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Wolfgang Belzig

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Belzig.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Anomalous Superfluid Response in Altermagnetic Superconductors

We report on the emergence of the anomalous (paramagnetic) superfluid response in altermagnetic superconductors at arbitrary impurity concentrations. Due to anisotropic gapless superconductivity, altermagnetic superconductors with an out-of-plane Zeeman field display an anisotropic paramagnetic Meissner effect. The effect is strongest for parallel altermagnetic and Zeeman exchange field vectors and in the clean sample. The presence of nonmagnetic impurities leads to isotropisation and, consequently, weakens the effect; however, the paramagnetic response sustains intermediate amounts of impurities in the system. As demonstrated in recent experiments, microwave superfluid stiffness measurements can serve as a sensitive probe of gapless superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con

Symmetry-Induced Weyl Nodes in Interacting Multi-Terminal Josephson Junctions

We show that an emergent geometric symmetry generates non-trivial topology in quantum-dot-based multi-terminal Josephson junctions. It confines same-spin Andreev bound state crossings to an analytic one-dimensional manifold of the synthetic Brillouin zone, where interdot coupling selects Weyl nodes of charge $\pm1$ in the singlet sector and doubly degenerate cones of charge $\pm2$ in the doublet sector, at gate-tunable locations. The mechanism yields a spectroscopic detection protocol and a design principle for fabricating devices with non-trivial topological signatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Extracting higher-order nonlinearities in nanomechanical resonators using the backbone relation

Nanomechanical resonators are a powerful platform for studying nonlinear dynamics with high sensitivity and precision. We explore the nonlinear response of a high-Q nanomechanical string resonator in and beyond the Duffing regime and introduce a robust framework for accurately extracting its conservative nonlinearities. The method is based on the backbone curve obtained from ringdown measurements, making it inherently resilient to small frequency fluctuations while explicitly accounting for both symmetry-breaking and non-symmetry-breaking nonlinearities. To validate the approach, we perform complementary ringdown and frequency-response measurements on the nanostring resonator and benchmark the backbone-based extraction against established frequency-response techniques. The comparison confirms the accuracy of the proposed framework and demonstrates its advantages over conventional methods for nonlinear characterization.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Yu-Shiba-Rusinov States in Ising Superconductors

The nature of the superconducting state in two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides remains under active debate. A widely used description invokes so-called \textit{Ising superconductivity}. In this work, we investigate theoretically this pairing state by employing single magnetic impurities as local probes of the superconducting condensate. We analyze the formation of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states in the presence of Ising spin-orbit coupling and an in-plane magnetic field to study how their spectral properties encode the underlying pairing structure. We identify distinct features in the bound-state spectrum and tunneling response that differentiate this system from conventional superconductors. Our results demonstrate that magnetic impurities provide a sensitive probe of the structure of the superconducting state and yield experimentally accessible signatures of unconventional aspects of Ising superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con

Nodal superconductivity with spin-triplet component in a noncentrosymmetric weakly-correlated metal

Although Cooper pairs in superconductors generally condense into a spin-singlet state, spin-triplet superconductivity has attracted sustained interest for dissipationless spin transport and topological quantum technologies. Noncentrosymmetric superconductors provide a promising route to triplet pairing because antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling (ASOC) can mix spin-singlet and spin-triplet states. To date, the strongest evidence for such mixed-parity superconductivity has been reported in heavy-fermion systems, where strong electronic correlations obscure the role of ASOC. Whether ASOC alone can support a substantial spin-triplet component therefore remains unresolved. Here we show that the weakly-correlated noncentrosymmetric superconductor Nb$_{18}$Re$_{82}$ (Nb-Re) hosts a mixed-parity superconducting state with a substantial spin-triplet contribution. Low-temperature scanning tunnelling spectroscopy on single crystals with different crystallographic orientations reveals distinct superconducting spectra. A symmetry-constrained analysis shows that the spectroscopic dataset is explained by an order parameter combining a nodal spin-singlet component with a spin-triplet contribution reaching up to half of the singlet amplitude. These findings resolve the debated pairing symmetry of Nb-Re and demonstrate that ASOC alone can foster triplet pairing. More broadly, they establish orientation-resolved tunnelling spectroscopy as a route to identifying mixed-parity superconducting states and suggest that triplet superconductivity may be more widespread among noncentrosymmetric materials than previously recognized.

cond-mat.supr-con

Nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the thermopower of atomic-size gold contacts

We report measurements of the thermopower of atomic-size gold contacts realized by the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique over a temperature range from 18 K to 295 K. A thermometer included in the lithographic structure close to the constriction provides a direct measurement of the temperature increase generated by heating one side of the contact with a focused laser beam. While the conductance histograms confirm the quantum nature of the transport, we observe a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the ensemble-averaged thermopower with a minimum of $-2\,μ$VK$^{-1}$ at about 150 K. The values for the thermopower obtained at the lowest and the high temperature are compatible with values reported in the literature, but the nonmonotonic behavior in between disagrees with the expected linear dependence for quantum coherent conductors described by the Landauer formula. We develop a theoretical model based on an energy dependent transmission function that qualitatively reproduces the nonmonotonic behavior, but fails quantitatively. We therefore interpret our data as a result of phonon contributions to the thermopower beyond the Landauer model and with opposite sign than the classical phonon drag known from bulk systems. Our findings show that, firstly, the thermopower gives important insight into the transport properties of atomic-size structures and second that the linear approximation of the Landauer model has to be used with caution when studying more complex transport properties even for atomic contacts from free-electron metals.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Spin-polarized transport in copper-oxide atomic junctions revealed by anomalous shot-noise behavior in presence of the Kondo effect

Noise measurements provide a valuable tool for revealing spin polarization effects in the electronic transport through quantum coherent conductors. We present an extension of the Landauer description of shot noise to include energy-dependent transmission functions and apply it to explore local magnetic correlations in air-oxidized copper contacts, for which first-principle studies have predicted the emergence of ferromagnetic ground states, attributing certain atomic configurations with spin filtering capabilities. By means of low-temperature transport measurements, we provide comprehensive experimental evidence, including hysteretic magnetoresistance and zero-bias anomalies (ZBAs) attributed to the Kondo effect, for the presence of local magnetism. The analysis of the anomalous shot noise in the presence of ZBAs allows us to determine the spin polarization of the current which may reach even full polarization, confirming the spin-filtering capability of copper oxide atomic contacts.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Nonequilibrium Kramers Turnover in a Kerr Parametric Oscillator

Activation processes govern noise-induced switching between long-lived states. In an equilibrium double well, the thermally activated switching rate exhibits a prefactor with a nonmonotonic dependence on environmental coupling, a foundational crossover known as Kramers turnover. Here, we demonstrate a Kramers turnover analogue in a Kerr parametric oscillator, a driven-dissipative nonlinear system featuring two stable phase states. First, we analytically establish turnover physics in this out-of-equilibrium setting. There, the strong physical correlation between the activation barrier and intrinsic damping fundamentally obscures the underlying turnover physics. To overcome this limitation, we rescale the rotating-frame dynamics and introduce a tunable effective friction controlled entirely by the parametric drive. This rescaling comes at the cost of a concurrent rescaling of the effective temperature. Exploiting this simultaneous scaling, we leverage the effective temperature to extract the turnover directly from temperature-dependent observations. Subsequently, measuring noise-induced phase slips in a micro-electromechanical device, we observe a distinct crossover in the prefactor's temperature dependence. Our results unambiguously isolate the out-of-equilibrium turnover regime and highlight that the competition between dissipation and fluctuations profoundly shapes activation dynamics also beyond equilibrium.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Identical, independent quantum weak measurements violate objective realism

We demonstrate violation of objective realism in quantum world using unconstrained weak measurements. Instead of limited Leggett-Garg approach with artificial bounds on the observed values, we assume two identical and indepenent weak detectors and final conditioning. The experimental verification has been performed on public quantum computers, IBM and IonQ. Thanks to sufficiently large statistics, the violation is observed at the level of 10 standard deviations. The tests confirmed also high quality of parametric two-qubit gates offered by main quantum hardware providers.

quant-ph

Transparency-controlled multiple charge transfer in superconducting junctions with local shot-noise scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Charge transport in superconducting junctions at finite voltages is governed by Andreev reflections, including multiple Andreev reflections, which are processes that enable multiple charge transfer, a hallmark that shot noise can directly quantify. Since the effective charge extracted from shot noise measurements varies with the transparency of the junction, systematic control of transparency is essential but experimentally challenging. Here, we present shot noise scanning tunneling microscopy measurements enabled by a newly developed amplifier, allowing access to different transparency regimes. We perform shot noise measurements on Pb(111) with tunable transparency at 2.2 K and observe that the shot noise evolves from a single electron tunneling regime to multiple charge transfer regime as transparency increases. Our results are quantitatively consistent with theoretical simulations of Andreev reflections and multiple Andreev reflections for a single-channel system. These results establish junction transparency as the key parameter governing the evolution of charge transport and demonstrate that noise-STM is a powerful platform for investigating microscopic charge transport mechanisms with controlled junction transparency at the atomic scale.

cond-mat.supr-con

Testing time order and Leggett-Garg inequalities with noninvasive measurements on public quantum computers

We demonstrate the first violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality and time-order noninvariance on public quantum computers using genuine noninvasive measurements. By gathering sufficiently large statistics, we have been able to violate Leggett-Garg inequality and time-order invariance. The detailed analysis of the data on 10 qubit sets from 5 devices available on IBM Quantum and one on IonQ reveals violations beyond 5 standard deviations in almost all cases. We implemented our protocols using fractional gates, newly available on the IBM Heron devices, allowing us to benchmark them in application to weak measurements. The noninvasiveness is supported by a qualitative and quantitative agreement with the model of weak disturbance. Moreover, our data expose statistically significant deviations from theoretical predictions that exceed declared device error rates, establishing weak measurement protocols as a sensitive benchmark for quantum hardware. These advances transform public quantum computers into practical testbeds for probing foundational questions of realism and temporal order with unprecedented accessibility and precision.

quant-ph

The role of charge in thermodynamic uncertainty relations

We demonstrate that the charge value of transport mechanisms heavily impacts the validity of thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs). Specifically, we show within the framework of full counting statistics, that the recently established quantum TUR can be violated by the presence of transport processes that carry more than one charge, like Andreev reflection processes in normal metal-superconductor junctions. We propose a modified quantum TUR, which incorporates the charge value and demonstrate that this charge-dependent quantum TUR can only be violated if the highest charge transport process exceeds this charge value. In particular, we establish that the breaking of the quantum TUR solely originates from the charge value of the highest charge transport process. Namely, our analytical considerations do not invoke the existence of superconductivity, and these considerations generally hold for non-interacting electronic transport which can be described by the scattering formalism.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Reflectionless modes as a source of Weyl nodes in multiterminal Josephson junctions

Multiterminal Josephson junctions are a promising platform to study non-trivial topology in engineered quantum systems. Yet, experimentally meaningful insight into what exactly makes these systems topologically non-trivial remains elusive. In this work, we show that zero energy reflectionless scattering modes (RSMs) of the normal scattering matrix result in topological phase boundaries. By analyzing two different setups, we explain the origin of each topological phase boundary and furthermore provide generalizable insight into these systems. The considerations here can be of help for experimentalists as it connects the properties of the normal scattering region to the Andreev bound state spectrum of superconducting junctions in a multiterminal setup.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Full Counting Statistics of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov Bound States

With the help of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) it has become possible to address single magnetic impurities on superconducting surfaces and to investigate the peculiar properties of the in-gap states known as Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states. However, until very recently YSR states were only investigated with conventional tunneling spectroscopy, missing the crucial information contained in other transport properties such as shot noise. Here, we adapt the concept of full counting statistics (FCS) to provide a very deep insight into the spin-dependent transport in these hybrid systems. We illustrate the power of FCS by analyzing different situations in which YSR states show up including single-impurity junctions, as well as double-impurity systems where one can probe the tunneling between individual YSR states. The FCS concept allows us to unambiguously identify every tunneling process that plays a role in these situations. Moreover, FCS provides all the relevant transport properties, including current, shot noise and all the cumulants of the current distribution. Our approach can reproduce the experimental results recently reported on the shot noise of a single-impurity junction with a normal STM tip. We also predict the signatures of resonant (and non-resonant) multiple Andreev reflections in the shot noise of single-impurity junctions with two superconducting electrodes. In the case of double-impurity junctions we show that the direct tunneling between YSR states is characterized by a strong reduction of the Fano factor that reaches a minimum value of 7/32, a new fundamental result in quantum transport. The FCS approach presented here can be naturally extended to investigate the spin-dependent superconducting transport in a variety of situations, and it is also suitable to analyze multi-terminal superconducting junctions, irradiated contacts, and many other basic situations.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Quartet Tomography in Multiterminal Josephson Junctions

We investigate the detection of quartets in hybrid multiterminal Josephson junctions. Using simple models of quantum dots coupled to superconducting leads, we find that quartets are ubiquitous and show how to rigorously extract their contribution to the current-phase relation (CPR). We also demonstrate that quartets are closely related to the hybridization of Andreev bound states (ABSs) in these systems and propose a method to identify quartets directly in ABS spectra. We illustrate our method by analyzing the spectroscopic measurements of the ABS spectrum in a three-terminal Josephson junction realized in an InAs/Al heterostructure. Our analysis strongly suggests the existence of quartets in the studied hybrid system.

cond-mat.supr-con

Non-hermitian topology in multiterminal superconducting junctions

Recent experimental advancements in dissipation control have yielded significant insights into non-hermitian Hamiltonians for open quantum systems. Of particular interest are the topological characteristics exhibited by these non-hermitian systems, that arise from exceptional points - distinct degeneracies unique to such systems. In this study, we focus on Andreev bound states in multiterminal Josephson junctions with non-hermiticity induced by normal metal or ferromagnetic leads. By investigating several systems of different synthetic dimensions and symmetries, we predict fragile and stable non-hermitian topological phases in these engineered superconducting systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Thermodynamic uncertainty relations in superconducting junctions

Quantum conductors attached to metallic reservoirs have been demonstrated to overcome the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR), a trade-off relation between the amount of dissipation and the absence of charge and heat current fluctuations. Here, we report large TUR violations when superconducting reservoirs replace metallic ones. The coexistence of different transport processes, namely (multiple) Andreev reflection, where electrons and their retro-reflected holes create Cooper pairs, in addition to the normal quasiparticle transport is identified as the source for such TUR breakdowns. The large TUR violation is a remarkable advantage for building low dissipative and highly stable quantum thermal machines.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Scattering approach to near-field radiative heat transfer

We formulate the problem of near-field radiative heat transfer as an effective quantum scattering theory for excitations of the matter. Built from the same ingredients as the semiclassical fluctuational electrodynamics, the standard tool to handle this problem, our construction makes manifest its relation to the Landauer-Büttiker scattering framework, which appears only implicitly in the fluctuational electrodynamics. We show how to construct the scattering matrix for the matter excitations and give a general expression for the energy current in terms of this scattering matrix. We show that the energy current has an important non-dissipative contribution that can dominate the finite-frequency noise while being absent in the average current. Our construction provides a unified description of near-field radiative heat transfer in diverse physical systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall