arXiv subjects

Valla Fatemi

Publications and source records attributed to Valla Fatemi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Double-Fourier engineering of Josephson energy-phase relationships applied to diodes

We present a systematic method to design arbitrary energy-phase relations using parallel arms of two series Josephson tunnel junctions each. Our approach employs Fourier engineering in the energy-phase relation of each arm and the position of the arms in real space. We demonstrate our method by engineering the energy-phase relation of a near-ideal superconducting diode, which we find to be robust against the imperfections in the design parameters. Finally, we show the versatility of our approach by designing various other energy-phase relations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Dissipationless Nonlinearity in Quantum Material Josephson Diodes

Dissipationless nonlinearities for three-wave mixing are a key component of many superconducting quantum devices, such as amplifiers and bosonic qubits. So far, such third-order nonlinearities have been primarily achieved with circuits of concatenated Josephson tunnel junctions. In this work, we theoretically develop an alternative approach to realize third-order nonlinearities from gate-tunable and intrinsically symmetry-broken quantum material Josephson junctions. We illustrate this approach on two examples, an Andreev interferometer and a magnetic Josephson junction. Our results show that both setups enable Kerr-free three-wave mixing for a broad range of frequencies, an attribute that is highly desirable for amplifier applications. Moreover, we also find that the magnetic junction constitutes a paradigmatic example for three-wave mixing in a minimal single-junction device without the need for any external biases. We hope that our work will guide the search of dissipationless nonlinearities in quantum material superconducting devices and inspire new ways of characterizing symmetry-breaking in quantum materials with microwave techniques.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Distinguishing parity-switching mechanisms in a superconducting qubit

Single-charge tunneling is a decoherence mechanism affecting superconducting qubits, yet the origin of excess quasiparticle excitations (QPs) responsible for this tunneling in superconducting devices is not fully understood. We measure the flux dependence of charge-parity (or simply, ``parity'') switching in an offset-charge-sensitive transmon qubit to identify the contributions of photon-assisted parity switching and QP generation to the overall parity-switching rate. The parity-switching rate exhibits a qubit-state-dependent peak in the flux dependence, indicating a cold distribution of excess QPs which are predominantly trapped in the low-gap film of the device. Moreover, we find that the photon-assisted process contributes significantly to both parity switching and the generation of excess QPs by fitting to a model that self-consistently incorporates photon-assisted parity switching as well as inter-film QP dynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Multiplet supercurrent in Josephson tunneling circuits

The multi-terminal Josephson effect allows DC supercurrent to flow at finite commensurate voltages. Existing proposals to realize this effect rely on nonlocal Andreev processes in superconductor-normal-superconductor junctions. However, this approach requires precise control over microscopic states and is obscured by dissipative current. We show that standard tunnel Josephson circuits also support multiplet supercurrent mediated only by local tunneling processes. Furtheremore, we observe that the supercurrents persist even in the high charging energy regime in which only sequential Cooper transfers are allowed. Finally, we demonstrate that the multiplet supercurrent in these circuits has a quantum geometric component that is distinguinshable from the well-known adiabatic contribution.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Microwave response of an Andreev bound state

We develop a theory for the dynamics of an Andreev bound state hosted by a weak link of finite length for which charging effects are important. We derive the linear response of both the current through the link and charge accumulated in it with respect to the phase and gate voltage biases. The resulting matrix encapsulates the spectroscopic properties of a weak link embedded in a microwave resonator. In the low-frequency limit, we obtain the response functions analytically using an effective low-energy Hamiltonian, which we derive. This Hamiltonian minimally accounts for Coulomb interaction and is suitable for a phenomenological description of a weak link having a finite length.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Spin Coherent Manipulation in Josephson Weak Links

Novel designs of Josephson weak links based on semiconducting nanowires combined with circuit QED techniques have enabled the resolution of their fine structure due to spin-orbit interactions, opening a path towards Andreev spin qubits. Nevertheless, direct manipulation of the spin within a given Andreev state is in general suppressed compared to inter-doublet manipulation in the absence of Zeeman effects. In addition, noisy spin-flip mechanisms limit any coherent manipulation protocol to spin post-selection. We propose a combination of a spin polarization protocol analogous to sideband cooling with stimulated Raman adiabatic passage specifically tailored for these systems. We show this approach is robust for a large range of design parameters, including the currently rather stringent coherence times.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Weyl Josephson Circuits

We introduce Weyl Josephson circuits: small Josephson junction circuits that simulate Weyl band structures. We first formulate a general approach to design circuits that are analogous to Bloch Hamiltonians of a desired dimensionality and symmetry class. We then construct and analyze a six-junction device that produces a 3D Weyl Hamiltonian with broken inversion symmetry and in which topological phase transitions can be triggered \emph{in situ}. We argue that currently available superconducting circuit technology allows experiments that probe topological properties inaccessible in condensed matter systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Deep-Learning-Enabled Fast Optical Identification and Characterization of Two-Dimensional Materials

Advanced microscopy and/or spectroscopy tools play indispensable role in nanoscience and nanotechnology research, as it provides rich information about the growth mechanism, chemical compositions, crystallography, and other important physical and chemical properties. However, the interpretation of imaging data heavily relies on the "intuition" of experienced researchers. As a result, many of the deep graphical features obtained through these tools are often unused because of difficulties in processing the data and finding the correlations. Such challenges can be well addressed by deep learning. In this work, we use the optical characterization of two-dimensional (2D) materials as a case study, and demonstrate a neural-network-based algorithm for the material and thickness identification of exfoliated 2D materials with high prediction accuracy and real-time processing capability. Further analysis shows that the trained network can extract deep graphical features such as contrast, color, edges, shapes, segment sizes and their distributions, based on which we develop an ensemble approach topredict the most relevant physical properties of 2D materials. Finally, a transfer learning technique is applied to adapt the pretrained network to other applications such as identifying layer numbers of a new 2D material, or materials produced by a different synthetic approach. Our artificial-intelligence-based material characterization approach is a powerful tool that would speed up the preparation, initial characterization of 2D materials and other nanomaterials and potentially accelerate new material discoveries.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Observation of the nonlinear Hall effect under time reversal symmetric conditions

The electrical Hall effect is the production of a transverse voltage under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Historically, studies of the Hall effect have led to major breakthroughs including the discoveries of Berry curvature and the topological Chern invariants. In magnets, the internal magnetization allows Hall conductivity in the absence of external magnetic field. This anomalous Hall effect (AHE) has become an important tool to study quantum magnets. In nonmagnetic materials without external magnetic fields, the electrical Hall effect is rarely explored because of the constraint by time-reversal symmetry. However, strictly speaking, only the Hall effect in the linear response regime, i.e., the Hall voltage linearly proportional to the external electric field, identically vanishes due to time-reversal symmetry. The Hall effect in the nonlinear response regime, on the other hand, may not be subject to such symmetry constraints. Here, we report the observation of the nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) in the electrical transport of the nonmagnetic 2D quantum material, bilayer WTe2. Specifically, flowing an electrical current in bilayer WTe2 leads to a nonlinear Hall voltage in the absence of magnetic field. The NLHE exhibits unusual properties sharply distinct from the AHE in metals: The NLHE shows a quadratic I-V characteristic; It strongly dominates the nonlinear longitudinal response, leading to a Hall angle of about 90 degree. We further show that the NLHE directly measures the "dipole moment" of the Berry curvature, which arises from layer-polarized Dirac fermions in bilayer WTe2. Our results demonstrate a new Hall effect and provide a powerful methodology to detect Berry curvature in a wide range of nonmagnetic quantum materials in an energy-resolved way.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Electrically Tunable Low Density Superconductivity in a Monolayer Topological Insulator

The capability to switch electrically between superconducting and insulating states of matter represents a novel paradigm in the state-of-the-art engineering of correlated electronic systems. An exciting possibility is to turn on superconductivity in a topologically non-trivial insulator, which provides a route to search for non-Abelian topological states. However, existing demonstrations of superconductor-insulator switches have involved only topologically trivial systems, and even those are rare due to the stringent requirement to tune the carrier density over a wide range. Here we report reversible, in-situ electrostatic on off switching of superconductivity in a recently established quantum spin Hall insulator, namely monolayer tungsten ditelluride (WTe2). Fabricated into a van der Waals field effect transistor, the monolayer's ground state can be continuously gate-tuned from the topological insulating to the superconducting state, with critical temperatures Tc up to ~ 1 Kelvin. The critical density for the onset of superconductivity is estimated to be ~ 5 x 10^12 cm^-2, among the lowest for two-dimensional (2D) superconductors. Our results establish monolayer WTe2 as a material platform for engineering novel superconducting nanodevices and topological phases of matter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Electrically switchable Berry curvature dipole in the monolayer topological insulator WTe2

Recent experimental evidence for the quantum spin Hall (QSH) state in monolayer WTe$_2$ has bridged two of the most active fields of condensed matter physics, 2D materials and topological physics. This 2D topological crystal also displays unconventional spin-torque and gate-tunable superconductivity. While the realization of QSH has demonstrated the nontrivial topology of the electron wavefunctions of monolayer WTe$_2$, the geometrical properties of the wavefunction, such as the Berry curvature, remain unstudied. On the other hand, it has been increasingly recognized that the Berry curvature plays an important role in multiple areas of condensed matter physics including nonreciprocal electron transport, enantioselective optical responses, chiral polaritons and even unconventional superconductivity. Here we utilize mid-infrared optoelectronic microscopy to investigate the Berry curvature in monolayer WTe$_2$. By optically exciting electrons across the inverted QSH gap, we observe an in-plane circular photogalvanic current even under normal incidence. The application of an out-of-plane displacement field further systematically controls the direction and magnitude of the photocurrent. Our observed photocurrent reveals a novel Berry curvature dipole that arises from the nontrivial wavefunctions near the inverted gap edge. These previously unrealized Berry curvature dipole and strong electric field effect are uniquely enabled by the inverted band structure and tilted crystal lattice of monolayer WTe$_2$. Such an electrically switchable Berry curvature dipole opens the door to the observation of a wide range of quantum geometrical phenomena, such as quantum nonlinear Hall, orbital-Edelstein and chiral polaritonic effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Magic-angle graphene superlattices: a new platform for unconventional superconductivity

The understanding of strongly-correlated materials, and in particular unconventional superconductors, has puzzled physicists for decades. Such difficulties have stimulated new research paradigms, such as ultra-cold atom lattices for simulating quantum materials. Here we report on the realization of intrinsic unconventional superconductivity in a 2D superlattice created by stacking two graphene sheets with a small twist angle. For angles near $1.1^\circ$, the first `magic' angle, twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) exhibits ultra-flat bands near charge neutrality, which lead to correlated insulating states at half-filling. Upon electrostatic doping away from these correlated insulating states, we observe tunable zero-resistance states with a critical temperature $T_c$ up to 1.7 K. The temperature-density phase diagram shows similarities with that of the cuprates, including superconducting domes. Moreover, quantum oscillations indicate small Fermi surfaces near the correlated insulating phase, in analogy with under-doped cuprates. The relative high $T_c$, given such small Fermi surface (corresponding to a record-low 2D carrier density of $10^{11} \textrm{cm}^{-2}$ , renders TBG among the strongest coupling superconductors, in a regime close to the BCS-BEC crossover. These novel results establish TBG as the first purely carbon-based 2D superconductor and as a highly tunable platform to investigate strongly-correlated phenomena, which could lead to insights into the physics of high-$T_c$ superconductors and quantum spin liquids.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Synthesizing Coulombic superconductivity in van der Waals bilayers

Synthesizing a polarizable environment surrounding a low-dimensional metal to generate superconductivity is a simple theoretical idea that still awaits a convincing experimental realization. The challenging requirements are satisfied in a metallic bilayer when the ratio between the Fermi velocities is small and both metals have a similar, low carrier density. In this case, the slower electron gas acts as a retarded polarizable medium (a "dielectric" environment) for the faster metal. Here we show that this concept is naturally optimized for the case of an atomically thin bilayer consisting of a Dirac semimetal (e.g. graphene) placed in atomic-scale proximity to a doped semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (e.g. WSe$_2$). The superconducting transition temperature that arises from the dynamically screened Coulomb repulsion is computed using the linearized Eliashberg equation. In the case of graphene on WSe$_2$, we find that $T_c$ can exceed 100 mK, and it increases further when the Dirac valley degeneracy is reduced. Thus, we argue that suspended van der Waals bilayers are in a unique position to realize experimentally this long anticipated theoretical concept.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Enhanced Superconductivity and Suppression of Charge-density Wave Order in 2H-TaS$_2$ in the Two-dimensional Limit

As superconductors are thinned down to the 2D limit, their critical temperature $T_c$ typically decreases. Here we report the opposite behavior, a substantial enhancement of $T_c$ with decreasing thickness, in 2D crystalline superconductor 2H-TaS$_2$. Remarkably, in the monolayer limit, $T_c$ increases to 3.4 K compared to 0.8 K in the bulk. Accompanying this trend in superconductivity, we observe suppression of the charge-density wave (CDW) transition with decreasing thickness. To explain these trends, we perform electronic structure calculations showing that a reduction of the CDW amplitude results in a substantial increase of the density of states at the Fermi energy, which contributes to the enhancement of $T_c$. Our results establish ultra-thin 2H-TaS$_2$ as an ideal platform to study the competition between CDW order and superconductivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Correlated Insulator Behaviour at Half-Filling in Magic Angle Graphene Superlattices

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures are an emergent class of metamaterials comprised of vertically stacked two-dimensional (2D) building blocks, which provide us with a vast tool set to engineer their properties on top of the already rich tunability of 2D materials. One of the knobs, the twist angle between different layers, plays a crucial role in the ultimate electronic properties of a vdW heterostructure and does not have a direct analog in other systems such as MBE-grown semiconductor heterostructures. For small twist angles, the moiré pattern produced by the lattice misorientation creates a long-range modulation. So far, the study of the effect of twist angles in vdW heterostructures has been mostly concentrated in graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) twisted structures, which exhibit relatively weak interlayer interaction due to the presence of a large bandgap in h-BN. Here we show that when two graphene sheets are twisted by an angle close to the theoretically predicted 'magic angle', the resulting flat band structure near charge neutrality gives rise to a strongly-correlated electronic system. These flat bands exhibit half-filling insulating phases at zero magnetic field, which we show to be a Mott-like insulator arising from electrons localized in the moiré superlattice. These unique properties of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TwBLG) open up a new playground for exotic many-body quantum phases in a 2D platform made of pure carbon and without magnetic field. The easy accessibility of the flat bands, the electrical tunability, and the bandwidth tunability though twist angle may pave the way towards more exotic correlated systems, such as unconventional superconductors or quantum spin liquids.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Observation of the Quantum Spin Hall Effect up to 100 Kelvin in a Monolayer Crystal

The field of topological insulators (TI) was sparked by the prediction of the quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) in time reversal invariant systems, such as spin-orbit coupled monolayer graphene. Ever since, a variety of monolayer crystals have been proposed as two-dimensional (2D) TIs exhibiting the QSHE, possibly even at high temperatures. However, conclusive evidence for a monolayer QSHE is still lacking, and systems based on semiconductor heterostructures operate at temperatures close to liquid helium. Here we report the observation of the QSHE in monolayer WTe2 at temperatures up to 100 Kelvin. The monolayer exhibits the hallmark quantized transport conductance, ~ e2/h per edge, in the short edge limit. Moreover, a magnetic field suppresses the conductance, and the observed Zeeman-type gap indicates the existence of a Kramers degenerate point, demonstrating the importance of time reversal symmetry for protection from elastic backscattering. Our results establish the high-temperature QSHE and open a new realm for the discovery of topological phases based on 2D crystals.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Magnetoresistance and Quantum Oscillations of an Electrostatically Tuned Semimetal-to-Metal Transition in Ultra-Thin WTe2

We report on electronic transport measurements of electrostatically gated nano-devices of the semimetal WTe\textsubscript{2}. High mobility metallic behavior is achieved in the 2D limit by encapsulating thin flakes in an inert atmosphere. At low temperatures, we find that a large magnetoresistance can be turned on and off by electrostatically doping the system between a semimetallic state and an electron-only metallic state, respectively. We confirm the nature of the two regimes by analyzing the magnetoresistance and Hall effect with a two-carrier model, as well as by analysis of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, both of which indicate depletion of hole carriers via the electrostatic gate. This confirms that semiclassical transport of two oppositely charged carriers accurately describes the exceptional magnetoresistance observed in this material. Finally, we also find that the magnetoresistance power law is sub-quadratic and density-independent, suggesting new physics specifically in the semimetallic regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Tunneling in graphene-topological insulator hybrid devices

Hybrid graphene-topological insulator (TI) devices were fabricated using a mechanical transfer method and studied via electronic transport. Devices consisting of bilayer graphene (BLG) under the TI Bi$_2$Se$_3$ exhibit differential conductance characteristics which appear to be dominated by tunneling, roughly reproducing the Bi$_2$Se$_3$ density of states. Similar results were obtained for BLG on top of Bi$_2$Se$_3$, with 10-fold greater conductance consistent with a larger contact area due to better surface conformity. The devices further show evidence of inelastic phonon-assisted tunneling processes involving both Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and graphene phonons. These processes favor phonons which compensate for momentum mismatch between the TI $Γ$ and graphene $K, K'$ points. Finally, the utility of these tunnel junctions is demonstrated on a density-tunable BLG device, where the charge-neutrality point is traced along the energy-density trajectory. This trajectory is used as a measure of the ground-state density of states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗