Probing Majorana modes in the tunneling spectra of a resonant level.

Unambiguous identification of Majorana physics presents an outstanding problem whose solution could render topological quantum computing feasible. We develop a numerical approach to treat finite-size superconducting chains supporting Majorana modes, which is based on iterative application of a two-site Bogoliubov transformation. We demonstrate the applicability of the method by studying a resonant level attached to the superconductor subject to external perturbations. In the topological phase, we show that the spectrum of a single resonant level allows us to distinguish peaks coming from Majorana physics from the Kondo resonance.

Adiabatic tracking of a state: a new route to nonequilibrium physics.

We present a novel numerical approach to track the response of a quantum system to an external perturbation that is progressively switched on. The method is applied, within the framework of the density matrix renormalization group technique, to track current-carrying states of interacting fermions in one dimension and in the presence of an Aharonov-Bohm magnetic flux. This protocol allows us to access highly excited states. We also discuss the connection with the entanglement entropy of these excited states.

Broadening of the derivative discontinuity in density functional theory.

We clarify an important aspect of density functional theories, the broadening of the derivative discontinuity (DD) in a quantum system, with fluctuating particle number. Our focus is on a correlated model system, the single level quantum dot in the regime of the Coulomb blockade. We find that the DD-broadening is controlled by the small parameter Γ/U, where Γ is the level broadening due to contacting and U is a measure of the charging energy. Our analysis suggests that Kondoesque fluctuations have a tendency to increase the DD-broadening in our model by a factor of two.

Shot noise in the self-dual interacting resonant level model.

By using two independent and complementary approaches, we compute exactly the shot noise in an out-of-equilibrium interacting impurity model, the interacting resonant level model at its self-dual point. An analytical approach based on the thermodynamical Bethe ansatz allows us to obtain the density matrix in the presence of a bias voltage, which in turn allows for the computation of any observable. A time-dependent density matrix renormalization group technique that has proven to yield the correct result for a free model (the resonant level model) is shown to be in perfect agreement with the former method.

Twofold advance in the theoretical understanding of far-from-equilibrium properties of interacting nanostructures.

We calculate the full I-V characteristics at vanishing temperature in the self-dual interacting resonant level model in two ways. The first uses careful time dependent density matrix renormalization group with a large number of states per block and a representation of the reservoirs as leads subjected to a chemical potential. The other is based on integrability in the continuum limit, and generalizes early work by Fendley, Ludwig, and Saleur on the boundary sine-Gordon model. The two approaches are in excellent agreement, and uncover among other things a power law decay of the current at large voltages when U>0.