POLARIZATION AND FREQUENCY-POLARIZATION DEPENDENCES OF THREE-PHOTON INTERBAND LINEAR-CIRCULAR DICHROISM IN SEMICONDUCTORS OF CUBIC SYMMETRY

The polarization and frequency-polarization dependences of the linear-circular dichroism and light absorption coefficients in semiconductors of cubic symmetry, caused by vertical three-photon optical transitions between the states of the spin-orbit splitting and conduction bands, are calculated. KEY WORDS: three-photon optical transitions, spin-orbit splitting band, conduction band, linear-circular dichroism, light absorption, semiconductor.

Topological viewpoint of two-dimensional group III-V and IV-IV compounds in the presence of electric field and spin-orbit coupling by density functional theory and tight-binding model

Using the tight-binding model and density functional theory, the topological invariant of the two-dimensional (2D) group III-V and IV-IV compounds are studied in the absence and the presence of an external perpendicular electric field and spin-orbit coupling. It will be recognized that a critical value of these parameters changes the topological invariant of 2D graphene-like compounds. The significant effects of an external electric field and spin-orbit coupling are considered to the two-center overlap integrals of the Slater-Koster model involved in band structures, changing band-gap, and tuning the topological phase transition between ordinary and quantum spin Hall regime. These declare the good consistency between two theories: tight-binding and density functional. So, this study reveals topological phase transition in these materials. Our finding paves a way to extend an effective Hamiltonian, and may instantly clear some computation aspects of the study in the field of spintronic based on the first-principles methods.

Dirac lines and loop at the Fermi level in the time-reversal symmetry breaking superconductor LaNiGa2

Unconventional superconductors have Cooper pairs with lower symmetries than in conventional superconductors. In most unconventional superconductors, the additional symmetry breaking occurs in relation to typical ingredients such as strongly correlated Fermi liquid phases, magnetic fluctuations, or strong spin-orbit coupling in noncentrosymmetric structures. In this article, we show that the time-reversal symmetry breaking in the superconductor LaNiGa2 is enabled by its previously unknown topological electronic band structure, with Dirac lines and a Dirac loop at the Fermi level. Two symmetry related Dirac points even remain degenerate under spin-orbit coupling. These unique topological features enable an unconventional superconducting gap in which time-reversal symmetry can be broken in the absence of other typical ingredients. Our findings provide a route to identify a new type of unconventional superconductors based on nonsymmorphic symmetries and will enable future discoveries of topological crystalline superconductors.

Moiré Engineering of Spin-Orbit Coupling in Twisted Platinum Diselenide

We study the electronic structure and correlated phases of twisted bilayers of platinum diselenide using large-scale ab initio simulations combined with the functional renormalization group. PtSe2 is a group-X transition metal dichalcogenide, which hosts emergent flat bands at small twist angles in the twisted bilayer. Remarkably, we find that moiré engineering can be used to tune the strength of Rashba spin-orbit interactions, altering the electronic behavior in a novel manner. We reveal that an effective triangular lattice with a twist-controlled ratio between kinetic and spin-orbit coupling scales can be realized. Even dominant spin-orbit coupling can be accessed in this way and we discuss consequences for the interaction driven phase diagram, which features pronounced exotic superconducting and entangled spin-charge density waves.

The Effect of Post-Newtonian Spin Precessions on the Evolution of Exomoons’ Obliquity

Putative natural massive satellites (exomoons) have gained increasing attention when they orbit Jupiter-like planets within the habitable zone of their host main-sequence star S. An exomoon s is expected to move within the equatorial plane of its host planet p, with its spin S s aligned with its orbital angular momentum L , which, in turn, is parallel to the planetary spin S p. If, in particular, the common tilt ε of such angular momenta to the plane of the satellite–planet motion about the star, assumed fixed, has certain values, the stellar latitudinal irradiation experienced on the exomoon may allow it to sustain life as we know it, at least for certain orbital configurations. An Earth analog (similar in mass, radius, oblateness, and obliquity) is considered, which orbits within 5–10 planetary radii R p from its Jupiter-like host planet. The de Sitter and Lense–Thirring spin precessions due to the general relativistic post-Newtonian (pN) field of the host planet have an impact on an exomoon’s habitability for a variety of different initial spin–orbit configurations. Here I show it by identifying long-term variations in the satellite’s obliquity ε s, where variations can be ≲10°–100°, depending on the initial spin–orbit configuration, with a timescale of ≃0.1–1 million years. Also the satellite’s quadrupole mass moment J 2 s induces obliquity variations that are faster than the pN ones but do not cancel them. Tidal dissipations, which may potentially have a relevant impact on the outlined pattern, are not included in the present analysis.

Self-generated quantum gauge fields in arrays of Rydberg atoms

As shown in recent experiments [V. Lienhard et al., Phys. Rev. X 10, 021031 (2020)], spin-orbit coupling in systems of Rydberg atoms can give rise to density-dependent Peierls Phases in second-order hoppings of Rydberg spin excitations and nearest-neighbor (NN) repulsion. We here study theoretically a one-dimensional zig-zag ladder system of such spin-orbit coupled Rydberg atoms at half filling. The second-order hopping is shown to be associated with an effective gauge field, which in mean-field approximation is static and homogeneous. Beyond the mean-field level the gauge potential attains a transverse quantum component whose amplitude is dynamical and linked to density modulations. We here study the effects of this to the possible ground-state phases of the system. In a phase where strong repulsion leads to a density wave, we find that as a consequence of the induced quantum gauge field a regular pattern of current vortices is formed. However also in the absence of density-density interactions the quantum gauge field attains a non-vanishing amplitude. Above a certain critical strength of the second-order hopping the energy gain due to gauge-field induced transport overcomes the energy cost from the associated build-up of density modulations leading to a spontaneous generation of the quantum gauge field.

Ultrafast coherent control of a hole spin qubit in a germanium quantum dot

Operation speed and coherence time are two core measures for the viability of a qubit. Strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and relatively weak hyperfine interaction make holes in germanium (Ge) intriguing candidates for spin qubits with rapid, all-electrical coherent control. Here we report ultrafast single-spin manipulation in a hole-based double quantum dot in a germanium hut wire (GHW). Mediated by the strong SOI, a Rabi frequency exceeding 540 MHz is observed at a magnetic field of 100 mT, setting a record for ultrafast spin qubit control in semiconductor systems. We demonstrate that the strong SOI of heavy holes (HHs) in our GHW, characterized by a very short spin-orbit length of 1.5 nm, enables the rapid gate operations we accomplish. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrafast coherent control of hole spin qubits to meet the requirement of DiVincenzo’s criteria for a scalable quantum information processor.