Quantum Mechanical Phase Coherence Research Articles

Enhanced Exciton Quantum Coherence in Single CsPbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots using Femtosecond Two-Photon Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy.

Cesium-halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have gained tremendous interest as quantum emitters in quantum information processing applications due to their optical and photophysical properties. However, engineering excitonic states in quantum dots requires a deep knowledge of the coherent dynamics of their excitons at a single-particle level. Here, we use femtosecond time-resolved two-photon near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) to reveal coherences involving a single cesium lead bromide perovskite QD (CsPbBr3) at room temperature. We show that, compared to other nonperovskite nanoparticles, the electronic coherence on a single perovskite QD has a relatively long lifetime of ca. 150 fs, whereas CdSe QDs have exciton coherence times shorter than 75 fs at room temperature. One possible explanation for the longer coherence time observed for the CsPbBr3 perovskite system is related to the exciton fine structure of these perovskite QDs compared to other nanoparticles. These perovskite QDs exhibit interesting optical properties that differ from those of the traditional QDs including bright triplet exciton states. In fact, due to the small amplitude of the energy gap fluctuations of dipole-allowed triplet states in perovskite QDs, the coherent superposition could be preserved for longer times. Furthermore, single-particle excitation approach implemented in this work allows us to remove effects of heterogeneity that are usually present in ensemble averaging experiments at room temperature. The realization of quantum-mechanical phase-coherence of a charge carrier that can operate at room temperature is an issue of great importance for the potential application of coherent electronic phenomena in electronic and optoelectronic devices. These interesting findings provide further evidence of the great potential of these perovskite QDs as candidates for quantum computing and information processing applications.

Current at a Distance and Resonant Transparency in Weyl Semimetals

Surface Fermi arcs are the most prominent manifestation of the topological nature of Weyl semimetals. In the presence of a static magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the sample surface, their existence leads to unique inter-surface cyclotron orbits. We propose two experiments which directly probe the Fermi arcs: a magnetic field dependent non-local DC voltage and sharp resonances in the transmission of electromagnetic waves at frequencies controlled by the field. We show that these experiments do not rely on quantum mechanical phase coherence, which renders them far more robust and experimentally accessible than quantum effects. We also comment on the applicability of these ideas to Dirac semimetals.

Large area multiturn superfluid phase slip gyroscope

We have built and tested a large area multiturn superfluid He4 phase slip gyroscope. This device demonstrates quantum-mechanical phase coherence of superfluid He4 over a macroscopic length scale (1.4 m). The sensing loop area of this device is two orders of magnitude larger than our proof-of-principle model, with an improvement in sensitivity of ∼20 over any other superfluid He4 gyroscope. We find that this rotation sensor has excellent long-term stability. In addition, there are no new noise sources preventing further enhancements in sensitivity.

Energy spectra of quantum rings.

Quantum mechanical experiments in ring geometries have long fascinated physicists. Open rings connected to leads, for example, allow the observation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, one of the best examples of quantum mechanical phase coherence. The phase coherence of electrons travelling through a quantum dot embedded in one arm of an open ring has also been demonstrated. The energy spectra of closed rings have only recently been studied by optical spectroscopy. The prediction that they allow persistent current has been explored in various experiments. Here we report magnetotransport experiments on closed rings in the Coulomb blockade regime. Our experiments show that a microscopic understanding of energy levels, so far limited to few-electron quantum dots, can be extended to a many-electron system. A semiclassical interpretation of our results indicates that electron motion in the rings is governed by regular rather than chaotic motion, an unexplored regime in many-electron quantum dots. This opens a way to experiments where even more complex structures can be investigated at a quantum mechanical level.

Coherent branched flow in a two-dimensional electron gas.

Semiconductor nanostructures based on two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) could form the basis of future devices for sensing, information processing and quantum computation. Although electron transport in 2DEG nanostructures has been well studied, and many remarkable phenomena have already been discovered (for example, weak localization, quantum chaos, universal conductance fluctuations), fundamental aspects of the electron flow through these structures have so far not been clarified. However, it has recently become possible to image current directly through 2DEG devices using scanning probe microscope techniques. Here, we use such a technique to observe electron flow through a narrow constriction in a 2DEG-a quantum point contact. The images show that the electron flow from the point contact forms narrow, branching strands instead of smoothly spreading fans. Our theoretical study of this flow indicates that this branching of current flux is due to focusing of the electron paths by ripples in the background potential. The strands are decorated by interference fringes separated by half the Fermi wavelength, indicating the persistence of quantum mechanical phase coherence in the electron flow. These findings may have important implications for a better understanding of electron transport in 2DEGs and for the design of future nanostructure devices.

Local non-equilibrium distribution of charge carriers in a phase-coherent conductor

We use the scattering matrix approach to derive generalized Bardeen-like formulae for the conductances between the contacts of a phase-coherent multiprobe conductor and a tunneling tip which probes its surface. These conductances are proportional to local partial densities of states, called injectivities and emissivities. The current and the current fluctuations measured at the tip are related to and effective local non-equilibrium distribution function. This distribution function contains the quantum-mechanical phase-coherence of the charge carriers in the conductor and is given as products of injectivities and the Fermi distribution functions in the electron reservoirs. The results are illustrated for measurements on ballistic conductors with barriers and for diffusive conductors.

Phase coherence and tunneling between edge-states in multiple GaAs/AlxGa#x2212;x#x2212;x#x2212;xAs rings

In a GaAs/AlGaAs 4-coupled-ring sample, large Aharonov-Bohm (AB) oscillations were studied up to harmonic order n = 8 for magnetic fields 0 < B < 4.5T. The frequencies of all harmonics of the AB oscillations decrease as predicted by a simple model. The results also suggest an increase of the quantum mechanical phase coherence length (lφ) with increased B.

Conductance fluctuations in loops of gold

The magnetoresistance of small wires and loops is described. At low temperatures, the electrons retain quantum mechanical phase coherence for distances of a micron or so, which is the size scale over which the measurements are made. The random interference of the electron wavefunctions appears as random fluctuations in the magnetoresistance, and in loops, the Aharonov–Bohm effect causes periodic oscillations. The resistance varies randomly with the Fermi energy of the electrons, with the voltage across the sample, and with any transverse voltages applied by external gates. The nonlocal character of the wavefunction leads to resistance fluctuations in configurations where classical physics predicts null results. Throughout the discussion the physics is explained for those new to the field.

Conductance Fluctuations in Disordered Sub-Micron Wires and Rings

A review of the many of the unexpected experimental results obtained over the last three years on the low temperature quantum transport properties of sub-micron normal metal samples is presented. Measurements can now be made on devices where the lithographically patterned distances between measurements probes is much smaller the the characteristic distances over which the conduction electrons maintain their quantum mechanical phase coherence. This in turn has permitted the discoveries of many new quantum interference effects such as the Aharonov-Bohm effect in highly disordered conductors, universal conductance fluctuations, and non-local quantum effects. The ability to vary both the temperature and sample size has yielded information on the effects of averaging these quantum effects over uncorrelated regions and has shown us to some extent how the transition from quantum to a classical system is achieved.