No Arabic abstract
Here we present a theoretical investigation of the Floquet spectrum in multiterminal quantum dot Josephson junctions biased with commensurate voltages. We first draw an analogy between the electronic band theory and superconductivity which enlightens the time-periodic dynamics of the Andreev bound states. We then show that the equivalent of the Wannier-Stark ladders observed in semiconducting superlattices via photocurrent measurements, appears as specific peaks in the finite frequency current fluctuations of superconducting multiterminal quantum dots. In order to probe the Floquet-Wannier-Stark ladder spectra, we have developed an analytical model relying on the sharpness of the resonances. The charge-charge correlation function is obtained as a factorized form of the Floquet wave-function on the dot and the superconducting reservoir populations. We confirm these findings by Keldysh Greens function calculations, in particular regarding the voltage and frequency dependence of the resonance peaks in the current-current correlations. Our results open up a road-map to quantum correlations and coherence in the Floquet dynamics of superconducting devices.
We report on the study of the non-trivial Berry phase in superconducting multiterminal quantum dots biased at commensurate voltages. Starting with the time-periodic Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, we obtain a tight binding model in the Floquet space, and we solve these equations in the semiclassical limit. We observe that the parameter space defined by the contact transparencies and quartet phase splits into two components with a non-trivial Berry phase. We use the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization to calculate the Berry phase. We find that if the quantum dot level sits at zero energy, then the Berry phase takes the values $varphi_B=0$ or $varphi_B=pi$. We demonstrate that this non-trivial Berry phase can be observed by tunneling spectroscopy in the Floquet spectra. Consequently, the Floquet-Wannier-Stark ladder spectra of superconducting multiterminal quantum dots are shifted by half-a-period if $varphi_B=pi$. Our numerical calculations based on Keldysh Greens functions show that this Berry phase spectral shift can be observed from the quantum dot tunneling density of states.
Epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor hybrid materials are an excellent basis for studying mesoscopic and topological superconductivity, as the semiconductor inherits a hard superconducting gap while retaining tunable carrier density. Here, we investigate double-quantum-dot devices made from InAs nanowires with a patterned epitaxial Al two-facet shell that proximitizes two gate-defined segments along the nanowire. We follow the evolution of mesoscopic superconductivity and charging energy in this system as a function of magnetic field and voltage-tuned barriers. Inter-dot coupling is varied from strong to weak using side gates, and the ground state is varied between normal, superconducting, and topological regimes by applying a magnetic field. We identify the topological transition by tracking the spacing between successive cotunneling peaks as a function of axial magnetic field and show that the individual dots host weakly hybridized Majorana modes.
Pyramidal quantum dots (QDs) grown in inverted recesses have demonstrated over the years an extraordinary uniformity, high spectral purity and strong design versatility. We discuss recent results, also in view of the Stranski-Krastanow competition and give evidence for strong perspectives in quantum information applications for this system. We examine the possibility of generating entangled and indistinguishable photons, together with the need for the implementation of a, regrettably still missing, strategy for electrical control.
We have fabricated superconductor-quantum dot-superconductor (SC-QD-SC) junctions by using SC aluminum electrodes with narrow gaps laterally contacting a single self-assembled InAs QD. The fabricated junctions exhibited clear Coulomb staircases and Coulomb oscillations at 40 mK. Furthermore, clear suppression in conductance was observed for the source-drain voltage $|V_{rm SD}| < 2Delta/e$, where $Delta$ is the SC energy gap of Al. The absence of Josephson current that flows through QDs is due to the strong Coulomb interaction and non-negligible thermal fluctuation in our measurement system.
We investigate theoretically charge transport in hybrid multiterminal junctions with superconducting leads kept at different voltages. It is found that multiple Andreev reflections involving several superconducting leads give rise to rich subharmonic gap structures in the current-voltage characteristics. The structures are evidenced numerically in junctions in the incoherent regime.