We have obtained numerically exact results for the spin-related geometric quantum phases that arise in p-type semiconductor ring structures. The interplay between gate-controllable (Rashba) spin splitting and quantum-confinement-induced mixing between hole-spin states causes a much higher sensitivity of magnetoconductance oscillations to external parameters than previously expected. Our results imply a much-enhanced functionality of hole-ring spin-interference devices and shed new light on recent experimental findings.
We present a theoretical study of spin-3/2 hole transport through mesoscopic rings, based on the spherical Luttinger model. The quasi-one-dimensional ring is created in a symmetric two-dimensional quantum well by a singular-oscillator potential for the radial in-plane coordinate. The quantum-interference contribution to the two-terminal ring conductance exhibits an energy-dependent Aharonov-Anandan phase, even though Rashba and Dresselhaus spin splittings are absent. Instead, confinement-induced heavy-hole - light-hole mixing is found to be the origin of this phase, which has ramifications for magneto-transport measurements in gated hole rings.
Topological phase transitions can occur in the dissipative dynamics of a quantum system when the ratio of matrix elements for competing transport channels is varied. Here we establish a relation between such behavior in a class of non-Hermitian quantum walk problems [M. S. Rudner and L. S. Levitov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 065703 (2009)] and nuclear spin pumping in double quantum dots, which is mediated by the decay of a spin-blockaded electron triplet state in the presence of spin-orbit and hyperfine interactions. The transition occurs when the strength of spin-orbit coupling exceeds the strength of the net hyperfine coupling, and results in the complete suppression of nuclear spin pumping. Below the transition point, nuclear pumping is accompanied by a strong reduction in current due to the presence of non-decaying dark states in this regime. Due to its topological character, the transition is expected to be robust against dephasing of the electronic degrees of freedom.
We obtain exact analytical expressions for the electronic transport through a multi-channel system, also with an applied magnetic field. The geometrical structure of the electrodes is found to cause a splitting of the conduction band into many subbands, depending on the number and the length of the chains and the conductance approaches zero when the chain number is sufficiently large, due to quantum interference. In the presence of a magnetic field a very complicated oscillatory behavior of the conductance is found with a very sensitive dependence on the number of chains and their lengths, in a remarkable distinction from the usual oscillations in two-channel Aharonov-Bohm (AB) rings. In the multi-channel system the obtained oscillation patterns and their periodicities depend on the partitioning of the magnetic flux in the areas enclosed by the electronic paths. The present study may provide a useful information for quantum dots with a special configuration.
Odd-parity, spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 has been found to feature exotic vortex physics including half-flux quanta trapped in a doubly connected sample and the formation of vortex lattices at low fields. The consequences of these vortex states on the low-temperature magnetoresistive behavior of mesoscopic samples of Sr2RuO4 were investigated in this work using ring device fabricated on mechanically exfoliated single crystals of Sr2RuO4 by photolithography and focused ion beam. With the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the in-plane direction, thin-wall rings of Sr2RuO4 were found to exhibit pronounced quantum oscillations with a conventional period of the full-flux quantum even though the unexpectedly large amplitude and the number of oscillations suggest the observation of vortex-flow-dominated magnetoresistance oscillations rather than a conventional Little-Parks effect. For rings with a thick wall, two distinct periods of quantum oscillations were found in high and low field regimes, respectively, which we argue to be associated with the lock-in of a vortex lattice in these thick-wall rings. No evidence for half-flux-quantum resistance oscillations were identified in any sample measured so far without the presence of an in-plane field.
Over a long period of exploration, the successful observation of quantized version of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in thin film of magnetically-doped topological insulator completed a quantum Hall trio---quantum Hall effect (QHE), quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE), and quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). On the theoretical front, it was understood that intrinsic AHE is related to Berry curvature and U(1) gauge field in momentum space. This understanding established connection between the QAHE and the topological properties of electronic structures characterized by the Chern number. With the time reversal symmetry broken by magnetization, a QAHE system carries dissipationless charge current at edges, similar to the QHE where an external magnetic field is necessary. The QAHE and corresponding Chern insulators are also closely related to other topological electronic states, such as topological insulators and topological semimetals, which have been extensively studied recently and have been known to exist in various compounds. First-principles electronic structure calculations play important roles not only for the understanding of fundamental physics in this field, but also towards the prediction and realization of realistic compounds. In this article, a theoretical review on the Berry phase mechanism and related topological electronic states in terms of various topological invariants will be given with focus on the QAHE and Chern insulators. We will introduce the Wilson loop method and the band inversion mechanism for the selection and design of topological materials, and discuss the predictive power of first-principles calculations. Finally, remaining issues, challenges and possible applications for future investigations in the field will be addressed.