Exotic Features Research Articles

Studying Critical Parameters of Superconductor via Diamond Quantum Sensors

Abstract Critical parameters are the key to superconductivity research, and reliable instrumentations can facilitate the study. Traditionally, one has to use several different measurement techniques to measure critical parameters separately. In this work, we develop the use of a single species of quantum sensor to determine and estimate several critical parameters with the help of independent simulation data. We utilize the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in the diamond, which recently emerged as a promising candidate for probing exotic features in condensed matter physics. The non-invasive and highly stable nature provides extraordinary opportunities to solve scientific problems in various systems. Using a high-quality single-crystalline YBa2Cu4O8 (YBCO) as a platform, we demonstrate the use of diamond particles and a bulk diamond to probe the Meissner effect. The evolution of the vector magnetic field, the H-T phase diagram, and the map of fluorescence contour are studied via NV sensing. Our results reveal different critical parameters, including lower critical field Hc1 , upper critical field Hc2 , and critical current density jc , as well as verifying the unconventional nature of this high-temperature superconductor YBCO. Therefore, NV-based quantum sensing techniques have huge potential in condensed matter research.

Two-strand ladder network variants: Localization, multifractality, and quantum dynamics under an Aubry-André-Harper kind of quasiperiodicity

In this paper we demonstrate, using a couple of variants of a two-strand ladder network that, a quasiperiodic Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) modulation applied to the vertical strands, mimicking a deterministic distortion in the network, can give rise to certain exotic features in the electronic spectrum of such systems. While, for the simplest ladder network all the eigenstates become localized as the modulation strength crosses a threshold, for the second variant, modeling an ultrathin graphene nano-ribbon, the central part of the energy spectrum remains populated by extended wavefunctions. The multifractal character in the energy spectrum is observed for both these networks close to the critical values of the modulation. We substantiate our findings also by studying the quantum dynamics of a wave packet on such decorated lattices. Interestingly, while the mean square displacement (MSD) changes in the usual manner in a pure two-strand ladder network as the modulation strength varies, for the ultrathin graphene nanoribbon the temporal behavior of the MSD remains unaltered only up to a strong modulation strength. This, we argue, is due to the extendedness of the wavefunction at the central part of the energy spectrum. Other measurements like the return probability, temporal autocorrelation function, the time dependence of the inverse participation ratio, and the information entropy are calculated for both networks with different modulation strengths and corroborate our analytical findings.

The bispectrum in Lagrangian perturbation theory

We study the bispectrum in Lagrangian perturbation theory. Extending past results for the power spectrum, we describe a method to efficiently compute the bispectrum in LPT, focusing on the Zeldovich approximation, in which contributions due to linear displacements are captured to all orders in a manifestly infrared (IR) safe way. We then isolate the effects of these linear displacements on oscillatory components of the power spectrum like baryon acoustic oscillations or inflationary primordial features and show that the Eulerian perturbation theory (EPT) prescription wherein their effects are resummed by a Gaussian damping of the oscillations arise as a saddle-point approximation of our calculation. These two methods of IR resummation are in excellent agreement at 1-loop in the bispectrum. At tree level, resummed EPT does less well to capture the nonlinear damping of the oscillations, and the LPT calculation does not require an artificial split of the power spectrum into smooth and oscillatory components, making the latter particularly useful for modeling exotic features. We finish by extending our analysis of IR resummation in LPT to N-point functions of arbitrary order.

Exact results of the one-dimensional repulsive Hubbard model

We present analytical results of the fundamental properties of the one-dimensional (1D) Hubbard model with a repulsive interaction. The new model results with arbitrary external fields include: (I) using the exact solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations of the Hubbard model, we first rigorously calculate the gapless spin and charge excitations, exhibiting exotic features of fractionalized spinons and holons. We then investigate the gapped excitations in terms of the spin string and thek-Λstring bound states at arbitrary driving fields, showing subtle differences in spin magnons and chargeη-pair excitations. (II) For a high-density and high spin magnetization region, i.e. near the quadruple critical point, we further analytically obtain the thermodynamic properties, dimensionless ratios and scaling functions near quantum phase transitions. (III) Importantly, we give the general scaling functions at quantum criticality for arbitrary filling and interaction strength. These can directly apply to other integrable models. (IV) Based on the fractional excitations and the scaling laws, the spin-incoherent Luttinger liquid (SILL) with only the charge propagation mode is elucidated by the asymptotic of the two-point correlation functions with the help of conformal field theory. We also, for the first time, obtain the analytical results of the thermodynamics for the SILL. (V) Finally, to capture deeper insights into the Mott insulator and interaction-driven criticality, we further study the double occupancy and propose its associated contact and contact susceptibilities, through which an adiabatic cooling scheme based upon quantum criticality is proposed. In this scenario, we build up general relations among arbitrary external- and internal-potential-driven quantum phase transitions, providing a comprehensive understanding of quantum criticality. Our methods offer rich perspectives of quantum integrability and offer promising guidance for future experiments with interacting electrons and ultracold atoms, both with and without a lattice.

Exact solution for the collective non-Markovian decay of two fully excited quantum emitters

Waveguide quantum electrodynamics constitutes a modern paradigm for the interaction of light and matter, in which strong coupling, bath structure, and propagation delays can break the radiative conditions that quantum emitters typically encounter in free space. These characteristics intertwine the excitations of quantum emitters and guided radiation modes to form complex multiphoton dynamics. So far, combining the collective decay of the emitters with the non-Markovian effects induced by the modes has escaped a full solution and the detailed physics behind these systems remains unknown. Here we analyze such a collective non-Markovian decay in a minimal system of two excited emitters coupled to a one-dimensional single-band waveguide. We develop an exact solution for this system in terms of elementary functions that unveils hidden symmetries and predicts new forms of spontaneous decay. The collective non-Markovian dynamics, which are strongly dependent on the vacuum coupling and the detuning from the center of the band, show exotic features that can be characterized with a simple and readily available criterion. Our analytic methods shed light on the complexity of collective light-matter interactions and open up a pathway for understanding multiparticle open quantum systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Critical analysis between the Ossa-Morena Zone and the Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone, Iberian Massif: Geochemical and geochronological comparison and geodynamic implications

Recent studies have suggested the existence of a correlation between the allochthonous units of NW Iberia (Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone - GTMZ) with SW Iberia (Ossa-Morena Zone – OMZ) in the European Variscan Belt. Such proposed equivalence is based on lithostratigraphic, tectono-metamorphic, geochronological, and geochemical affinities between these two domains, and implies that both zones had the same Neoproterozoic and early Palaeozoic basins, recording the same magmatic episodes and enduring the same tectono-metamorphic processes related to the Variscan Orogeny. As so, in order to better understand the evolution of these domains during the Ediacaran-Cambrian period, a comprehensive geochemical, isotopic and geochronological analysis of the metasediments that make up the OMZ and the allochthonous units of the GTMZ was carried out. The results show that the metasediments of OMZ and the Lower Allochthonous units of GTMZ present similar geochemical and geochronological features, having been likely deposited near each other, although small, but specific differences between both domains suggest that they do not correspond to the same depocentre. However, no geochemical, isotopic or geochronological correlation can be established with any of these domains and the Upper Allochthonous units of GTMZ. These metasediments display quite exotic features and, as such, were likely deposited in a different narrower basin, located to the W of the basins where OMZ and Lower Allochthonous units of GTMZ were deposited, thus providing precise constraints on the paleogeographic reconstruction of these domains during the Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovician dismembering of Gondwana.

Intruder band mixing in an ab initio description of 12Be

The spectrum of ▪ exhibits exotic features, e.g., an intruder ground state and shape coexistence, normally associated with the breakdown of a shell closure. While previous phenomenological treatments indicated the ground state has substantial contributions from intruder configurations, it is only with advances in computational abilities and improved interactions that this intruder mixing is observed in ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) predictions. In this work, we extract electromagnetic observables and symmetry decompositions from the NCSM wave functions to demonstrate that the low-lying positive parity spectrum can be explained in terms of mixing of rotational bands with very different intrinsic structure coexisting within the low-lying spectrum. These observed bands exhibit an approximate SU(3) symmetry and are qualitatively consistent with Elliott model predictions.

Chirality-enabled topological phase transitions in parity-time symmetric systems

Photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) in chiral PT-symmetric systems exhibits many exotic features, but the underlying physical mechanism has not been well elucidated. Here, through rigorous calculations based on full-wave theory, we reveal the physical mechanism of the exotic PSHE and identify a chirality-enabled topological phase transition. When circularly polarized light is incident on a chiral PT-symmetric system, the transmitted beam contains two components: a spin-flipped abnormal mode that acquires a geometric phase (exhibiting a vortex or a spin-Hall shift), and a spin-maintained normal mode that does not exhibit such a phase. If the phase difference between the cross-polarized Fresnel coefficients cannot be ignored, it results in a chirality-enabled phase and intensity distribution in the abnormal mode, which induces an exotic PSHE. Consequently, as the incident angle increases, a chirality-induced topological phase transition occurs, namely the transition from the vortex generation to the exotic PSHE. Finally, we confirm that the asymmetric and periodic PSHE in the chiral slab is also related to the phase difference between the cross-polarized Fresnel coefficients. These concepts and findings also provide an opportunity for unifying the phenomena of topological phase transitions in various spin-orbit photonic systems.

Resolving the topology of encircling multiple exceptional points

Non-Hermiticity has emerged as a new paradigm for controlling coupled-mode systems in ways that cannot be achieved with conventional techniques. One aspect of this control that has received considerable attention recently is the encircling of exceptional points (EPs). To date, most work has focused on systems consisting of two modes that are tuned by two control parameters and have isolated EPs. While these systems exhibit exotic features related to EP encircling, it has been shown that richer behavior occurs in systems with more than two modes. Such systems can be tuned by more than two control parameters, and contain EPs that form a knot-like structure. Control loops that encircle this structure cause the system’s eigenvalues to trace out non-commutative braids. Here we consider a hybrid scenario: a three-mode system with just two control parameters. We describe the relationship between control loops and their topology in the full and two-dimensional parameter space. We demonstrate this relationship experimentally using a three-mode mechanical system in which the control parameters are provided by optomechanical interaction with a high-finesse optical cavity.

Transport properties of Hall-type quantum states in disordered bismuthene

Bismuthene, an inherently hexagonal structure characterized by a huge bulk gap, offers a versatile platform for investigating the electronic transport of various topological quantum states. Using nonequilibrium Green’s function method and Landauer–Büttiker formula, we thoroughly investigate the transport properties of various Hall-type quantum states, including quantum spin Hall (QSH) edge states, quantum valley Hall kink (QVHK) states, and quantum spin–valley Hall kink (QSVHK) states, in the presence of various disorders. Based on the exotic transport features, a spin–valley filter, capable of generating a highly spin- and valley-polarized current, is proposed. The valley index and the spin index of the filtered QSVHK state are determined by the staggered potential and the intrinsic spin–orbit coupling, respectively. The efficiency of the spin–valley filter is supported by the spacial current distribution, the valley-resolved conductance, and the spin-resolved conductance. Compared with a sandwich structure for QSVHK, our proposed spin–valley filter can work with a much smaller size and is more accessible in the experiment.

Phase Diagram Mapping out the Complex Magnetic Structure of Single Crystals of (Gd, Er)B4 Solid Solutions

Measurements of specific heat and magnetization in single crystals were used to map out the magnetic phase diagram of Gd1−xErxB4 (x = 0.2 and 0.4) solid solutions along the c-axis. While GdB4 orders antiferromagnetically (AF) at 41.7 K, with the easy plane of magnetization oriented perpendicularly to the c-axis, ErB4 displays AF ordering below 15.4 K, with the easy axis along c. Therefore, in solid solutions, the competition between the different spin anisotropies, as well as frustration, lead to a complex spin configuration. These measurements reveal that a 40% substitution of Er for Gd is sufficient for generating a phase diagram similar to the one for the ErB4 system, characterized by the occurrence of plateau phases and other exotic features attributed to the interplay of competing magnetic anisotropies.

Electronic Lieb lattice signatures embedded in two-dimensional polymers with a square lattice.

Exotic band features, such as Dirac cones and flat bands, arise directly from the lattice symmetry of materials. The Lieb lattice is one of the most intriguing topologies, because it possesses both Dirac cones and flat bands which intersect at the Fermi level. However, the synthesis of Lieb lattice materials remains a challenging task. Here, we explore two-dimensional polymers (2DPs) derived from zinc-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) building blocks with a square lattice (sql) as potential electronic Lieb lattice materials. By systematically varying the linker length (ZnPc-xP), we found that some ZnPc-xP exhibit a characteristic Lieb lattice band structure. Interestingly though, fes bands are also observed in ZnPc-xP. The coexistence of fes and Lieb in sql 2DPs challenges the conventional perception of the structure-electronic structure relationship. In addition, we show that manipulation of the Fermi level, achieved by electron removal or atom substitution, effectively preserves the unique characteristics of Lieb bands. The Lieb Dirac bands of ZnPc-4P shows a non-zero Chern number. Our discoveries provide a fresh perspective on 2DPs and redefine the search for Lieb lattice materials into a well-defined chemical synthesis task.

Strain engineering of magneto-optical properties in C[formula omitted]B/C[formula omitted]N van der Waals heterostructure

Carbon-based bilayer van der Waals (vdW) materials are attracting much attention due to their predicted interesting physical properties. Here, we theoretically investigate electronic and optical properties of C3B/C3N vdW heterostructure (HTS) under external magnetic field and mechanical strain. The tight-binding model of the system is constructed to include the strain-induced modification of the hopping interactions. The influence of a uniform perpendicular magnetic field is included by using the Peierls substitution method. We observe the intriguing electronic and optical characteristics of the HTS under mechanical strain, covering the band inversion, alteration of band gap and optical gap, distortion of band-edge states, as well as significant enhancement of optical absorption. Furthermore, the interplay between external magnetic field and biaxial strain leads to exotic features of quantization and optical spectra. This work provides important information for the comprehension of the engineering of materials by external effects. Our study suggests that C3B/C3N vdW HTS is a promising candidate for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Semiempirical Methods for Molecular Systems in Strong Magnetic Fields.

A general scheme is presented to extend semiempirical methods to include the effects of arbitrary strength magnetic fields, while maintaining computational efficiency. The approach utilizes three main modifications; a London atomic orbital (LAO) basis set is introduced, field-dependent kinetic energy corrections are added to the model Hamiltonian, and spin-Zeeman interaction energy terms are included. The approach is applied to the widely available density-functional tight-binding method GFN1-xTB. Considering the basis set requirements for the kinetic energy corrections in a magnetic field leads to two variants: a single-basis approach GFN1-xTB-M0 and a dual-basis approach GFN1-xTB-M1. The LAO basis in the latter includes the appropriate nodal structure for an accurate representation of the kinetic energy corrections. The variants are assessed by benchmarking magnetizabilities and nuclear magnetic resonance shielding constants calculated using weak magnetic fields. Remarkably, the GFN1-xTB-M1 approach also exhibits excellent performance for strong fields, || ≤ 0.2B0 (B0 = 2.3505 × 105 T), recovering exotic features such as the para- to dia-magnetic transition in the BH molecule and the preferred electronic configuration, molecular conformation, and orientation of benzene. At stronger field strengths, || > 0.2B0, a degradation in the quality of the results is observed. The utility of GFN1-xTB-M1 is demonstrated by performing conformer searches in a range of field strengths for the cyclooctatetraene molecule, with GFN1-xTB-M1 capturing the transition from tub to planar conformations at high field, consistent with much more computationally demanding current-density functional theory calculations. Magnetically induced currents are also shown to be well described for the benzene and infinitene molecules, the latter demonstrating the flexibility and computational efficiency of the approach. The GFN1-xTB-M1 approach is a useful tool for the study of structure, conformation, and dynamics of large systems in magnetic fields at the semiempirical level as well as for preoptimization of molecular structure in ab initio calculations, enabling more efficient exploration of complex potential energy surfaces and reactivity in the presence of external fields.

Emergence of chimeras: An impetus by exceptional points.

A nonconservative system with nonreciprocal interaction has been found to reveal exotic features where sudden phase transitions can occur. In this paper, the emanation of a chimera in a network of Stuart-Landau oscillators with nonreciprocal interaction is reported. Note that the spins follow the random discrete distribution. In other words, we pick a random oscillator to rotate clockwise or anticlockwise. At the transition points, we find the spectral singularities in the eigenplane, where eigenvalues coalesce, commonly known as exceptional points. We find that the counterrotational symmetry breaking induced by exceptional points antecedents the occurrence of the chimera. We numerically attest to the findings for two cases of initial conditions, namely, bipartite and random. We also extend our study to a two-dimensional array of nonreciprocally interacting, distributed spins. The findings could have pragmatic implications in the areas of active matter, networks, and photonics.

Topological transport properties of highly oriented Bi2Te3 thin film deposited by sputtering

Topological insulators (TIs) are the promising materials for next-generation technology due to their exotic features such as spin momentum locking, conducting surface states, etc. However, the high-quality growth of TIs by sputtering technique, which is one of the foremost industrial requirements, is extremely challenging. Also, the demonstration of simple investigation protocols to characterize topological properties of TIs using electron-transport methods is highly desirable. Here, we report the quantitative investigation of non-trivial parameters employing magnetotransport measurements on a prototypical highly textured Bi2Te3 TI thin film prepared by sputtering. Through the systematic analyses of the temperature and magnetic field dependent resistivity, all topological parameters associated with TIs, such as coherency factor , Berry phase (), mass term (m), the dephasing parameter (p), slope of temperature dependent conductivity correction () and the surface state penetration depth (λ) are estimated by using the modified ‘Hikami–Larkin–Nagaoka’, ‘Lu–Shen’ and ‘Altshuler–Aronov’ models. The obtained values of topological parameters are well comparable to those reported on molecular beam epitaxy grown TIs. The epitaxial growth of Bi2Te3 film using sputtering, and investigation of the non-trivial topological states from its electron-transport behavior are important for their fundamental understanding and technological applications.

The Platypus of the Quantum Channel Zoo

Understanding quantum channels and the strange behavior of their capacities is a key objective of quantum information theory. Here we study a remarkably simple, low-dimensional, single-parameter family of quantum channels with exotic quantum information-theoretic features. As the simplest example from this family, we focus on a qutrit-to-qutrit channel that is intuitively obtained by hybridizing together a simple degradable channel and a completely useless qubit channel. Such hybridizing makes this channel’s capacities behave in a variety of interesting ways. For instance, the private and classical capacity of this channel coincide and can be explicitly calculated, even though the channel does not belong to any class for which the underlying information quantities are known to be additive. Moreover, the quantum capacity of the channel can be computed explicitly, given a clear and compelling conjecture is true. This “spin alignment conjecture,” which may be of independent interest, is proved in certain special cases and additional numerical evidence for its validity is provided. Finally, we generalize the qutrit channel in two ways, and the resulting channels and their capacities display similarly rich behavior. In the companion paper [1], we further show that the qutrit channel demonstrates superadditivity when transmitting quantum information jointly with a variety of assisting channels, in a manner unknown before.

Epsilon‐Near‐Zero Enhancement of Nonlinear Responses from Intersubband Transitions in the Mid‐Infrared

AbstractMany applications of photonics require efficient nonlinear optical interactions with low power and small footprints. However, the current needs for long interaction lengths and strong laser sources of nonlinear optical devices make them unsuitable for nanophotonic integrated optics. New materials and devices with stronger nonlinear properties have been developed using various approaches in the past few years. One of the largest nonlinear optical responses reported to date has been realized with engineered intersubband transitions in n‐doped multiple quantum wells (MQWs) semiconductors. Here, this work proposes to improve further the nonlinear properties of a MQW heterostructure by tailoring its permittivity to reach near‐zero values. Materials with vanishing permittivity, called epsilon‐near‐zero (ENZ) materials, have exotic nonlinear features which can be explored to achieve this goal. To prove this point, this work makes use of In0.53Ga0.47As/Al0.48In0.52As, designs an ultrathin multilayer structure, and couples the designed structure with metasurfaces. Unprecedented nonlinear efficiency within subwavelength propagation lengths is obtained. Such structure with strong second harmonic generation (SHG) enables efficient frequency conversion, while the tunability offered by the metasurface provides new degrees of freedom to control the amplitude, phase, and polarization of the nonlinear light.

Room temperature sensing of primary alcohols via polyaniline/zirconium disulphide

Among the primary alcohols, ethanol is referred to as a heavy chemical due to its many applications in a variety of industries. Detection of primary alcohols can be deployed as a non-invasive method in medical diagnosis and safety measures in food processing companies. Zirconium disulphide is a novel 2D layered material with exotic features when in mono or few layers, which include fast electron transport, high carrier mobility and sizeable band gap. ZrS2 and PANI were fabricated using liquid exfoliation and chemical polymerization methods respectively. Functionalization of the conducting polyaniline with ZrS2 was done using facile sonication process. The sensor showed good sensitivities (43%, 58% and 104%) which were estimated from slopes of the linear fitted plots with fast response-recovery times of 8 s and 27 s (111 ppm); 12 s and 130 s (77 ppm); and 58 s and 88 s (58 ppm). Good reproducibility at three repeated measurements (111 ppm, 77 ppm and 58 ppm) was also observed for methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol vapours respectively. Meanwhile, the sensor displayed more linearity and sensitivity towards isopropanol compared to methanol and ethanol. The sensor showed good performance even at RH values close to 100% making it a potential alcohol breath analyser.

Probing a Bose metal via electrons: inescapable non-Fermi liquid scattering and pseudogap physics

Non-Fermi liquid behavior and pseudogap formation are among the most well-known examples of exotic spectral features observed in several strongly correlated materials such as the hole-doped cuprates, nickelates, iridates, ruthenates, ferropnictides, doped Mott organics, transition metal dichalcogenides, heavy fermions, d- and f-electron metals, etc. We demonstrate that these features are inevitable consequences when fermions couple to an unconventional Bose metal (Hegg et al 2021 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 118) mean field consisting of lower-dimensional coherence. Not only do we find both exotic phenomena, but also a host of other features that have been observed e.g. in the cuprates including nodal anti-nodal dichotomy and pseudogap asymmetry (symmetry) in momentum (real) space. Obtaining these exotic and heretofore mysterious phenomena via a mean field offers a simple, universal, and therefore widely applicable explanation for their ubiquitous empirical appearance.