weak-coupling result of lines of fixed points for special values of the interaction parameters reaching into the strong coupling domain. We find new fixed points not discussed before, even at the symmetric line g=g_3, at variance with the results of Oshikawa et al. The pair tunneling phenomenon conjectured by the latter authors is not found by us.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Scale-dependent correction to the dynamical conductivity of a disordered system at unitary symmetry

Anderson localization has been studied extensively for more than half a century. However, while our understanding has been greatly enhanced by calculations based on a small epsilon expansion in d = 2 + epsilon dimensions in the framework of non-linear sigma models, those results can not be safely extrapolated to d = 3. Here we calculate the leading scale-dependent correction to the frequency-dependent conductivity sigma(omega) in dimensions d <= 3. At d = 3 we find a leading correction Re{sigma(omega)} ~ |omega|, which at low frequency is much larger than the omega^2 correction deriving from the Drude law. We also determine the leading correction to the renormalization group beta-function in the metallic phase at d = 3.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2012

Two-band superconductivity in doped SrTiO$_{3}$ films and interfaces

We investigate the possibility of multi-band superconductivity in SrTiO$_{3}$ films and interfaces using a two-dimensional two-band model. In the undoped compound, one of the bands is occupied whereas the other is empty. As the chemical potential shifts due to doping by negative charge carriers or application of an electric field, the second band becomes occupied, giving rise to a strong enhancement of the transition temperature and a sharp feature in the gap functions, which is manifested in the local density of states spectrum. By comparing our results with tunneling experiments in Nb-doped SrTiO$_{3}$, we find that intra-band pairing dominates over inter-band pairing, unlike other known multi-band superconductors. Given the similarities with the value of the transition temperature and with the band structure of LaAlO$_{3}$/SrTiO$_{3}$ heterostructures, we speculate that the superconductivity observed in SrTiO$_{3}$ interfaces may be similar in nature to that of bulk SrTiO$_{3}$, involving multiple bands with distinct electronic occupations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Chiral Y-junction of Luttinger liquid wires at weak coupling: lines of stable fixed points

We study the transport properties of a system of three Luttinger liquid wires (with different interaction strengths g, g_3), connected through a Y-junction (main wire and tunneling tip) threaded by magnetic flux, within the scattering state formalism. The scattering matrix and the matrix of conductances are parametrized by three variables. For these we derive coupled RG equations, up to second order in the interaction. The fixed point structure of these equations is analyzed in detail. For repulsive interaction (g, g_3>0) there is only one stable fixed point, corresponding to the complete separation of the wires. For attractive interaction (g<0 and/or g_3<0) four fixed points are found, whose stability depends on the interaction strength. For special values of the interaction parameters (a) g=0, g_3<0 or (b) g_3+g^2/2=0 and g<0 we find whole lines of stable fixed points. In certain regions of the g-g_3-plane the RG flow is towards a fixed point without chirality, implying that the effect of the magnetic flux is completely screened.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Transport through asymmetric two-lead junctions of Luttinger liquid wires

We calculate the conductance of a system of two spinless Luttinger liquid wires with different interaction strengths g_1, g_2, connected through a short junction, within the scattering state formalism. Following earlier work we formulate the problem in current algebra language, and calculate the scale dependent contribution to the conductance in perturbation theory keeping the leading universal contributions to all orders in the interaction strength. From that we derive a renormalization group (RG) equation for the conductance. The analytical solution of the RG-equation is discussed in dependence on g_1, g_2. The regions of stability of the two fixed points corresponding to conductance G=0 and G=1, respectively, are determined.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Y-junction connecting Luttinger liquids: fixed point structure and conductances

We study the transport properties of three Luttinger liquid wires (with possibly different interaction strength), connected through a Y-junction, within the scattering state formalism. We first formulate the problem in current algebra language and focus on the case of a symmetric set-up, for which the scattering matrix and the matrix of conductances is parametrized by two variables. For these we derive coupled RG equations, first in a ladder summation up to infinite order in the interaction. The fixed point structure and the implicit solution of these equations is presented. It is shown that higher order terms beyond the ladder approximation do not change the scaling behavior near the fixed points. For sufficiently strong attractive interaction a new fixed point with unusual properties is found.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Tunneling into a Luttinger liquid revisited

We study how electron-electron interactions renormalize tunneling into a Luttinger liquid beyond the lowest order of perturbation in the tunneling amplitude. We find that the conventional fixed point has a finite basin of attraction only in the point contact model, but a finite size of the contact makes it generically unstable to the tunneling-induced break up of the liquid into two independent parts. In the course of renormalization to the nonperturbative-in-tunneling fixed point, the tunneling conductance may show a nonmonotonic behavior with temperature or bias voltage.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Self-Consistent Theory of Anderson Localization: General Formalism and Applications

The self-consistent theory of Anderson localization of quantum particles or classical waves in disordered media is reviewed. After presenting the basic concepts of the theory of Anderson localization in the case of electrons in disordered solids, the regimes of weak and strong localization are discussed. Then the scaling theory of the Anderson localization transition is reviewed. The renormalization group theory is introduced and results and consequences are presented. It is shown how scale-dependent terms in the renormalized perturbation theory of the inverse diffusion coefficient lead in a natural way to a self-consistent equation for the diffusion coefficient. The latter accounts quantitatively for the static and dynamic transport properties except for a region near the critical point. Several recent applications and extensions of the self-consistent theory, in particular for classical waves, are discussed.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2009

Nonequilibrium Cotunneling through a Three-Level Quantum Dot

We calculate the nonlinear cotunneling conductance through a quantum dot with 3 electrons occupying the three highest lying energy levels. Starting from a 3-orbital Anderson model, we apply a generalized Schrieffer-Wolff transformation to derive an effective Kondo model for the system. Within this model we calculate the nonequilibrium occupation numbers and the corresponding cotunneling current to leading order in the exchange couplings. We identify the inelastic cotunneling thresholds and their splittings with applied magnetic field, and make a qualitative comparison to recent experimental data on carbon nanotube and InAs quantum-wire quantum dots. Further predictions of the model like cascade resonances and a magnetic-field dependence of the orbital level splitting are not yet observed but within reach of recent experimental work on carbon nanotube and InAs nanowire quantum dots.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Electron transport in the four-lead two-impurity Kondo model: Nonequilibrium perturbation theory with almost degenerate levels

The eigenstates of an isolated nanostructure may get mixed by the coupling to external leads. This effect is the stronger, the smaller the level splitting on the dot and the larger the broadening induced by the coupling to the leads. We describe how to calculate the nondiagonal density matrix of the nanostructure efficiently in the cotunneling regime. As an example, we consider a system of two quantum dots in the Kondo regime, the two spins coupled by an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and each dot tunnel coupled to two leads. Calculating the nonequilibrium density matrix and the corresponding current, we demonstrate the importance of the off-diagonal terms in the presence of an applied magnetic field and a finite bias voltage.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Magnetotransport of electrons in quantum Hall systems

Recent theoretical results on magnetotransport of electrons in a 2D system in the range of moderately strong transverse magnetic fields are reviewed. The phenomena discussed include: quasiclassical memory effects in systems with various types of disorder, transport in lateral superlattices, interaction-induced quantum magnetoresistance, quantum magnetooscillations in dc and ac transport, and oscillatory microwave photoconductivity.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2007

Transconductance of a double quantum dot system in the Kondo regime

We consider a lateral double-dot system in the Coulomb blockade regime with a single spin-1/2 on each dot, mutually coupled by an anti-ferromagnetic exchange interaction. Each of the two dots is contacted by two leads. We demonstrate that the voltage across one of the dots will have a profound influence on the current passing through the other dot. Using Poor Man's scaling, we find that the Kondo-effect can lead to a strong enhancement of this {\it transconductance}.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Fermi liquid near a quantum critical point

We investigate the approach to the quantum critical point of a Pomeranchuk instability from the symmetric, disordered side of the phase diagram. In the low-temperature limit, a Fermi liquid description of the metal is possible and becomes exact for T -> 0. We discuss in detail which features of the approach to quantum criticality can be captured within Fermi liquid theory and which are outside of its scope.

cond-mat.str-el↗