SciPost Physics Core

SciPost Physics Core Vol. 3 issue 1 (July - September 2020)

Previous issue | Vol. 2 issue 2

Vol. 3 issue 2 | Next issue

• Out-of-equilibrium phase transitions induced by Floquet resonances in a periodically quench-driven XY spin chain

  Sergio Enrique Tapias Arze, Pieter W. Claeys, Isaac Pérez Castillo, Jean-Sébastien Caux

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 001 (2020) · published 22 July 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider the dynamics of an XY spin chain subjected to an external transverse field which is periodically quenched between two values. By deriving an exact expression of the Floquet Hamiltonian for this out-of-equilibrium protocol with arbitrary driving frequencies, we show how, after an unfolding of the Floquet spectrum, the parameter space of the system is characterized by alternations between local and non-local regions, corresponding respectively to the absence and presence of Floquet resonances. The boundary lines between regions are obtained analytically from avoided crossings in the Floquet quasi-energies and are observable as phase transitions in the synchronized state. The transient behaviour of dynamical averages of local observables similarly undergoes a transition, showing either a rapid convergence towards the synchronized state in the local regime, or a rather slow one exhibiting persistent oscillations in the non-local regime, where explicit decay coefficients are presented.

• The non-rational limit of D-series minimal models

  Sylvain Ribault

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 002 (2020) · published 31 July 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the limit of D-series minimal models when the central charge tends to a generic irrational value $c\in (-\infty, 1)$. We find that the limit theory's diagonal three-point structure constant differs from that of Liouville theory by a distribution factor, which is given by a divergent Verlinde formula. Nevertheless, correlation functions that involve both non-diagonal and diagonal fields are smooth functions of the diagonal fields' conformal dimensions. The limit theory is a non-trivial example of a non-diagonal, non-rational, solved two-dimensional conformal field theory.

• Lyapunov exponents and entanglement entropy transition on the noncommutative hyperbolic plane

  Sriram Ganeshan, Alexios P. Polychronakos

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 003 (2020) · published 20 August 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study quantum dynamics on noncommutative spaces of negative curvature, focusing on the hyperbolic plane with spatial noncommutativity in the presence of a constant magnetic field. We show that the synergy of noncommutativity and the magnetic field tames the exponential divergence of operator growth caused by the negative curvature of the hyperbolic space. Their combined effect results in a first-order transition at a critical value of the magnetic field in which strong quantum effects subdue the exponential divergence for {\it all} energies, in stark contrast to the commutative case, where for high enough energies operator growth always diverge exponentially. This transition manifests in the entanglement entropy between the `left' and `right' Hilbert spaces of spatial degrees of freedom. In particular, the entanglement entropy in the lowest Landau level vanishes beyond the critical point. We further present a non-linear solvable bosonic model that realizes the underlying algebraic structure of the noncommutative hyperbolic plane with a magnetic field.

• Honeycomb rare-earth magnets with anisotropic exchange interactions

  Zhu-Xi Luo, Gang Chen

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 004 (2020) · published 4 September 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the rare-earth magnets on a honeycomb lattice, and are particularly interested in the experimental consequences of the highly anisotropic spin interaction due to the spin-orbit entanglement. We perform a high-temperature series expansion using a generic nearest-neighbor Hamiltonian with anisotropic interactions, and obtain the heat capacity, the parallel and perpendicular spin susceptibilities, and the magnetic torque coefficients. We further examine the electron spin resonance linewidth as an important signature of the anisotropic spin interactions. Due to the small interaction energy scale of the rare-earth moments, it is experimentally feasible to realize the strong-field regime. Therefore, we perform the spin-wave analysis and study the possibility of topological magnons when a strong field is applied to the system. The application and relevance to the rare-earth Kitaev materials are discussed.

• The influence of spacetime curvature on quantum emission in optical analogues to gravity

  Maxime J. Jacquet, Friedrich Koenig

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 005 (2020) · published 30 September 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Quantum fluctuations on curved spacetimes cause the emission of pairs of particles from the quantum vacuum, as in the Hawking effect from black holes. We use an optical analogue to gravity to investigate the influence of the curvature on quantum emission. Due to dispersion, the spacetime curvature varies with frequency here. We analytically calculate for all frequencies the particle flux, correlations and entanglement. We find that horizons increase the flux with a characteristic spectral shape. The photon number correlations transition from multi- to two-mode, with close to maximal entanglement. The quantum state is a diagnostic for the mode conversion in laboratory tests of quantum field theory on curved spacetimes.