Abstract: We reveal the emergence of metallicKondo clouds in an atomistic carbon quantum dot, realized as a single-atom junction in a suitably patterned graphene nanoflake. Using density functional dynamical mean-field theory (DFDMFT) we show how correlation effects lead to striking features in the electronic structure of our device, and how those are enhanced by the electron-electron interactions when graphene is patterned at the atomistic scale. Our setup provides a well-controlled environment to understand the principles behind the orbital-selective Kondo physics and the interplay between orbital and spin degrees of freedom in carbon-based nanomaterials, which indicate new pathways for spintronics in atomically patterned graphene.

Abstract: We investigate the superconducting states that arise as a consequence of mesoscopic confinement and a multicomponent order parameter in the Ginzburg-Landau model for p-wave superconductivity. Conventional vortices, but also half-quantum vortices and skyrmions, are found as the applied magnetic field and the anisotropy parameters of the Fermi surface are varied. The solutions are well differentiated by a topological charge that for skyrmions is given by the Hopf invariant and for vortices by the circulation of the superconducting velocity. We revealed several unique states combining vortices and skyrmions, their possible reconfiguration with varied magnetic field, as well as temporal and field-induced transitions between vortical and skyrmionic states.

Abstract: Vortices and vortex arrays have been used as a hallmark of superfluidity in rotated, ultracold Fermi gases. These superfluids can be described in terms of an effective field theory for a macroscopic wave function representing the field of condensed pairs, analogous to the Ginzburg-Landau theory for superconductors. Here we establish how rotation modifies this effective field theory, by rederiving it starting from the action of Fermi gas in the rotating frame of reference. The rotation leads to the appearance of an effective vector potential, and the coupling strength of this vector potential to the macroscopic wave function depends on the interaction strength between the fermions, due to a renormalization of the pair effective mass in the effective field theory. The mass renormalization derived here is in agreement with results of functional renormalization-group theory. In the extreme Bose-Einstein condensate regime, the pair effective mass tends to twice the fermion mass, in agreement with the physical picture of a weakly interacting Bose gas of molecular pairs. Then we use our macroscopic-wave-function description to study vortices and the critical rotation frequencies to form them. Equilibrium vortex state diagrams are derived and they are in good agreement with available results of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory and with experimental data.

Abstract: Using Ginzburg-Landau formalism, we investigate the effect of confinement on the ground state of mesoscopic chiral p-wave superconductors in the absence of magnetic field. We reveal stable multichiral states with domain walls separating the regions with different chiralities, as well as monochiral states with spontaneous currents flowing along the edges. We show that multichiral states can exhibit identifying signatures in the spatial profile of the magnetic field if those are not screened by edge currents in the case of strong confinement. Such magnetic detection of domain walls in topological superconductors can serve as long-sought evidence of broken time-reversal symmetry. Furthermore, when applying electric current to mesoscopic p-wave samples, we found a hysteretic behavior in the current-voltage characteristic that distinguishes states with and without domain walls, thereby providing another useful hallmark for indirect confirmation of chiral p-wave superconductivity.

Abstract: Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stable nanoscale particlelike objects that were discovered in 2009. Since that time, intense research interest in the field has led to the identification of numerous compounds that support skyrmions over a range of conditions spanning from cryogenic to room temperatures. Skyrmions can be set into motion under various types of driving, and the combination of their size, stability, and dynamics makes them ideal candidates for numerous applications. At the same time, skyrmions represent a new class of system in which the energy scales of the skyrmion-skyrmion interactions, sample disorder, temperature, and drive can compete. A growing body of work indicates that the static and dynamic states of skyrmions can be influenced strongly by pinning or disorder in the sample; thus, an understanding of such effects is essential for the eventual use of skyrmions in applications. The current state of knowledge regarding individual skyrmions and skyrmion assemblies interacting with quenched disorder or pinning is reviewed. The microscopic mechanisms for skyrmion pinning, including the repulsive and attractive interactions that can arise from impurities, grain boundaries, or nanostructures, are outlined. This is followed by descriptions of depinning phenomena, sliding states over disorder, the effect of pinning on the skyrmion Hall angle, the competition between thermal and pinning effects, the control of skyrmion motion using ordered potential landscapes such as one-or two-dimensional periodic asymmetric substrates, the creation of skyrmion diodes, and skyrmion ratchet effects. Highlighted are the distinctions arising from internal modes and the strong gyrotropic or Magnus forces that cause the dynamical states of skyrmions to differ from those of other systems with pinning, such as vortices in type-II superconductors, charge density waves, or colloidal particles. Throughout this review future directions and open questions related to the and in are also discussed.

Abstract: To unravel the effects of phonon confinement, the influence of size and morphology on the atomic vibrations is investigated in Sn nanoislands and cluster-assembled films. Nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering is used to probe the phonon densities of states of the Sn nanostructures which show significant broadening of the features compared to bulk phonon behavior. Supported by ab initio calculations, the broadening is attributed to phonon scattering and can be described within the damped harmonic oscillator model. Contrary to the expectations based on previous research, the appearance of high-energy modes above the cutoff energy is not observed. From the thermodynamic properties extracted from the phonon densities of states, it was found that grain boundary Sn atoms are bound by weaker forces than bulk Sn atoms.

Abstract: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.207001

Abstract: Starting from first principles, we show the formation and evolution of superconducting gaps in MgB2 at its ultrathin limit. Atomically thin MgB2 is distinctly different from bulk MgB2 in that surface states become comparable in electronic density to the bulklike sigma and pi bands. Combining the ab initio electron-phonon coupling with the anisotropic Eliashberg equations, we showthat monolayer MgB2 develops three distinct superconducting gaps, on completely separate parts of the Fermi surface due to the emergent surface contribution. These gaps hybridize nontrivially with every extra monolayer added to the film owing to the opening of additional coupling channels. Furthermore, we reveal that the three-gap superconductivity in monolayer MgB2 is robust over the entire temperature range that stretches up to a considerably high critical temperature of 20 K. The latter can be boosted to >50K under biaxial tensile strain of similar to 4%, which is an enhancement that is stronger than in any other graphene-related superconductor known to date.

Abstract: <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('Magnetic skyrmions are nanoscale windings of the spin structure that can be observed in chiral magnets and hold promise for potential applications in storing or processing information. Pinning due to ever-present material imperfections crucially affects the mobility of skyrmions. Therefore, a proper understanding of how magnetic skyrmions pin to defects is necessary for the development and performance of spintronic devices. Here we present a fundamental analysis on the interactions of single skyrmions with atomic defects of distinctly different origins, in a Co monolayer on Pt, based on minimum-energy paths considerations and atomic-spin simulations. We first report the preferred pinning loci of the skyrmion as a function of its nominal size and the type of defect being considered, to further reveal the manipulation and \u0022breathing\u0022 of skyrmion core in the vicinity of a defect. We also show the behavior of skyrmions in the presence of an extended defect of particular geometry, that can lead to ratcheted skyrmion motion or a facilitated guidance on a defect \u0022trail.\u0022 We close the study with reflections on the expected thermal stability of the skyrmion against collapse on itself for a given nature of the defect, and discuss the applications where control of skyrmions by defects is of particular interest.'));

Abstract: A magnetic moment inside an extreme type II superconductor can have three, but not one or two, confined vortex loops near to the core. For a sub-micron superconducting particle the confined vortex loops eventually break up and reach the surface turning into external vortex pairs.

Abstract: <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('We present an advanced method to study spin fluctuations in superconductors quantitatively and entirely from first principles. This method can be generally applied to materials where electron-phonon coupling and spin fluctuations coexist. We employ it here to examine the recently synthesized superconductor iron tetraboride (FeB4) with experimental T-c similar to 2.4 K [H. Gou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett, 111, 157002 (2013)]. We prove that FeB4 is particularly prone to ferromagnetic spin fluctuations due to the presence of iron, resulting in a large Stoner interaction strength, I = 1.5 eV, as calculated from first principles. The other important factor is its Fermi surface that consists of three separate sheets, among which two are nested ellipsoids. The resulting susceptibility has a ferromagnetic peak around q = 0, from which we calculated the repulsive interaction between Cooper pair electrons using the random phase approximation. Subsequently, we combined the electron-phonon interaction calculated from first principles with the spin fluctuation interaction in fully anisotropic Eliashberg theory calculations. We show that the resulting superconducting gap spectrum is conventional, yet very strongly depleted due to coupling to the spin fluctuations. The critical temperature decreases from T-c = 41 K, if they are not taken into account, to T-c = 1.7 K, in good agreement with the experimental value.'));

Abstract: Extended defects are known to strongly affect nanoscale superconductors. Here, we report the properties of superconducting nanoribbons with a constriction formed between two adjacent step edges by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently in the regime where quantum confinement is important. Since the quantum resonances of the superconducting gap in the constricted area are different from the rest of the nanoribbon, such constriction forms a quantum-confined S-S'-S Josephson junction, with a broadly tunable performance depending on the length and width of the constriction with respect to the nanoribbon, and possible gating. These findings provide an intriguing approach to further tailor superconducting quantum devices where Josephson effect is of use.