Joseph E. Avron

Bio: Joseph E. Avron is an academic researcher from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Adiabatic process & Quantum Hall effect. The author has an hindex of 51, co-authored 193 publications receiving 9469 citations. Previous affiliations of Joseph E. Avron include Princeton University & California Institute of Technology.

Entangled Photon Pairs from Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Abstract: Tomographic analysis demonstrates that the polarization state of pairs of photons emitted from a biexciton decay cascade becomes entangled when spectral filtering is applied. The measured density matrix of the photon pair satisfies the Peres criterion for entanglement by more than 3 standard deviations of the experimental uncertainty and violates Bell's inequality. We show that the spectral filtering erases the "which path" information contained in the photons' color and that the remanent information in the quantum dot degrees of freedom is negligible.

Homotopy and Quantization in Condensed Matter Physics

Abstract: It is shown that the integers found by Thouless et al. in the quantized Hall effect are the only quantized quantities associated with the energy bands. It is also proved that if two bands touch and then come apart as a parameter is varied, then their individual integers (conductances) may not be preserved but their sum is preserved.

Schrödinger operators with magnetic fields. III. Atoms in homogeneous magnetic field

Abstract: We prove a large number of results about atoms in constant magnetic field including (i) Asymptotic formula for the ground state energy of Hydrogen in large field, (ii) Proof that the ground state of Hydrogen in an arbitrary constant field hasL z = 0 and of the monotonicity of the binding energy as a function ofB, (iii) Borel summability of Zeeman series in arbitrary atoms, (iv) Dilation analyticity for arbitrary atoms with infinite nuclear mass, and (v) Proof that every once negatively charged ion has infinitely many bound states in non-zero magnetic field with estimates of the binding energy for smallB and largeL z .

Viscosity of quantum Hall fluids.

Abstract: The viscosity of quantum fluids with an energy gap at zero temperature is related to the adiabatic curvature on the space parametrizing flat background metrics. For quantum Hall fluids on two-dimensional tori, the quantum viscosity is computed. It turns out to be isotropic, constant, and proportional to the magnetic field strength.

Quantum entanglement

Abstract: All our former experience with application of quantum theory seems to say: {\it what is predicted by quantum formalism must occur in laboratory} But the essence of quantum formalism - entanglement, recognized by Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen and Schr\"odinger - waited over 70 years to enter to laboratories as a new resource as real as energy This holistic property of compound quantum systems, which involves nonclassical correlations between subsystems, is a potential for many quantum processes, including ``canonical'' ones: quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation and dense coding However, it appeared that this new resource is very complex and difficult to detect Being usually fragile to environment, it is robust against conceptual and mathematical tools, the task of which is to decipher its rich structure This article reviews basic aspects of entanglement including its characterization, detection, distillation and quantifying In particular, the authors discuss various manifestations of entanglement via Bell inequalities, entropic inequalities, entanglement witnesses, quantum cryptography and point out some interrelations They also discuss a basic role of entanglement in quantum communication within distant labs paradigm and stress some peculiarities such as irreversibility of entanglement manipulations including its extremal form - bound entanglement phenomenon A basic role of entanglement witnesses in detection of entanglement is emphasized

Berry phase effects on electronic properties

Abstract: Ever since its discovery, the Berry phase has permeated through all branches of physics. Over the last three decades, it was gradually realized that the Berry phase of the electronic wave function can have a profound effect on material properties and is responsible for a spectrum of phenomena, such as ferroelectricity, orbital magnetism, various (quantum/anomalous/spin) Hall effects, and quantum charge pumping. This progress is summarized in a pedagogical manner in this review. We start with a brief summary of necessary background, followed by a detailed discussion of the Berry phase effect in a variety of solid state applications. A common thread of the review is the semiclassical formulation of electron dynamics, which is a versatile tool in the study of electron dynamics in the presence of electromagnetic fields and more general perturbations. Finally, we demonstrate a re-quantization method that converts a semiclassical theory to an effective quantum theory. It is clear that the Berry phase should be added as a basic ingredient to our understanding of basic material properties.

Topological Photonics

Abstract: Topological photonics is a rapidly emerging field of research in which geometrical and topological ideas are exploited to design and control the behavior of light. Drawing inspiration from the discovery of the quantum Hall effects and topological insulators in condensed matter, recent advances have shown how to engineer analogous effects also for photons, leading to remarkable phenomena such as the robust unidirectional propagation of light, which hold great promise for applications. Thanks to the flexibility and diversity of photonics systems, this field is also opening up new opportunities to realize exotic topological models and to probe and exploit topological effects in new ways. This article reviews experimental and theoretical developments in topological photonics across a wide range of experimental platforms, including photonic crystals, waveguides, metamaterials, cavities, optomechanics, silicon photonics, and circuit QED. A discussion of how changing the dimensionality and symmetries of photonics systems has allowed for the realization of different topological phases is offered, and progress in understanding the interplay of topology with non-Hermitian effects, such as dissipation, is reviewed. As an exciting perspective, topological photonics can be combined with optical nonlinearities, leading toward new collective phenomena and novel strongly correlated states of light, such as an analog of the fractional quantum Hall effect.