arXiv subjects

Paivi Torma

Publications and source records attributed to Paivi Torma.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Essay: Where Can Quantum Geometry Lead Us?

Quantum geometry defines the phase and amplitude distances between quantum states. The phase distance is characterized by the Berry curvature and thus relates to topological phenomena. The significance of the full quantum geometry, including the amplitude distance characterized by the quantum metric, has started to receive attention in the last few years. Various quantum transport and interaction phenomena have been found to be critically influenced by quantum geometry. For example, quantum geometry allows counterintuitive flow of supercurrent in a flat band where single electrons are immobile. In this Essay, I will discuss my view of the important open problems and future applications of this research topic and will try to inspire the reader to come up with further ideas. At its best, quantum geometry can open a new chapter in band theory and lead to breakthroughs as transformative as room-temperature superconductivity. However, first, more experiments directly showing the effect of quantum geometry are needed. We also have to integrate quantum geometry analysis in our most advanced numerical methods. Further, the ramifications of quantum geometry should be studied in a wider range, including electric and electromagnetic responses and interaction phenomena in free- and correlated-electron materials, bosonic systems, optics, and other fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Quantum metric and effective mass of a two-body bound state in a flat band

We consider two-body bound states in a flat band of a multiband system. The existence of pair dispersion predicts the possibility of breaking the degeneracy of the band and creating order, such as superconductivity. Within a separable interaction potential approximation, we find that finiteness of the effective mass of a bound pair is determined by a band structure invariant, which in the uniform case becomes the quantum metric. The results offer a simple foundation to understand and predict flat band superconductivity. We propose an experiment to test the interaction-induced pair motion.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Physics of ultracold Fermi gases revealed by spectroscopies

This article provides a brief review of how various spectroscopies have been used to investitage many-body quantum phenomena in the context of ultracold Fermi gases. In particular, work done with RF spectroscopy, Bragg spectroscopy and lattice modulation spectroscopy is considered. The theoretical basis of these spectroscopies, namely linear response theory in the many-body quantum physics context is briefly presented. Experiments related to the BCS-BEC crossover, imbalanced Fermi gases, polarons, possible pseudogap and Fermi liquid behaviour and measuring the contact are discussed. Remaining open problems and goals in the field are sketched from the perspective how spectroscopies could contribute.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2010

Polaron-like effects in a one-dimensional optical lattice

We study a highly imbalanced Fermi gas in a one-dimensional optical lattice from the polaronic point of view. The time-evolving block decimationg algorithm is used to calculate the ground state and dynamics of the system. We find qualitatively similar polaronic behaviour as in the recent experiment by Schirotzek et al. \cite{Schirotzek2009a} where radio-frequency spectroscopy was used to observe polarons in three-dimensional space. In the weakly interacting limit our exact results are in excellent agreement with a polaron ansatz, and in the strongly interacting limit the results match with an approximative solution of the Bethe ansatz, suggesting a crossover from a quasiparticle to a charge-density excitation regime.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2007

Molecular coupling of light with plasmonic waveguides

We use molecules to couple light into and out of microscale plasmonic waveguides. Energy transfer, mediated by surface plasmons, from donor molecules to acceptor molecules over ten micrometer distances is demonstrated. Also surface plasmon coupled emission from the donor molecules is observed at similar distances away from the excitation spot. The lithographic fabrication method we use for positioning the dye molecules allows scaling to nanometer dimensions. The use of molecules as couplers between far-field and near-field light offers the advantages that no special excitation geometry is needed, any light source can be used to excite plasmons and the excitation can be localized below the diffraction limit. Moreover, the use of molecules has the potential for integration with molecular electronics and for the use of molecular self-assembly in fabrication. Our results constitute a proof-of-principle demonstration of a plasmonic waveguide where signal in- and outcoupling is done by molecules.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

Trapping of 27 bp - 8 kbp DNA and immobilization of thiol-modified DNA using dielectrophoresis

Dielectrophoretic trapping of six different DNA fragments, sizes varying from the 27 to 8416 bp, has been studied using confocal microscopy. The effect of the DNA length and the size of the constriction between nanoscale fingertip electrodes on the trapping efficiency have been investigated. Using finite element method simulations in conjunction with the analysis of the experimental data, the polarizabilities of the different size DNA fragments have been calculated for different frequencies. Also the immobilization of trapped hexanethiol- and DTPA-modified 140 nm long DNA to the end of gold nanoelectrodes was experimentally quantified and the observations were supported by density functional theory calculations.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Carbon Nanotubes as Electrodes for Dielectrophoresis of DNA

Dielectrophoresis can potentially be used as an efficient trapping tool in the fabrication of molecular devices. For nanoscale objects, however, the Brownian motion poses a challenge. We show that the use of carbon nanotube electrodes makes it possible to apply relatively low trapping voltages and still achieve high enough field gradients for trapping nanoscale objects, e.g., single molecules. We compare the efficiency and other characteristics of dielectrophoresis between carbon nanotube electrodes and lithographically fabricated metallic electrodes, in the case of trapping nanoscale DNA molecules. The results are analyzed using finite element method simulations and reveal information about the frequency dependent polarizability of DNA.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2005

Quasi two-dimensional superfluid Fermi gases

We study a quasi two-dimensional superfluid Fermi gas where the confinement in the third direction is due to a strong harmonic trapping. We investigate the behavior of such a system when the chemical potential is varied and find strong modifications of the superfluid properties due to the discrete harmonic oscillator states. We show that such quasi two-dimensional behavior can be created and observed with current experimental capabilities.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Conditions for waveguide decoupling in square-lattice photonic crystals

We study coupling and decoupling of parallel waveguides in two-dimensional square-lattice photonic crystals. We show that the waveguide coupling is prohibited at some wavelengths when there is an odd number of rows between the waveguides. In contrast, decoupling does not take place when there is even number of rows between the waveguides. Decoupling can be used to avoid cross talk between adjacent waveguides.

physics.optics↗

arXiv1998

Transitions in quantum networks

We consider transitions in quantum networks analogous to those in the two-dimensional Ising model. We show that for a network of active components the transition is between the quantum and the classical behaviour of the network, and the critical amplification coincides with the fundamental quantum cloning limit.

quant-ph↗