arXiv subjects

Yukihiro Ota

Publications and source records attributed to Yukihiro Ota.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

Time-reversal symmetry breaking phase and gapped surface states in d-wave nanoscale superconductors

We solve the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently for d-wave superconductors with [110] surfaces. We find spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry (TRS) caused by the spontaneous occurrence of a complex order parameter with an extended s-wave symmetry along the [110] surfaces. In the TRS-breaking phase, the d-wave order parameter itself becomes complex. We also show that vortex-antivortex pairs can appear along the [110] surfaces of nanoribbons. These pairs are detectable with surface sensitive probes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Time-reversal symmetry breaking and gapped surface states due to spontaneous emergence of new order in $d$-wave nanoislands

We solve the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently for the $d$-wave order parameter in nanoscale $d$-wave systems with [110] surfaces and show that spontaneous time-reversal symmetry (TRS) breaking occurs at low temperatures due to a spontaneously induced complex order parameter of extended $s$-wave symmetry. The Andreev surface bound states, which are protected by a one-dimensional (1D) topological invariant in the presence of TRS, are gapped by the emergence of this new order parameter. The extended $s$-wave order parameter is localized within a narrow region near the surfaces, which is consistent with the fact that topological protection of the gapless Andreev surface states is characterized by the 1D topological invariant. In this TRS-breaking phase, not only is the complex order parameter induced, but also the $d$-wave order parameter itself becomes complex. Furthermore, the disappearance of topological protection brings about novel vortex phenomena near the surfaces. We show that vortex-antivortex pairs are formed in the extended $s$-wave order parameter along the surfaces if the side length of a nanoisland or the width of an infinitely long nanoribbon is relatively large.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Emergence of $η$-pairing ground-state in population-imbalanced attractive Fermi-gases filling $p$ orbitals on 1-D optical lattice

We explore the ground states in population-imbalanced attractive 1-D fermionic optical lattice filling $p$ orbitals over the lowest $s$ one by using the density-matrix-renormalization-group (DMRG) method. The DMRG calculations find the occurrence of spatially non-uniform off-diagonal long-range order. In contrast to Fulde-Ferrel Larkin-Ovchinikov pair as observed in the single-band Hubbard model. The spatial oscillation period of the pair correlation function is widely fixed to be $π$ irrespective of the mismatch between spin-split Fermi surfaces. The ground-state $π$ order corresponds to $η$-pair condensate predicted by Yang [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{63}, 2144 (1989)]. Taking account of the effects of harmonic traps, we confirm that the $η$-pair state distinctly emerges at the center of the trap potential surrounded by perfectly-polarized states even in the trapped cases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Critical Temperature Enhancement of Topological Superconductors: A Dynamical Mean Field Study

We show that a critical temperature Tc for spin-singlet two-dimensional superconductivity is enhanced by a cooperation between the Zeeman magnetic field and the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, where a superconductivity becomes topologically non-trivial below Tc. The dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) with the segment-based hybridization-expansion continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo impurity solver (ct-HYB) is used for accurately evaluating a critical temperature, without any Fermion sign problem. A strong-coupling approach shows that spin-flip driven local pair hopping leads to part of this enhancement, especially effects of the magnetic field. We propose physical settings suitable for verifying the present calculations, one-atom-layer system on Si(111) and ionic-liquid based electric double-layer transistors (EDLTs).

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Nuclear magnetic relaxation rates of unconventional superconductivity in doped topological insulators

We study the temperature dependence of nuclear magnetic relaxation (NMR) rates to detect a sign of topological superconductivity in doped topological insulators, such as $M$($=$Cu,Nb,Sr)$_{x}$Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ and Sn$_{1-x}$In$_{x}$Te. The Hebel-Slichter coherence effect below a critical temperature Tc depends on the superconducting states predicted by a minimal model of doped topological insulators. In a nodal anisotropic topological state similar to the ABM-phase in $^{3}$He, the NMR rate has a conventional $s$-wave like coherence peak below Tc. In contrast, in a fully-gapped isotropic topological superconducting state, this rate below Tc exhibits an anti-peak profile. Moreover, in a two-fold in-plane anisotropic topological superconducting state, there is no coherence effect, which is similar to that in a chiral $p$-wave state. Thus, we reveal that the NMR rates shed light on unconventional superconductivity in doped topological insulators.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

A screened automated structural search with semiempirical methods

We developed an interface program between a program suite for an automated search of chemical reaction pathways, GRRM, and a program package of semiempirical methods, MOPAC. A two-step structural search is proposed as an application of this interface program. A screening test is first performed by semiempirical calculations. Subsequently, a reoptimization procedure is done by ab initio or density functional calculations. We apply this approach to ion adsorption on cellulose. The computational efficiency is also shown for a GRRM search. The interface program is suitable for the structural search of large molecular systems for which semiempirical methods are applicable.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2015

Theory of low-energy behaviors in topological $s$-wave pairing superconductors

We construct a low-energy effective theory of topological $s$-wave pairing superconductors, focusing on the mean-field model of superconductor $\mbox{Cu}_{x}\mbox{Bi}_{2}\mbox{Se}_{3}$. Our approach is second-order perturbation with respect to the inverse of the mass (i.e., large-mass expansion) in the Dirac-type electron dispersion from topological insulator $\mbox{Bi}_{2}\mbox{Se}_{3}$. Since the Dirac-type dispersion with a large mass describes non-relativistic electrons, the large-mass expansion corresponds to a low-energy theory with respect to the original setup. We show that the effective gap function has not only a $p$-wave-like component as the primary contribution, but also an $s$-wave-like one as higher-order corrections. The mixture of $p$- and $s$-wave explains the numerical results [Phys. Rev. B 89 (2014) 214506] of the non-magnetic impurity effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Inverse coherence effects in nuclear magnetic relaxation rates as a sign of topological superconductivity

We reveal that three-dimensional multi-orbital topological superconductivity can be identified by a bulk measurement, i.e., the temperature dependence of nuclear magnetic relaxation (NMR) rates. Below a critical temperature $T_{\rm c}$, the NMR rate in the topological state exhibits an anti-peak profile, which is opposite to the conventional $s$-wave state. This inversion coherence effect comes from a twist of order parameters with respect to orbital and spin degrees of freedom. Our self-consistent calculations in the model for Cu$_{x}$Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ prove that the inverse coherence effect appears as a concave temperature dependence of the NMR rates. We propose that a time-reversal-invariant orbital-singlet spin-triplet topological superconductivity is characterized by the temperature dependence of the NMR rate.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Topological s-wave pairing superconductivity with spatial inhomogeneity: Mid-gap-state appearance and robustness of superconductivity

We study the quasiparticle spectrum of 2D topological $s$-wave superconductors with the Zeeman magnetic field and the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the presence of spatial inhomogeneity. Solving the real-space Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, we focus on the excitations within the superconducting gap amplitude, i.e., the appearance of mid-gap states. Two kinds of potential functions, line-type (a chain of impurities) and point-type (a single impurity) ones are examined to take spatial inhomogeneity into account. The line setting shows a link of the mid-gap states with the gapless surface modes indicated by the bulk-boundary correspondence in topological superfluid. The point one shows that the quasiparticles with mid-gap energy are much easily excited by an impurity when the Zeeman magnetic field increases within the topological number to be unchanged. Thus, we obtain insights into the robustness of a topological superconductor against non-magnetic impurities. Moreover, we derive an effective theory applicable to high magnetic fields. The effective gap is the mixture of the chiral $p$-wave and $s$-wave characters. The former is predominant when the magnetic field increases. Therefore, we claim that a chiral $p$-wave character of the effective gap function creates the mid-gap states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Two-dimensional macroscopic quantum tunneling in multi-gap superconductor Josephson junctions

Low-temperature characters of superconducting devices yield definite probes for different superconducting phenomena. We study the macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) in a Josephson junction, composed of a single-gap superconductor and a two-gap superconductor. Since this junction has two kinds to the superconducting phase differences, calculating the MQT escape rate requires the analysis of quantum tunneling in a multi-dimensional configuration space. Our approach is the semi-classical approximation along a 1D curve in a 2D potential- energy landscape, connecting two adjacent potential (local) minimums through a saddle point. We find that this system has two plausible tunneling paths; an in-phase path and an out-of-phase path. The former is characterized by the Josephson-plasma frequency, whereas the latter is by the frequency of the characteristic collective mode in a two-band superconductor, Josephson- Leggett mode. Depending on external bias current and inter-band Josephson-coupling energy, one of them mainly contributes to the MQT. Our numerical calculations show that the difference between the in-phase path and the out-of-phase path is manifest, with respect to the bias- current-dependence of the MQT escape rate. This result suggests that our MQT setting be an indicator of the Josephson-Leggett mode.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Non-magnetic impurity effects in a three-dimensional topological superconductor: From p- to s-wave behaviors

Unconventional features in superconductivity are revealed by responses to impurity scattering. We study non-magnetic impurity effects in a three-dimensional topological superconductor, focusing on an effective model (massive Dirac Hamiltonian with s-wave on-site pairing) of Copper-doped bismuth-selenium compounds. Using a self-consistent T-matrix approach for impurity scattering, we examine in-gap states in density of states. We find that the results are well characterized by a single material variable, which measures relativistic effects in the Dirac Hamiltonian. In non-relativistic regime, an odd-parity superconducting state is fragile against non-magnetic impurities. We show that this behavior is caused by a p-wave character involved in the topological superconducting state. In contrast, we show that in relativistic regime the superconductivity is robust against non-magnetic impurities, owing to an s-wave character. To summarize, the system has two aspects, p- and s-wave features, depending on the weight of relativistic effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Impurity effects in a two-dimensional topological superconductor: A link of Tc-robustness with a topological number

Impurity effects are probes for revealing an unconventional property in superconductivity. We study effects of non-magnetic impurities, in a 2D topological superconductor with s-wave pairing, the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, and the Zeeman term. Using a self-consistent T-matrix approach, we calculate a phenomenological formula for the Thouless-Kohmoto-Nightingale-Nijs (TKNN) invariant in interacting systems, as well as density of states, with different magnetic fields. This quantity weakly depends on the magnetic field, when a spectral gap opens, whereas this changes drastically, when in-gap states occurs. Furthermore, in the latter case, we find that the Anderson's theorem (robustness of s-wave superconductivity against non-magnetic impurities) breaks down. We discuss the origin, from the viewpoints of both unconventional superconductivity and the TKNN invariant.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Theory of macroscopic quantum tunneling with Josephson-Leggett collective excitations in multi-band superconducting Josephson junctions

Collective excitations reveal fundamental properties and potential applications of superconducting states. We theoretically study macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) in a Josephson junction composed of multi-band superconductors, focusing on a phase mode induced by inter-band fluctuations: the Josephson-Leggett (JL) collective excitation mode. Using the imaginary-time path-integral method, we derive a formula for the MQT escape rate for low-temperature switching events. We clarify that the JL mode has two major effects on the MQT: (i) the zero-point fluctuations enhance the escape rate, and (ii) the quantum dissipation induced by the couplings to the gauge-invariant phase difference suppresses the quantum tunneling. We show that the enhancement exceeds the suppression for a wide range of junction parameters. This enhancement originates from the single-mode interaction between the tunneling variable and the inter-band fluctuations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

A temporal steering inequality

Quantum steering is the ability to remotely prepare different quantum states by using entangled pairs as a resource. Very recently, the concept of steering has been quantified with the use of inequalities, leading to substantial applications in quantum information and communication science. Here, we highlight that there exists a natural temporal analogue of the steering inequality when considering measurements on a single object at different times. We give non-trivial operational meaning to violations of this temporal inequality by showing that it is connected to the security bound in the BB84 protocol and thus may have applications in quantum communication.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Quantum phases in $p$-orbital degenerated attractive 1D fermionic optical lattices

We examine quantum phases emerged by double degeneracy of $p$-orbital bands in attractive atomic Fermi gases loaded on a 1D optical lattice. Our numerical simulations by the density-matrix renormalization group predict the emergence of a state with a charge excitation gap, the Haldane insulator phase. A mapping onto an effective spin-$1$ model reveals its physical origin. Moreover, we show that population imbalance leads to richer diversity of the quantum phases, including a phase-separated polarized state. Finally, we study the effects of harmonic trap potential in this 1D chain.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Massless collective excitations in frustrated multi-band superconductors

We study collective excitations in three- and four-band superconductors with inter-band frustration, which causes neither 0 nor $π$ inter-band phases in the superconducting state. Using a low-energy spin-Hamiltonian originating from a multi-band tight-binding model, we find that a massless Leggett mode occurs in a wide parameter region of this four-band system. This massless mode is related to the fact that the mean-field energy does not depend on a continuous superconducting phase. In other words, we find a link of the massless mode with a degeneracy between a time-reversal-symmetry-breaking state (neither 0 nor $π$ phases) and a time-reversal-symmetric state (either 0 or $π$ phases). Therefore, the mass of this collective mode characterizes well the time-reversal symmetry in frustrated multi-band superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Determining eigenvalues of a density matrix with minimal information in a single experimental setting

Eigenvalues of a density matrix characterize well the quantum state's properties, such as coherence and entanglement. We propose a simple method to determine all the eigenvalues of an unknown density matrix of a finite-dimensional system in a single experimental setting. Without fully reconstructing a quantum state, eigenvalues are determined with the minimal number of parameters obtained by a measurement of a single observable. Moreover, its implementation is illustrated in linear optical and superconducting systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Numerical construction of a low-energy effective Hamiltonian in a self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes approach of superconductivity

We propose a fast and efficient approach for solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) equations in superconductivity, with a numerical matrix-size reduction procedure proposed by Sakurai and Sugiura [J. Comput. Appl. Math. 159, 119 (2003)]. The resultant small-size Hamiltonian contains the information of the original BdG Hamiltonian in a given energy domain. In other words, the present approach leads to a numerical construction of a low-energy effective theory in superconductivity. The combination with the polynomial expansion method allows a self-consistent calculation of the BdG equations. Through numerical calculations of quasi-particle excitations in a vortex lattice, thermal conductivity, and nuclear magnetic relaxation rate, we show that our approach is suitable for evaluating physical quantities in a large-size superconductor and a nano-scale superconducting device, with the mean-field superconducting theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗