Quantum transport in disordered systems and quantum feedback in qubit systems

Abstract

In this work we study quantum transport phenomena in two different types of systems. The first type corresponds to so-called complex quantum systems, such as chaotic ballistic cavities and disordered quantum wires, which have a complex distribution of energy levels and transmission eigenvalues. This class of system does not admit a simple description in terms of a fixed Hamiltonian, and therefore we will make a statistical approach of its transport properties through Random Matrices Theory. We obtain exact expressions for the first three moments of the heat conductance of a quantum chain that crosses over from a superconducting quantum dot to a superconducting disordered quantum wire. Our analytic solution provides exact detailed descriptions of some smooth transitions that can be observed in the system as a function of its length, which include ballistic-metallic and metallic-insulating transitions. The two Bogolyubov de Gennes symmetry classes with time-reversal symmetry are accounted for. The striking effect of total suppression of the insulating regime in systems with broken spin-rotation invariance is observed at large length scales. For a single channel system, this anomalous effect can be interpreted as a signature of the presence of the elusive Majorana fermion in a condensed matter system. The second type of system corresponds to qubits, which, unlike complex systems, can be described by very simple Hamiltonians. In this case, we study the properties of open systems using master equations. We present a study of non-equilibrium thermodynamics of qubit systems submitted to quantum control. More specifically, we performed a comparative study of two types of simple two-level non-interacting quantum transport systems coupled to two bosonic and fermionic reservoirs respectively. Each system is submitted to a Wiseman-Milburn type feedback scheme in the formulation of stochastic thermodynamics. We see the effects of finite temperature and time delay on two specific feedback applications: a heat pump and a purification protocol. We observed a clear signature of the purity of the qubits in the Full Counting Statistics observed in the current flowing through the system.