T型双量子点系统中的Andreev反射

研究耦合在正常金属和超导体间的T型双量子点系统.从系统的哈密顿量出发,运用非平衡格林函数方法和运动方程,得到该系统在Andreev反射(AR)过程的电子输运特性.结合数值分析,讨论AR电流随偏压的变化特性,结果发现调节量子点能级和量子点间的耦合可以调制电流平台的大小和位置,Andreev共振反射则可以使电流有很大的提高.为实验上控制电流提供了一种有效的机制.     

三终端量子点环中的自旋极化输运

利用非平衡态格林函数方法,研究了一个存在局域Rashba自旋轨道耦合作用的三电极量子点环结构中的电子输运性质.结果发现,Rashba自旋轨道耦合作用引起的自旋相关的量子干涉效应能够在电极中产生自旋流.这种自旋流的大小、方向以及自旋极化度等性质可以通过纯电学手段改变系统参数来加以调控.在适当选择这些参数时,电极中甚至可以产生完全自旋极化流或纯自旋流.这些效应说明我们所研究的系统可用来设计纯电学的自旋流产生装置.     

双量子点系统中热压作用下的自旋过滤效应

研究与两个金属电极耦合的顺序连接双量子点系统中热压作用下的自旋极化电流.在震荡磁场的作用下,两个量子点之间的耦合强度变得和自旋有关,并对电流的强度和共振峰产生影响.在量子点内库伦相互作用为零时,随着两个量子点中不同自旋方向电子耦合强度差值的增大,自旋朝上的电流出现明显的双峰结构,而自旋朝下电流保持单峰结构,并且强度变弱,使得电流的自旋极化率增大,产生理想的自旋过滤效果.这种现象在器件两端的温度差较小的条件下也能够出现,是设计灵敏、低能耗的热自旋电子学器件的理想情况.量子点内的库伦相互作用会使得电流的峰产生进一步的分裂,从而在更多的量子点能级处出现一种自旋方向的电流为峰值,而一种自旋方向的电流为极小值的情况.通过调整量子点间自旋相关的耦合强度的符号,可以控制能够隧穿通过结构的电子的自旋方向.     

Majorana束缚态对正常金属/三量子点/超导结构输运性质的影响

正常金属/量子点/超导结构可以产生Andreev反射现象,如果在量子点上耦合Majorana束缚态(MBSs),其Andreev反射电导将发生特殊的变化,因而可用于探测MBSs.研究了MBSs对连接在正常金属和超导体之间的线型三量子点输运性质的影响,发现零费米能处的Andreev反射电导在不考虑MBSs之间的耦合时始终等于0.5G₀(G₀=2e²/h),不受量子点能级、量子点间耦合强度、量子点与电极之间耦合强度的影响,具有明显的鲁棒性.     

Aharonov-Bohm干涉仪中的电子输运

利用非平衡格林函数技术,我们研究了在Aharonov-Bohm干涉仪中Andreev反射产生的量子输运特性.我们发现Andreev电流可以用一个入射电子经不同通道的Andreev反射概率来表示,并且Andreev电流有两种振荡周期(h/e和h/2e),这个物理原因是不同通道的入射电子的Andreev反射过程的干涉.通过调节系统参数(如量子点的门电压和系统的磁通等),我们可以得到非常尖锐的Andreev电流的共振峰和反共振谷,这个结果可用来设计敏感的Andreev电流开关.     

与二维电子气耦合的双量子点中的自旋极化输运

研究磁场作用下与左右两个二维电子气耦合的双量子点系统中的自旋极化输运过程.结果发现当两个量子点靠近时,电导中会出现Dicke效应导致的不对称尖峰.随着量子点间的距离增大,Dicke尖峰变宽并向低能级方向移动.当磁场只施加在二维电子气中时,量子点中的电导是自旋无极化的;但是当量子点的能级发生塞曼分裂时,电导中自旋朝上和朝下电导的尖峰在能量空间向相反方向移动,但保持大小不变.计算结果还发现两个量子点能级的差会在电导的Dicke尖峰附近产生额外的谷,并降低尖峰的高度.所研究的结构有望用于自旋过滤或分离装置.     

与铁磁导体耦合的量子点中非线性热自旋效应

研究与两个铁磁导体耦合的单个量子点中热梯度产生的纯自旋流。发现热梯度和电子库的铁磁性会在量子点能级离开电子-空穴对称点时产生较强的自旋压。自旋压的大小和方向可以通过改变热梯度的方向来调整。当两个铁磁引线的磁化方向为相互平行时,自旋压的绝对值最小,而当两个引线中的磁矩为反平行时,自旋压的强度会显著增大。     

与铁磁引线耦合的垂直双量子点中的自旋极化输运

研究与左右两个铁磁引线耦合的垂直双量子点系统中自旋极化流和自旋积累的性质。发现他们可以用外加偏压或两引线的磁化方向充分调节。在平行磁化方向时,电流的自旋极化率始终为正,并且敏感地依赖引线磁化率取值的相对大小。当磁化方向为反平行时,流的自旋极化率可正可负,在偏压等于正负库伦相互作用强度时分别出现谷和峰。自旋积累有相似的行为。尤其是在一个引线的磁化率为零时,会出现自旋二极管效应。     

串联耦合双量子点中有效自旋轨道耦合场依赖的电子计数统计

在顺序隧穿极限下,基于粒子数分辨的量子主方程,研究了与铁磁电极耦合的串联耦合双量子点体系中有效自旋轨道耦合场大小和方向依赖的电子计数统计。数值结果表明,散粒噪声超泊松Fano因子的数值减小程度、散粒噪声从超泊松分布到次泊松分布的转变、刻画传输电子分布峰的偏斜度数值大小和正负均敏感地依赖于该有效自旋轨道耦合场的大小和方向。此特性可以用来定性获取有效自旋轨道耦合场的大小和方向信息。     

在Rashba和Dresselhaus自旋轨道耦合相互作用下二端双通道中的局域自旋极化研究

研究二端双通道结构中同时存在Rashba和Dresselhaus两种自旋轨道耦合相互作用情况下的电子局域自旋极化.本结构中所产生的局域自旋极化是由量子干涉效应和自旋轨道耦合共同导致的,因此可以通过调节结构参数和门电压的大小来改变局域自旋极化的大小.在适当选取某些参数的情况下.局域自旋极化可以达到0.33,可以用于自旋过滤器和信息储存器件.     

Quantum supercurrent transistors in carbon nanotubes

Electronic transport through nanostructures is greatly affected by the presence of superconducting leads. If the interface between the nanostructure and the superconductors is sufficiently transparent, a dissipationless current (supercurrent) can flow through the device owing to the Josephson effect. A Josephson coupling, as measured by the zero-resistance supercurrent, has been obtained using tunnel barriers, superconducting constrictions, normal metals and semiconductors. The coupling mechanisms vary from tunnelling to Andreev reflection. The latter process has hitherto been observed only in normal-type systems with a continuous density of electronic states. Here we investigate a supercurrent flowing through a discrete density of states-that is, the quantized single particle energy states of a quantum dot, or 'artificial atom', placed between superconducting electrodes. For this purpose, we exploit the quantum properties of finite-sized carbon nanotubes. By means of a gate electrode, successive discrete energy states are tuned on- and off-resonance with the Fermi energy in the superconducting leads, resulting in a periodic modulation of the critical current and a non-trivial correlation between the conductance in the normal state and the supercurrent. We find, in good agreement with existing theory, that the product of the critical current and the normal state resistance becomes an oscillating function, in contrast to being constant as in previously explored regimes.     

基于双量子点分子与超导传输线的纠缠浓缩方案

本文利用控制双量子点分子与超导传输线共振器(STLR)的大失谐相互作用,实现任意两个量子点分子之间的耦合和控制操作,整个操作过程对STLR的衰减和热场均不敏感。基于这种耦合和控制操作,提出了量子点分子纠缠态的浓缩方案,该方案最大成功概率为50%。     

Controlling cavity reflectivity with a single quantum dot

Solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems offer a robust and scalable platform for quantum optics experiments and the development of quantum information processing devices. In particular, systems based on photonic crystal nanocavities and semiconductor quantum dots have seen rapid progress. Recent experiments have allowed the observation of weak and strong coupling regimes of interaction between the photonic crystal cavity and a single quantum dot in photoluminescence. In the weak coupling regime, the quantum dot radiative lifetime is modified; in the strong coupling regime, the coupled quantum dot also modifies the cavity spectrum. Several proposals for scalable quantum information networks and quantum computation rely on direct probing of the cavity-quantum dot coupling, by means of resonant light scattering from strongly or weakly coupled quantum dots. Such experiments have recently been performed in atomic systems and superconducting circuit QED systems, but not in solid-state quantum dot-cavity QED systems. Here we present experimental evidence that this interaction can be probed in solid-state systems, and show that, as expected from theory, the quantum dot strongly modifies the cavity transmission and reflection spectra. We show that when the quantum dot is coupled to the cavity, photons that are resonant with its transition are prohibited from entering the cavity. We observe this effect as the quantum dot is tuned through the cavity and the coupling strength between them changes. At high intensity of the probe beam, we observe rapid saturation of the transmission dip. These measurements provide both a method for probing the cavity-quantum dot system and a step towards the realization of quantum devices based on coherent light scattering and large optical nonlinearities from quantum dots in photonic crystal cavities.     

Single-mode heat conduction by photons

The thermal conductance of a single channel is limited by its unique quantum value G(Q), as was shown theoretically in 1983. This result closely resembles the well-known quantization of electrical conductance in ballistic one-dimensional conductors. Interestingly, all particles-irrespective of whether they are bosons or fermions-have the same quantized thermal conductance when they are confined within dimensions that are small compared to their characteristic wavelength. The single-mode heat conductance is particularly relevant in nanostructures. Quantized heat transport through submicrometre dielectric wires by phonons has been observed, and it has been predicted to influence cooling of electrons in metals at very low temperatures due to electromagnetic radiation. Here we report experimental results showing that at low temperatures heat is transferred by photon radiation, when electron-phonon as well as normal electronic heat conduction is frozen out. We study heat exchange between two small pieces of normal metal, connected to each other only via superconducting leads, which are ideal insulators against conventional thermal conduction. Each superconducting lead is interrupted by a switch of electromagnetic (photon) radiation in the form of a DC-SQUID (a superconducting loop with two Josephson tunnel junctions). We find that the thermal conductance between the two metal islands mediated by photons indeed approaches the expected quantum limit of G(Q) at low temperatures. Our observation has practical implications-for example, for the performance and design of ultra-sensitive bolometers (detectors of far-infrared light) and electronic micro-refrigerators, whose operation is largely dependent on weak thermal coupling between the device and its environment.     

交换耦合双能级量子点的全计数统计

基于粒子数分辨的量子主方程,研究了自旋交换耦合双能级量子点中的电子全计数统计,给出了平均电流、散粒噪声和偏斜度.库仑排斥和交换作用导致了平均电流中的小平台;散粒噪声和铁磁电极的极化率以及量子点与电极的不对称耦合密切相关.极化率和量子点电极不对称耦合越大,超泊松散粒噪声越容易出现.当两个自旋单态通道能级参与输运时散粒噪声会大大降低,而当两个自旋三重态通道能级同时参与输运时散粒噪声则会明显增大.     

点接触技术在拓扑材料研究中的应用

点接触实验方法最早被用于研究固体材料中的元激发,后来发展到研究超导/普通金属界面上的Andreev反射现象,并利用这种现象探测超导序参量.随着拓扑材料以及拓扑超导领域研究的兴起,点接触实验方法在该领域也发挥了重要的作用.最近几年,点接触实验方法被用于在多种拓扑半金属材料表面诱导并探测超导信号,使其应用范围得到了进一步拓展.本文简要介绍了点接触的基本原理、利用点接触探测样品超导性质的方法以及点接触技术本身的发展,简单回顾了点接触在拓扑超导候选材料中的研究,最后介绍了点接触针尖诱导超导现象的发现以及进展.     

介观混杂系统的电子输运

研究了正常金属--正常金属--超导体三端介观混杂系统的电子输运特性.从系统的格林函数出发,运用非平衡格林函数方法,推导得出了任意偏压和任意温度下从正常金属和超导体流向量子点的电流公式.     

Supercurrent reversal in quantum dots

When two superconductors are electrically connected by a weak link--such as a tunnel barrier--a zero-resistance supercurrent can flow. This supercurrent is carried by Cooper pairs of electrons with a combined charge of twice the elementary charge, e. The 2e charge quantum is clearly visible in the height of voltage steps in Josephson junctions under microwave irradiation, and in the magnetic flux periodicity of h/2e (where h is Planck's constant) in superconducting quantum interference devices. Here we study supercurrents through a quantum dot created in a semiconductor nanowire by local electrostatic gating. Owing to strong Coulomb interaction, electrons only tunnel one-by-one through the discrete energy levels of the quantum dot. This nevertheless can yield a supercurrent when subsequent tunnel events are coherent. These quantum coherent tunnelling processes can result in either a positive or a negative supercurrent, that is, in a normal or a pi-junction, respectively. We demonstrate that the supercurrent reverses sign by adding a single electron spin to the quantum dot. When excited states of the quantum dot are involved in transport, the supercurrent sign also depends on the character of the orbital wavefunctions.