arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Yuli V. Nazarov.
We show theoretically that weak quantum fluctuations induced by a non-symmetric electromagnetic environment may lead to a quantized transconductance of a multi-terminal quantum contact rather than to a blockade of transport in the contact. The result suggests the possibility to realize Quantum Hall phenomenology without its common ingredients and/or a topological quantum state.
Here we present a detailed theoretical investigation of the environment-induced interaction correction to the ground states and addition energies in a short superconducting junction. We derive general formulas for these corrections linking them to the frequency-dependent admittance of the junction and the environment impedance. We specify two environmental models: that of an external impedance and the Mattis-Bardeen model. In both cases we assume $G_Q Z \ll 1$, where $G_Q$ is the conductance quantum and $Z$ the typical environmental resistance. While an expectation is that the typical scale of the relative correction is of the order $G_Q Z$, we have found that in many cases the dimensionless scale $L G_Q Δ$ provides a better estimation, where $Δ$ is the superconducting energy gap and $L$ an external inductance. We discuss the logarithmic renormalizations of the energies by low- and high-frequency phase fluctuations and single out a non-superconducting contribution related to the renormalization of transmission eigenvalues. We investigate in detail the peculiarities of the corrections at: i. small phases, where the interaction causes a current jump, ii. Andreev bound state energies close to the gap edge, iii. Andreev bound state energies close to Fermi level. In all these cases the correction may become comparable with the unperturbed energy, even for $G_Q Z \ll 1$, and we briefly sketch non-perturbative models relevant for the situations.
We consider the renormalization of transport in a quantum contact by the external electromagnetic environment and show that weak quantum fluctuations from a symmetric environment can lead to a quantized transconductance in five-terminal contacts. This mechanism does not work for fewer terminals. We present an implementation of the environment and investigate several example quantum contacts where the quantization takes place.
We show that driven qubit junctions enable programmable control of physical entropy transport, with entropy conductance governed by quantum dynamics rather than by reservoir parameters alone. By comparing two simple quantum architectures -- a driven single-qubit junction and a driven two-qubit junction -- we find that the two-qubit junction enhances entropy transfer while requiring substantially lower driving power than its single-qubit counterpart. We further reveal two non-intuitive effects in both junctions: a sizable coherent contribution to the entropy current that emerges only under resonant driving, and negative differential entropy conductance, where increasing the thermal bias suppresses entropy flow into the probe reservoir. These results identify quantum logic architectures as programmable devices for entropy transport and suggest routes toward quantum feedback control, reservoir protection and refrigeration in driven quantum circuits.
The quantum mechanics of the Josephson effect is the core ingredient for quantum technologies with superconducting circuits. A new avenue was recently opened in this field by predicting that the Josephson quantum mechanics in the odd parity sector, when a quasiparticle in trapped in an Andreev bound state, is fundamentally different from the conventional one in the even sector. The focus was then on a Josephson junction surrounded by an electromagnetic environment formed of a collection of bosonic modes, including the case of an ohmic environment. Here we consider the distinct case of a superconducting qubit made of a single Josephson junction whose environment reduces to a capacitance. We find a novel structure for the low-lying discrete states in the odd sector, which is altogether different from the one that appears in the even sector. Our study of the bound-state spectrum ranges from the Coulomb-dominated (Cooper pair box) to the Josephson-dominated (transmon) regime. Our prediction could be tested in forthcoming experiments with superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junctions, which have been studied intensively in recent years, both using nanowires as well as two-dimensional electron gases.
Many important quantities in quantum information science, such as entropy and entanglement, are non-linear functions of the density matrix and cannot be expressed as operator observables. Standard open-system approaches evolve only a single copy of the density matrix, making it impossible to track the dynamics of such quantities. A formalism proposed by some of the present authors addressed this challenge by evolving multiple virtual replicas, but was limited to the weak-coupling regime. Here, we extend this approach to strong coupling between a quantum system and classical environments. The resulting multi-replica master equation enables direct evaluation of entropy flow and related metrics in strongly hybridized quantum-classical systems. Our results show that quantum coherence and hybridization jointly suppress net entropy transfer, creating a thermodynamic bottleneck. This framework provides a general tool for studying entropy dynamics and guiding the design of more robust, resource-efficient quantum hardware.
Andreev molecule states arise from hybridization of Andreev bound states in different Josephson Junctions. Extensive theoretical and experimental research concentrates on direct coherent electron coupling between the junctions: this implies the distance between the junctions is of the order of superconducting coherence length, that is, short. We propose and discuss the possibility to create Andreev molecules at long (in principle, arbitrary long) distance between the junctions. In this case, the hybridized states are excited quasi-particle singlets and the coupling is provided by an embedding electric circuit. To achieve a strong hybridization, one aligns the energies of the Andreev bound states with associated phase differences. In fact, a recent experiment realizes such setup. With circuit theory we derive the hybridization level splitting and estimate the scale of the effect. Since the phenomenon encompasses excited states, we derive and solve the associated Lindblad equation under condition of persistent resonant excitation. By analyzing the resulting dissipative dynamics we identify relevant regimes where the hybridization and resonant excitation peaks are most pronounced. The low-frequency mutual inductance of the Josephson junctions is an important signature of the molecular state and associated non-local Josephson effect. We demonstrate the peak structures for both mutual and self-inductance, and compute them in various frequency regimes. In an interesting common case the embedding circuit includes an oscillator, which can be used both to enhance hybridization and for state readout with two-tone spectroscopy. We derive and solve Lindblad equations for the conditions of two-tone spectroscopy to demonstrate the the readout of molecular states.
We study the current-phase relation (CPR) of an InSb-Al nanowire Josephson junction in parallel magnetic fields up to $700$\,mT. At high magnetic fields and in narrow voltage intervals of a gate under the junction, the CPR exhibits $π$-shifts. The supercurrent declines within these gate intervals and shows asymmetric gate voltage dependence above and below them. We detect these features sometimes also at zero magnetic field. The observed CPR properties are reproduced by a theoretical model of supercurrent transport via interference between direct transmission and a resonant localized state.
A Josephson junction may be in a stable odd parity state when a single quasiparticle is trapped in an Andreev bound state. Embedding such junction in an electromagnetic environment gives rise to a special quantum mechanics of superconducting phase that we investigate theoretically. Our analysis covers several representative cases, from the lifting of the supercurrent quench due to quasiparticle poisoning for a low ohmic impedance of the environment, to a Schmid transition in a current-biased junction that for odd parity occurs at four times bigger critical impedance. For intermediate impedances, the supercurrent in the odd state is higher than in the even one.
Inspired by recent experimental findings that will be presented elsewhere, we formulate and investigate a model of a superconducting junction that combines the electron propagation in a quantum channel with an arbitrary transmission, and that through a localized state. Interesting situation occurs if the energy of the localized state is close to Fermi level, that is, the state is in resonant tunnelling regime. Since this energy is affected by the gate voltage, we expect a drastic modification of transport properties of the junction in a narrow interval of the gate voltages where the energy distance to Fermi level is of the order of $Γ, Δ$, $Γ$ being the energy broadening of the localized state, $Δ$ being the superconducting energy gap. We consider the model neglecting the interaction in the localized state, as well as accounting for the interaction in a simplistic mean-field approach where it manifests itself as a spin-splitting. This spin splitting is also contributed by external magnetic field. We also take into account the spin-orbit interaction that can be significant in realistic experimental circumstances. In normal state, we find that the model may describe both peak and dip in the transmission at resonant gate voltage. Spin splitting splits the positions of these peculiarities. Fano interference of the transmission amplitudes results in an asymmetric shape of the peaks/dips. In superconducting state, the spin splitting results in a complex dependence of the superconducting current on the superconducting phase. In several cases, this is manifested as a pair of $0 - π$ transitions in the narrow interval of gate voltages. The article in the present form is not intended for a journal submission.
We show that the quasi-continuous gapless spectrum of Andreev bound states in multi-terminal semi-classical superconducting nanostructures exhibits a big number of topological singularities. We concentrate on Weyl points in a 4-terminal nanostructure, compute their density and correlations in 3D parameter space for a universal RMT model as well as for the concrete nanostructures described by the quantum circuit theory. We mention the opportunities for experimental observation of the effect in a quasi-continuous spectrum.
The energy levels of a quasi-continuous spectrum in mesoscopic systems fluctuate in positions, and the distribution of the fluctuations reveals information about the microscopic nature of the structure under consideration. Here, we investigate mesoscopic fluctuations of the secondary "smile" gap, that appears in the quasiclassical spectrum of a chaotic cavity coupled to one or more superconductors. Utilizing a random matrix model, we compute numerically the energies of Andreev levels and access the distribution of the gap widths. We mostly concentrate on the universal regime $E_{\mathrm{Th}}\ggΔ$ with $E_{\mathrm{Th}}$ being the Thouless energy of the cavity and $Δ$ being the superconducting gap. We find that the distribution is determined by an intermediate energy scale $Δ_g$ with the value between the level spacing in the cavity $δ_s$ and the quasiclassical value of the gap $E_g$. From our numerics we extrapolate the first two cumulants of the gap distribution in the limit of large level and channel number. We find that the scaled distribution in this regime is the Tracy-Widom distribution: the same as found by Vavilov at al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{86}, 874 (2001)] for the distribution of the minigap edge in the opposite limit $E_{\mathrm{Th}}\ll Δ$. This leads us to the conclusion that the distribution found is a universal property of chaotic proximity systems at the edge of a continuous spectrum.
We propose a scheme to perform braiding and all other unitary operations with Majorana modes in 1D that, in contrast to previous proposals, is solely based on resonant manipulation involving the first excited state extended over the modes. The detection of the population of the excited state also enables initialization and read-out. We provide an elaborated illustration of the scheme with a concrete device.
We propose a four-state quantum system, or quantum unit, that can be realized in superconducting hetero-structures. The unit combines the states of a spin and an Andreev qubit providing the opportunity of quantum superpositions of their states. This functionality is achieved by tunnel coupling between a 4-terminal superconducting heterostucture housing a Weyl point, and a quantum dot. The quantum states in the vicinity of the Weyl point are extremely sensitive to small changes of superconducting phase, this gives reach opportunities for quantum manipulation. We establish an effective Hamiltonian for the setup and describe the peculiarities of the resulting spectrum. We concentrate on the 4-state subspace and explain how to make a double qubit in this setup. We review various ways to achieve quantum manipulation in the unit, this includes resonant, adiabatic, diabatic manipulation and combinations of those. We provide detailed illustrations of designing arbitrary quantum gates in the unit.
We show that the annihilation dynamics of excess quasi-particles in superconductors may result in the spontaneous formation of large spin-polarized clusters. This presents a novel scenario for spontaneous spin polarization. We estimate the relevant scales for aluminum, finding the feasibility of clusters with total spin $S \simeq 10^4 \hbar$ that could be spread over microns. The fluctuation dynamics of such large spins may be detected by measuring the flux noise in a loop hosting a cluster.
The recent proposals of devices with overlapping Andreev bound states (ABS) open up the opportunities to control and fine-tune their spectrum, that can be used in various applications. In this Article, we study the ABS in a device consisting of a semiconducting nanowire covered with three superconducting leads. The ABS are formed at two junctions where the wire is not covered. They overlap in the wire where the electron propagation is 1D, and in one of the leads where the propagation is 3D. We identify a number of regimes where these two overlaps either dominate or compete, depending on the junction separation $L$ as compared to the correlation lengths $ξ_{\rm w}$, $ξ_{\rm s}$ in the wire and in the lead, respectively. We utilize a simple model of 1D electron spectrum in the nanowire and take into account the quality of the contact between the nanowire and the superconducting lead. We present the spectra for different $L$, detailing the transition from a single-ABS in the regime of strong 1D hybridization to two almost independent ABS hybridized at the degeneracy points, in the regime of weak 1D hybridization. We present the details of merging the upper ABS with the continuous spectrum upon decreasing $L$. We study in detail the effect of quantum interference due to the phase accumulated during the electron passage between the junctions. We develop a perturbation theory for analytical treatment of hybridization. We address an interesting separate case of fully transparent junctions. We derive and exemplify a perturbation theory suitable for the competition regime demonstrating the interference of 1D and two 3D transmission amplitudes.
Currently, 'time' does not play any essential role in quantum information theory. In this sense, quantum information theory is underdeveloped similarly to how quantum physics was underdeveloped before Erwin Schrodinger introduced his famous equation for the evolution of a quantum wave function. In this review article, we cope with the problem of time for one of the central quantities in quantum information theory: entropy. Recently, a replica trick formalism, the so-called 'multiple parallel world' formalism, has been proposed that revolutionizes entropy evaluation for quantum systems. This formalism is one of the first attempts to introduce 'time evolution' in quantum information theory. With the total entropy being conserved in a closed system, entropy can flow internally between subsystems; however, we show that this flow is not limited only to physical correlations as the literature suggest. The nonlinear dependence of entropy on the density matrix introduces new types of correlations with no analogue in physical quantities. Evolving a number of replicas simultaneously makes it possible for them to exchange particles between different replicas. We will summarize some of the recent news about entropy in some example quantum devices. Moreover, we take a quick look at a new correspondence that was recently proposed that provides an interesting link between quantum information theory and quantum physics. The mere existence of such a correspondence allows for exploring new physical phenomena as the result of controlling entanglement in a quantum device.
The recent proposals of experiments with single Andreev bound states make relevant a detailed analysis of these states in multi-terminal superconducting nanostructures. We evaluate the energy splitting of degenerate Andreev bound states, that overlap in a superconducting lead, and find that the splitting is reduced in comparison with their energy by a small factor $\sqrt{R G_Q}$, $R G_Q$ being the dimensionless resistance of the overlap region in the normal state. This permits quantum manipulation of the quasiparticles in these states. We provide a simple scheme of such manipulation.