arXiv subjects

Yugo Onishi

Publications and source records attributed to Yugo Onishi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Singular high-harmonic transport above a quantum threshold

We show that Landau-Zener tunneling in a small-gap insulator produces a singular DC current--voltage relation, and correspondingly, strong high-harmonic generation in AC transport. Remarkably, high-harmonic responses decrease subexponentially with harmonic order, which is parametrically slower than in ordinary conductors and PN diodes. We further derive a scaling law for the current amplitude at frequency $nω$ produced by the applied electric field $E$ at fundamental frequency $ω$. Our work offers a promising route to THz generation based on frequency multiplication in solids.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Revealing quantum geometry of solids through vacuum fluctuations

We show that quantum fluctuations of electromagnetic fields induce an extensive zero-point energy in insulators. The zero-point energy density is proportional to the quantum fluctuation of electric polarization in the many-body ground state, a fundamental quantum geometric property of solids known as the quantum weight. For fields produced by a superconducting LC circuit, the zero-point energy results in a repulsive force between the circuit and the material and an attractive force on the capacitor plates, which we call quantum geometric force. The force on the capacitor plates is proportional to the quantum weight, inversely proportional to the plate area, and independent of the plate distance. The proposed effects provide direct experimental access to the many-body quantum geometry and reveal a new quantum geometric effect in macroscopic solids induced by vacuum fluctuation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Extending Topological Bound on Quantum Weight Beyond Symmetry-Protected Topological Phases

The quantum metric encodes the geometric structure of Bloch wave functions and governs a wide range of physical responses. Its Brillouin-zone integral, the quantum weight, appears in the structure factor and provides lower bounds on observables such as the optical gap and dielectric constant. In symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases, the nontrivial band topology imposes a lower bound on the quantum weight and constraints on the observables. Here, we generalize the topological bound on quantum geometry to encompass systems beyond the SPT phases. We show that topological invariants defined via the projected spectrum lower-bound the quantum weight with a symmetry-breaking correction to the quantum metric. Our proposed bound holds even when the underlying symmetries are broken, and it would be amenable to experimental verification via the optical conductivity sum rule under external fields. We illustrate our theory by adding a nonzero spin-orbit coupling term to a spin Chern insulator model, where we show that our proposed bound applies even though the conventional topological bound does not hold.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Emergent curved space and gravitational lensing in quantum materials

We show that an effective gravitational field naturally emerges in quantum materials with long-wavelength spin (or pseudospin) textures. When the itinerant electrons' spin strongly couples to the background spin texture, it effectively behaves as a spinless particle in a curved space, with the curvature arising from quantum corrections to the electron's spin orientation. The emergent curved space gives rise to the electron lensing effect, an analog of the gravitational lensing. The lensing effect can appear in systems without (emergent) magnetic fields, such as those with coplanar spin textures. Our work shows that novel ``gravitational'' phenomena generically appear in quantum systems due to nonadiabaticity, opening new research directions in quantum physics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Geometric bound on structure factor

We show that a quadratic form of quantum geometric tensor in $k$-space sets a bound on the $q^4$ term in the static structure factor $S(q)$ at small $\vec{q}$. Bands that saturate this bound satisfy a condition similar to Laplace's equation, leading us to refer to them as $\textit{harmonic bands}$. We provide examples of harmonic bands in one- and two-dimensional systems, including (higher) Landau levels. The geometric bound further leads to a topological bound on the $q^4$ term, which is saturated only when the band geometry satisfies the trace condition and, additionally, the quantum geometric tensor is uniform in $k$-space. We speculate that these bounds taken together provide a useful guide for identifying Chern bands that favor (Abelian or non-Abelian) fractional Chern insulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Quantum weight: A fundamental property of quantum many-body systems

We introduce the concept of quantum weight as a ground state property of quantum many-body systems that is encoded in the static structure factor and characterizes density fluctuation at long wavelengths. The quantum weight carries a wealth of information about dielectric responses and optical properties of the system, and is closely related to its quantum geometry. For systems with short-range interactions or low-dimensional Coulomb systems, we show that the many-body quantum metric (which measures the change of the ground state under twisted boundary conditions) can be determined directly from the quantum weight. Notably, the quantum weight is a property of a single ground state and independent of boundary conditions in the thermodynamic limit. Our finding thus enables direct experimental measurement and numerical calculation of many-body quantum metric. On the other hand, for three-dimensional Coulomb systems, we show that the quantum weight is distinct from the many-body quantum metric due to dielectric screening in three dimensions. We further use dielectric sum rules to derive upper and lower bounds on their quantum weight in terms of electron density, static dielectric constant, and plasmon energy. Our work highlights quantum weight as a fundamental material parameter, which can be experimentally determined by x-ray scattering or electron loss spectroscopy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Theory of thermopolarization effect

We study the polarization response to the temperature gradient in insulators, known as the thermopolarization effect. We show that this response can be understood through the free energy response function to an electric field gradient, which we call Q-tensor. By using the Q-tensor, we present a unified description of the polarization responses to both electric fields and temperature gradients and derive the generalized Mott relation. Additionally, we draw an analogy with the anomalous Hall and Nernst effects. These effects are observable as the Seebeck effect where the linear size of the system is shorter than the screening length.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

An antiferromagnetic diode effect in even-layered MnBi2Te4

In a PN junction, the separation between positive and negative charges leads to diode transport. In the past few years, the intrinsic diode transport in noncentrosymmetric polar conductors has attracted great interest, because it suggests novel nonlinear applications and provides a symmetry-sensitive probe of Fermi surface. Recently, such studies have been extended to noncentrosymmetric superconductors, realizing the superconducting diode effect. Here, we show that, even in a centrosymmetric crystal without directional charge separation, the spins of an antiferromagnet (AFM) can generate a spatial directionality, leading to an AFM diode effect. We observe large second-harmonic transport in a nonlinear electronic device enabled by the compensated AFM state of even-layered MnBi2Te4. We also report a novel electrical sum-frequency generation (SFG), which has been rarely explored in contrast to the well-known optical SFG in wide-gap insulators. We demonstrate that the AFM enables an in-plane field-effect transistor and harvesting of wireless electromagnetic energy. The electrical SFG establishes a powerful method to study nonlinear electronics built by quantum materials. The AFM diode effect paves the way for potential device concepts including AFM logic circuits, self-powered AFM spintronics, and other applications that potentially bridge nonlinear electronics with AFM spintronics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Topological bound on structure factor

We show that the static structure factor of general many-body systems with $U(1)$ symmetry has a lower bound determined only by the ground state Chern number. Our bound relies only on causality and non-negative energy dissipation, and holds for a wide range of systems. We apply our theory to (fractional) Chern insulators, (fractional) quantum spin Hall insulators, topological superconductors, and chiral spin liquids. Our results uncover a universal feature of topological phases beyond the quantized response.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Universal relation between energy gap and dielectric constant

We establish a universal relation between the energy gap and the static dielectric constant for all insulating states. This relation yields an upper bound on the energy gap, which only depends on the electron density and electronic dielectric constant. We identify two types of energy gaps associated with transverse and longitudinal excitations at long wavelength, which correspond to the optical gap and the plasmon energy respectively. Their upper bounds are set by the dielectric constant and its inverse respectively. The transverse gap bound is calculated for a wide range of materials and compared with the measured optical gap. A remarkable case is cubic boron nitride, in which the direct gap reaches \SI{72}{\percent} of the bound. Our results are derived from the Kramers-Kronig relation and the $f$-sum rule, and therefore rest on general physical principles.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Quantum weight

We introduce the concept of quantum weight as a fundamental property of insulating states of matter that is encoded in the ground-state static structure and measures quantum fluctuation in electrons' center of mass. We find a sum rule that directly relates quantum weight -- a ground state property -- with the negative-first moment of the optical conductivity above the gap frequency. Building on this connection to optical absorption, we derive both an upper bound and a lower bound on quantum weight in terms of electron density, dielectric constant, and energy gap. Therefore, quantum weight constitutes a key material parameter that can be experimentally determined from X-ray scattering.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Probing quantum geometry through optical conductivity and magnetic circular dichroism

Probing ground-state quantum geometry and topology through optical response is not only of fundamental interest, but it can also offer several practical advantages. Here, using first-principles calculations on antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ thin films, we demonstrate how the generalized optical weight arising from the absorptive part of the optical conductivity can be used to probe the ground state quantum geometry and topology. We show that three septuple layers MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ exhibit an enhanced almost perfect magnetic circular dichroism for a narrow photon energy window in the infrared region. We calculate the quantum weight in a few septuple layers MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and show that it far exceeds the lower bound provided by the Chern number. Our results suggest that the well-known optical methods are powerful tools for probing the ground state quantum geometry and topology.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Fundamental bound on topological gap

We provide a universal tight bound on the energy gap of topological insulators by exploring relationships between topology, quantum geometry, and optical absorption. Applications of our theory to infrared absorption near topological band inversion, magnetic circular dichorism in Chern insulators, and topological gap in moiré materials are demonstrated.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Colossal nonreciprocal Hall effect and broadband frequency mixing due to a room temperature nonlinear Hall effect

Nonreciprocal (NR) charge transport in quantum materials has attracted enormous interest since it offers an avenue to investigate quantum symmetry related physics and holds many prospective applications such as rectification and photodetection over a wide range of frequencies. The NR transport reported to date occurs along the longitudinal direction with the NR resistance limited to a few percent of the ohmic resistance. Here we report a transverse nonreciprocal transport phenomenon with divergent nonreciprocity - colossal NR Hall effect. This is revealed in direct current (DC) measurements on the microscale Hall devices made of the Pt wires deposited by focused ion beam (FIB) on Si substrates and the Weyl semimetal NbP with FIB-deposited Pt electrodes at 0 magnetic field. When a DC is applied along the x-axis of the devices Ix, it generates a voltage along the y-axis Vy near room temperature, with Vy quadratically scaling with Ix. The transverse resistance, which shows a sign reversal upon switching the current direction, results from a colossal extrinsic nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) rooted in the disorder scatterings in the Pt wires. While NbP was not found to show NLHE, the NLHE generated in the Pt electrodes can be transmitted to the NbP Hall devices, which yields a surprisingly large nonlinear anomalous Hall effect in NbP with the Hall angle (${Θ_H}$) far exceeding the record value of the anomalous Hall angle of magnetic conductors at room temperature. Furthermore, we find such a strong NLHE can lead to broadband frequency mixing, with the frequency spectrum of the Hall voltage including 2nd-harmonic generation, sum & difference frequency generations, and other multiple wave mixing components. These results not only demonstrate the concept of the NRHE for the first time but also pave the way for exploring NLHE's applications in Thz communication, imaging, and energy harvesting.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

High-efficiency energy harvesting based on nonlinear Hall rectifier

Noncentrosymmetric quantum materials can convert AC input current into DC transverse current through the nonlinear Hall effect at zero magnetic field. We analyze the AC-DC power conversion efficiency of such ``Hall rectifier'' and suggest its application in wireless charging and energy harvesting. Our key observation is that the development of Hall voltage results in a change of longitudinal resistance, resulting in a violation of Ohm's law due to the nonlinear Hall effect. This feedback mechanism balances the input power and the output power and hence is crucial to understanding the power transfer from source to load. We derive a general expression for the power conversion efficiency in terms of material parameters, external load resistance, and input power. As the Hall current is perpendicular to the electric field and does not generate Joule heating by itself, we obtain high power conversion efficiency when the Hall angle (which increases with the input power) is large and the load resistance is optimized. Promising materials for high-efficiency Hall rectifiers are also discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Quantum metric nonlinear Hall effect in a topological antiferromagnetic heterostructure

Quantum geometry - the geometry of electron Bloch wavefunctions - is central to modern condensed matter physics. Due to the quantum nature, quantum geometry has two parts, the real part quantum metric and the imaginary part Berry curvature. The studies of Berry curvature have led to countless breakthroughs, ranging from the quantum Hall effect in 2DEGs to the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in ferromagnets. However, in contrast to Berry curvature, the quantum metric has rarely been explored. Here, we report a new nonlinear Hall effect induced by quantum metric by interfacing even-layered MnBi2Te4 (a PT-symmetric antiferromagnet (AFM)) with black phosphorus. This novel nonlinear Hall effect switches direction upon reversing the AFM spins and exhibits distinct scaling that suggests a non-dissipative nature. Like the AHE brought Berry curvature under the spotlight, our results open the door to discovering quantum metric responses. Moreover, we demonstrate that the AFM can harvest wireless electromagnetic energy via the new nonlinear Hall effect, therefore enabling intriguing applications that bridges nonlinear electronics with AFM spintronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Effects of relaxation on photovoltaic effect and possibility of photocurrent within transparent region

We theoretically study photocurrents in metals that break both inversion $\mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal{T}$ symmetries within the transparent region. We find that the system under the ac electric fields is well described with an effective Hamiltonian and the photocurrent is of the order of $\mathcal{O}(ω_J/γ)$ if the frequency of the induced current $ω_J$ and the scattering rate $γ$ satisfy $ω_J/γ\ll 1$, and vanishes in the limit of $ω_J/γ\to 0$. On the other hand, the effective Hamiltonian description indicates that nonvanishing photocurrent can appear even in the transparent region if the system is thin enough compared to the mean free path in the direction of the induced current (where $γ$ can be effectively regarded as 0). Candidate materials for the such photovoltaic effect within the transparent region include multiferroics breaking both $\mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal{T}$ symmetries.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Theory of shift heat current and its application to electron-phonon coupled systems

We propose a heat current analog of the shift current, "shift heat current". We study nonlinear heat current responses to an applied ac electric field by a diagrammatic method and derive a microscopic expression for the second order dc heat current response. As a result, we find that the shift heat current is related to the shift vector, a geometric quantity that also appears in the expression for the shift current. The shift heat current directly depends on and can be controlled through the chemical potential. In addition, we apply the diagrammatic method to electron-phonon coupled systems, and we find that even if only the phonons are excited by an external field, the amplitude of the shift heat current is determined by the energy scale of electrons, not of phonons.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗