Out of equilibrium properties of topological materials

Supervisor: Fabrizio Dolcini

The investigation of Topological Materials is one of the most fascinating topics in Quantum Physics. The properties of these systems are insensitive to microscopic details and are rather determined by the global topological structure of their Hamiltonian, which also implies the existence of peculiar states located on the material surface or boundaries, as observed in various experiments. The potential applications of these materials ranges from spintronics, to quantum electronics and quantum information. However, while the characterization of topological materials is typically formulated and well established at equilibrium, their out of equilibrium properties represent a new frontier that needs to be explored. This is the subject of the proposed MS Thesis.

Depending on the interest of the MS student, (s)he will be involved in the theoretical modelling (analytical calculations and/or numerical simulations) of a specific out of equilibrium problem, such as:

• quantum quenches Suppose we prepare a system of fermions in the ground state of a given Hamiltonian. What happens to the system if we now suddenly change the Hamiltonian parameters and drive it out of equilibrium? Do we still observe topological signatures?
• coherent quantum transport Can we exploit quantum interference to control the electronic current of a topological system?
• hybrid junctions How does a topological system behave when it is interfaced to superconductor?