arXiv subjects

Sergio E. Ulloa

Publications and source records attributed to Sergio E. Ulloa.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

A quantitative study of spin-flip co-tunneling transport in a quantum dot

We report detailed transport measurements in a quantum dot in a spin-flip co-tunneling regime, and a quantitative comparison of the data to microscopic theory. The quantum dot is fabricated by lateral gating of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure, and the conductance is measured in the presence of an in-plane Zeeman field. We focus on the ratio of the nonlinear conductance values at bias voltages exceeding the Zeeman threshold, a regime that permits a spin flip on the dot, to those below the Zeeman threshold, when the spin flip on the dot is energetically forbidden. The data obtained in three different odd-occupation dot states show good quantitative agreement with the theory with no adjustable parameters. We also compare the theoretical results to the predictions of a phenomenological form used previously for the analysis of non-linear co-tunneling conductance, specifically the determination of the heterostructure g-factor, and find good agreement between the two.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Dynamical magnetic anisotropy and quantum phase transitions in a vibrating spin-1 molecular junction

We study the electronic transport through a spin-1 molecule in which mechanical stretching produces a magnetic anisotropy. In this type of device, a vibron mode along the stretching axis will couple naturally to the molecular spin. We consider a single molecular vibrational mode and find that the electron-vibron interaction induces an effective correction to the magnetic anisotropy that shifts the ground state of the device toward a non-Fermi liquid phase. A transition into a Fermi liquid phase could then be achieved, by means of mechanical stretching, passing through an underscreened spin-1 Kondo regime. We present numerical renormalization group results for the differential conductance, the spectral density, and the magnetic susceptibility across the transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Signatures of quantum phase transitions in parallel quantum dots: Crossover from local-moment to underscreened spin-1 Kondo physics

We study a strongly interacting "quantum dot 1" and a weakly interacting "dot 2" connected in parallel to metallic leads. Gate voltages can drive the system between Kondo-quenched and non-Kondo free-moment phases separated by Kosterlitz-Thouless quantum phase transitions. Away from the immediate vicinity of the quantum phase transitions, the physical properties retain signatures of first-order transitions found previously to arise when dot 2 is strictly noninteracting. As interactions in dot 2 become stronger relative to the dot-lead coupling, the free moment in the non-Kondo phase evolves smoothly from an isolated spin-one-half in dot 1 to a many-body doublet arising from the incomplete Kondo compensation by the leads of a combined dot spin-one. These limits, which feature very different spin correlations between dot and lead electrons, can be distinguished by weak-bias conductance measurements performed at finite temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Enhancement of the Kondo effect through Rashba spin-orbit interactions

We analyze the physics of a one-orbital Anderson impurity model in a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit (RSO) interactions in the Kondo regime. The spin SU(2) symmetry breaking results in an effective two-band electron gas coupled to the impurity. The Kondo regime is obtained by a Schrieffer-Wolff transformation revealing the existence of a parity breaking term with the form of the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction. The DM term vanishes at the particle-hole symmetric point of the system, but it has important effects otherwise. Performing a renormalization group (RG) analysis we find that the model describes a two-channel Kondo system with ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic couplings. Furthermore, the DM term renormalizes the antiferromagnetic Kondo coupling producing an exponential enhancement of the Kondo temperature. We suggest that these effects can be observed in semiconducting systems, as well as in graphene and topological insulators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Spatial correlations in chaotic nanoscale systems with spin-orbit coupling

We investigate the statistical properties of wave functions in chaotic nanostructures with spin-orbit coupling (SOC), focussing in particular on spatial correlations of eigenfunctions. Numerical results from a microscopic model are compared with results from random matrix theory in the crossover from the gaussian orthogonal to the gaussian symplectic ensembles (with increasing SOC); one- and two-point distribution functions were computed to understand the properties of eigenfunctions in this crossover. It is found that correlations of wave function amplitudes are suppressed with SOC; nevertheless, eigenfunction correlations play a more important role in the two-point distribution function(s), compared to the case with vanishing SOC. Experimental consequences of our results are discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Polarized currents in Coulomb blockade and Kondo regimes without magnetic fields

We present studies of the Coulomb blockade and Kondo regimes of transport through a quantum dot connected to current leads through spin-polarizing quantum point contacts (QPCs). This structure, arising from the effect of lateral spin-orbit fields defining the QPCs, results in spin-polarized currents even in the absence of external magnetic fields and greatly affects the correlations in the dot. Using equation-of-motion and numerical renormalization group calculations we obtain the conductance and spin polarization for this system under different parameter regimes. We find that the system exhibits spin-polarized conductance in both the Coulomb blockade and Kondo regimes, all in the absence of applied magnetic fields. We analyze the role that the spin-dependent tunneling amplitudes of the QPC play in determining the charge and net magnetic moment in the dot. These effects, controllable by lateral gate voltages, may provide an alternative approach for exploring Kondo correlations, as well as possible spin devices

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Coherent control of indirect excitonic qubits in optically driven quantum dot molecules

We propose an optoelectronic scheme to define and manipulate an indirect neutral exciton qubit within a quantum dot molecule. We demonstrate coherent dynamics of indirect excitons resilient against decoherence effects, including direct exciton spontaneous recombination. For molecules with large interdot separation, the exciton dressed spectrum yields an often overlooked avoided crossing between spatially indirect exciton states. Effective two level system Hamiltonians are extracted by Feshbach projection over the multilevel exciton configurations. An adiabatic manipulation of the qubit states is devised using time dependent electric field sweeps. The exciton dynamics yields the necessary conditions for qubit initialization and near unitary rotations in the picosecond time scale, driven by the system internal dynamics. Despite the strong influence of laser excitation, charge tunneling, and interdot dipole-dipole interactions, the effective relaxation time of indirect excitons is much longer than the direct exciton spontaneous recombination time, rendering indirect excitons as potential elemental qubits in more complex schemes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Many-body electronic structure and Kondo properties of cobalt-porphyrin molecules

We use a combination of first principles many-body methods and the numerical renormalization-group technique to study the Kondo regime of cobalt-porphyrin compounds adsorbed on a Cu(111) surface. We find the Kondo temperature to be highly sensitive to both molecule charging and distance to the surface, which can explain the variations observed in recent scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements. We discuss the importance of many-body effects in the molecular electronic structure controlling this phenomenon and suggest scenarios where enhanced temperatures can be achieved in experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Forster energy transfer signatures in optically driven quantum dot molecules

The Forster resonant energy transfer mechanism (FRET) is investigated in optically driven and electrically gated tunnel coupled quantum dot molecules. Two novel FRET induced optical signatures are found in the dressed excitonic spectrum. This is constructed from exciton level occupation as function of pump laser energy and applied bias, resembling a level anticrossing spectroscopy measurement. We observe a redistribution of spectral weight and splitting of the exciton spectral lines. FRET among single excitons induces a splitting in the spatially-direct exciton lines, away from the anticrossing due to charge tunneling in the molecule. However, near the anticrossing, a novel signature appears as a weak satellite line following an indirect exciton line. FRET signatures may also occur among indirect excitons, appearing as split indirect lines. In that case, the signatures appear also in the direct biexciton states, as the indirect satellite mixes in near the tunneling anticrossing region.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Tunable pseudogap Kondo effect and quantum phase transitions in Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

We study two quantum dots embedded in the arms of an Aharonov-Bohm ring threaded by a magnetic flux. The system can be described by an effective one-impurity Anderson model with an energy- and flux-dependent density of states. For specific values of the flux, this density of states vanishes at the Fermi energy, yielding a controlled realization of the pseudogap Kondo effect. The conductance and transmission phase shifts reflect a nontrivial interplay between wave interference and interactions, providing clear signatures of quantum phase transitions between Kondo and non-Kondo ground states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Symmetries and dynamics in an AC-driven self-assembled quantum dot lens

Theoretical results for a single electron in multi-level system given by a lens-shape self-assembled quantum dot in the presence of an intense harmonic electric field are presented. A non-perturbative Floquet approach is used to study the dynamical localization of the particle when going beyond the two-level approach by introducing the full spectral level structure. It is discussed the role of the different quasi-energy sidebands as the parameters of the system change. It is found that the contribution of different drive harmonics is controlled by fine tuning of field intensity. It is also shown that avoided crossings in the quasi-energy spectrum are correlated with the spectral force of the sidebands and dynamical state localization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Spin polarization control via magnetic barriers and spin-orbit effects

We investigate the spin-dependent transport properties of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) systems formed in diluted magnetic semiconductors and in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the framework of the scattering matrix approach. We focus on nanostructures consisting of realistic magnetic barriers produced by the deposition of ferromagnetic strips on heterostructures. We calculate spin-dependente conductance of such barrier systems and show that the magnetization pattern of the strips, the tunable spin-orbit coupling, and the enhanced Zeeman splitting have a strong effect on the conductance of the structure. We describe how these effects can be employed in the efficient control of spin polarization via the application of moderate fields.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Forster signatures and qubits in optically driven quantum dot molecules

An interesting approach to achieve quantum gate operations in a solid state device is to implement an optically driven quantum gate using two vertically coupled self-assembled quantum dots, a quantum dot molecule (QDM). We present a realistic model for exciton dynamics in InGaAs/GaAs QDMs under intense laser excitation and applied electric fields. The dynamics is obtained by solutions of the Lindblad master equation. A map of the dressed ground state as function of laser energy and applied electric field exhibits rich structure that includes excitonic anticrossings that permit the identification of the relevant couplings. The optical signatures of the dipole-dipole Forster energy transfer mechanism show as splittings of several (spatially) indirect excitonic lines. Moreover, we construct a model for exciton qubit rotations by adiabatic electric field cyclic sweeps into a Forster-tunneling regime which induces level anticrossings. The proposed qubit exhibits Rabi oscillations among two well defined exciton pairs as function of the residence time at the anticrossing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Transmission in double quantum dots in the Kondo regime: Quantum-critical transitions and interference effects

We study the transmission through a double quantum-dot system in the Kondo regime. An exact expression for the transmission coefficient in terms of fully interacting many-body Green's functions is obtained. By mapping the system into an effective Anderson impurity model, one can determine the transmission using numerical renormalization-group methods. The transmission exhibits signatures of the different Kondo regimes of the effective model, including an unusual Kondo phase with split peaks in the spectral function, as well as a pseudogapped regime exhibiting a quantum critical transition between Kondo and unscreened phases.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Spin polarization control by electric field gradients

We show that the propagation of spin polarized carriers may be dramatically affected by {\em inhomogeneous} electric fields. Surprisingly, the spin diffusion length is found to strongly depend on the sign and magnitude of electric field \emph{gradients}, in addition to the previously reported dependence on the sign and magnitude of the electric field [Yu & Flatté, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 66}, 201202(R) 2002; {\em ibid.} {\bf 66}, 235302 (2002)]. This indicates that purely electrical effects may play a crucial role in spin polarized injection, transport and detection in semiconductor spintronics. A generalized drift-diffusion equation that describes our findings is derived and verified by numerical calculations using the Boltzmann transport equation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Strong spin relaxation length dependence on electric field gradients

We discuss the influence of electrical effects on spin transport, and in particular the propagation and relaxation of spin polarized electrons in the presence of inhomogeneous electric fields. We show that the spin relaxation length strongly depends on electric field gradients, and that significant suppression of electron spin polarization can occur as a result thereof. A discussion in terms of a drift-diffusion picture, and self-consistent numerical calculations based on a Boltzmann-Poisson approach shows that the spin relaxation length in fact can be of the order of the charge screening length.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

AC-field-controlled localization-delocalization transition in one dimensional disordered system

Based on the random dimer model, we study correlated disorder in a one dimensional system driven by a strong AC field. As the correlations in a random system may generate extended states and enhance transport in DC fields, we explore the role that AC fields have on these properties. We find that similar to ordered structures, AC fields renormalize the effective hopping constant to a smaller value, and thus help to localize a state. We find that AC fields control then a localization-delocalization transition in a given one dimensional systems with correlated disorder. The competition between band renormalization (band collapse/dynamic localization), Anderson localization, and the structure correlation is shown to result in interesting transport properties.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2006

Spin Hall effect in two-dimensional $p$-type semiconductors in a magnetic field

We calculate the spin Hall conductivity driven by Rashba spin-orbit interaction in $p$-type two-dimensional semiconductors in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. For a highly confined quantum well, the system is described by a $k$-cubic Rashba term for two-dimensional heavy holes. The eigenstates of the system can be described by Landau spinor states. First we consider the conventional spin Hall conductivity. The contribution of the interband transitions to the Kubo-Greenwood formula gives the density dependent intrinsic spin Hall conductivity, which approaches its universal value $σ^z_{xy}=9e/8π$ for weak spin-orbit coupling and low Fermi energies, in agreement with previous work. However two intraband contribution terms cancel this effect leading to zero conventional spin Hall conductivity. Adding the torque dipole contribution to the definition of spin current, we also study the {\it effective} spin conductivity. This is shown to be proportional to the total magnetization plus surface terms which exactly cancel it for small spin-orbit coupling. If in low magnetic field the intraband transitions evolve to vertex corrections, the fact that both {effective} and conventional spin Hall conductivities vanish is unexpected. This suggests that the zero magnetic field limit of the model is singular.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗