We study nonreciprocal signatures of Josephson current (JC) in a quantum dot (QD)-based Josephson junction (JJ) that comprises of two periodically driven Kitaev chains (KCs) coupled with an intervening QD. The simultaneous breaking of the inversion symmetry ($\mathcal{IS}$) and the time-reversal symmetry ($\mathcal{TRS}$), indispensable for the Josephson diode effect (JDE), is achieved solely via the two Floquet drives that differ by a finite phase, which eventually results in a nonreciprocal current, and hence yields a finite JDE. It may be noted that the Floquet Majorana modes generated at both the far ends of the KCs (away from the QD) and adjacent to the QD junctions mediate the JC owing to a finite superconducting (SC) phase difference in the two KCs. We calculate the time-averaged JC and inspect the tunability of the current-phase relation (CPR) to ascertain the diode characteristics. The asymmetric Floquet drive also manifests an anomalous JC signature in our KC-QD-KC JJ. Furthermore, additional control over the QD energy level can be achieved via an external gate voltage that renders flexibility for the Josephson diode (JD) to act as an SC switching device. Tuning different system parameters, such as the chemical potential of the KCs, Floquet frequency, the relative phase mismatch of the drives, and the gate voltage, our model shows the highest possible rectification to be around $70\%$. Summarizing, our study provides an alternative scenario, replacing the traditional usage of an external magnetic field and spin-orbit coupling effects in a JD via asymmetrically driven Kitaev leads that entail Majorana-mediated transport.
Valley degrees of freedom offer a potential resource for quantum information processing if they can be effectively controlled. We discuss an optical approach to this problem in which intense light breaks electronic symmetries of a two-dimensional Dirac material. The resulting quasienergy structures may then differ for different valleys, so that the Floquet physics of the system can be exploited to produce highly polarized valley currents. This physics can be utilized to realize a valley valve whose behavior is determined optically. We propose a concrete way to achieve such valleytronics in gra…
Periodically driven Kitaev chains are known to exhibit novel Floquet Majorana fermions and anomalous Floquet end modes. The fact that `quasienergy in Floquet systems is periodic' poses a difficulty in defining the ground state in periodically driven systems. To overcome this problem, we start with the ground state of the undriven Kitaev chain and gradually switch on the periodic driving in chemical potential over a timescale $τ$. The extent to which the single particle eigenstates of the undriven system get distributed among the Floquet states upon driving can be characterized by inverse parti…
We propose a tunable optical setup to engineer topologically nontrivial flat bands in twisted bilayer graphene under circularly polarized light. Using both analytical and numerical calculations, we demonstrate that nearly flat bands can be engineered at small twist angles near the magic angles of the static system. The flatness and the gaps between these bands can be tuned optically by varying laser frequency and amplitude. We study the effects of interlayer hopping variations on Floquet flat bands and find that lattice relaxation favors their formation. Furthermore, we find that, once formed,…
We demonstrate transport rectification in a hermitian Hamiltonian quantum ratchet by a dissipative, dynamic impurity. While the bulk of the ratchet supports transport in both directions, the properly designed loss function of the local impurity acts as a direction-dependent filter for the moving states. We analyse this scheme theoretically by making use of Floquet-S-Matrix theory. In addition, we provide the direct experimental observation of one-way transmittance in periodically modulated plasmonic waveguide arrays containing a local impurity with engineered losses.
Operation of semiconductor lasers in the 20--50 $μ$m wavelength range is hindered by strong non-radiative recombination in the interband laser diodes, and strong lattice absorption in GaAs-based quantum cascade structures. Here, we propose an electrically pumped laser diode based on multiple HgTe quantum wells with band structure engineered for Auger recombination suppression. Using a comprehensive model accounting for carrier drift and diffusion, electron and hole capture in quantum wells, Auger recombination, and heating effects, we show the feasibility of lasing at $λ= 26...30$ $μ$m at temp…
We propose a realization of the superconducting diode effect in flux biased superconducting circuits of Josephson junctions. So far the observation of the superconducting diode effect has been limited to rather exotic material platforms. In theoretical proposals, it relied on a non-sinusoidal form of the current phase relation of Josephson junctions. Here, we show how the diode effect can be engineered in superconducting circuits without any such requirements. The only necessary ingredients are standard sinusoidal Josephson junctions and flux bias lines that are readily available in scalable i…
We study a realistic Floquet topological superconductor, a periodically driven nanowire proximitized to an equilibrium s-wave superconductor. Due to both strong energy and density fluctuations caused from the superconducting proximity effect, the Floquet Majorana wire becomes dissipative. We show that the Floquet band structure is still preserved in this dissipative system. In particular, we find that both the Floquet Majorana zero and pi modes can no longer be simply described by the Floquet topological band theory. We also propose an effective model to simplify the calculation of the lifetim…
Floquet engineering is a convenient strategy to induce nonequilibrium phenomena in molecular and solid-state systems, or to dramatically alter the physicochemical properties of matter, bypassing costly and time-consuming synthetic modifications. In this article, we investigate theoretically some interesting consequences of the fact that an originally achiral molecular system can exhibit nonzero circular dichroism (CD) when it is driven with elliptically polarized light. More specifically, we consider an isotropic ensemble of small cyclic molecular aggregates in solution whose local low-frequen…
The advent of graphene and related 2D materials has recently led to a new technology: heterostructures based on these atomically thin crystals. The paradigm proved itself extremely versatile and led to rapid demonstration of tunnelling diodes with negative differential resistance, tunnelling transistors5, photovoltaic devices, etc. Here we take the complexity and functionality of such van der Waals heterostructures to the next level by introducing quantum wells (QWs) engineered with one atomic plane precision. We describe light emitting diodes (LEDs) made by stacking up metallic graphene, insu…
Tsinghua University（清华大学）；State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Tsinghua University（清华大学低维量子物理国家重点实验室）；Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information（量子信息前沿科学中心）
Time periodic modulations of the transverse field in the closed XY spin-1/2 chain generate a very rich dynamical phase diagram, with a hierarchy of topological phases characterized by differing numbers of Floquet-Majorana modes. We show that this rich phase diagram survives when the system is coupled to dissipative end reservoirs. Circumventing the obstacle of preparing and measuring quasi energy configurations endemic to Floquet-Majorana detection schemes, we show that stroboscopic heat transport and spin density are robust observables to detect both the dynamical phase transitions and Majora…
We study Floquet topological phases in periodically driven systems that are protected by "time glide symmetry", a combination of reflection and half time period translation. Time glide symmetry is an analog of glide symmetry with partial time translation replacing the partial space translation, and hence, is an intrinsically dynamical symmetry which may be engineered in periodically driven systems by exploiting the controllability of driving. We present lattice models of time glide symmetric Floquet topological insulators in two and three dimensions. The topological numbers characterizing thos…
We introduce the concept of a Floquet gauge pump whereby a dynamically engineered Floquet Hamiltonian is employed to reveal the inherent degeneracy of the ground state in interacting systems. We demonstrate this concept in a one-dimensional XY model with periodically driven couplings and transverse field. In the high-frequency limit, we obtain the Floquet Hamiltonian consisting of the static XY and dynamically generated Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction (DMI) terms. The dynamically generated magnetization current depends on the phases of complex coupling terms, with the XY interaction as the re…
We review methods for using time-periodic fields (e.g., laser or microwave fields) to induce non-equilibrium topological phenomena in quantum many-body systems. We discuss how such fields can be used to change the topological properties of the single particle spectrum, and key experimental demonstrations in solid state, cold atomic, and photonic systems. The single particle Floquet band structure provides a stage on which the system's dynamics play out; the crucial question is then how to obtain robust topological behaviour in the many-particle setting. In the regime of mesoscopic transport, w…
We propose dynamical protocols allowing for the engineered realization of topological surface states in isolation. Our approach builds on the concept of synthetic dimensions generated by driving systems with incommensurate frequencies. As a concrete example, we consider 3d topological surface states of a 4d quantum Hall insulator via a $(1+2_\mathrm{syn})$-dimensional protocol. We present first principle analytical calculations demonstrating that no supporting 4d bulk phase is required for a 3d topological surface phase. We back the analytical approach by numerical simulations and present a de…
Occupation-Driven Josephson Diode in a Symmetric Junction
Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海微系统与信息技术研究所）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University（上海科技大学理学院）
Hamiltonians which are inaccessible in static systems can be engineered in periodically driven many-body systems, i.e., Floquet many-body systems. We propose to use interacting particles in a one-dimensional (1D) harmonic potential with periodic kicking to investigate two-dimensional (2D) topological and many-body physics. Depending on the driving parameters, the Floquet Hamiltonian of single kicked harmonic oscillator has various lattice structures in phase space. The noncommutative geometry of phase space gives rise to the topology of the system. We investigate the effective interactions of …
A Kapitza Pendulum Route to Supercurrent Tunnel Diodes
Istituto di Struttura della Materia of the National Research Council（国家研究委员会材料结构研究所）；Institute for Theoretical Solid State Physics, IFW Dresden（德累斯顿IFW理论固体质物理研究所）；CNR-SPIN；Istituto Lombardo “Accademia di Scienze e Lettere”（伦巴第科学院与文学院）；NEST Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore（CNR纳米科学研究所NEST与比萨高等师范学院）；Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat（维尔茨堡-德累斯顿卓越集群ct.qmat）；Universitá di Salerno（萨莱诺大学）
Weakly spin-orbit coupled electron and hole spins in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) constitute near-perfect two-level systems to explore the interaction of light and matter in the ultrastrong-drive regime. Under such highly non-perturbative conditions, the frequency at which the spin oscillates between states, the Rabi frequency, becomes comparable to its natural resonance frequency, the Larmor frequency. For such conditions, we develop an intuitive understanding of the emergence of hybrid light-matter states, illustrating how dipole-forbidden multiple-quantum transitions at integer and…
We employ a quantum Liouville equation with relaxation to model the recently observed anomalous Hall effect in graphene irradiated by an ultrafast pulse of circularly polarized light. In the weak-field regime, we demonstrate that the Hall effect originates from an asymmetric population of photocarriers in the Dirac bands. By contrast, in the strong-field regime, the system is driven into a non-equilibrium steady state that is well-described by topologically non-trivial Floquet-Bloch bands. Here, the anomalous Hall current originates from the combination of a population imbalance in these dress…
A growing interest in colloidal quantum dot (QD) based light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) has been motivated by the exceptional color purity and spectral tunability of QD emission as well as the amenability of QD materials to highly scalable and inexpensive solution processing. One current challenge in the QD-LED field has been a still incomplete understanding of the role of extrinsic factors (e.g., recombination via QD surface defects) versus intrinsic processes such as multicarrier Auger recombination or electron-hole separation due to applied electric field in defining device efficiency. Here,…
We study the bulk and edge properties of a driven Kitaev chain, where the driving is performed as instantaneous quenches of the on-site energies. We identify three periodic driving regimes: low period, which is equivalent to a static model, with renormalized parameters obtained from the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff (BCH) expansion; intermediate period, where the first order BCH expansion breaks down; and high period when the quasienergy gap at $ω/2$ closes. We investigate the dynamical localization properties for the case of quasiperiodic potential driving as a function of its amplitude and the pa…
We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of GaN interband tunnel junction showing forward tunneling characteristics. We have achieved very high forward tunneling currents (153 mA/cm2 at 10 mV, and 17.7 A/cm2 peak current) in polarization-engineered GaN/InGaN/GaN heterojunction diodes grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We also report the observation of repeatable negative differential resistance in interband III-Nitride tunnel junctions, with peak-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 4 at room temperature. The forward current density achieved in this work meets the typ…
