Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Probing dielectric breakdown in Mott insulators through current oscillations

  Joan Triadú-Galí, Artur Garcia-Saez, Bruno Juliá-Díaz, Axel Pérez-Obiol

  SciPost Phys. 19, 010 (2025) · published 7 July 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the dielectric breakdown of mesoscopic Mott insulators, a phenomenon where a strong electric field destabilizes the insulating state, resulting in a transition to a metallic phase. Using the Landau-Zener formalism, which models the excitation of a two-level system, we derive a theoretical expression for the threshold value of the field. To validate our predictions, we present an efficient protocol for estimating the charge gap and threshold field via non-equilibrium current oscillations, overcoming the computational limitations of exact diagonalization. Our simulations demonstrate the accuracy of our theoretical formula for systems with small gaps. Moreover, our findings are directly testable in ultracold atomic experiments with ring geometries and artificial gauge fields, as our method uses measurable quantities and relies on already available technologies. This work aims to bridge the gap between theoretical models and experimentally realizable protocols, providing tools to explore non-equilibrium mesoscopic phenomena in strongly correlated quantum systems.

• Hard exclusive $\pi^{+}n$ electro production beam spin asymmetries off the proton in the GPD and TDA regimes

  S. Diehl for the CLAS collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 066 (2022) · published 12 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Hard exclusive $\pi^{+}$n electro-production can be used to gain access to the 3D nucleon structure. The QCD factorisation mechanism in the "nearly forward region" ($t/Q^{2}$ small) allows a description by Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs), while for the "nearly backward" kinematic region ($u/Q^{2}$ small) a description based on nucleon to pion transitions (TDAs) is available. The paper presents a measurement of single beam spin asymmetries to extract the $A^{\sin\phi}_{LU}$ moments and the related cross section ratio $\sigma_{LT^\prime}/\sigma_{0}$ from the hard exclusive $\pi^{+}$ channel off the unpolarized hydrogen target in a wide range of kinematics based on data taken with the CLAS spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. In addition, under forward angles a detailed multidimensional study will be presented based on CLAS12 data and compared to theoretical predictions.

• Asymptotics of transverse momentum broadening in dense QCD media

  Paul Caucal

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 10, 018 (2022) · published 10 August 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the asymptotic behaviour of the transverse momentum broadening distribution of an energetic quark or gluon propagating through dense QCD matter, in the large system size $L$ limit, taking into account radiative corrections in the double logarithmic approximation. Thanks to a connection between the evolution of the jet quenching parameter $\hat{q}$ and the formation of traveling wave fronts in nonlinear physics, we obtain a formula for the $L$ dependence of the characteristic transverse momentum scale $Q_s$ of the distribution valid up to terms of order $1/\ln(L)$. We briefly discuss the physical implications of this formula for jet quenching and small-$x$ phenomenology.

• $\mathcal{O}(α_s^3)$ corrections to semileptonic $b \to c$ decays in the heavy daughter approximation

  Kay Schoenwald

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 7, 027 (2022) · published 21 June 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present our recent calculation of the third order corrections to the semileptonic $b \to c$ and the muon decays. The calculation has been performed in an expansion around the limit $m_c \sim m_b$, but shows decent convergence even for $m_c=0$ from which the contribution to the muon decay can be extracted. For the semileptonic $b \to c$ decay we find large perturbative corrections in the on-shell scheme which can be significantly reduced by changing to the kinetic scheme for the bottom quark mass. These results are important input for the inclusive determination of $|V_{cb}|$ and the Fermi coupling constant $G_F$.

• Improved Galactic diffuse emission model strengthens the case for a Millisecond Pulsar explanation of the Fermi GeV excess

  Oscar Macias, Martin Pohl, Chris Gordon, Phaedra Coleman

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 049 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  After more than a decade since its discovery, the Galactic center gamma-ray excess - discovered with the Fermi Large Area Telescope - remains puzzling. While the spectrum of the signal can be explained by either dark matter or an unresolved population of millisecond pulsars, the spatial morphology of this excess seems to hold the key to separate the two theories. In this contribution, we present the results of a recent study in which we use bleeding edge models for interstellar gas, inverse Compton emission, and stellar mass models to reanalyze the Galactic center excess. We find that the spatial morphology of the excess is highly correlated with stellar matter in the Galactic bulge, providing strong support for the millisecond pulsar hypothesis.

• Unfrustrating the t-J Model: d-wave BCS Superconductivity in the t'-J_z-V Model

  Kevin Slagle

  SciPost Phys. 7, 046 (2019) · published 9 October 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The t-J model is believed to be a minimal model that may be capable of describing the low-energy physics of the cuprate superconductors. However, although the t-J model is simple in appearance, obtaining a detailed understanding of its phase diagram has proved to be challenging. We are therefore motivated to study modifications to the t-J model such that its phase diagram and mechanism for d-wave superconductivity can be understood analytically without making uncontrolled approximations. The modified model we consider is a t'-J_z-V model on a square lattice, which has a second-nearest-neighbor hopping t' (instead of a nearest-neighbor hopping t), an Ising (instead of Heisenberg) antiferromagnetic coupling J_z, and a nearest-neighbor repulsion V. In a certain strongly interacting limit, the ground state is an antiferromagnetic superconductor that can be described exactly by a Hamiltonian where the only interaction is a nearest-neighbor attraction. BCS theory can then be applied with arbitrary analytical control, from which nodeless d-wave or s-wave superconductivity can result.

• First measurement of the forward rapidity gap distribution in pPb collisions at 8 TeV

  Dmitry E. Sosnov

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 065 (2022) · published 12 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present the forward rapidity gap spectra from proton-lead collisions for both I\!P-Pb and I\!P-p topologies measured at the CMS at a center-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV. For the I\!P-Pb topology, the cross-section predicted by EPOS-LHC is a factor of two lower than the data while has reasonable description of the spectrum shape. For the I\!P-p topology, the EPOS-LHC, QGSJET~II and HIJING predictions are significantly lower than the data, what can be explained by a contribution of ultra-peripheral photoproduction events. The obtained data may be of significant input for understanding the high energy limit of QCD and modeling cosmic ray air showers.

• Critical dynamics and cyclic memory retrieval in non-reciprocal Hopfield networks

  Shuyue Xue, Mohammad Maghrebi, George I. Mias, Carlo Piermarocchi

  SciPost Phys. 19, 100 (2025) · published 16 October 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study Hopfield networks with non-reciprocal coupling inducing switches between memory patterns. Dynamical phase transitions occur between phases of no memory retrieval, retrieval of multiple point-attractors, and limit-cycles. The limit cycle phase is bounded by a Hopf bifurcation line and a fold bifurcation line. Autocorrelation scales as $\tilde{C}(\tau/N^\zeta)$, with $\zeta = 1/2$ on the Hopf line and $\zeta = 1/3$ on the fold line. Perturbations of strength $F$ on the Hopf line exhibit response times scaling as $|F|^{-2/3}$, while they induce switches in a controlled way within times scaling as $|F|^{-1/2}$ in the fold line. A Master Equation approach numerically verifies the critical behavior predicted analytically. We discuss how these networks could model biological processes near a critical threshold of cyclic instability evolving through multi-step transitions.

• Applying Quantum Tomography to Hadronic Interactions

  J. C. Martens, J. P. Ralston, D. Tapia Takaki

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 154 (2022) · published 14 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A proper description of inclusive reactions is expressed with density matrices. Quantum tomography reconstructs density matrices from experimental observables. We review recent work that applies quantum tomography to practical experimental data analysis. Almost all field-theoretic formalism and modeling used in a traditional approach is circumvented with great efficiency. Tomographically-determined density matrices can express information about quantum systems which cannot in principle be expressed with distributions defined by classical probability. Topics such as entanglement and von Neumann entropy can be accessed using the same natural language where they are defined. A deep relation exists between {\it separability}, as defined in quantum information science, and {\it factorization}, as defined in high energyphysics. Factorization acquires a non-perturbative definition when expressed in terms of a conditional form of separability. An example illustrates how to go from data for momentum 4-vectors to a density matrix while bypassing almost all the formalism of the Standard Model.

• Proposal for an autonomous quantum heat engine

  Miika Rasola, Vasilii Vadimov, Tuomas Uusnäkki, Mikko Möttönen

  SciPost Phys. 19, 101 (2025) · published 17 October 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose and theoretically analyse a superconducting electric circuit which can be used to experimentally realize an autonomous quantum heat engine. Using a quasiclassical, non-Markovian theoretical model, we demonstrate that coherent microwave power generation can emerge solely from the heat flow through the circuit determined by non-linear circuit quantum electrodynamics. The predicted energy generation rate is sufficiently high for experimental observation with contemporary techniques, rendering this work a significant step toward the first experimental realization of an autonomous quantum heat engine based on Otto cycles.