Transport-induced self-sustained oscillations in electromechanical systems convert a static electrochemical bias into robust, autonomous oscillatory motion in the absence of any external periodic drive. However, an exact description of such self-oscillations remains challenging in nanoscale electromechanical devices featuring a simultaneously large bosonic Hilbert space, strong interactions, and structured fermionic leads. We formulate a tensor-network framework that combines a binary representation of the vibrational mode with mesoscopic reservoir embeddings that enable controlled access to the self-oscillatory steady states and relevant transport observables without explicit real-time propagation. We demonstrate the emergence of mechanical self-oscillations across a broad set of operating conditions, in which strong electromechanical backaction, nonadiabatic oscillator dynamics, and energy-dependent electronic tunneling processes compete. Furthermore, we observe that for both slow and fast vibrating mechanical modes, suppressed vibrational occupation fluctuations in the self-oscillation window along the electromechanical coupling strength sweep is preceded by a peak in the occupation fluctuations. Collectively, we explore how both intrinsic system properties and environmental parameters govern such autonomous oscillations over a broad range of operating conditions. The generality of our framework will enable the method to be employed straightforwardly to more complicated or experimentally relevant scenarios.
Transport-induced self-sustained oscillations in electromechanical systems convert a static electrochemical bias into robust, autonomous oscillatory motion in the absence of any external periodic drive. However, an exact description of such self-oscillations remains challenging in nanoscale electromechanical devices featuring a simultaneously large bosonic Hilbert space, strong interactions, and structured fermionic leads. We formulate a tensor-network framework that combines a binary representation of the vibrational mode with mesoscopic reservoir embeddings that enable controlled access to the self-oscillatory steady states and relevant transport observables without explicit real-time propagation. We demonstrate the emergence of mechanical self-oscillations across a broad set of operating conditions, in which strong electromechanical backaction, nonadiabatic oscillator dynamics, and energy-dependent electronic tunneling processes compete. Furthermore, we observe that for both slow and fast vibrating mechanical modes, suppressed vibrational occupation fluctuations in the self-oscillation window along the electromechanical coupling strength sweep is preceded by a peak in the occupation fluctuations. Collectively, we explore how both intrinsic system properties and environmental parameters govern such autonomous oscillations over a broad range of operating conditions. The generality of our framework will enable the method to be employed straightforwardly to more complicated or experimentally relevant scenarios.
The nonequilibrium dynamics of molecular devices is studied in the framework of a generic model for single-molecule transistors: a resonant level coupled by displacement to a single vibrational mode. In the limit of a broad level and in the vicinity of the resonance, the model can be controllably reduced to a form quadratic in bosonic operators, which in turn is exactly solvable. The response of the system to a broad class of sudden quenches and ac drives is thus computed in a nonperturbative manner, providing an asymptotically exact solution in the limit of weak electron-phonon coupling. From the analytic solution, we are able to (1) explicitly show that the system thermalizes following a local quantum quench, (2) analyze in detail the time scales involved, (3) show that the relaxation time in response to a quantum quench depends on the observable in question, and (4) reveal how the amplitude of long-time oscillations evolves as the frequency of an ac drive is tuned across the resonance frequency. Explicit analytical expressions are given for all physical quantities and all nonequilibrium scenarios under study.
Digital quantum simulators are among the most appealing applications of a quantum computer. Here we propose a universal, scalable, and integrated quantum computing platform based on tunable nonlinear electromechanical nano-oscillators. It is shown that very high operational fidelities for single- and two-qubits gates can be achieved in a minimal architecture, where qubits are encoded in the anharmonic vibrational modes of mechanical nanoresonators, whose effective coupling is mediated by virtual fluctuations of an intermediate superconducting artificial atom. An effective scheme to induce large single-phonon nonlinearities in nanoelectromechanical devices is explicitly discussed, thus opening the route to experimental investigation in this direction. Finally, we explicitly show the very high fidelities that can be reached for the digital quantum simulation of model Hamiltonians, by using realistic experimental parameters in state-of-the-art devices, and considering the transverse field Ising model as a paradigmatic example.
Mechanical properties of metallic-nanowire self-oscillations are investigated through a coherent-state analysis. We focus on elucidating the time behavior of quantum energy in such oscillations, in addition to the analysis of fluctuations, evolution of eigenstates, and oscillatory trajectories. The quantum energy varies somewhat randomly at first, but, at a later time, it undergoes a stable periodical oscillation; the mean energy in the stabilized motion is large when the frequency of the driving force is resonated with that of the intrinsic oscillation of the nanowire. We confirmed that when the oscillatory amplitude is sufficiently low, the quantum energy is quite different from the classical one due to zero-point energy which appears in the quantum regime. Because the power in such an oscillation is typically ultra low, quantum effects in the nanowire oscillations are non-negligible. Detailed analysis for the evolution of the probability densities and their relation with the oscillation trajectories of the nanowire are also carried out. Characterizing quantum effects in the actual oscillatory motions and clarifying their difference from the classical ones are important in understanding nanowire self-oscillations.
Transport through correlated nanoscale systems underpins the operation of quantum-dot and molecular-scale devices, yet accurate simulations of large open quantum systems remain computationally challenging as system size increases. Tensor-network methods offer a promising route past this scaling barrier by efficiently compressing quantum states. Here we extend a tensor-based solver with a jump-counting estimator that enables direct computation of steady-state electron currents from lead-induced tunneling events. We benchmark the resulting currents against the state-of-the-art master-equation solver QmeQ across a range of lead-dot and inter-dot coupling parameters and find quantitative agreement in the tractable regime. Compared with classical approaches, TJM reduces memory requirements and wall-clock time by orders of magnitude, enabling simulations of interacting quantum-dot arrays far beyond the range accessible to density-matrix-based transport solvers and systematic studies of size-dependent nonequilibrium transport in larger arrays. Our approach allow us to model quantum transport in an array of up to fifty (50) quantum dots.
The coupling of nanomechanical resonators to controllable quantum systems represents a growing and promising area of research. Recent advances in this field have brought to astonishing results, such as the initialization of a mechanical resonator into its quantum ground state and even the preparation of non-classical coherent states of motion. These achievements open up appealing scenarios to quantum information technologies and to the exploration of the quantum-classical boundary. From an application perspective, such quantum-mechanical hybrid systems provide a versatile and attractive tool for a variety of precision measurements, like ultra-sensitive detection of force, mass, and displacement. \n \nQuantum control over a mechanical resonator, or, conversely, the prospect of using resonator's motion for probing quantum states, both involve some tight requirements. First of all, the interaction between the mechanics and its quantum partner has to be large on the scale of the decoherence rates of the coupled systems. In most cases, the coupling mechanism has to be activated by engineering the resonator with electrodes, magnets, or mirrors, or by using tailored laser fields. For this reason, the search for a strong coupling typically competes with the requirement of overcoming decoherence effects. In addition, for quantum effects to be observable, strong coupling has to be accompanied by the preparation of zero entropy initial states, for instance by cooling the resonator into its ground state of motion. \n \nThe motivation pursued by this thesis is to contribute to the inspiring field of hybrid systems by walking through each of the aforementioned directions. We in fact demonstrate a promising system in which optically active quantum dots, embedded in fully self-assembled core-shell nanowires, are coupled to the nanowire motion. Mechanical vibrations of the nanowire modulate the quantum dot emission energy over a broad range exceeding 14 meV, by means of deformation potential coupling. In our system, therefore, both the coupling mechanism and the quantum states themselves are intrinsic to the resonator's structure. Besides revealing unusually strong, such a built-in opto-mechanical interaction produces a hybrid system whose inherent coherence is unspoiled by any functionalization or external field and whose fabrication is simpler than top-down techniques. \n \nWe further demonstrate the use of a quantum point contact as a displacement transducer to measure and control the low-temperature thermal motion of a nearby micromechanical cantilever. We show that by including the QPC in a suitable feedback loop, we are able to cool the cantilever's fundamental mechanical mode down to the level of the measurement noise, achieving a squashing of the QPC noise at high gain. Due to its off-board design, our system is particularly versatile and suitable to force-sensing applications. Since the QPC transducer is sensitive to local modifications of the nearby electric field, our approach is in principle compatible with any nanoscale resonator, without requiring any functionalization to activate the coupling. By improving the performance of the QPC as a one-dimensional conductor and the cantilever-QPC capacitive coupling, our system has the potential to achieve quantum-limited displacement resolution and ground state cooling. We then report on some ongoing attempts to overcome the current limitations of our system and couple mechanical motion to different mesoscopic transport devices. \n \nWe remark that our demonstration of an as-grown quantum-dot-in-nanowire hybrid system opens up bright prospects on future experiments, as also testified by the very recent ferment of the scientific community around this topic. We find that the opto-mechanical coupling rate is not far from the nanowire mechanical frequency. This fact makes our system particularly promising for the quantum non-demolition readout of a quantum dot state through a measurement of the nanowire position. On the other hand, we show that the coupling can be further optimized, and the nanowire mechanical heating rate reduced, thus disclosing the captivating perspective of using quantum dots to probe and control the mechanical state of a nanowire. In this context, it would be important to investigate a possible spin-oscillator coupling in our system, given the long coherence time offered by a spin state in a quantum dot. The wide range of control over the quantum dots emission energy and the ability to tune two neighboring dots into resonance pave the way to mechanically induced emitter-emitter coupling. In addition, our monolithic opto-mechanical system constitutes a good candidate for recent proposals of a tripartite hybrid system, which would integrate an optical cavity, a quantum two-level system and a mechanical resonator. The intrinsically strong coupling between the quantum dots and the nanowire motion would enhance the interaction between the mechanics and the cavity field, leading for instance to efficient cooling of the resonator to the ground state. Finally, the quantum dot sensitivity to the nanowire resonant vibration could also support the use of our system as an integrated force probe or as a nanomechanical mass sensor. In other words, the results reported in this dissertation constitute not only a relevant proof-of-principle, moreover they open up intriguing challenges for future research.
The description of open quantum system dynamics beyond the perturbative treatment (usually associated with Markovian master equations) is a computationally challenging task due to the unfavorable exponential scaling of memory kernels. Developed over recent decades in the context of quantum information and condensed matter, tensor networks provide both a new formalism and a toolbox for overcoming previous computational bottlenecks. This framework enables the formulation of non-perturbative, numerically exact methods for describing the dynamics of open quantum systems to controllable numerical accuracy. In this review, we present these methods and discuss their commonalities and differences to paint a comprehensive view of the field.