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In this Letter, we study a previously unexplored class of topological states protected by hidden chiral symmetries that are local, that is, that protect against any off-diagonal disorder. We derive their related topological invariant for the first time, and show that these previously unidentified symmetries can act together with standard chiral symmetries to increase the protection of the end modes, using the Creutz ladder as an example. Finally, thanks to local hidden symmetries, we show that the diamond necklace chain can have three different types of topological end modes: strong, weak or square-root, with some of the states inheriting their topology from others. This marks the first time a square-root topological insulator is identified as its own parent.

Floquet theory and other established semiclassical approaches are widely used methods to predict the state of externally-driven quantum systems, yet, they do not allow to predict the state of the photonic driving field. To overcome this shortcoming, the photon-resolved Floquet theory (PRFT) has been developed recently [Phys. Rev. Research 6, 013116], which deploys concepts from full-counting statistics to predict the statistics of the photon flux between several coherent driving modes. In this paper, we study in detail the scaling properties of the PRFT in the semiclassical regime. We find that there is an ambiguity in the definition of the moment-generating function, such that different versions of the moment-generating function produce the same photonic probability distribution in the semiclassical limit, and generate the same leading-order terms of the moments and cumulants. Using this ambiguity, we establish a simple expression for the Kraus operators, which describe the decoherence dynamics of the driven quantum system appearing as a consequence of the light-matter interaction. The PRFT will pave the way for improved quantum sensing methods, e.g., for spectroscopic quantum sensing protocols, reflectometry in semiconductor nanostructures and other applications, where the detailed knowledge of the photonic probability distribution is necessary.

We investigate non-equilibrium transport through interacting superconducting nanojunctions using a Liouville space approach. The formalism allows us to study finite gap effects, and to account for both quasiparticle and Cooper pair tunneling. With focus on the weak tunneling limit, we study the stationary dc and ac current up to second order (cotunneling) in the hybridization energy. We identify the characteristic virtual processes that yield the Andreev and Josephson current and obtain the dependence on the gate and bias voltage for the dc current, the critical current and the phase-dependent dissipative current. In particular, the critical current is characterized by regions in the stability diagram in which its sign changes from positive to negative, resulting in a multitude of 0-\pi transitions. The latter signal the interplay between strong interactions and tunneling at finite bias.

In the ongoing effort towards a scalable quantum computer, multiple technologies have been proposed. Some of them exploit topological materials to process quantum information. In this work, we propose a lattice of photonic cavities with alternating hoppings to create a modified multidomain SSH chain, that is, a sequence of topological insulators made from chains of dimers. A qubit is then coupled to each boundary. We show this system is well suited for quantum information processing because topological transfer of photons through this one-dimensional lattice can entangle any set of qubits on demand, providing a scalable quantum platform. We verify this claim evaluating entanglement measures and witnesses proving that bipartite and multipartite entanglement is produced, even in the presence of some disorder.

Anomalous Floquet topological phases are a hallmark, without a static analog, of periodically driven systems. Recently, Quantum Floquet Engineering has emerged as an interesting approach to cavity-QED materials, which recovers the physics of Floquet engineering in its semi-classical limit. However, the mapping between these two widely different scenarios remains mysterious in many aspects. We discuss the emergence of anomalous topological phases in cavity-QED materials, and link topological phase transitions in the many-body spectrum with those in the $0$- and $\pi$-gaps of Floquet quasienergies. Our results allow to establish the microscopic origin of an emergent discrete time-translation symmetry in the matter sector, and link the physics of isolated many-body systems with that of periodically driven ones. Finally, the relation between many-body and Floquet topological invariants is discussed, as well as the bulk-edge correspondence.

Quantum information transfer is fundamental for scalable quantum computing in any potential platform and architecture. Hole spin qubits, owing to their intrinsic spin-orbit interaction (SOI), promise fast quantum operations which are fundamental for the implementation of quantum gates. Yet, the influence of SOI in quantum transfer protocols remains an open question. Here, we investigate hole flying qubits using shortcuts to adiabaticity protocols, i.e., the long-range transfer of hole spin states and the quantum distribution of entangled pairs in semiconductor quantum dot arrays. We show that electric field manipulation allows dynamical control of the SOI, enabling simultaneously the implementation of quantum gates during the transfer, with the potential to significantly accelerate quantum algorithms. By harnessing the ability to perform quantum gates in parallel with the transfer, we employ dynamical decoupling schemes to focus and preserve the spin state, leading to higher transfer fidelity.

The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain, which serves as a paradigmatic model for comprehending topological phases and their associated edge states, plays an essential role in advancing our understanding of quantum materials and quantum information processing and technology. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid analog-digital protocol designed for the nonadiabatic yet high-fidelity transfer of edge states in an SSH chain, featuring two sublattices, A and B. The core of our approach lies in harnessing the approximate time-dependent counterdiabatic (CD) interaction, derived from adiabatic gauge potentials. However, to enhance transfer fidelity, particularly in long-distance chains, higher-order nested commutators become crucial. To simplify the experimental implementation and navigate computational complexities, we identify the next-to-nearest-neighbor hopping terms between sublattice A sites as dominant CD driving and further optimize them by using variational quantum circuits. Through digital quantum simulation, our protocol showcases the capability to achieve rapid and robust solutions, even in the presence of disorder. This analog-digital transfer protocol, an extension of quantum control methodology, establishes a robust framework for edge-state transfer. Importantly, the optimal CD driving identified can be seamlessly implemented across various quantum registers, highlighting the versatility of our approach.

Quantum Floquet engineering (QFE) seeks to generalize the control of quantum systems with classical external fields, widely known as Semi-Classical Floquet engineering (SCFE), to quantum fields. However, to faithfully capture the physics at arbitrary coupling, a gauge-invariant description of light-matter interaction in cavity-QED materials is required, which makes the Hamiltonian highly non-linear in photonic operators. We provide a non-perturbative truncation scheme of the Hamiltonian, which is valid or arbitrary coupling strength, and use it to investigate the role of light-matter correlations, which are absent in SCFE. We find that even in the high-frequency regime, light-matter correlations can be crucial, in particular for the topological properties of a system. As an example, we show that for a SSH chain coupled to a cavity, light-matter correlations break the original chiral symmetry of the chain, strongly affecting the robustness of its edge states. In addition, we show how light-matter correlations are imprinted in the photonic spectral function and discuss their relation with the topology of the bands.

We investigate the effect of spin-orbit interaction on the intra- and interdot particle dynamics of a double quantum dot under ac electric fields. The former is modeled as an effective ac magnetic field that produces electric-dipole spin resonance transitions, while the latter is introduced via spin-flip tunneling amplitudes. We observe the appearance of non-trivial spin-polarized dark states, arising from an ac-induced interference between photo-assisted spin-conserving and spin-flip tunneling processes. These dark states can be employed to precisely measure the spin-orbit coupling in quantum dot systems. Furthermore, we show that the interplay between photo-assisted transitions and spin-flip tunneling allows the system to operate as a highly tunable spin filter. Finally, we investigate the operation of the system as a resonant flopping-mode qubit for arbitrary ac voltage amplitudes, allowing for high tunability and enhanced qubit control possibilities.

The duration of bidirectional transfer protocols in 1D topological models usually scales exponentially with distance. In this work, we propose transfer protocols in multidomain SSH chains and Creutz ladders that lose the exponential dependence, greatly speeding up the process with respect to their single-domain counterparts, reducing the accumulation of errors and drastically increasing their performance, even in the presence of symmetry-breaking disorder. We also investigate how to harness the localization properties of the Creutz ladder-with two localized modes per domain wall-to choose the two states along the ladder that will be swapped during the transfer protocol, without disturbing the states located in the intermediate walls between them. This provides a 1D network with all-to-all connectivity that can be helpful for quantum information purposes.

Hole spin qubits in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for quantum information processing due to their weak hyperfine coupling to nuclear spins, and to the strong spin-orbit coupling which allows for rapid operation time. We propose a coherent control on two heavy-hole spin qubits in a double QD by a fast adiabatic driving protocol, which helps to achieve higher fidelities than other experimentally commonly used protocols as linear ramping, $\pi$-pulses or Landau-Zener passages. Using fast quasiadiabatic driving via spin-orbit coupling, it is possible to reduce charge noise significantly for qubit manipulation and achieve high robustness for the qubit initialization. We also implement one and two-qubit gates, in particular, NOT, CNOT, and SWAP-like gates, of hole spins in a double QD achieving fidelities above $99\%$, exhibiting the capability of hole spins to implement universal gates for quantum computing.

Topological insulator (TI) nanowires in proximity with conventional superconductors have been proposed as a tunable platform to realize topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes (MZM). The tuning is done using an axial magnetic flux $\Phi$ which allows transforming the system from trivial at $\Phi=0$ to topologically nontrivial when half a magnetic flux quantum $\Phi_0/2$ threads the wire's cross-section. Here we explore the expected topological transition in TI-wire-based Josephson junctions as a function of magnetic flux by probing the $4\pi$-periodic fraction of the supercurrent, which is considered as an indicator of topological superconductivity. Our data suggest that this $4\pi$-periodic supercurrent is at lower magnetic field largely of trivial origin, but that at magnetic fields above $\sim\Phi_{0}/4$ topological $4\pi$-periodic supercurrents take over.

Quantum dot-based quantum computation employs extensively the exchange interaction between nearby electronic spins in order to manipulate and couple different qubits. The exchange interaction, however, couples the qubit states to charge noise, which reduces the fidelity of the quantum gates that employ it. The effect of charge noise can be mitigated by working at noise sweetspots in which the sensitivity to charge variations is reduced. In this work we study the response to charge noise of a double quantum dot based qubit in the presence of ac gates, with arbitrary driving amplitudes, applied either to the dot levels or to the tunneling barrier. Tuning with an ac driving allows to manipulate the sign and strength of the exchange interaction as well as its coupling to environmental electric noise. Moreover, we show the possibility of inducing a second-order sweetspot in the resonant spin-triplet qubit in which the dephasing time is significantly increased.

Quantum spin models find applications in many different areas, such as spintronics, high-Tc superconductivity, and even complex optimization problems. However, studying their many-body behaviour, especially in the presence of frustration, represents an outstanding computational challenge. To overcome it, quantum simulators based on cold, trapped atoms and ions have been built, shedding light already on many non-trivial phenomena. Unfortunately, the models covered by these simulators are limited by the type of interactions that appear naturally in these systems. Waveguide QED setups have recently been pointed out as a powerful alternative due to the possibility of mediating more versatile spin-spin interactions with tunable sign, range, and even chirality. Yet, despite their potential, the many-body phases emerging from these systems have only been scarcely explored. In this manuscript, we fill this gap analyzing the ground states of a general class of spin models that can be obtained in such waveguide QED setups. Importantly, we find novel many-body phases different from the ones obtained in other platforms, e.g., symmetry-protected topological phases with large-period magnetic orderings, and explain the measurements needed to probe them.

We explore the physics of topological lattice models in c-QED architectures for arbitrary coupling strength, and the use of the cavity transmission as a topological marker. For this, we develop an approach combining the input-output formalism with an expansion in quantum fluctuations which allows to go beyond the small-coupling regime. We apply our formalism to a fermionic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain coupled to a single-mode cavity, and find that the cavity can indeed act as a quantum sensor for topological phases, where the initial state preparation plays a crutial role. Additionally, we discuss the persistence of topological features as the coupling strength increases, in terms of an effective Hamiltonian, and calculate the entanglement entropy.

We investigate the interplay between Aharonov-Bohm (AB) caging and topological protection in a family of quasi-one-dimensional topological insulators, which we term CSSH ladders. Hybrids of the Creutz ladder and the SSH chain, they present a regime with completely flat bands, and a rich topological phase diagram, with several kinds of protected zero modes. These are reminiscent of the Creutz ladder edge states in some cases, and of the SSH chain edge states in others. Furthermore, their high degree of tunability, and the fact that they remain topologically protected even in small systems in the rungless case, due to AB caging, make them suitable for quantum information purposes. One of the ladders can belong to the BDI, AIII and D symmetry classes depending on its parameters, the latter being unusual in a non-superconducting model. Two of the models can also harbor topological end modes which do not follow the usual bulk-boundary correspondence, and are instead related to a Chern number. Finally, we propose some experimental setups to implement the CSSH ladders with current technology, focusing on the photonic lattice case.

We report on a theoretical study on the rise of radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in two-dimensional systems of massive Dirac fermions. We study the bilayer system of monolayer graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN/graphene) and the trilayer system of hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated graphene (h-BN/graphene/h-BN). We extend the radiation-driven electron orbit model that was previously devised to study the same oscillations in two-dimensional systems of Schrödinger electrons (GaAs/AlGaAS heterostructure) to the case of massive Dirac fermions. In the simulations we obtain clear oscillations for radiation frequencies in the terahertz and far-infrared bands. %which contrasts with the two-dimensional Schrodinger electrons case, %that are mainly sensitive to microwave frequencies. We investigate also the power and temperatures dependence. For the former we obtain similar results as for Schrödinger electrons and predict the rise of zero resistance states. For the latter we obtain a similar qualitatively dependence but quantitatively different when increasing temperature. While in GaAs the oscillations are wiped out in a few degrees, interestingly enough, for massive Dirac fermions, we obtain observable oscillations for temperatures above $100$ K and even at room temperature for the higher frequencies used in the simulations.

We study the effect of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling on the Fermi arcs of topological Dirac semimetals. The Rashba coupling is induced by breaking the inversion symmetry at the surface. Remarkably, this coupling could be enhanced by the interaction with the substrate and controlled by an external electric field. We study analytically and numerically the rotation of the spin of the surface states as a function of the electron's momentum and the coupling strength. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the spin-dependent two-terminal conductance is presented in the clean limit and with the addition of a random distribution of impurities. Depending on the magnitude of the quadratic terms in the Hamiltonian, the spin-flip conductance may become dominant, thus showing the potential of the system for spintronic applications, since the effect is robust even in the presence of disorder.

We investigate the quantum dynamics of a two-level system driven by a bichromatic field, using a non-perturbative analysis. We make special emphasis in the case of two large frequencies, where the Magnus expansion can fail, and in the case of a large and a small frequency, where resonances can dominate. In the first case, we show that two large frequencies can be combined to produce an effective adiabatic evolution. In the second case, we show that high frequency terms (which naturally arise as corrections to the adiabatic evolution obtained in the first case) can be used to produce a highly tunable adiabatic evolution over the whole Bloch sphere, controlled by multi-photon resonances.

The latest advances in the field of photonics have enabled the simulation of an increasing number of quantum models in photonic systems, turning them into an important tool for realizing exotic quantum phenomena. In this paper we suggest different ways in which these systems can be used to study the interplay between flat band dynamics, topology and interactions in a well-known quasi-1D topological insulator: the Creutz ladder. Firstly, a simple experimental protocol is proposed to observe the Aharonov-Bohm localization in the noninteracting system, and the different experimental setups that might be used for this are reviewed. We then consider the inclusion of a repulsive Hubbard-type interaction term, which can give rise to repulsively bound pairs termed doublons. The dynamics of these quasiparticles are studied for different points of the phase diagram, including a regime in which pairs are localized and particles are free to move. Finally, a scheme for the photonic implementation of a two-particle bosonic Creutz-Hubbard model is presented.

Long-distance transfer of quantum states is an indispensable part of large-scale quantum information processing. We propose a novel scheme for the transfer of two-electron entangled states, from one edge of a quantum dot array to the other by coherent adiabatic passage. This protocol is mediated by pulsed tunneling barriers. In a second step, we seek for a speed up by shortcut to adiabaticity techniques. This significantly reduces the operation time and, thus, minimizes the impact of decoherence. For typical parameters of state-of-the-art solid state devices, the accelerated protocol has an operation time in the nanosecond range and terminates before a major coherence loss sets in. The scheme represents a promising candidate for entanglement transfer in solid state quantum information processing.

We propose a driving protocol which allows to use quantum dot arrays as quantum simulators for 1D topological phases. We show that by driving the system out of equilibrium, one can imprint bond-order in the lattice (producing structures such as dimers, trimers, etc) and selectively modify the hopping amplitudes at will. Our driving protocol also allows for the simultaneous suppression of all the undesired hopping processes and the enhancement of the necessary ones, enforcing certain key symmetries which provide topological protection. In addition, we have discussed its implementation in a 12-QD array with two interacting electrons and found correlation effects in their dynamics, when configurations with different number of edge states are considered.

We propose to Floquet-engineer Dirac cones at the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator. We show that a large tunability of the Fermi velocity can be achieved as a function of the polarization, direction and amplitude of the driving field. Using this external control, the Dirac cones in the quasienergy spectrum may become elliptic or massive, in accordance to experimental evidences. These results help us to understand the interplay of surface states and external ac driving fields in topological insulators. In our work we use the full Hamiltonian for the three-dimensional system instead of effective surface Hamiltonians, which are usually considered in the literature. Our findings show that the Dirac cones in the quasienergy spectrum remain robust even in the presence of bulk states and, therefore, they validate the usage of effective surface Hamiltonians to explore the properties of Floquet-driven topological boundaries. Furthermore, our model allows us to introduce new out-of-plane field configurations, which cannot be accounted for by effective surface Hamiltonians.

Preparation and transfer of quantum states is a fundamental task in quantum information. We propose a protocol to prepare a state in the left and center quantum dots of a triple dot array and transfer it directly to the center and right dots. Initially the state in the left and center dots is prepared combining the exchange interaction and magnetic field gradients. Once in the desired state, ac gate voltages in the outer dots are switched on, allowing to select a given photoassisted long-range path and to transfer the prepared state directly from one edge to the other with high fidelity. We investigate the effect of charge noise on the protocol and propose a configuration in which the transfer can be performed with high fidelity. Our proposal can be experimentally implemented and is a promising avenue for transferring quantum states between two spatially separated two-level systems.

We extend the standard SSH model to include long range hopping and disorder, and study how the electronic and topological properties are affected. We show that long range hopping can change the symmetry class and the topological invariant, while diagonal and off-diagonal disorder lead to Anderson localization. Interestingly we find that the Lyapunov exponent $\gamma(E)$ can be linked in two ways to the topological properties in the presence of disorder: Either due to the different response of mid-gap states to increasing disorder, or due to an extra contribution to $\gamma$ due to the presence of edge modes. Finally we discuss its implications in realistic transport measurements.

The interplay between superconductivity and the Kondo effect has stimulated significant interest in condensed matter physics. They compete when their critical temperatures are close and can give rise to a quantum phase transition that can mimic Majorana zero modes. Here, we have fabricated and measured Al-InSb nanowire quantum dot-Al devices. In the Kondo regime, a supercurrent- induced zero-bias conductance peak emerges. This zero-bias peak shows an anomalous negative magnetoresistance (NMR) at weak magnetic fields. We attribute this anomalous NMR to quasi- particle trapping at vortices in the superconductor leads as a weak magnetic field is applied. The trapping effect lowers the quasiparticle-caused dissipation and thus enhances the Josephson current. This work connects the vortex physics and the supercurrent tunneling in Kondo regimes and can help further understand the physics of Josephson quantum dot system.

Rapid and efficient preparation, manipulation and transfer of quantum states through an array of quantum dots (QDs) is a demanding requisite task for quantum information processing and quantum computation in solid-state physics. Conventional adiabatic protocols, as coherent transfer by adiabatic passage (CTAP) and its variations, provide slow transfer prone to decoherence, which could lower the fidelity to some extent. To achieve the robustness against decoherence, we propose a protocol of speeding up the adiabatic charge transfer in multi-QD systems, sharing the concept of "Shortcuts to Adiabaticity" (STA). We first apply the STA techniques, including the counterdiabatic driving and inverse engineering, to speed up the direct (long range) transfer between edge dots in triple QDs. Then, we extend our analysis to a multi-dot system. We show how by implementing the modified pulses, fast adiabatic-like charge transport between the outer dots can be eventually achieved without populating intermediate dots. We discuss as well the dependence of the transfer fidelity on the operation time in the presence of dephasing. The proposed protocols for accelerating adiabatic charge transfer directly between the outer dots in a QD array offers a robust mechanism for quantum information processing, by minimizing decoherence and relaxation processes.

The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model describes a finite one-dimensional dimer lattice with first-neighbour hoppings populated by non-interacting electrons. In this work we study a generalization of the SSH model including longer-range hoppings, what we call the extended SSH model. We show that the presence of odd and even hoppings has a very different effect on the topology of the chain. On one hand, even hoppings break particle-hole and sublattice symmetry, making the system topologically trivial, but the Zak phase is still quantized due to the presence of inversion symmetry. On the other hand, odd hoppings allow for phases with a larger topological invariant. This implies that the system supports more edge states in the band's gap. We propose how to engineer those topological phases with a high-frequency driving. Finally, we include a numerical analysis on the effect of diagonal and off-diagonal disorder in the edge states properties.

We study the dissipative decay of states with a doubly occupied site in a two-electron Hubbard model, known as doublons. For the environment we consider charge and current noise which are modelled as a bosonic heat bath that couples to the onsite energies and the tunnel couplings, respectively. It turns out that the dissipative decay depends qualitatively on the type of environment as for charge noise, the life time grows with the electron-electron interaction. For current noise, by contrast, doublons become increasingly unstable with larger interaction. Numerical studies within a Bloch-Redfield approach are complemented by analytical estimates for the decay rates. For typical quantum dot parameters, we predict that the doublon life times up to 50 ns.

We investigate theoretical aspects of the detection of Majorana bound states in Josephson junctions using the semiclassical RCSJ model of junction dynamics. The influence of a 4$\pi$-periodic supercurrent contribution can be detected through its effect on the width of the Shapiro steps and the Fourier spectrum of the voltage signal. We explain how the inclusion of a capacitance term results in a strong quenching of the odd steps when the junction is underdamped, and hence may be used to effectively detect Majorana bound states. Furthermore, in presence of capacitance the first and third steps are quenched to a different degree, as observed experimentally. We examine the emission spectrum of phase-locked solutions, showing that the presence of period-doubling may difficult the measurement of the 4$\pi$-periodic contribution from the Fourier spectrum. Finally, we study the voltage response in the quasiperiodic regime and indicate how the Fourier spectra and the first-return maps in this regime reflect the change of periodicity in the supercurrent.

We investigate the role of chirality on the performance of a Maxwell demon implemented in a quantum Hall bar with a localized impurity. Within a stochastic thermodynamics description we investigate the ability of such a demon to drive a current against a bias. We show that the ability of the demon to perform is directly related to its ability to extract information from the system. The key features of the proposed Maxwell demon are the topological properties of the quantum Hall system. The asymmetry of the electronic interactions felt at the localized state when the magnetic field is reversed joined to the fact that we consider energy dependent (and asymmetric) tunneling barriers that connect such state with the Hall edge modes allow the demon to properly work.

We investigate theoretically the dynamics of a Josephson junction in the framework of the RSJ model. We consider a junction that hosts two supercurrrent contributions: a $2\pi$- and a $4\pi$-periodic in phase, with intensities $I_{2\pi}$ and $I_{4\pi}$ respectively. We study the size of the Shapiro steps as a function of the ratio of the intensity of the mentioned contributions, i.e. $I_{4\pi}/I_{2\pi}$. We provide detailed explanations where to expect clear signatures of the presence of the $4\pi$-periodic contribution as a function of the external parameters: the intensity AC-bias $I_\text{ac}$ and frequency $\omega_\text{ac}$. On the one hand, in the low AC-intensity regime (where $I_\text{ac}$ is much smaller than the critical current, $I_\text{c}$), we find that the non-linear dynamics of the junction allows the observation of only even Shapiro steps even in the unfavorable situation where $I_{4\pi}/I_{2\pi}\ll 1$. On the other hand, in the opposite limit ($I_\text{ac}\gg I_\text{c}$), even and odd Shapiro steps are present. Nevertheless, even in this regime, we find signatures of the $4\pi$-supercurrent in the beating pattern of the even step sizes as a function of $I_\text{ac}$.

The relation of topological insulators and superconductors and the field of nonlinear dynamics is widely unexplored. To address this subject, we adopt the linear coupling geometry of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, a paradigmatic example for a topological insulator, and render it nonlinearly in the context of superconducting circuits. As a consequence, the system exhibits topologically-enforced bifurcations as a function of the topological control parameter, which finally gives rise to chaotic dynamics, separating phases which exhibit clear topological features.

We study the dynamics of two strongly-interacting fermions moving in 2D lattices under the action of a periodic electric field, both with and without a magnetic flux. Due to the interaction, these particles bind together forming a doublon. We derive an effective Hamiltonian that permits us to understand the interplay between the interaction and the driving, revealing surprising effects that constrain the movement of the doublons. We show that it is possible to confine doublons to just the edges of the lattice, and also to a particular sublattice, if different sites in the unit cell have different coordination numbers. Contrary to what happens in 1D systems, here we observe the coexistence of both topological and Shockley-like edge states when the system is in a non-trivial phase.

We investigate direct energy and heat transfer between two distant sites of a triple quantum dot connected to reservoirs, where one of the edge dots is driven by an ac-gate voltage. We theoretically propose how to implement heat and cooling engines mediated by long range photoassisted transport. Additionally we propose a simple set up to heat up coherently the two reservoirs symmetrically and a mechanism to store energy in the closed system. The present proposals can be experimentally implemented and easily controlled by tunning the external parameters.

We analyze an AC-driven dimer chain connected to a strongly biased electron source and drain. It turns out that the resulting transport exhibits fingerprints of topology. They are particularly visible in the driving-induced current suppression and the Fano factor. Thus, shot noise measurements provide a topological phase diagram as a function of the driving parameters. The observed phenomena can be explained physically by a mapping to an effective time-independent Hamiltonian and the emergence of edge states. Moreover, by considering quantum dissipation, we determine the requirements for the coherence properties in a possible experimental realization. For the computation of the zero-frequency noise, we develop an efficient method based on matrix-continued fractions.

We propose a scheme for deterministic generation and long-term stabilization of entanglement between two electronic spin qubits confined in spatially separated quantum dots. Our approach relies on an electronic quantum bus, consisting either of quantum Hall edge channels or surface acoustic waves, that can mediate long-range coupling between localized spins over distances of tens of micrometers. Since the entanglement is actively stabilized by dissipative dynamics, our scheme is inherently robust against noise and imperfections.

We propose a transport blockade mechanism in quantum dot arrays and conducting molecules based on an interplay of Coulomb repulsion and the formation of edge states. As a model we employ a dimer chain that exhibits a topological phase transition. The connection to a strongly biased electron source and drain enables transport. We show that the related emergence of edge states is manifest in the shot noise properties as it is accompanied by a crossover from bunched electron transport to a Poissonian process. For both regions we develop a scenario that can be captured by a rate equation. The resulting analytical expressions for the Fano factor agree well with the numerical solution of a full quantum master equation.

The controlled transfer of particles from one site of a spatial lattice to another is essential for many tasks in quantum information processing and quantum communication. Arrays of semiconductor quantum dots and ultracold atoms held in optical lattices, provide two means of studying coherent quantum transport in well-controlled systems. In this work we study how to induce long-range transfer between the two ends of a dimer chain, by coupling states that are localized just on the chain's end-points. This has the appealing feature that the transfer occurs only between the end-points -- the particle does not pass through the intermediate sites -- making the transfer less susceptible to decoherence. We first show how a repulsively bound-pair of fermions, known as a doublon, can be transferred from one end of the chain to the other via topological edge states. We then show how non-topological surface states of the familiar Shockley or Tamm type can be used to produce a similar form of transfer under the action of a periodic driving potential. Finally we show that combining these effects can produce transfer by means of more exotic topological effects, in which the driving field can be used to switch the topological character of the edge states, as measured by the Zak phase. Our results demonstrate how to induce long range transfer of strongly correlated particles by tuning both topology and driving.

We study the helical edge states of a two-dimensional topological insulator without axial spin symmetry due to the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. Lack of axial spin symmetry can lead to so-called generic helical edge states, which have energy-dependent spin orientation. This opens the possibility of inelastic backscattering and thereby nonquantized transport. Here we find analytically the new dispersion relations and the energy dependent spin orientation of the generic helical edge states in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling within the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model, for both a single isolated edge and for a finite width ribbon. In the single-edge case, we analytically quantify the energy dependence of the spin orientation, which turns out to be weak for a realistic HgTe quantum well. Nevertheless, finite size effects combined with Rashba spin-orbit coupling result in two avoided crossings in the energy dispersions, where the spin orientation variation of the edge states is very significantly increased for realistic parameters. Finally, our analytical results are found to compare well to a numerical tight-binding regularization of the model.

We investigate the interplay between long-range and direct photon-assisted transport in a triple quantum dot chain where local ac voltages are applied to the outer dots. We propose the phase difference between the two ac voltages as an external parameter, which can be easily tuned to manipulate the current characteristics. For gate voltages in phase opposition we find quantum destructive interferences analogous to the interferences in closed-loop undriven triple dots. As the voltages oscillate in phase, interferences between multiple paths give rise to dark states. Those totally cancel the current, and could be experimentally resolved.

We consider different configurations of ac driven quantum dots coupled to superconductor leads where Majorana fermions can exist as collective quasiparticles. The main goal is to tune the existence, localization and properties of these zero energy quasiparticles by means of periodically driven external gates. In particular, we analyze the relevance of the system and driving symmetry. We predict the existence of different sweet spots with Floquet Majorana fermions in configurations where they are not present in the undriven system.

Electronic transport through a two-path triple-quantum-dot system with two source leads and one drain is studied. By separating the conductance of the two double dot paths, we are able to observe double dot and triple dot physics in transport and study the interaction between the paths. We observe channel blockade as a result of inter-channel Coulomb interaction. The experimental results are understood with the help of a theoretical model which calculates the parameters of the system, the stability regions of each state and the full dynamical transport in the triple dot resonances.

We present a theoretical approach to study the effect of microwave radiation on the magnetoresistance of a one-dimensional superlattice. In our proposal the magnetoresistance of a unidirectional spatial periodic potential (superlattice), is modulated by microwave radiation due to an interference effect between both, space and time-dependent potentials. The final magnetoresistance will mainly depend on the spatial period of the superlattice and the radiation frequency. %Then, by tuning either the spatial period of the superlattice or the radiation %frequency, the magnetoresistance can be strongly modified. We consider an approach to study these effects based on the fast Fourier transform of the obtained magnetorresistance profiles in function of the inverse of the magnetic field. Based on this theory we propose the design of a novel radiation sensor for the Terahertz band. % We first study the FFT of the system for each potential individually. Then we study jointly the FFT of the system when the two types of potentials are simultaneously acting.

We report on a theoretical insight about the microwave-induced resistance oscillations and zero resistance states when dealing with p-type semiconductors and holes instead of electrons. We consider a high-mobility two-dimensional hole gas hosted in a pure Ge/SiGe quantum well. Similarly to electrons we obtain radiation-induce resistance oscillations and zero resistance states. We analytically deduce a universal expression for the irradiated magnetoresistance, explaining the origin of the minima positions and their $1/4$ cycle phase shift. The outcome is that these phenomena are universal and only depend on radiation and cyclotron frequencies. We also study the possibility of having simultaneously two different carriers driven by radiation: light and heavy holes. As a result the calculated magnetoresistance reveals an interference profile due to the different effective masses of the two types of carriers.

Floquet Majorana Fermions appear as steady states at the boundary of time-periodic topological phases of matter. In this work, we theoretically study the main features of these exotic topological phases in the periodically driven one-dimensional Kitaev model. By controlling the ac fields, we can predict new topological phase transitions that should give rise to signatures of Majorana states in experiments. Moreover, the knowledge of the time-dependence of these Majorana states allows one to manipulate them. Our work contains a complete analysis of the monochromatic driving in different frequency regimes.

We analyze long-range transport through an ac driven triple quantum dot with one single electron. An effective model is proposed for the analysis of photoassisted cotunnel in order to account for the virtual processes which dominate the long-range transport, which takes place at n-photon resonances between the edge quantum dots. The AC field renormalizes the inter dot hopping, modifying the levels hybridization. It results in a non trivial behavior of the current with the frequency and intensity of the external ac field.

We analyze the equilibration process between two either fermionic or bosonic reservoirs containing ultracold atoms with a fixed total number of particles that are weakly connected via a few-level quantum system. We allow for both the temperatures and particle densities of the reservoirs to evolve in time. Subsequently, linearizing the resulting equations enables us to characterize the equilibration process and its time scales in terms of equilibrium reservoir properties and linear-response transport coefficients. Additionally, we investigate the use of such a device as particle transistor or particle capacitor and analyze its efficiency.

Tunneling in a quantum coherent structure is not restricted to only nearest neighbours. Hopping between distant sites is possible via the virtual occupation of otherwise avoided intermediate states. Here we report the observation of long range transitions in the transport through three quantum dots coupled in series. A single electron is delocalized between the left and right quantum dots while the centre one remains always empty. Superpositions are formed and both charge and spin are exchanged between the outermost dots. Detection of the process is achieved via the observation of narrow resonances, insensitive to the transport Pauli spin blockade.

We propose the interaction of two electrons in a triple quantum dot as a minimal system to control long range superexchange transitions. These are probed by transport spectroscopy. Narrow resonances appear indicating the transfer of charge from one side of the sample to the other with the central one being occupied only virtually. We predict that two different intermediate states establish the two arms of a one dimensional interferometer. Configurations of destructive interference of the two superexchage trajectories totally block the current through the system. We emphasize the role of spin correlations giving rise to lifetime-enhanced resonances.

Spin qubits based on interacting spins in double quantum dots have been successfully demonstrated. Readout of the qubit state involves a conversion of spin to charge information, universally achieved by taking advantage of a spin blockade phenomenon resulting from Pauli's exclusion principle. The archetypal spin blockade transport signature in double quantum dots takes the form of a rectified current. Currently more complex spin qubit circuits including triple quantum dots are being developed. Here we show both experimentally and theoretically (a) that in a linear triple quantum dot circuit, the spin blockade becomes bipolar with current strongly suppressed in both bias directions and (b) that a new quantum coherent mechanism becomes relevant. Within this mechanism charge is transferred non-intuitively via coherent states from one end of the linear triple dot circuit to the other without involving the centre site. Our results have implications in future complex nano-spintronic circuits.

We investigate the AC electric field induced quantum anomalous Hall effect in honeycomb lattices and derive the full phase diagram for arbitrary field amplitude and phase polarization. We show how to induce anti-chiral edge modes as well as topological phases characterized by a Chern number larger than $1$ by means of suitable drivings. In particular, we find that the Chern number develops plateaus as a function of the frequency, providing an time-dependent analogue to the ones in the quantum Hall effect.

We investigate theoretically the non-linear dynamics of a coupled nanomechanical oscillator. Under a weak radio frequency excitation, the resonators can be parametrically tuned into a self-sustained oscillatory regime. The transfer of electrons from one contact to the other is then mechanically assisted, generating a rectified current. The direction of the rectified current is, in most unstable regions, determined by the phase shift between the mechanical oscillations and the signal. However, we locate intriguing parametrical regions of uni-directional rectified current, suggesting a practical scheme for the realization of a self-powered device in the nanoscale. In these regions, a dynamical symmetry breaking is induced by the non-linear coupling of the mechanical and electrical degrees of freedom. When operating within the Coulomb blockade limit, we locate bands of instability of enhanced gain.

We investigate the effect of an in-plane AC electric field coupled to electrons in the honeycomb lattice and show that it can be used to manipulate the Dirac points of the electronic structure. We find that the position of the Dirac points can be controlled by the amplitude and the polarization of the field for high frequency drivings, providing a new platform to achieve their merging, a topological transition which has not been observed yet in electronic systems. Importantly, for lower frequencies we find that the multi-photon absorptions and emissions processes yield the creation of additional pairs of Dirac points. This provides an additional method to achieve the merging transition by just tuning the frequency of the driving. Our approach, based on Floquet formalism, is neither restricted to specific choice of amplitude or polarization of the field, nor to a low energy approximation for the Hamiltonian.

We study the hyperfine interaction between the nuclear spins and the electrons in a HgTe quantum well, which is the prime experimentally realized example of a two-dimensional topological insulator. The hyperfine interaction is a naturally present, internal source of broken time-reversal symmetry from the point of view of the electrons. The HgTe quantum well is described by the so-called Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang (BHZ) model. The basis states of the BHZ model are combinations of both S- and P-like symmetry states, which means that three kinds of hyperfine interactions play a role: (i) The Fermi contact interaction, (ii) the dipole-dipole like coupling and (iii) the electron orbital to nuclear-spin coupling. We provide benchmark results for the forms and magnitudes of these hyperfine interactions within the BHZ model, which give a good starting point for evaluating hyperfine interactions in any HgTe nanostructure. We apply our results to the helical edge states of a HgTe two-dimensional topological insulator and show how their total hyperfine interaction becomes anisotropic and dependent on the orientation of the sample edge within the plane. Moreover, for the helical edge states the hyperfine interactions due to the P-like states can dominate over the S-like contribution in certain circumstances.

We propose a general framework to solve tight binding models in D dimensional lattices driven by ac electric fields. Our method is valid for arbitrary driving regimes and allows to obtain effective Hamiltonians for different external fields configurations. We establish an equivalence with time independent lattices in D+1 dimensions, and analyze their topological properties. Further, we demonstrate that non-adiabaticity drives a transition from topological invariants defined in D+1 to D dimensions. Our approach provides a theoretical framework to analyze ac driven systems, with potential applications in topological states of matter, and non-adiabatic topological quantum computation, predicting novel outcomes for future experiments.

Our aim in this work is to study the nonequilibrium behavior of the topological quantum phase transition in the transverse Wen-plaquette model. We show that under the effect of a nonadiabatic driving the system exhibits a new topological phase and a rich phase diagram. We define generalized topological order parameters by considering cycle-averaged expectation values of string operators in a Floquet state

The interplay of dynamical nuclear polarization (DNP) and leakage current through a double quantum dot in the spin-blockade regime is analyzed. A finite DNP is built up due to a competition between hyperfine (HF) spin-flip transitions and another inelastic escape mechanism from the triplets, which block transport. We focus on the temperature dependence of the DNP for zero energy-detuning (i.e. equal electrostatic energy of one electron in each dot and a singlet in the right dot). Our main result is the existence of a transition temperature, below which the DNP is bistable, so a hysteretic leakage current versus external magnetic field B appears. This is studied in two cases: (i) Close to the crossing of the three triplet energy levels near B=0, where spin-blockade is lifted due to the inhomogeneity of the effective magnetic field from the nuclei. (ii) At higher B-fields, where the two spin-polarized triplets simultaneously cross two different singlet energy levels. We develop simplified models leading to different transition temperatures T_TT and T_ST for the crossing of the triplet levels and the singlet-triplet level crossings, respectively. We find T_TT analytically to be given solely by the HF couplings, whereas T_ST depends on various parameters and T_ST>T_TT. The key idea behind the existence of the transition temperatures at zero energy-detuning is the suppression of energy absorption compared to emission in the inelastic HF transitions. Finally, by comparing the rate equation results with Monte Carlo simulations, we discuss the importance of having both HF interaction and another escape mechanism from the triplets to induce a finite DNP.

We investigate the dynamical purification of maximally entangled electron states by transport through coupled quantum dots. Under resonant ac driving and coherent tunneling, even-parity Bell states perform Rabi oscillations that decouple from the environment, leading to a dark state. The two electrons remain spatially separated, one in each quantum dot. We propose configurations where this effect will prove as antiresonances in transport spectroscopy experiments.

We analyze electron dynamics and topological properties of open double quantum dots (DQDs) driven by circularly polarized ac-magnetic fields. In particular we focus on the system symmetries which can be tuned by the ac-magnetic field. Remarkably, we show that in the electron spin resonance (ESR) configuration, where the magnetic fields in each dot oscillate with a phase difference of $\pi$, charge localization occurs giving rise to transport blocking at arbitrary intensities of the ac field. The conditions for charge localization are obtained by means of Floquet theory and related with quasienergies degeneracy. We also demonstrate that a topological phase transition can be induced in the adiabatic regime for a phase difference of $\pi$, either by tuning the coupling between dots or by modifying the intensity of the driving magnetic field.

In this work we study the geometrical and topological properties of non-equilibrium quantum systems driven by ac fields. We consider two tunnel coupled spin qubits driven by either spatially homogeneous or inhomogeneous ac fields. Our analysis is an extension of the classical model introduced by Berry with he addition of the spatial degree of freedom. We calculate the Berry and Aharonov-Anandan geometric phases, and demonstrate the influence of the different field parameters in the geometric properties. We also discuss the topological properties associated with the different driving regimes, and show that by tuning the different parameters one can induce topological phase transitions, even in the non-adiabatic regime.

We investigate the role that noise plays in the hysteretic dynamics of a suspended nanotube or a graphene sheet subject to an oscillating force. We find that not only the size but also the position of the hysteresis region in these systems can be controlled by noise. We also find that nano-resonators act as noise rectifiers: by increasing the noise in the setup, the resonance width of the characteristic peak in these systems is reduced and, as a result, the quality factor is increased.

We propose steady-state electron transport based on coherent transfer by adiabatic passage (CTAP) in a linearly arranged triple quantum dot with leads attached to the outer dots. Its main feature is repeated steering of single electrons from the first dot to the last dot without relevant occupation of the middle dot. The coupling to leads enables a steady-state current, whose shot noise is significantly suppressed provided that the CTAP protocol performs properly. This represents an indication for the direct transfer between spatially separated dots and, thus, may resolve the problem of finding experimental evidence for the non-occupation of the middle dot.

We study current carrying helical edge states in a two-dimensional topological insulator coupled to an environment of localized spins, i.e. a spin bath. The localized spins mediate elastic spin-flip scattering between the helical edge states, and we show how this induces a spin-bath magnetization for a finite current through the edge states. The magnetization appears near the boundaries of the topological insulator, while the bulk remains unmagnetized, and it reaches its maximal value in the high bias regime. Furthermore, the helical edge states remain ballistic in steady state, if no additional spin-flip mechanisms for the localized spins are present. However, we demonstrate that if such mechanisms are allowed, then these will induce a finite current decrease from the ballistic value.

A nano-shuttle consisting of two metallic islands connected in series and integrated between two contacts is studied. We evaluate the electron transport through the system in the presence of a source-drain voltage with and without an RF excitation. We evaluate the response of the system in terms of the net direct current generated by the mechanical motion of the oscillators. An introduction to the charge stability diagram is given in terms of electrochemical potentials and mechanical displacements. The low capacitance of the islands allows the observation of Coulomb blockade even at room temperature. Using radio frequency excitations, the nonlinear dynamics of the system is studied. The oscillators can be tuned to unstable regions where mechanically assisted transfer of electrons can further increase the amplitude of motion, resulting of a net energy being pumped into the system. The instabilities can be exploited to parametrically amplify the response to an excitation, suggesting a practical scheme for detection of mechanical motion of nanoscale objects.