Publications

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• The origin and evolution of wide Jupiter mass binary objects in young stellar clusters

  Simon Portegies Zwart, Erwan Hochart

  SciPost Astro. 3, 001 (2024) · published 2 July 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The recently observed population of 540 free-floating Jupiter-mass objects, including 40 dynamically soft pairs, and two triples, in the Trapezium cluster have raised interesting questions on their formation and evolution. We test various scenarios for the origin and survivability of these free floating Jupiter-mass objects and Jupiter-mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs) in the Trapezium cluster. The numerical calculations are performed by direct $N$-body integration of the stars and planets in the Trapezium cluster starting with a wide variety of planets in various configurations. We discuss four models: $\mathcal{SPP}$, in which selected stars have two outer orbiting Jupiter-mass planets; $\mathcal{SPM}$, where selected stars are orbited by Jupiter-mass planet-moon pairs; $\mathcal{ISF}$ in which JuMBOs form in situ with the stars, and $\mathcal{FFC}$, where we introduce a population of free-floating single Jupiter-mass objects, but no initialised binaries. Models $\mathcal{FFC}$ and $\mathcal{SPP}$ fail to produce enough JuMBOs. Models $\mathcal{SPM}$ can produce sufficient free-floaters and JuMBOs, but requires unusually wide orbits for the planet-moon system around the star. The observed JuMBOs and free-floating Jupiter-mass objects in the Trapezium cluster are best reproduced if they formed in pairs and as free-floaters together with the other stars in a smooth (Plummer) density profile with a virial radius of $\sim 0.5$pc. A fractal (with fractal dimension 1.6) stellar density distribution also works, but requires relatively recent formations ($\raise-.5ex\hbox{$\buildrel>\over\sim$} 0.2$Myr after the other stars formed) or a high ($\raise-.5ex\hbox{$\buildrel>\over\sim$} 50$%) initial binary fraction. This would make the primordial binary fraction of JuMBOs even higher than the already large observation fraction of $\sim 8$% (42/540). The fraction of JuMBOs will continue to drop with time, and the lack of JuMBOs in Upper Scorpius could then result in its higher age, causing more JuMBOs to be ionized. We then also predict that the interstellar density of Jupiter-mass objects (mostly singles with some $\sim 2$% lucky surviving binaries) is $\sim 0.05$ per pc$^{-3}$ (or around 0.24 per star).

  10 citations

• How a skyrmion can appear both massive and massless

  Xiaofan Wu, Oleg Tchernyshyov

  SciPost Phys. 12, 159 (2022) · published 12 May 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  When a magnetic skyrmion is modeled as a point particle, its dynamics depends on the precise definition of the skyrmion center. The guiding-center position, defined as the first moment of the skyrmion density, exhibits Thiele's massless dynamics; position based on the first moment of magnetization component $m_z$ shows Larmor oscillations characteristic of a massive particle. We show that, even with the latter definition, the Larmor oscillations may be absent for certain types of external forces such as adiabatic spin torque. We offer an alternative mechanical model of a skyrmion featuring two coupled massless particles.

  10 citations

• Generalised Onsager Algebra in Quantum Lattice Models

  Yuan Miao

  SciPost Phys. 13, 070 (2022) · published 28 September 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Onsager algebra is one of the cornerstones of exactly solvable models in statistical mechanics. Starting from the generalised Clifford algebra, we demonstrate its relations to the graph Temperley-Lieb algebra, and a generalisation of the Onsager algebra. We present a series of quantum lattice models as representations of the generalised Clifford algebra, possessing the structure of a special type of the generalised Onsager algebra. The integrability of those models is presented, analogous to the free fermionic eight-vertex model. We also mention further extensions of the models and physical properties related to the generalised Onsager algebras, hinting at a general framework that includes families of quantum lattice models possessing the structure of the generalised Onsager algebras.

  10 citations

• Benchmarking LHC searches for light 2HDM+a pseudoscalars

  Spyros Argyropoulos, Ulrich Haisch

  SciPost Phys. 13, 007 (2022) · published 22 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Using two suitable benchmark scenarios that satisfy the experimental con- straints on the total decay width of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, we determine the bounds on light CP-odd spin-0 states in the 2HDM+a model that arise from existing LHC searches. Our work should prove useful for 2HDM+a interpretations of future ATLAS, CMS and LHCb searches for pseudoscalars with masses below the electroweak scale.

  10 citations

• Unsupervised mapping of phase diagrams of 2D systems from infinite projected entangled-pair states via deep anomaly detection

  Korbinian Kottmann, Philippe Corboz, Maciej Lewenstein, Antonio Acín

  SciPost Phys. 11, 025 (2021) · published 9 August 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate how to map out the phase diagram of a two dimensional quantum many body system with no prior physical knowledge by applying deep \textit{anomaly detection} to ground states from infinite projected entangled pair state simulations. As a benchmark, the phase diagram of the 2D frustrated bilayer Heisenberg model is analyzed, which exhibits a second-order and two first-order quantum phase transitions. We show that in order to get a good qualitative picture of the transition lines, it suffices to use data from the cost-efficient simple update optimization. Results are further improved by post-selecting ground-states based on their energy at the cost of contracting the tensor network once. Moreover, we show that the mantra of ``more training data leads to better results'' is not true for the learning task at hand and that, in principle, one training example suffices for this learning task. This puts the necessity of neural network optimizations for these learning tasks in question and we show that, at least for the model and data at hand, a simple geometric analysis suffices.

  10 citations

• Gapped phases in (2+1)d with non-invertible symmetries: Part I

  Lakshya Bhardwaj, Daniel Pajer, Sakura Schäfer-Nameki, Apoorv Tiwari, Alison Warman, Jingxiang Wu

  SciPost Phys. 19, 056 (2025) · published 26 August 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We use the Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT) to study and classify gapped phases in (2+1)d for a class of categorical symmetries, referred to as being of bosonic type. The SymTFTs for these symmetries are given by twisted and untwisted (3+1)d Dijkgraaf-Witten (DW) theories for finite groups $G$. A finite set of boundary conditions (BCs) of these DW theories is well-known: these simply involve imposing Dirichlet and Neumann conditions on the (3+1)d gauge fields. We refer to these as minimal BCs. The key new observation here is that for each DW theory, there exists an infinite number of other BCs, that we call non-minimal BCs. These non-minimal BCs are all obtained by a 'theta construction', which involves stacking the Dirichlet BC with 3d TFTs having $G$ 0-form symmetry, and gauging the diagonal $G$ symmetry. On the one hand, using the non-minimal BCs as symmetry BCs gives rise to an infinite number of non-invertible symmetries having the same SymTFT, while on the other hand, using the non-minimal BCs as physical BCs in the sandwich construction gives rise to an infinite number of (2+1)d gapped phases for each such non-invertible symmetry. Our analysis is thoroughly exemplified for $G=\mathbb{Z}_2$ and more generally any finite abelian group, for which the resulting non-invertible symmetries and their gapped phases already reveal an immensely rich structure.

  10 citations

• Systematic analysis of crystalline phases in bosonic lattice models with algebraically decaying density-density interactions

  Jan A. Koziol, Antonia Duft, Giovanna Morigi, Kai P. Schmidt

  SciPost Phys. 14, 136 (2023) · published 30 May 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose a general approach to analyse diagonal ordering patterns in bosonic lattice models with algebraically decaying density-density interactions on arbitrary lattices. The key idea is a systematic search for the energetically best order on all unit cells of the lattice up to a given extent. Using resummed couplings we evaluate the energy of the ordering patterns in the thermodynamic limit using finite unit cells. We apply the proposed approach to the atomic limit of the extended Bose-Hubbard model on the triangular lattice at fillings $f=1/2$ and $f=1$. We investigate the ground-state properties of the antiferromagnetic long-range Ising model on the triangular lattice and determine a six-fold degenerate plain-stripe phase to be the ground state for finite decay exponents. We also probe the classical limit of the Fendley-Sengupta-Sachdev model describing Rydberg atom arrays. We focus on arrangements where the atoms are placed on the sites or links of the Kagome lattice. Our method provides a general framework to treat cristalline structures resulting from long-range interactions.

  10 citations

• Devil's staircase of topological Peierls insulators and Peierls supersolids

  Titas Chanda, Daniel González-Cuadra, Maciej Lewenstein, Luca Tagliacozzo, Jakub Zakrzewski

  SciPost Phys. 12, 076 (2022) · published 25 February 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider a mixture of ultracold bosonic atoms on a one-dimensional lattice described by the XXZ-Bose-Hubbard model, where the tunneling of one species depends on the spin state of a second deeply trapped species. We show how the inclusion of antiferromagnetic interactions among the spin degrees of freedom generates a Devil's staircase of symmetry-protected topological phases for a wide parameter regime via a bosonic analog of the Peierls mechanism in electron-phonon systems. These topological Peierls insulators are examples of symmetry-breaking topological phases, where long-range order due to spontaneous symmetry breaking coexists with topological properties such as fractionalized edge states. Moreover, we identify a region of supersolid phases that do not require long-range interactions. They appear instead due to a Peierls incommensurability mechanism, where competing orders modify the underlying crystalline structure of Peierls insulators, becoming superfluid. Our work show the possibilities that ultracold atomic systems offer to investigate strongly-correlated topological phenomena beyond those found in natural materials.

  10 citations

• Snell's Law for a vortex dipole in a Bose-Einstein condensate

  Michael M. Cawte, Xiaoquan Yu, Brian P. Anderson, Ashton S. Bradley

  SciPost Phys. 6, 032 (2019) · published 13 March 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A quantum vortex dipole, comprised of a closely bound pair of vortices of equal strength with opposite circulation, is a spatially localized travelling excitation of a planar superfluid that carries linear momentum, suggesting a possible analogy with ray optics. We investigate numerically and analytically the motion of a quantum vortex dipole incident upon a step-change in the background superfluid density of an otherwise uniform two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. Due to the conservation of fluid momentum and energy, the incident and refracted angles of the dipole satisfy a relation analogous to Snell's law, when crossing the interface between regions of different density. The predictions of the analogue Snell's law relation are confirmed for a wide range of incident angles by systematic numerical simulations of the Gross-Piteavskii equation. Near the critical angle for total internal reflection, we identify a regime of anomalous Snell's law behaviour where the finite size of the dipole causes transient capture by the interface. Remarkably, despite the extra complexity of the surface interaction, the incoming and outgoing dipole paths obey Snell's law.

  10 citations

• Variational truncated Wigner approximation for weakly interacting Bose fields: Dynamics of coupled condensates

  Christopher D. Mink, Axel Pelster, Jens Benary, Herwig Ott, Michael Fleischhauer

  SciPost Phys. 12, 051 (2022) · published 2 February 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The truncated Wigner approximation is an established approach that describes the dynamics of weakly interacting Bose gases beyond the mean-field level. Although it allows a quantum field to be expressed by a stochastic c-number field, the simulation of the time evolution is still very demanding for most applications. Here, we develop a numerically inexpensive scheme by approximating the c-number field with a variational ansatz. The dynamics of the ansatz function is described by a tractable set of coupled ordinary stochastic differential equations for the respective variational parameters. We investigate the non-equilibrium dynamics of a three-dimensional Bose gas in a one-dimensional optical lattice with a transverse isotropic harmonic confinement. The accuracy and computational inexpensiveness of our method are demonstrated by comparing its predictions to experimental data.

  10 citations