Panagiotis Kotetes

Holographic charge density waves

Abstract We discuss a gravity dual of a charge density wave consisting of a U ( 1 ) gauge field and two scalar fields in the background of a Schwarzschild–AdS 4 black hole together with an antisymmetric field (probe limit). Interactions drive the system to a phase transition below a critical temperature. We numerically compute the ground states characterized by modulated solutions for the gauge potential corresponding to a dynamically generated unidirectional charge density wave in the conformal field theory. Signatures of the holographic density waves are retrieved by studying the dynamical response to an external electric field. We find that this novel holographic state shares many common features with the standard condensed matter version of charge density wave systems.

Majorana fermions from Shiba states in an antiferromagnetic chain on top of a superconductor

We propose a new mechanism for topological superconductivity based on an antiferromagnetically ordered chain of magnetic atoms on the surface of a conventional superconductor. In a weak Zeeman field, a supercurrent in the substrate generates a staggered spin-current, which converts the preexisting topologically-unprotected Shiba states into Majorana fermions (MFs). The two experimental knobs can be finely tuned providing a platform with enhanced functionality for applications. Remarkably, the electronic spin-polarization of the arising edge MF wavefunctions depends solely on the parity of the number of magnetic moments, which can serve as a distinctive signature of the MFs. We introduce the basic concepts within a minimal model and make contact with experiments by a microscopic analysis based on the Shiba states.

Chirality induced tilted-hill giant Nernst signal.

We reveal a novel source of a giant Nernst response exhibiting strong nonlinear temperature and magnetic field dependence, including the mysterious tilted-hill temperature profile observed in a pleiad of materials. The phenomenon results directly from the formation of a chiral ground state, e.g., a chiral d-density wave, which is compatible with the eventual observation of diamagnetism and is distinctly different from the usual quasiparticle and vortex Nernst mechanisms. Our picture provides a unified understanding of the anomalous thermoelectricity observed in materials as diverse as the hole-doped cuprates and heavy-fermion compounds like URu(2)Si(2).

Meissner effect without superconductivity from a chiral d -density wave

We demonstrate that the formation of a chiral d-density wave (CDDW) state generates a Topological Meissner effect (TME) in the absence of any kind of superconductivity. The TME is identical to the usual superconducting Meissner effect but it appears only for magnetic fields perpendicular to the plane while it is absent for in plane fields. The observed enhanced diamagnetic signals in the non-superconducting pseudogap regime of the cuprates may find an alternative interpretation in terms of a TME, originating from a chiral d-density wave pseudogap.

Interplay of topological phases in magnetic adatom-chains on top of a Rashba superconducting surface

We investigate the topological properties and the accessible Majorana fermion (MF) phases arising in a hybrid device consisting of a chain of magnetic adatoms placed on the surface of a conventional superconductor with Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC). By identifying the favored classical magnetic ground state of the adatom chain, we extract the corresponding phase diagram which exhibits an interplay of ferromagnetic (FM), antiferromagnetic (AFM) and spiral orders. We determine the parameter regime for which the FM or AFM phases dominate over the spiral and additionally become stable against thermal and quantum fluctuations. For the topological analysis we focus on the FM and AFM cases and employ a low-energy effective model relying on Shiba bound states. We find that for both magnetic patterns the hybrid system behaves as a topological superconductor which can harbor one or even two MFs per edge, due to chiral symmetry. As we show, the two magnetic orderings lead to qualitatively and quantitatively distinct topological features that are reflected in the spatial profile of the MF wavefunctions. Finally, we propose directions on how to experimentally access the diverse MF phases by varying the adatom spacing, the SOC strength, or the magnetic moment of the adatoms in consideration.

Small-q phonon-mediated unconventional superconductivity in the iron pnictides

We report self-consistent calculations of the gap symmetry for iron-based high-temperature superconductors using realistic small-q phonon-mediated pairing potentials and four-band energy dispersions. When both electron and hole Fermi surface pockets are present, we obtain the nodeless s± state that was first encountered in a spin-fluctuation mechanism picture. Nodal s± as well as other gap structures such as dx2−y2, s±+dx2−y2, and even a p-wave triplet state, are accessible upon doping within our phononic mechanism. Our results resolve the conflict between phase-sensitive experiments reporting a gap changing sign, attributed previously only to a nonphononic mechanism, and isotope effect measurements proving the involvement of phonons in the pairing.

Patterns of coexisting superconducting and particle–hole condensates

We have studied systematically the influence of particle?hole symmetric and asymmetric kinetic terms on the ordered phases that we may observe competing or coexisting in a tetragonal system. We show that there are precise patterns of triplets of ordered phases that are accessible (i.e.?it is impossible to observe two of them without the third one). We found a systematic way to predict these patterns of states and tested it by identifying at least 16 different patterns of three order parameters that necessarily coexist in the presence of the kinetic terms. We show that there are two types of general equations governing the competition of all these triplets of order parameters and we provide them.

Magnetic order on a topological insulator surface with warping and proximity-induced superconductivity

We determine the nature of the magnetic order on the surface of a topological insulator (TI) which develops due to hexagonal warping and the resulting Fermi surface (FS) nesting in the presence of a repulsive Hubbard interaction. For this purpose we investigate the spin susceptibility and derive a Landau theory to compare the different accessible phases. For a nearly hexagonal FS and sufficiently strong interaction the magnetic ground state is formed by a skyrmion lattice, i.e., by a superposition of three helical spin density waves which preserves C

Engineering and manipulating topological qubits in 1D quantum wires

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Magnetic-field-induced topological reorganization of a p-wave superconductor

symmetry. The magnetic ground state is topologically nontrivial with a nonzero skyrmion charge, which can be stabilized and controlled by an applied magnetic field. By bringing the TI in proximity to a conventional superconductor one can engineer a C