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SciPost Physics Core

SciPost Physics Core Vol. 8 issue 1 (January - March 2025)

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Spin-1/2 XX chains with modulated gamma interaction

M. Abbasi, S. Mahdavifar, M. Motamedifar

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 001 (2025) · published 7 January 2025 | · pdf

We study the spin-1/2 XX chain with a modulated Gamma interaction (GI), which results from the superposition of uniform and staggered Gamma terms. We diagonalize the Hamiltonian of the model exactly using the Fermionization technique. We then probe the energy gap and identify the gapped and gapless regions. We also examine the staggered chiral, staggered nematic and dimer order parameters to determine the different phases of the ground state phase diagram with their respective long-range orders. Our findings indicate that the model undergoes first-order, second-order, gapless-gapless, and gapped-gapped phase transitions.
Entanglement flow in the Kane-Fisher quantum impurity problem

Chunyu Tan, Yuxiao Hang, Stephan Haas, Hubert Saleur

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 002 (2025) · published 8 January 2025 | · pdf

The problem of a local impurity in a Luttinger liquid, just like the anisotropic Kondo problem (of which it is technically a cousin), describes many different physical systems. As shown by Kane and Fisher, the presence of interactions profoundly modifies the physics familiar from Fermi liquid theory, and leads to non-intuitive features, best described in the Renormalization Group language (RG), such as flows towards healed or split fixed points. While this problem has been studied for many years using more traditional condensed matter approaches, it remains somewhat mysterious from the point of view of entanglement, both for technical and conceptual reasons. We propose and explore in this paper a new way to think of this important aspect. We use the realization of the Kane Fisher universality class provided by an XXZ spin chain with a modified bond strength between two sites, and explore the difference of (Von Neumann) entanglement entropies of a region of length $\ell$ with the rest of the system - to which it is connected with a modified bond - in the cases when $\ell$ is even and odd. Surprisingly, we find out that this difference $\delta S\equiv S^e-S^o$ remains of $O(1)$ in the thermodynamic limit, and gives rise now, depending on the sign of the interactions, to "resonance" curves, interpolating between $-\ln 2$ and $0$, and depending on the product $\ell T_B$, where $1/T_B$ is a characteristic length scale akin to the Kondo length in Kondo problems. $\delta S$ can be interpreted as a measure of the hybridization of the left-over spin in odd length subsystems with the "bath" constituted by the rest of the chain. The problem is studied both numerically using DMRG and analytically near the healed and split fixed points. Interestingly - and in contrast with what happens in other impurity problems - $\delta S$ can, at least to lowest order, be tackled by conformal perturbation theory.
R-matrices and Miura operators in 5d Chern-Simons theory

Nafiz Ishtiaque, Saebyeok Jeong, Yehao Zhou

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 003 (2025) · published 13 January 2025 | · pdf

We derive Miura operators for $W$- and $Y$-algebras from first principles as the expectation value of the intersection between a topological line defect and a holomorphic surface defect in 5-dimensional non-commutative $\mathfrak{gl}(1)$ Chern-Simons theory. The expectation value, viewed as the transition amplitude for states in the defect theories forming representations of the affine Yangian of $\mathfrak{gl}(1)$, satisfies the Yang-Baxter equation and is thus interpreted as an R-matrix. To achieve this, we identify the representations associated with the line and surface defects by calculating the operator product expansions (OPEs) of local operators on the defects, as conditions that anomalous Feynman diagrams cancel each other. We then evaluate the expectation value of the defect intersection using Feynman diagrams. When the line and surface defects are specified, we demonstrate that the expectation value precisely matches the Miura operators and their products.
M5-brane prongs, string soliton bound states and wall-crossing

Varun Gupta, K. Narayan

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 004 (2025) · published 13 January 2025 | · pdf

We study Abelian M5-brane field configurations representing BPS bound states of self-dual string solitons whose locations correspond to the endlines of M2-branes ending on the M5-branes. The BPS equations are obtained from appropriate Bogomolny completion of the effective Abelian low energy functional with two transverse scalars, using two vectors representing the directions along which these endline strings extend. Then we impose boundary conditions on the scalars near the string soliton cores. This leads to a molecule-like equilibrium structure of two non-parallel string solitons at fixed transverse separations, with the M5-brane "prong" deformations comprising two "spikes", each shaped like a ridge. The resulting picture becomes increasingly accurate as one approaches the wall of marginal stability, on which these states decay. There are various parallels with wall-crossing phenomena for string web configurations obtained from D3-brane deformations.
Two-point superstring tree amplitudes using the pure spinor formalism

Sitender Pratap Kashyap

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 005 (2025) · published 14 January 2025 | · pdf

We provide a prescription for computing two-point tree-level amplitudes in the pure spinor formalism that provides finite results that agree with the corresponding expression in the field theories. In [J. High Energy Phys. 07, 139 (2019), Phys. Lett. B 800, 135078 (2020)], the same result was discovered in the bosonic strings with indications of generalization to superstrings in the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz formalism. Pure spinor formalism is the unique super-Poincare covariant approach to quantizing superstrings [J. High Energy Phys. 04, 018 (2000)]. Since the pure spinor formalism is equivalent to other superstring formalisms, it verifies the above claim. We introduce a mostly BRST exact operator to achieve this.
Classifying the CP properties of the ggH coupling in H + 2j production

Henning Bahl, Elina Fuchs, Marc Hannig, Marco Menen

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 006 (2025) · published 20 January 2025 | · pdf

The Higgs-gluon interaction is crucial for LHC phenomenology. To improve the constraints on the $\mathcal{CP}$ structure of this coupling, we investigate Higgs production with two jets using machine learning. In particular, we exploit the $\mathcal{CP}$ sensitivity of the so far neglected phase space region that differs from the typical vector boson fusion-like kinematics. Our results indicate that further improvements in the current experimental limits could be achievable using our techniques. We also discuss the most relevant observables and how $\mathcal{CP}$ violation in the Higgs–gluon interaction can be disentangled from $\mathcal{CP}$ violation in the interaction between the Higgs boson and massive vector bosons. Assuming the absence of $\mathcal{CP}$-violating Higgs interactions with coloured beyond-the-Standard-Model states, our projected limits on a $\mathcal{CP}$-violating top-Yukawa coupling are competitive with more direct probes like top-associated Higgs production and limits from a global fit.
Insulator phases of Bose-Fermi mixtures induced by intraspecies next-neighbor interactions

Felipe Gómez-Lozada, Roberto Franco, Jereson Silva-Valencia

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 007 (2025) · published 21 January 2025 | · pdf

We study a one-dimensional mixture of two-color fermions and scalar bosons at the hardcore limit, focusing on the effect that the intraspecies next-neighbor interactions have on the zero-temperature ground state of the system for different fillings of each carrier. Exploring the problem's parameters, we observed that the nearest-neighbor interaction could favor or harm the well-known mixed Mott and spin-selective Mott insulators. We also found the emergence of three unusual insulating states with charge density wave (CDW) structures in which the orders of the carriers are out of phase between each other. For instance, the immiscible CDW appears only at half-filling bosonic density, whereas the mixed CDW state is characterized by equal densities of bosons and fermions. Finally, the spin-selective CDW couples the bosons and only one kind of fermions. Appropriate order parameters were proposed for each phase to obtain the critical parameters for the corresponding superfluid-insulator transition. Our results can inspire or contribute to understanding experiments in cold-atom setups with long-range interactions or recent reports involving quasiparticles in semiconductor heterostructures.
Universality of the close packing properties and markers of isotropic-to-tetratic crossover in quasi-one-dimensional superdisk fluid

Sakineh Mizani, Martin Oettel, Péter Gurin, Szabolcs Varga

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 008 (2025) · published 24 January 2025 | · pdf

We study equilibrium states and ordering regimes of a quasi-one-dimensional system of hard superdisks (anisotropic particles interpolating between disks and squares) where the centers of the particles are constrained to move on a line. A continuous change from a quasi-isotropic to a tetratic regime is found upon increasing the density. Somewhat unexpected, for isobaric states, systems with larger and more anisotropic particles in the tetratic regime are denser than systems with smaller and less anisotropic particles in a quasi-isotropic regime. Close packing behaviour is characterised by exponents describing the behaviour of the pressure, the angular fluctuations and the angular correlation length. We obtain two universal, shape-independent relations between them.
Site-wise dynamic defects in a non-conserving exclusion process

Nikhil Bhatia, Arvind Kumar Gupta

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 009 (2025) · published 27 January 2025 | · pdf

Motivated by the significant influence of the defects in the dynamics of the natural or man-made transportation systems, we propose an open, dynamically disordered, totally asymmetric simple exclusion process featuring bulk particle attachment and detachment. The site-wise dynamic defects might randomly emerge or vanish at any lattice location, and their presence slows down the motion of the particles. Using a mean-field approach, we obtain an analytical expression for both particle and defect density and validate them using Monte Carlo simulation. The study investigates the steady-state characteristics of the system, including phase transitions, analysis of boundary layers, and phase diagrams. Our approach streamlines the defect dynamics by integrating two parameters into one called the obstruction factor, which helps in determining an effective binding constant. The impact of the obstruction factor on the phase diagram is explored across various combinations of binding constants and detachment rates. A critical value of the obstruction factor is obtained, about which an infinitesimal change results in a substantial qualitative change in the structure of the phase diagrams. Further, the effect of the detachment rate is studied, and critical values along which the system observes a quantitative transition of the stationary phases are obtained as a function of the obstruction factor. Overall, the system shows stationary phases ranging from three to seven depending upon the value of the obstruction factor, the binding constant, and the detachment rate. Moreover, we scrutinized the impact of the obstruction factor on the shock dynamics and found no finite-size effect.
Gravitational higher-form symmetries and the origin of hidden symmetries in Kaluza-Klein compactifications

Carmen Gómez-Fayrén, Tomás Ortín, Matteo Zatti

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 010 (2025) · published 29 January 2025 | · pdf

We show that, in presence of isometries and non-trivial topology, the Einstein–Hilbert action is invariant under certain transformations of the metric which are not diffeomorphisms. These transformations are similar to the higher-form symmetries of field theories with $p$-form fields. In the context of toroidal Kaluza–Klein compactifications, we show that these symmetries give rise to some of the "hidden symmetries" (dualities) of the dimensionally-reduced theories.
Free fermions with dephasing and boundary driving: Bethe Ansatz results

Vincenzo Alba

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 011 (2025) · published 30 January 2025 | · pdf

By employing the Lindblad equation, we derive the evolution of the two-point correlator for a free-fermion chain of length $L$ subject to bulk dephasing and boundary losses. We use the Bethe Ansatz to diagonalize the Liouvillian $\mathcal{L}^{(2)}$ governing the dynamics of the correlator. The majority of its eigenvalues are complex. Precisely, $L(L-1)/2$ complex eigenvalues do not depend on dephasing, apart from a trivial shift. The remaining complex levels are perturbatively related to the dephasing-independent ones for large $L$. The long-time dynamics is governed by a band of real eigenvalues, which contains an extensive number of levels. They give rise to diffusive scaling at intermediate times, when boundaries can be neglected. Moreover, they encode the breaking of diffusion at asymptotically long times. Interestingly, for large loss rate two boundary modes appear in the spectrum. The real eigenvalues correspond to string solutions of the Bethe equations, and can be treated effectively for large chains. This allows us to derive compact formulas for the dynamics of the fermionic density. We check our results against exact diagonalization, finding perfect agreement.
Critical analysis of multiple reentrant localization in an antiferromagnetic helix with transverse electric field: Hopping dimerization-free scenario

Sudin Ganguly, Sourav Chattopadhyay, Kallol Mondal, Santanu K. Maiti

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 012 (2025) · published 30 January 2025 | · pdf

Reentrant localization (RL), a recently prominent phenomenon, traditionally links to the interplay of staggered correlated disorder and hopping dimerization, as indicated by prior research. Contrary to this paradigm, our present study demonstrates that hopping dimerization is not a pivotal factor in realizing RL. Considering a helical magnetic system with antiferromagnetic ordering, we uncover spin-dependent RL at multiple energy regions, in the absence of hopping dimerization. This phenomenon persists even in the thermodynamic limit. The correlated disorder in the form of Aubry-André-Harper model is introduced by applying a transverse electric field to the helical system, circumventing the use of traditional substitutional disorder. We conduct a finite-size scaling analysis on the observed reentrant phases to identify critical points, determine associated critical exponents, and examine the scaling behavior linked to localization transitions. Additionally, we explore the parameter space to identify the conditions under which the reentrant phases occur. Described within a tight-binding framework, present work provides a novel outlook on RL, highlighting the crucial role of electric field, antiferromagnetic ordering, and the helicity of the geometry. Potential applications and experimental realizations of RL phenomena are also explored.
Coalescing hardcore-boson condensate states with nonzero momentum

C. H. Zhang, Z. Song

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 013 (2025) · published 31 January 2025 | · pdf

Exceptional points (EPs), as an exclusive feature of a non-Hermitian system, support coalescing states to be alternative stable state beyond the ground state. In this work, we explore the influence of non-Hermitian impurities on the dynamic formation of condensate states in one-, two-, and three-dimensional extended Bose-Hubbard systems with strong on-site interaction. Based on the solution for the hardcore limit, we show exactly that condensate modes with off-diagonal long-range order (ODLRO) can exist when certain system parameters satisfy specific matching conditions. Under open boundary conditions, the condensate states become coalescing states when the non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric boundary gives rise to the EPs. The fundamental mechanism behind this phenomenon is uncovered through analyzing the scattering dynamics of many-particle wavepackets at the non-Hermitian boundaries. The EP dynamics facilitate the dynamic generation of condensate states with non-zero momentum. To further substantiate the theoretical findings, numerical simulations are conducted. This study not only unveils the potential condensation of interacting bosons but also offers an approach for the engineering of condensate states.
Kinetics of quantum reaction-diffusion systems

Federico Gerbino, Igor Lesanovsky, Gabriele Perfetto

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 014 (2025) · published 4 February 2025 | · pdf

We discuss many-body fermionic and bosonic systems subject to dissipative particle losses in arbitrary spatial dimensions $d$, within the Keldysh path-integral formulation of the quantum master equation. This open quantum dynamics represents a generalisation of classical reaction-diffusion dynamics to the quantum realm. We first show how initial conditions can be introduced in the Keldysh path integral via boundary terms. We then study binary annihilation reactions $A+A\to \emptyset$, for which we derive a Boltzmann-like kinetic equation. The ensuing algebraic decay in time for the particle density depends on the particle statistics. In order to model possible experimental implementations with cold atoms, for fermions in $d=1$ we further discuss inhomogeneous cases involving the presence of a trapping potential. In this context, we quantify the irreversibility of the dynamics studying the time evolution of the system entropy for different quenches of the trapping potential. We find that the system entropy features algebraic decay for confining quenches, while it saturates in deconfined scenarios.
The thermoelectric conversion efficiency problem: Insights from the electron gas thermodynamics close to a phase transition

I. Khomchenko, A. Ryzhov, F. Maculewicz, F. Kurth, R. Hühne, A. Golombek, M. Schleberger, C. Goupil, Ph. Lecoeur, A. Böhmer, G. Benenti, G. Schierning, H. Ouerdane

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 015 (2025) · published 7 February 2025 | · pdf

The bottleneck in modern thermoelectric power generation and cooling is the low energy conversion efficiency of thermoelectric materials. The detrimental effects of lattice phonons on performance can be mitigated, but achieving a high thermoelectric power factor remains a major problem because the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity cannot be jointly increased. The conducting electron gas in thermoelectric materials is the actual working fluid that performs the energy conversion, so its properties determine the maximum efficiency that can theoretically be achieved. By relating the thermoelastic properties of the electronic working fluid to its transport properties (considering noninteracting electron systems), we show why the performance of conventional semiconductor materials is doomed to remain low. Analyzing the temperature dependence of the power factor theoretically in 2D systems and experimentally in a thin film, we find that in the fluctuation regimes of an electronic phase transition, the thermoelectric power factor can significantly increase owing to the increased compressibility of the electron gas. We also calculate the ideal thermoelectric conversion efficiency in noninteracting electron systems across a wide temperature range neglecting phonon effects and dissipative coupling to the heat source and sink. Our results show that driving the electronic system to the vicinity of a phase transition can indeed be an innovative route to strong efficiency enhancement, but at the cost of an extremely narrow temperature range for the use of such materials, which in turn precludes potential development for the desired wide range of thermoelectric energy conversion applications.
Energy exchange and fluctuations between a dissipative qubit and a monitor under continuous measurement and feedback

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Yasuhiro Tokura

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 016 (2025) · published 10 February 2025 | · pdf

Continuous quantum measurement and feedback induce energy exchange between a dissipative qubit and a monitor even in the steady state, as a measurement backaction. Using the Lindblad equation, we identified the maximum and minimum values of the steady-state energy flow as the measurement and feedback states vary, and we demonstrate the qubit cooling induced by these processes. Turning our attention to quantum trajectories under continuous measurement and feedback, we observe that the energy flow fluctuates around the steady-state values. We reveal that the fluctuations are strongly influenced by the measurement backaction, distinguishing them from the standard Poisson noise typically observed in electronic circuits. Our results offer potential application in the development of quantum refrigerators controlled by continuous measurement and feedback, and provide deep insight into quantum thermodynamics from the perspective of fluctuation.
The boundary disorder correlation for the Ising model on a cylinder

Rafael Leon Greenblatt

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 017 (2025) · published 10 February 2025 | · pdf

I give an expression for the correlation function of disorder insertions on the edges of the critical Ising model on a cylinder as a function of the aspect ratio (rescaled in the case of anisotropic couplings). This is obtained from an expression for the finite size scaling term in the free energy on a cylinder in periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions in terms of Jacobi theta functions.
Phase transitions from heating to non-heating in $SU(1,1)$ quantum dynamics: Applications to Bose-Einstein condensates and periodically driven coupled oscillators

Heng-Hsi Li, Po-Yao Chang

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 018 (2025) · published 10 February 2025 | · pdf

We study the entanglement properties in non-equilibrium quantum systems with the $SU(1,1)$ structure. Through Möbius transformation, we map the dynamics of these systems following a sudden quench or a periodic drive onto three distinct trajectories on the Poincaré disc, corresponding the heating, non-heating, and a phase boundary describing these non-equilibrium quantum states. We consider two experimentally feasible systems where their quantum dynamics exhibit the $SU(1,1)$ structure: the quench dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensates and the periodically driven coupled oscillators. In both cases, the heating, non-heating phases, and their boundary manifest through distinct signatures in the phonon population where exponential, oscillatory, and linear growths classify these phases. Similarly, the entanglement entropy and negativity also exhibit distinct behaviors (linearly, oscillatory, and logarithmic growths) characterizing these phases, respectively. Notibly, for the periodically driven coupled oscillators, the non-equilibrium properties are characterized by two sets of $SU(1,1)$ generators. The corresponding two sets of the trajectories on two Poincaré discs lead to a more complex phase diagram. We identify two distinct phases within the heating region discernible solely by the growth rate of the entanglement entropy, where a discontinuity is observed when varying the parameters across the phase boundary within in heating region. This discontinuity is not observed in the phonon population.
Energy-saving fast-forward scaling

Takuya Hatomura

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 019 (2025) · published 11 February 2025 | · pdf

We propose energy-saving fast-forward scaling. Fast-forward scaling is a method which enables us to speed up (or slow down) given dynamics in a certain measurement basis. We introduce energy costs of fast-forward scaling, and find possibility of energy-saving speedup for time-independent measurement bases. As concrete examples, we show such energy-saving fast-forward scaling in a two-level system and quantum annealing of a general Ising spin glass. We also discuss the influence of a time-dependent measurement basis, and give a remedy for unwanted energy costs. The present results pave the way for realization of energy-efficient quantum technologies.
Nonlocal order parameter of pair superfluids

Nitya Cuzzuol, Luca Barbiero, Arianna Montorsi

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 020 (2025) · published 11 February 2025 | · pdf

Order parameters represent a fundamental resource to characterize quantum matter. We show that pair superfluids can be rigorously defined in terms of a nonlocal order parameter, named odd parity, which derivation is experimentally accessible by local density measurements. As a case of study, we first investigate a constrained Bose-Hubbard model at different densities, both in one and two spatial dimensions. Here, our analysis finds pair superfluidity for relatively strong attractive interactions. The odd parity operator acts as the unique order parameter for such phase irrespectively to the density of the system and its dimensionality in regimes of total particle number conservation. In order to enforce our finding, we confirm the generality of our approach also on a two-component Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, which experimental realization represents a timely topic in ultracold atomic systems. Our results shed new light on the role of correlated density fluctuations in pair superfluids. In addition, they provide a powerful tool for the experimental detection of such exotic phases and the characterization of their transition to the atomic superfluid phase.
Fast Perfekt: Regression-based refinement of fast simulation

Moritz Wolf, Lars O. Stietz, Patrick L. S. Connor, Peter Schleper, Samuel Bein

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 021 (2025) · published 14 February 2025 | · pdf

The availability of precise and accurate simulation is a limiting factor for interpreting and forecasting data in many fields of science and engineering. Often, one or more distinct simulation software applications are developed, each with a relative advantage in accuracy or speed. The quality of insights extracted from the data stands to increase if the accuracy of faster, more economical simulation could be improved to parity or near parity with more resource-intensive but accurate simulation. We present Fast Perfekt, a machine-learned regression to refine the output of fast simulation that employs residual neural networks. A deterministic morphing model is trained using a unique schedule that makes use of the ensemble loss function MMD, with the option of an additional pair-based loss function such as the MSE. We explore this methodology in the context of an abstract analytical model and in terms of a realistic particle physics application featuring jet properties in hadron collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The refinement makes maximum use of existing domain knowledge, and introduces minimal computational overhead to production.
Necklace Ansatz for strongly repulsive spin mixtures on a ring

Gianni Aupetit-Diallo, Giovanni Pecci, Artem Volosniev, Mathias Albert, Anna Minguzzi, Patrizia Vignolo

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 022 (2025) · published 14 February 2025 | · pdf

We propose an alternative to the Bethe Ansatz method for repulsive strongly-interacting fermionic (or bosonic) mixtures on a ring. Starting from the knowledge of the solution for single-component non-interacting fermions (or strongly-interacting bosons), we explicitly impose periodic condition on the amplitudes of the spin configurations. This reduces drastically the number of independent complex amplitudes that we determine by constrained diagonalization of an effective Hamiltonian. This procedure allows us to obtain a complete basis for the exact low-energy many-body solutions for mixtures with a large number of particles, both for $SU(\kappa)$ and symmetry-breaking systems.
Entropy driven inductive response of topological insulators

A. Mert Bozkurt, Sofie Kölling, Alexander Brinkman, İnanç Adagideli

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 023 (2025) · published 18 February 2025 | · pdf

3D topological insulators are characterized by an insulating bulk and extended surface states exhibiting a helical spin texture. In this work, we investigate the hyperfine interaction between the spin-charge coupled transport of electrons and the nuclear spins in these surface states. Previous work has predicted that in the quantum spin Hall insulator phase, work can be extracted from a bath of polarized nuclear spins as a resource. We employ nonequilibrium Green's function analysis to show that a similar effect exists on the surface of a 3D topological insulator, albeit rescaled by the ratio between electronic mean free path and device length. The induced current due to thermal relaxation of polarized nuclear spins has an inductive nature. We emphasize the inductive response by rewriting the current-voltage relation in harmonic response as a lumped element model containing two parallel resistors and an inductor. In a low-frequency analysis, a universal inductance value emerges that is only dependent on the device's aspect ratio. This scaling offers a means of miniaturizing inductive circuit elements. An efficiency estimate follows from comparing the spin-flip induced current to the Ohmic contribution. The inductive effect is most prominent in topological insulators which have a large number of spinful nuclei per coherent segment, of which the volume is given by the mean free path length, Fermi wavelength and penetration depth of the surface state.
Dirac spin liquid as an “unnecessary” quantum critical point on square lattice antiferromagnets

Yunchao Zhang, Xue-Yang Song, T. Senthil

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 024 (2025) · published 18 February 2025 | · pdf

Quantum spin liquids are exotic phases of quantum matter especially pertinent to many modern condensed matter systems. Dirac spin liquids (DSLs) are a class of gapless quantum spin liquids that do not have a quasi-particle description and are potentially realized in a wide variety of spin $1/2$ magnetic systems on $2d$ lattices. In particular, the DSL in square lattice spin-$1/2$ magnets is described at low energies by $(2+1)d$ quantum electrodynamics with $N_f=4$ flavors of massless Dirac fermions minimally coupled to an emergent $U(1)$ gauge field. The existence of a relevant, symmetry-allowed monopole perturbation renders the DSL on the square lattice intrinsically unstable. We argue that the DSL describes a stable continuous phase transition within the familiar Neel phase (or within the Valence Bond Solid (VBS) phase). In other words, the DSL is an "unnecessary" quantum critical point within a single phase of matter. Our result offers a novel view of the square lattice DSL in that the critical spin liquid can exist within either the Neel or VBS state itself, and does not require leaving these conventional states.
Mixmasters in Wonderland: Chaotic dynamics from Carroll limits of gravity

Gerben Oling, Juan F. Pedraza

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 025 (2025) · published 27 February 2025 | · pdf

We demonstrate that the Carroll limit of general relativity coupled to matter captures the chaotic mixmaster dynamics of near-singularity limits. Zooming in on the behavior of general relativity close to spacelike singularities reveals rich and solvable ultra-local Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz (BKL) dynamics, which we show to be captured by a Carroll limit. Specifically, building on recent work on geometric Carroll expansions of general relativity, we establish that leading-order Carroll gravity, with suitable matter coupling, accurately describes well-known cosmological billiards behavior. Since the Carroll limit implements the ultra-local limit off shell, this opens up the door to a wide range of possible tractable applications, including spatially inhomogeneous setups and the emergence of spikes at late times. This further suggests that Carroll gravity, along with its subleading corrections, could serve as a valuable tool for studying deep infrared physics in AdS/CFT.
Jet diffusion versus JetGPT – Modern networks for the LHC

Anja Butter, Nathan Huetsch, Sofia Palacios Schweitzer, Tilman Plehn, Peter Sorrenson, Jonas Spinner

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 026 (2025) · published 3 March 2025 | · pdf

We introduce two diffusion models and an autoregressive transformer for LHC physics simulations. Bayesian versions allow us to control the networks and capture training uncertainties. After illustrating their different density estimation methods for simple toy models, we discuss their advantages for Z plus jets event generation. While diffusion networks excel through their precision, the transformer scales best with the phase space dimensionality. Given the different training and evaluation speed, we expect LHC physics to benefit from dedicated use cases for normalizing flows, diffusion models, and autoregressive transformers.
Bayesian RG flow in neural network field theories

Jessica N. Howard, Marc S. Klinger, Anindita Maiti, Alexander G. Stapleton

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 027 (2025) · published 5 March 2025 | · pdf

The Neural Network Field Theory correspondence (NNFT) is a mapping from neural network (NN) architectures into the space of statistical field theories (SFTs). The Bayesian renormalization group (BRG) is an information-theoretic coarse graining scheme that generalizes the principles of the exact renormalization group (ERG) to arbitrarily parameterized probability distributions, including those of NNs. In BRG, coarse graining is performed in parameter space with respect to an information-theoretic distinguishability scale set by the Fisher information metric. In this paper, we unify NNFT and BRG to form a powerful new framework for exploring the space of NNs and SFTs, which we coin BRG-NNFT. With BRG-NNFT, NN training dynamics can be interpreted as inducing a flow in the space of SFTs from the information-theoretic 'IR' $→$ 'UV'. Conversely, applying an information-shell coarse graining to the trained network's parameters induces a flow in the space of SFTs from the information-theoretic 'UV' $→$ 'IR'. When the information-theoretic cutoff scale coincides with a standard momentum scale, BRG is equivalent to ERG. We demonstrate the BRG-NNFT correspondence on two analytically tractable examples. First, we construct BRG flows for trained, infinite-width NNs, of arbitrary depth, with generic activation functions. As a special case, we then restrict to architectures with a single infinitely-wide layer, scalar outputs, and generalized cos-net activations. In this case, we show that BRG coarse-graining corresponds exactly to the momentum-shell ERG flow of a free scalar SFT. Our analytic results are corroborated by a numerical experiment in which an ensemble of asymptotically wide NNs are trained and subsequently renormalized using an information-shell BRG scheme.
Characterizing far from equilibrium states of the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abhik Kumar Saha, Romain Dubessy

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 028 (2025) · published 6 March 2025 | · pdf

We use the mathematical toolbox of the inverse scattering transform to study quantita- tively the number of solitons in far from equilibrium one-dimensional systems described by the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We present a simple method to iden- tify the discrete eigenvalues in the Lax spectrum and provide a extensive benchmark of its efficiency. Our method can be applied in principle to all physical systems described by the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation and allows to identify the solitons velocity distribution in numerical simulations and possibly experiments.
Identifying quantum phase transitions with minimal prior knowledge by unsupervised learning

Mohamad Ali Marashli, Ho Lai Henry Lam, Hamam Mokayed, Fredrik Sandin, Marcus Liwicki, Ho-Kin Tang, Wing Chi Yu

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 029 (2025) · published 6 March 2025 | · pdf

In this work, we proposed a novel approach for identifying quantum phase transitions in one-dimensional quantum many-body systems using AutoEncoder (AE), an unsupervised machine learning technique, with minimal prior knowledge. The training of the AEs is done with reduced density matrix (RDM) data obtained by Exact Diagonalization (ED) across the entire range of the driving parameter and thus no prior knowledge of the phase diagram is required. With this method, we successfully detect the phase transitions in a wide range of models with multiple phase transitions of different types, including the topological and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions by tracking the changes in the reconstruction loss of the AE. The learned representation of the AE is used to characterize the physical phenomena underlying different quantum phases. Our methodology demonstrates a new approach to studying quantum phase transitions with minimal knowledge, small amount of needed data, and produces compressed representations of the quantum states.
Recipes for the digital quantum simulation of lattice spin systems

Guido Burkard

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 030 (2025) · published 10 March 2025 | · pdf

We describe methods to construct digital quantum simulation algorithms for quantum spin systems on a regular lattice with local interactions. In addition to tools such as the Trotter-Suzuki expansion and graph coloring, we also discuss the efficiency gained by parallel execution of an extensive number of commuting terms. We provide resource estimates and quantum circuit elements for the most important cases and classes of spin systems. As resource estimates we indicate the total number of gates $N$ and simulation time $T$, expressed in terms of the number $n$ of spin 1/2 lattice sites (qubits), target accuracy $\epsilon$, and simulated time $t$. We provide circuit constructions that realize the simulation time $T^{(1)}\propto nt^2/\epsilon$ and $T^{(2q)}\propto t^{1+\eta}n^\eta/\epsilon^\eta$ for arbitrarily small $\eta = 1/2q$ for the first-order and higher-order Trotter expansions. We also discuss the potential impact of scaled gates, which have not yet been fully explored.
Phase transitions in quantum dot-Majorana zero mode coupling systems

Yue Mao, Qing-Feng Sun

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 031 (2025) · published 11 March 2025 | · pdf

The magnetic doublet ground state (GS) of a quantum dot (QD) could be changed to a spin-singlet GS by coupling to a superconductor. In analogy, here we study the GS phase transitions in QD-Majorana zero mode (MZM) coupling systems: GS behaves phase transition versus intra-dot energy level and QD-MZM coupling strength. The phase diagrams of GS are obtained, for cases with and without Zeeman term. Along with the phase transition, we also study the change of spin feature and density of states. The properties of the phase transition are understood via a mean-field picture. Our study not only serves as an analogue to QD-superconductor phase transitions, but also gives alternative explanations on MZM-relevant experiments.
Two-loop gradient-flow renormalization of scalar QCD

Janosh Borgulat, Nils Felten, Robert V. Harlander, Jonas T. Kohnen

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 032 (2025) · published 21 March 2025 | · pdf

The gradient-flow formalism is applied to a non-Abelian gauge theory with scalar and fermionic particles, dubbed "scalar QCD". It is shown that the flowed scalar quark requires a field renormalization, albeit only beyond the one-loop level. A pseudo-physical, flow-time dependent renormalization scheme is defined, and the corresponding renormalization constant is evaluated at the two-loop level. We also calculate the gluon action density as well as the condensates of the scalar and the fermionic quark at three-loop level in this theory. The results validate the consistency of the gradient-flow formalism in this theory and provide a further step towards applying the gradient-flow formalism to the full Standard Model.
Engineering unique localization transition with coupled Hatano-Nelson chains

Ritaban Samanta, Aditi Chakrabarty, Sanjoy Datta

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 033 (2025) · published 27 March 2025 | · pdf

The paradigmatic Hatano-Nelson (HN) Hamiltonian induces a delocalization-localization (DL) transition in a one-dimensional (1D) lattice with random disorder, in striking contrast to its Hermitian counterpart. The DL transition also persists in the presence of a quasiperiodic potential separating completely delocalized and localized eigenstates. In this study, we reveal that coupling two 1D quasiperiodic Hatano-Nelson (QHN) lattices signiﬁcantly alters the nature of the DL transition and identify two critical points, $V_{c1} < V_{c2}$, when the nearest neighbors of the two 1D QHN lattices are cross-coupled with strong hopping amplitudes under periodic boundary conditions (PBC). Complete delocalization occurs below $V_{c1}$ and the states are completely localized above $V_{c2}$, while two mobility edges symmetrically emerge about Re[E] = 0 between $V_{c1}$ and $V_{c2}$. Notably, under speciﬁc asymmetric cross-hopping amplitudes, $V_{c1}$ approaches zero, resulting in localized states even for an inﬁnitesimally weak potential. Remarkably, we also ﬁnd that the mobility edges precisely divide the delocalized and localized states in equal proportions. We demonstrate a possible implementation of these findings in a coupled waveguided array which can be exploited to control and manipulate the light localization depending upon the hopping amplitude in the two QHN chains.
Scaling laws in jet classification

Joshua Batson, Yonatan Kahn

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 034 (2025) · published 28 March 2025 | · pdf

We demonstrate the emergence of scaling laws in the benchmark top versus QCD jet classification problem in collider physics. Six distinct physically-motivated classifiers exhibit power-law scaling of the binary cross-entropy test loss as a function of training set size, with distinct power law indices. This result highlights the importance of comparing classifiers as a function of dataset size rather than for a fixed training set, as the optimal classifier may change considerably as the dataset is scaled up. We speculate on the interpretation of our results in terms of previous models of scaling laws observed in natural language and image datasets.