Evert van Nieuwenburg

Incompressible Polaritons in a Flat Band

We study the interplay of geometric frustration and interactions in a nonequilibrium photonic lattice system exhibiting a polariton flat band as described by a variant of the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model. We show how to engineer strong photonic correlations in such a driven, dissipative system by quenching the kinetic energy through frustration. This produces an incompressible state of photons characterized by short-ranged crystalline order with period doubling. The latter manifests itself in strong spatial correlations, i.e., on-site and nearest-neighbor antibunching combined with extended density-wave oscillations at larger distances. We propose a state-of-the-art circuit QED realization of our system, which is tunable in situ.

Strain tuning of quantum dot optical transitions via laser-induced surface defects

We discuss the fine-tuning of the optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots by the strain perturbation introduced by laser-induced surface defects. We show experimentally that the quantum dot transition red-shifts, independently of the actual position of the defect, and that such frequency shift is about a factor five larger than the corresponding shift of a micropillar cavity mode resonance. We present a simple model that accounts for these experimental findings.

Geometry induced pair condensation

We study a one-dimensional model of interacting bosons on a lattice with two flat bands. Regular condensation is suppressed due to the absence of a well defined minimum in the single particle spectrum. We find that interactions stabilize a number of non-trivial phases like a pair (quasi-) condensate, a supersolid at incommensurable fillings and valence bond crystals at commensurability. We support our analytical calculations with numerical simulations using the density matrix renormalization group technique. Implications for cold-atoms and extensions to higher dimensions are discussed.

Permanent tuning of quantum dot transitions to degenerate microcavity resonances

We demonstrate a technique for achieving spectral resonance between a polarization-degenerate micropillar cavity mode and an embedded quantum dot transition. Our approach is based on a combination of isotropic and anisotropic tensile strain effected by laser-induced surface defects, thereby providing permanent tuning. Such a technique is a prerequisite for the implementation of scalable quantum information schemes based on solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Classification of mixed-state topology in one dimension

We show how to generalize the concepts of identifying and classifying symmetry protected topological phases in 1D to the case of an arbitrary mixed state. The pure state concepts are reviewed using a concrete spin-1 model. For the mixed state setup we demonstrate our findings numerically using matrix product state algorithms. Starting from the ground state and applying various types of noise sources we find a transient regime where the system is driven out of equilibrium while retaining its topological properties.

Sensing Floquet-Majorana fermions via heat transfer

Time periodic modulations of the transverse field in the closed XY spin-1/2 chain generate a very rich dynamical phase diagram, with a hierarchy of Z_n topological phases characterized by differing numbers of Floquet-Majorana modes. This rich phase diagram survives when the system is coupled to dissipative end reservoirs. Circumventing the obstacle of preparing and measuring quasienergy configurations endemic to Floquet-Majorana detection schemes, we show that stroboscopic heat transport and spin density are robust observables to detect both the dynamical phase transitions and Majorana modes in dissipative settings. We find that the heat current provides very clear signatures of these Floquet topological phase transitions. In particular, we observe that the derivative of the heat current, with respect to a control parameter, changes sign at the boundaries separating topological phases with differing nonzero numbers of Floquet-Majorana modes. We present a simple scheme to directly count the number of Floquet-Majorana modes in a phase from the Fourier transform of the local spin density profile. Our results are valid provided the anisotropies are not strong and can be easily implemented in quantum engineered systems.

Cavity-QED with quantum dots in oxide-apertured micropillars

We describe quantum information schemes involving photon polarization and the spin of a single electron trapped in a self-assembled quantum dot. Such schemes are based on spin-selective reflection in the weak-coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. We discuss their practical implementation in oxide-apertured micropillar cavities. We introduce a technique, based on the creation of small surface defects by means of a focused intense laser beam, to permanently tune the optical properties of the microcavity without damaging the cavity quality. This technique allows low-temperature polarization-selective tuning of the frequencies of the cavity modes and the quantum dot optical transitions.

Solid-state cavity-QED in polarization-degenerate micropillar cavities

We describe a technique to entangle a single photon with an electron-spin in a quantum dot. We discuss the implementation in micropillars, showing how dot transitions can be tuned into resonance with polarization-degenerate cavities.