Papers

We investigate how particle-hole symmetry, quantum interference, and tunnel barriers shape thermodynamic uncertainty relations in chaotic Andreev billiards. Using random-matrix theory and the Mahaux-Weidenmüller scattering approach, we study charge conductance and shot noise across the four Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry classes, from the single-channel extreme quantum limit to the multichannel semiclassical regime and from ideal to opaque contacts. We characterize thermodynamic precision through two complementary ensemble observables: either by averaging the sample-resolved noise-to-conductance ratio, or from the separately averaging noise and conductance. Their pronounced discrepancy in the extreme quantum regime reveals the non-self-averaging character of mesoscopic transport and persists over a broad range of barrier transparencies. For ideal contacts, the first provides a sensitive fingerprint of the Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry class. In the opaque regime, this hierarchy changes. Despite these strong symmetry- and barrier-dependent effects, the standard thermodynamic uncertainty relation remains satisfied throughout all regimes investigated. Our results establish thermodynamic uncertainty as a symmetry-sensitive probe of universal transport in chaotic normal-superconducting systems.

Usually in semiconductor heterostructures, such as quantum wells, the quantum confinement is realized by means of heterobarriers, which are simply the band offsets in adjacent materials. Here the arguments are provided, that the energy dispersions in materials (in simple case determined by effective masses) are important as well. Using a simple model system, such as quantum well with an additional heterojunction, it is shown the predominant localization of the carrier density in the regions with higher effective mass. The possibility of different spatial localization of wave function for different subbands is predicted. This can be applied in semiconductor structures such as quantum cascade lasers.

Quantisation is considered as an action of classical point operators on field states at the Planck scale of the phase space. Emphasis is placed on the sequence of physical variables. A "state language/Dirac notation" for classical mechanics is introduced; in many cases, it replaces the principle of stationary action for conservative systems. Observed classical and quantum dynamics are considered as different vectorisations of the free semigroup contribution of time. There is a dream of describing classical dynamics as complex transformations of state vectors over such a free semigroup, rather than solving differential equations. The transition from the alphabet to states, from states to state functions, and from state functions to measurable quantities is managed by projectors. An attempt is made to provide a derivation of the Legendre transformation. The trivial multiplication of the potential energy by the wave function in the coordinate representation and its non-trivial operator action in the momentum representation are obtained without a Fourier transform nor the Planck scale. The quantisation procedure is divided into two stages: first, the action of point-like classical operators on field functions; and second, accounting for the physically finite scale of the Planck length against the backdrop of the possible infinitesimality in the classical phase space. The concept of an angle between states is introduced, defining the measure of "quantumness". The free semigroup time contribution is studied in the context of the Born rule.

The interplay between non-trivial background geometries and quantum dynamics has emerged as a powerful tool to tailor the electronic properties of 2D materials. In this work, we investigate the effective quantum dynamics of massless Dirac fermions confined to a twisted graphene structure called a catenoid bridge, which connects two single-layer sheets. By adopting a continuum approach, where the electron dynamics is governed by a purely covariant curved Dirac equation, we obtain the effective Hamiltonian containing both curvature and twist interactions. We found that the torsion modifies the electronic states by producing a geometric phase on the wave function. In addition, the twist also deforms the surface geometry, which leads to a new geometric term in the effective Hamiltonian. This twist potential enhances the barrier around the catenoid throat, which increases the suppression of the inter-layer transmission coefficient. Like the spin-curvature interaction, the spin-twist term has a chiral dependence which is invariant under a combined parity and spin flip transformation. As a result, the electronic states can be restricted to the upper or lower layer. These findings provide valuable insights into how mechanical deformations can be harnessed to control quantum transport in graphene-based wormhole architectures.

A conventional interaction-driven Weyl density wave is a complex scalar and supports vortex lines, but no topologically stable point defects. We show that two Weyl flavors do not merely duplicate this order. Starting from the matrix-valued internode coherence, a local flavor-symmetric repulsion selects a traceless adjoint condensate within the density-wave sector, while the fermionic ground-state energy locks its complex components into the collinear form $\mathbf{\Delta}=\Phi_0\mathbf{n} e^{i\theta}$. The resulting order-parameter manifold, $(S^2\times S^1)/\mathbb Z_2$, supports both unit hedgehogs and half-quantum Alice strings of the same electronic mass that gaps the Weyl fermions. An elementary hedgehog binds a single normalizable zero mode whose empty and occupied sectors carry charges $-e/2$ and $+e/2$ at neutrality. An elementary Alice string carries a single chiral electronic mode despite its $\pi$ phase winding, and transporting a hedgehog around it reverses the hedgehog winding, $N\rightarrow-N$. Flavor therefore converts spontaneous translation breaking into a route to point-defect fractionalization and intertwines the point- and line-defect sectors of an interaction-generated electronic mass.

In multilayer quantum Hall systems, when the layer separation is sufficiently small, the interplay between intralayer and interlayer Coulomb interactions can lead to exotic, multi-component, many-body states. A particular example is the even-denominator fractional quantum Hall state (FQHS) at total filling factor $\nu=1/2$ in bilayer systems with negligible interlayer tunneling. This state can be understood as a generalized Laughlin state described by the Halperin-Laughlin $\Psi_{331}$ wavefunction. While such correlated states have been extensively explored in bilayers, little is known about their counterparts in systems with more than two layers. Here, we investigate a trilayer two-dimensional electron system confined to ultrahigh-quality GaAs triple quantum wells. We observe an exotic FQHS at total filling factor $\nu=5/7$, evinced by a deep longitudinal resistance minimum and a quantized Hall plateau, when the side layers have a density larger than the middle layer and $d/l_B \simeq 2.2$ ($d$ is the interlayer distance and $l_B$ the magnetic length). This state is naturally interpreted as the long-predicted trilayer, generalized Laughlin ($\Psi_{33311}$) state, characterized by $\nu=1/3$-like intralayer correlation within each layer and $\nu=1$-like interlayer correlation between neighboring layers. Our observation establishes a new member of the Halperin-Laughlin many-body states that extends interlayer coherence to three coupled layers.

Deep-blue-emitting CuBr quantum dots (QDs) hold promise as nontoxic and heavy-metal-free optoelectronic materials, yet their efficiency is limited by intrinsic defects. We report Zn doping as an effective strategy to mitigate defect-mediated recombination in CuBr QDs synthesized via an eco-friendly supersaturated recrystallization method under ambient conditions. XRD shows lattice contraction, Rietveld refinement confirms substitutional doping, and XPS verifies Cu$^+$/ Zn$^{2+}$ states without secondary phases. HR-TEM analysis reveals uniform 3.46 $\pm$ 0.12 nm Zn:CuBr QDs with reduced bandgap, after doping, indicating weaker quantum confinement. The dominant emission peaks appear at 406 nm ($Z_f$) and 431 nm ($Z_{1,2}$) under 365 nm excitation. Narrows defect FWHM, elevated band-edge emission, and extends carrier lifetimes, achieving 96.4 % color purity with CIE coordinates (0.1520, 0.0395). These findings demonstrate that Zn doping is a simple, scalable, and environmentally benign strategy for engineering efficient blue-emitting CuBr QDs.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis requires a particle to approach the cell membrane to within a few nanometers before ligand–receptor binding can occur. Existing continuum models often start from an already established contact and do not explicitly describe how crowding particles on the extracellular side influence the distribution of the particle near the membrane. We examine entropic depletion forces as one possible nonspecific contribution to this initial approach. For ideal depletants, the Asakura–Oosawa excluded-volume construction gives an exact depletion potential for the planar geometry before contact. The potential and force vanish continuously at the onset of excluded-volume overlap. This interaction provides a possible contribution to membrane proximity before specific binding, while its extension to curved wrapping geometries requires additional approximation. Within a reduced continuum model, we combine depletion attraction, ligand–receptor binding, membrane deformation, and cytoskeletal viscoelastic dissipation. The viscoelastic contact is formulated through a hereditary integral and a standard linear solid. The kinetic model gives a conditional minimum ligand density for complete engulfment, a finite particle-size window, and a stiffness-dependent upper limit. When the stationary radius lies inside the domain of finite positive wrapping times, the estimated wrapping time has a minimum at a radius that decreases with increasing binding energy density. At fixed viscosity and other independent parameters, the same time approximation predicts slower wrapping as cell stiffness increases. The two positive roots defining the size window merge at a limiting parameter value, which characterizes closure of the admissible size interval. Depletion attraction is interpreted as one possible contribution to particle-membrane association

The Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) approach is applied to a chain of Hubbard atoms in a helical geometry sandwiched between two leads, one of which is magnetic, to assess what role the electronic correlation effects within the molecule may play in explaining the Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect. The correlation effects are treated at the level of the self-consistent second Born approximation. Two chiralities, Laevorotatory (L) and Dextrorotatory (D), of the helix, are discussed. Further, we account for spin-orbit coupling (SOC) within the chains using a simplified model of Kane and Mele that exploits next-nearest neighbour interactions intrinsic to a curved geometry. The interaction with the leads is considered within the Wide Band Approximation. We consider the ratio, U/t, of the Hubbard constant U to the hopping t between atomic sites along the chain of up to two, but found very little spin polarisation in our calculations. Even though the spin polarisation factor defined as a relative difference between the largest and smallest total current is found for both enantiomers practically the same, the orientation of the tip's polarisation required to reach the largest and smallest currents for the two enantiomers differed. It is also found that the qualitative agreement with observations can only be achieved if we account, self-consistently, for the second order of the perturbation theory. The distribution of the spin populations on the chain atoms for different U/t ratios is also discussed. This study concludes that even though accounting for electron-electron interactions are important in understanding spin selectivity within molecular junctions, they cannot be made solely responsible for the high spin polarisation factors observed in experiments.

We investigate the microwave response of sputtered Nb films as a function of biaxial film stress. Although transport measurements show nearly identical superconducting transition temperatures ($9.0\pm 0.2$K) and residual resistance ratios across the stress series, microwave resonators fabricated from highly compressive films exhibit enhanced temperature-dependent loss and larger frequency shifts. A conventional single-phase Mattis–Bardeen description yields an effective critical temperature of $2.4\pm0.2$K, approximately a factor of four below the value obtained from transport measurements. We show that the data are instead consistent with the presence of an additional low-gap component whose contribution increases with compressive stress. These results show that conventional transport measurements can overlook stress-dependent low-energy excitations that strongly influence microwave performance.

Deterministic electrical switching of the Néel order remains challenging in centrosymmetric altermagnets, where linear current-induced spin polarization is forbidden by inversion symmetry. Here, we establish a nonlinear route to Néel order control. Spin group symmetry shows that, in the nonrelativistic limit, the nonlinear spin polarization is constrained along the Néel vector, with a staggered response allowed in $8$ of the $10$ nontrivial spin-Laue groups. Although this Néel spin polarization is torque-inactive by itself, finite spin-orbit coupling can generate an additional uniform component transverse to the Néel vector. Using a minimal model for the $d$-wave altermagnet FeSb$_2$, we demonstrate the coexistence of the nonrelativistic staggered response with an SOC-induced uniform transverse component. Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation-based macro-spin simulations reveal that the transverse component alone produces oscillatory dynamics, whereas its cooperative action with the staggered response enables deterministic $180^\circ$ reversal. We further show that changing the electric field orientation reverses the staggered spin response and selects the switching direction, while the opposite Néel states can be distinguished by their anomalous Hall response. Our results establish a nonlinear electrical write-read scheme for centrosymmetric altermagnets.

The generalized Kadanoff-Baym ansatz (GKBA) [P. Lipavský et al., Phys. Rev. B 34, 6933 (1986)] has emerged as a popular and numerically efficient algorithm for simplification of nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF)-based calculations of time-dependent quantum transport. For systems that can be split into classical and quantum degrees of freedom, another popular simplifying strategy is adiabatic expansion (AE) of NEGF [N. Bode et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 036804 (2011); S. Deghi et al., Phys. Rev. B 110, 115409 (2024)] in terms of the velocity of classical degrees of freedom, such as localized magnetic moments (LMMs) in spintronics or coordinates of nuclei in nanoelectronics. Here we compare GKBA and second-order AE with numerically exact benchmarks for two-terminal junctions whose central region hosting quantum electrons and classical LMMs is attached to two semi-infinite normal metal leads. Three simple models are employed to exhibit cornerstone time-dependent effects in spintronics—spin pumping and spin-transfer torque (STT), as well as magnetic inertia as a recently explored phenomenon. We find that GKBA fails to describe pumping of spin current by precessing LMMs, or STT vectors, and thereby induced LMM dynamics. Conversely, the second-order AE matches numerically exact benchmarks for both effects remarkably well, thereby also revealing the essentially nonadiabatic nature of spin pumping. Thus, AE opens a path toward an accurate description of STT-driven magnetization dynamics, including combination with first-principles Hamiltonians, while incurring a fraction of the cost of time evolution of full NEGF. However, despite including terms up to the second time derivatives of LMMs into AE, this approach fails to capture fast nutational oscillations on top of the precessional motion of LMMs as the hallmark of magnetic inertia.

We compute the linear magnetoelectric conductivity of a two-band vortex nodal-ring (VNR) semimetal and a three-band Hopf semimetal (HSM) within the semiclassical Boltzmann formalism in the relaxation-time approximation. We consider three inequivalent planar-Hall configurations, in which the electric ($\boldsymbol E$) and magnetic ($\boldsymbol B$) fields are oriented differently with respect to the nodal-ring plane and the BC-dipole axis. Unlike Weyl and multifold semimetals, where Berry-curvature (BC) flux originates from monopole-like sources, both systems host dipole-like BC sources and vanishing Chern numbers. Working consistently to cubic order in the magnetic field, we evaluate the Drude, BC, orbital-magnetic-moment (OMM), anomalous-Hall, and Lorentz-force contributions to the conductivity. In both systems, the dipolar BC and OMM generate odd powers of $|\boldsymbol B|$ in in-plane response channels that are symmetry-forbidden in systems with monopole-like BC sources. For the HSM, the internode-scattering contribution to the conductivity vanishes identically. By comparing the VNR with a $\mathcal{PT}$-broken gapped nodal ring and the HSM with a pseudospin-1 triple-point semimetal, we demonstrate that the dipolar nature of the BC gives rise to distinctive features in magnetoelectric response that are absent in semimetals with monopole-like BC flux.

Artificial-intelligence (AI) agents are beginning to enter experimental laboratories, automating experiments and accelerating scientific discovery. Herein, we introduce an AI-driven workflow in which an AI agent performs multi-step, multi-day quantum transport measurements end-to-end. Specifically, given brief instructions, the agent starts by planning the multi-step measurements, then safely operates the cryogenic instruments, analyzes the data, and concludes with a final report. We demonstrate this AI workflow on multiple monolayer and bilayer MoS2 devices. Through autonomous measurement campaigns lasting up to six days, the agent determined the conduction-band spin-orbit coupling energy in monolayer MoS2, and mapped a layer- and valley-resolved phase diagram in bilayer MoS2. This experimental workflow is implemented through the FermiLink agent harness, which emphasizes instrumental safety and the reliability of the measurement and analysis. The framework is general and can be readily adapted to other types of experiments, representing a step toward self-driving laboratories.

The phenomenon of bias-driven circular charge and spin currents in a ring nanojunction is investigated in the presence of electron-electron (e-e) and electron-phonon (e-ph) interactions within a tight-binding framework based on the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The Lang-Firsov transformation is employed to map the interacting system onto an effective electronic model, which is subsequently treated within the Hartree-Fock mean-field scheme. By exploring the interplay among e-e interaction, e-ph coupling, and electrode-ring interface sensitivity, several intriguing features emerge in both circular charge and spin currents that, to the best of our knowledge, have not been reported previously. In addition to bias-driven circular currents, charge and spin-dependent junction currents through the nanojunction are also analyzed. Selective spin transport is achieved, leading to a high degree of spin polarization. All four current components, two associated with circular currents and two with transport currents, are systematically inspected over a wide range of parameter regimes to assess the sensitivity of the results to the relevant system parameters. Our findings provide useful insights into charge and spin transport phenomena in interacting nanojunctions with single- and multi-loop geometries.

Symmetry breaking at crystalline boundaries can enable electronic responses that are forbidden in the bulk. Here, we investigate the Berry curvature dipole (BCD) at GaAs(110) surfaces using first-principles calculations. While the BCD vanishes in bulk GaAs due to symmetry constraints, the reduced surface symmetry permits a finite dipole. We show that surface relaxation promotes hybridization between bulk and surface states, which strongly influences the surface BCD. Specifically, in unrelaxed slabs, the BCD arises predominantly from interband coupling among exponentially localized surface states lying within the projected bulk band gap. Surface relaxation shifts these states into the energy range of the bulk continuum, transforming them into surface resonances and promoting hybridization with bulk-like states. This hybridization generates pronounced Berry-curvature hot spots, resulting in an overall enhancement of the BCD. Our results highlight the importance of surface relaxation for accurately describing surface–bulk hybridization, which in turn plays a key role in Berry-curvature-driven responses at crystalline boundaries.

Inspired by recent interests in quantum geometry in electronic bands, we consider a two-dimensional topological Mott insulator, i.e. chiral spin liquid, whose spinon bands develop nontrivial band topological and quantum geometry. The virtual polarization of the gapped charge sector transfers the electromagnetic drive to the charge-neutral spinons through the emergent U(1) gauge field, producing a tensor Ioffe-Larkin response and enabling two complementary optical protocols for measurements. In the off-shell (low-frequency) regime, a self-calibrated ratio of the physical longitudinal and Hall conductivities yields the spinon Chern number without the microscopic knowledge of the charge response. In the on-shell (resonant) regime, combining the inverse Ioffe-Larkin response with the Kramers-Kronig relation enables reconstruction of the quantum-metric and Berry-curvature spectral densities. Our approach directly applies to the triangular lattice Hofstadter-Hubbard model in Moiré systems, can be well adapted to other triangular lattice antiferromagnets such as Nb$_3$Br$_8$ with appropriate modifications. We establish a unified framework for quantitatively probing the quantum geometry of fractionalized quasiparticles in topological Mott regime.

Cryogenic electronics forms a rapidly emerging research domain for high-performance and power-efficient computing applications. Incorporating nanomagnetic components in cryogenic circuitry adds highly valuable functionality, facilitating downscaling, reducing energy consumption and introducing time-reversal symmetry breaking. Furthermore, low-temperature environments enhance magnetic stability and switching efficiency at nanoscale dimensions, reinforcing the potential of cryogenic nanomagnets. To fully leverage these opportunities, magnetic control schemes require alternative options to current-based writing, which is the main bottleneck regarding power consumption and downscaling. In this regard, voltage-based gating of the magnetic state could drastically enhance operational efficiency and integration density. In this work, we investigate cryogenic Voltage Control of Magnetism (VCM) in epitaxial SrTiO$_3$/Fe thin film heterostructures on a CMOS compatible Si substrate. We demonstrate and quantify voltage-controlled modifications of the magnetic domain structure, consistent with electric field-controlled magnetic anisotropy at the Fe/SrTiO$_3$ interface. These findings provide a viable material system for the development of next-generation magnetic domain-based devices for classical and quantum computing.

Cavity-induced electron mass renormalization is an important ingredient of many proposals to control material properties through vacuum field modification. What is its ultimate limit? Here this question is answered by (i) noting that this mass renormalization is essentially due to the field-mediated interaction between the electron and the polarizable degrees of freedom in the cavity mirrors, and (ii) directly evaluating the corresponding Feynman path integral for a 2D electron by numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo. The sought upper limit is provided by the Landau-Pekar polaron in the planar geometry. The presented calculation bridges the gap between cavity control and dielectric engineering of material properties.

We study the scaling behavior of the eigenvalues of correlation matrices, which characterize the entanglement of a subsystem with its complement part of a total pure state. A most distinguishing feature of entanglement entropy is its logarithmic dependence on the subsystem size for the groundstate of one-dimensional critical systems. Despite its robust universal character and relevance to a wide range of topics, a thorough understanding of this result requires sophisticated mathematical physics techniques or conformal field theory. The aim of our work is to shed light on this from the underlying eigenvalue distribution perspective. The central object is the correlation matrix, which takes the form of Toeplitz or block-Toeplitz matrix. We develop a circulant matrix approximation in the large matrix dimension limit, thus allowing for the individual eigenvalues behavior to be analysed analytically. We find that for both free lattice fermions and transverse field Ising chain, eigenvalues in the bulk of the eigenspectrum scales as $1/L_A$ with the subsystem size. Together with the extensivity of the entropy function, it explains the robust $\log_2 L_A$ scaling of entanglement at criticality. Perturbing from the entanglement-free limit of the Ising chain, we find a smooth crossover behavior to `non-critical' scaling that is characterized by a very slow logarithmic dependence rendering it seemingly a constant entanglement value expected of non-critical systems.

Recent advances in engineered quantum platforms have enabled the realization of bosonic Laughlin states at $\nu=1/2$ and brought non-Abelian topological phases within experimental reach. A central theoretical challenge is to develop a unified framework connecting lattice fractional quantum Hall (FQH) model states, exact parent Hamiltonians, and experimentally accessible interactions. We systematically construct Hermitian parent Hamiltonians for which continuum lowest Landau level (LLL) model states sampled on lattice sites are exact zero modes. Using these model manifolds as quantitative references, we find that, within the projected lattice LLL at the flux densities studied, short-range density interactions stabilize Laughlin ground-state manifolds at $\nu=1/3$ and $1/4$, while two-body onsite repulsion supports a Moore–Read triplet at $\nu=1$. Full multiband calculations reveal a sharp contrast: the Laughlin manifolds remain robust against interband mixing on the studied tori, whereas the Moore–Read triplet becomes less spectrally isolated and eventually undergoes a level crossing with competing states near the interband scale. Our framework provides a theoretical foundation for using lattice model states to guide the search for experimentally accessible Abelian and non-Abelian FQH states.

We present a simple analysis of the energy references and of the magnetic-field-dependent and system-dependent features of the Landau energy levels. The energy reference used in describing Landau quantization is usually taken as given, with the Fermi levels of the electron system and the coupled reservoir aligned in thermal equilibrium. Nevertheless, the dependence of the Landau-level spectrum on magnetic field can make the relation between these energy references less transparent. In this work, we show that when a magnetic field is applied and the confined Landau levels $E_n$ are established, both the Fermi level $E_F$ and the bottom energy $E_0$ remain fixed when the magnetic field varies. We show that the bottom energy $E_0$ is independent of $B$, and determined by a system-dependent field $B_1$, defined by the condition that the first Landau level equals the Fermi energy. In contrast, the minimum of the parabolic well depends explicitly on the magnetic field. The resulting picture provides a simple way of displaying the relative motion of the Landau levels and the fixed Fermi level without introducing a magnetic-field-dependent energy zero.

Controlling the spatial distribution of absorbed optical energy is central to nanoscale photothermal chemistry, plasmonics, and ultrafast materials control. Here, we show that a metallic AuPt superlattice concentrates electronic energy in Pt within a few hundred femtoseconds, regardless of the initial energy distribution between the two constituents. Ultrafast X-ray diffraction follows this energy redistribution through the amplitude of a coherent 570 GHz superlattice phonon driven by the stress imbalance at the AuPt interfaces. Despite the nearly homogeneous absorption at 400 nm, the observed lattice motion is identical to that produced by 800 nm excitation, which is absorbed predominantly in Pt. This dissipation driven localization of energy arises from the large electronic heat capacity of Pt and rapid electronic transport through the superlattice, providing a route to femtosecond control of nanoscale energy distributions.

The conventional spin Hall effect generates spin currents whose flow direction, spin polarization, and driving electric field are mutually perpendicular. Magnetic order lifts this symmetry restriction and enables additional time-reversal-symmetry-odd components of the spin-conductivity tensor, giving rise to the magnetic spin Hall effect (MSHE). These components also couple the generated spin polarization to the magnetic order, providing a degree of control absent in the conventional spin Hall effect. Although the MSHE has been observed in antiferromagnets, its experimental identification in conventional ferromagnets has remained elusive. Here, using a non-local lateral spin-valve geometry, we electrically identify the MSHE and its reciprocal effect in a perpendicularly magnetized Co-based multilayer. Reversal of the multilayer magnetization reverses the MSHE and magnetic inverse spin Hall signals, revealing their time-reversal-symmetry-odd character and magnetization control. By contrast, the conventional spin Hall and inverse spin Hall signals measured in the same devices remain unchanged under magnetization reversal, consistent with their time-reversal-symmetry-even character. We obtain a magnetic spin Hall angle of $\theta_{\mathrm{MSH}} = (3.8 \pm 0.6)\%$, comparable in magnitude to the spin Hall angle of heavy metals commonly used in spintronic devices, such as Pt. These results establish the MSHE as a sizable, magnetically switchable spin-charge interconversion mechanism in conventional ferromagnets.

A system evolving unitarily does not dephase or thermalize by definition. Yet, if one considers a part of a unitary system, situation is different. Here we analyze an isolated set of coupled qubits taking one qubit at a time as a subsystem, and writing self-consistently a weak-coupling master equation for it. Weakly anharmonic oscillators and ideal qubits (two-level systems) demonstrate dephasing, i.e. the diagonal elements of the density matrix reach a steady-state in the long-time limit, and the off-diagonal elements of ideal qubits decay exponentially. For the linear coupling between the qubits, only the degenerate ones interact, and the system does not reach thermal distribution. However, non-linearity, in our analysis in form of three-wave mixing, ensures a thermal distribution in the long time limit, where the temperature is determined uniquely by the energy in the initial non-thermal state. Finally, we present a potential experimental scheme based on a superconducting quantum circuit.

We report the structural and optical properties of nanoscale Sr2IrO4 freestanding thin-films fabricated using a water-soluble Sr3Al2O6 layer. The coherent lattice structure, phonon modes, two-magnon Raman scattering, and optical absorption spectra of the Sr2IrO4 nanomembrane are analogous to those of the layered iridate epitaxial thin-films and single crystals. Remarkably, the formation of 3-unit-cell-thick SrIrO3 and interfacial composite layers alleviates antiphase boundaries at the Sr2IrO4/Sr3Al2O6 interface, resulting in structurally-robust nanomembranes. Our experimental results show that this freestanding thin-film approach of layered oxides can provide techniques for tuning or realizing unprecedented states beyond conventional thin-film methods, suggesting a pathway in achieving flexible layered-oxide electronics.

We investigate the proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in graphene on transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterostructures using a tight-binding approach. The tight-binding parameters of an effective 4-band model describing the low-energy physics of the graphene layer are extracted as a function of twist angle, material composition (MoS${}_2$, MoSe${}_2$, WS${}_2$, WSe${}_2$), band alignment, and charge-transfer dipole. We investigate the effect of a charge-transfer dipole induced on the chalcogen layer closest to graphene, which is typically neglected in tight-binding models but included in ab initio calculations through charge redistribution. In addition, we explore the influence of variations in the band alignment. We find that the spin-valley and Rashba spin-orbit coupling energies as well as the so-called Rashba phase, governing the orientation of momentum-space spin textures, show a strong dependence on the twist angle and electrostatic tuning. Our results suggest that variations in band alignment and charge redistribution contribute to the spread of spin-orbit parameters reported in the literature.

Inspired by the recent progress in the simulation of tight-binding Hamiltonians on large lattices using tensor networks, we introduce a systematic matrix product operator (MPO) construction for single-particle Hamiltonians on recursively structured lattices. Taking advantage of this recursive structure, we encode the lattice geometry in a finite-state automaton and, adapting ideas from Abelian-symmetric tensor networks, obtain an exact and analytical MPO representation of the Hamiltonian, where the number of tensors grows logarithmically with the system size and the bond dimension is set by the number of automaton states. Several examples demonstrate the generality of the framework: regular lattices, fractals, Cayley trees, hyperbolic lattices, and one- and two-dimensional Fibonacci quasicrystals. Combined with the kernel polynomial method, these MPO representations enable large-scale calculations of spectral properties without explicitly constructing the full Hamiltonian. This provides a unified route to the exploration of electronic properties across a broad class of lattices at exponentially large system sizes.

Whether a nonequilibrium quantum-critical steady state can be described by an effective temperature remains an open question. We address it in a voltage-biased electronic Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick model, a minimal driven-dissipative model of a collective spin coupled to metallic leads. A controlled large-$N$ treatment reveals an overdamped open quantum-critical regime distinct from the closed model. The surrounding quantum critical fan, organized by temperature and voltage, is explored and fluctuations are found to be governed by an effective temperature $T_{\rm eff}$. At strong bias, the transition becomes first-order through a tricritical point. Remarkably, the same $T_{\rm eff}$ governs the strongly driven regime, but now varies across the entire order-parameter landscape. The steady state is therefore selected by a non-Boltzmann rule, shifting the first-order transition away from the equal-depth point of a deterministic potential. Driven criticality thus remains organized by an effective temperature while revealing non-thermal state selection.

We present a theoretical study of the Rabi and Ramsey coherence time of Majorana-based qubits formed by double $N$-site quantum-dot artificial Kitaev chains, following the recent experimental realization arXiv:2607.09511. We generalize the qubit to two chains of arbitrary length and compare the Rabi and Ramsey oscillations of the four-dot and six-dot qubits, simulated with realistic disorder for three sets of parameters: small and large superconducting gaps, and the experimental parameters. We find that, in the pristine limit, the Rabi oscillation is independent of the chain length, whereas the Ramsey oscillation of the six-dot qubit suffers from larger leakage, because the third site suppresses the unwanted energy splitting away from the sweet spot but at the same time makes the deliberate splitting difficult to achieve, which requires a larger detuning that could excite the bulk. In reality with disorder, neither coherence time improves universally with the chain length. The Rabi coherence is set by the competition of three dephasing channels, and the additional dots pay off only if the fluctuation of the interchain tunneling is suppressed; the Ramsey coherence is set by the fluctuation of the energy splitting during the $\sigma_z$ rotation, which for the four-dot qubit is fixed by the sweet-spot disorder alone and does not depend on the mean splitting, whereas for the six-dot qubit the detuning that generates the splitting adds a fluctuation growing with the splitting itself, so the additional dots pay off only for small splittings. This implies that a longer chain is thus a better quantum memory but not necessarily a better qubit under manipulation. Although topological protection is expected in a longer Kitaev chain qubit, observing it in the current Rabi and Ramsey measurement protocols remains an experimental challenge.