Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• The double smeared null energy condition

  Jackson R. Fliss, Ben Freivogel, Eleni-Alexandra Kontou

  SciPost Phys. 14, 024 (2023) · published 27 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The null energy condition (NEC), an important assumption of the Penrose singularity theorem, is violated by quantum fields. The natural generalization of the NEC in quantum field theory, the renormalized null energy averaged over a finite null segment, is known to be unbounded from below. Here, we propose an alternative, the double smeared null energy condition (DSNEC), stating that the null energy smeared over two null directions has a finite lower bound. We rigorously derive DSNEC from general worldvolume bounds for free quantum fields in Minkowski spacetime. Our method allows for future systematic inclusion of curvature corrections. As a further application of the techniques we develop, we prove additional lower bounds on the expectation values of various operators such as conserved higher spin currents. DSNEC provides a natural starting point for proving singularity theorems in semi-classical gravity.

  2 citations

• Four-quark scatterings in QCD I

  Wei-jie Fu, Chuang Huang, Jan M. Pawlowski, Yang-yang Tan

  SciPost Phys. 14, 069 (2023) · published 13 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and the emergence of mesonic bound states from the infrared dynamics of four-quark scatterings. Both phenomena originate from the resonant scalar-pseudoscalar channel of the four-quark scatterings, and we compute the functional renormalisation group (fRG) flows of the Fierz-complete four-quark interaction of up and down quarks with its $t$ channel momentum dependence. This is done in the isospin symmetric case, also including the flow of the quark two-point function. This system can be understood as the fRG analogues of the complete Bethe-Salpeter equations and quark gap equation. The pole mass of the pion is determined from both direct calculations of the four-quark flows in the Minkowski regime of momenta and the analytic continuation based on results in the Euclidean regime, which are consistent with each other.

  2 citations

• Interface junctions in QCD${}_4$

  Pranay Gorantla, Ho Tat Lam

  SciPost Phys. 10, 085 (2021) · published 22 April 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study 3+1 dimensional $SU(N)$ Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) with $N_f$ degenerate quarks that have a spatially varying complex mass. It leads to a network of interfaces connected by interface junctions. We use anomaly inflow to constrain these defects. Based on the chiral Lagrangian and the conjectures on the interfaces, characterized by a spatially varying $\theta$-parameter, we propose a low-energy description of such networks of interfaces. Interestingly, we observe that the operators in the effective field theories on the junctions can carry baryon charges, and their spin and isospin representations coincide with baryons. We also study defects, characterized by spatially varying coupling constants, in 2+1 dimensional Chern-Simons-matter theories and in a 3+1 dimensional real scalar theory.

  2 citations

• Anomaly of $(2+1)$-dimensional symmetry-enriched topological order from $(3+1)$-dimensional topological quantum field theory

  Weicheng Ye, Liujun Zou

  SciPost Phys. 15, 004 (2023) · published 10 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Symmetry acting on a (2+1)$D$ topological order can be anomalous in the sense that they possess an obstruction to being realized as a purely (2+1)$D$ on-site symmetry. In this paper, we develop a (3+1)$D$ topological quantum field theory to calculate the anomaly indicators of a (2+1)$D$ topological order with a general symmetry group $G$, which may be discrete or continuous, Abelian or non-Abelian, contain anti-unitary elements or not, and permute anyons or not. These anomaly indicators are partition functions of the (3+1)$D$ topological quantum field theory on a specific manifold equipped with some $G$-bundle, and they are expressed using the data characterizing the topological order and the symmetry actions. Our framework is applied to derive the anomaly indicators for various symmetry groups, including $\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2$, $\mathbb{Z}_2^T\times\mathbb{Z}_2^T$, $SO(N)$, $O(N)^T$, $SO(N)\times \mathbb{Z}_2^T$, etc, where $\mathbb{Z}_2$ and $\mathbb{Z}_2^T$ denote a unitary and anti-unitary order-2 group, respectively, and $O(N)^T$ denotes a symmetry group $O(N)$ such that elements in $O(N)$ with determinant $-1$ are anti-unitary. In particular, we demonstrate that some anomaly of $O(N)^T$ and $SO(N)\times \mathbb{Z}_2^T$ exhibit symmetry-enforced gaplessness, i.e., they cannot be realized by any symmetry-enriched topological order. As a byproduct, for $SO(N)$ symmetric topological orders, we derive their $SO(N)$ Hall conductance.

  2 citations

• Quantum spin spiral ground state of the ferrimagnetic sawtooth chain

  Roman Rausch, Matthias Peschke, Cassian Plorin, Jürgen Schnack, Christoph Karrasch

  SciPost Phys. 14, 052 (2023) · published 28 March 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The ferrimagnetic phase of the sawtooth chain with mixed ferromagnetic nearest-neighbour interactions $J$ and antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbour interactions $J'$ (within the isotropic Heisenberg model) was previously characterized as a phase with commensurate order. In this paper, we demonstrate that the system in fact exhibits an incommensurate quantum spin spiral. Even though the ground state is translationally invariant in terms of the local spin expectations $\left<{\vec{S}_i}\right>$, the spiral can be detected via the connected spin-spin correlations $\left<{\vec{S}_i\cdot\vec{S}_j}\right>-\left<{\vec{S}_i}\right>\cdot\left<{\vec{S}_j}\right>$ between the apical spins. It has a long wavelength that grows with $J'$ and that soon exceeds finite-system sizes typically employed in numerical simulations. A faithful treatment thus requires the use of state-of-the-art simulations for large, periodic systems. In this work, we are able to accurately treat up to $L=400$ sites (200 unit cells) with periodic boundary conditions using the density-matrix renormaliztion group (DMRG). Exploiting the SU(2) symmetry allows us to directly compute the lowest-energy state for a given total spin. Our results are corroborated by variational uniform matrix product state (VUMPS) calculations, which work directly in the thermodynamic limit at the cost of a lower accuracy.

  2 citations

• Exact one-particle density matrix for SU(N) fermionic matter-waves in the strong repulsive limit

  Andreas Osterloh, Juan Polo, Wayne J. Chetcuti, Luigi Amico

  SciPost Phys. 15, 006 (2023) · published 11 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider a gas of repulsive $N$-component fermions confined in a ring-shaped potential, subjected to an effective magnetic field. For large repulsion strengths, we work out a Bethe ansatz scheme to compute the two-point correlation matrix and then the one-particle density matrix. Our results hold in the mesoscopic regime of finite but sufficiently large number of particles and system size that are not accessible by numerics. We access the momentum distribution of the system and analyse its specific dependence of interaction, magnetic field and number of components $N$. In the context of cold atoms, the exact computation of the correlation matrix to determine the interference patterns that are produced by releasing cold atoms from ring traps is carried out.

  2 citations

• Flavoured $(g-2)_\mu$ with dark lepton seasoning

  Harun Acaroğlu, Prateek Agrawal, Monika Blanke

  SciPost Phys. 15, 176 (2023) · published 24 October 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  As a joint explanation for the dark matter (DM) problem and the muon $(g-2)$ anomaly, we propose a simplified model of lepton-flavoured complex scalar DM with couplings to both the left- and right-handed leptons of the Standard Model (SM). Both interactions are governed by the same new flavour-violating coupling matrix $\lambda$, however we allow for a relative scaling of the coupling strength. The SM is further extended by two fermion representations, transforming as an $SU(2)_L$ doublet and singlet, respectively, and mediating these interactions. The fermions additionally couple to the SM Higgs doublet via a new Yukawa coupling. To study the model's phenomenology we first investigate constraints from collider searches, flavour experiments, precision tests of the SM, the DM relic density, and direct as well as indirect detection experiments individually. We then perform a combined analysis by demanding that all mentioned constraints are satisfied simultaneously. We use the results of this combined analysis and examine if the model is capable of accommodating the $(g-2)_\mu$ anomaly within its viable parameter space without introducing fine-tuned lepton masses. For all benchmark scenarios we consider, we find that the central value of $\Delta a_\mu^\text{exp}$ can be reached without generating too large corrections to the lepton masses. We hence conclude that this model qualifies as a viable and attractive lepton-flavoured DM model that at the same time solves the $(g-2)_\mu$ anomaly.

  2 citations

• Transitions in Xenes between excitonic, topological and trivial insulator phases: Influence of screening, band dispersion and external electric field

  Olivia Pulci, Paola Gori, Davide Grassano, Marco D'Alessandro, Friedhelm Bechstedt

  SciPost Phys. 15, 025 (2023) · published 24 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Using a variational approach, the binding energies $E_b$ of the lowest bound excitons in Xenes under varying electric field are investigated. The internal exciton motion is described both by Dirac electron dispersion and in effective-mass approximation, while the screened electron-hole attraction is modeled by a Rytova-Keldysh potential with a 2D electronic polarizability $\alpha_{2D}$. The most important parameters as spin-orbit-induced gap $E_g$, Fermi velocity $v_F$ and $\alpha_{2D}$ are taken from ab initio density functional theory calculations. In addition, $\alpha_{2D}$ is approximated in two different ways. The relation of $E_b$ and $E_g$ is ruled by the screening. The existence of an excitonic insulator phase with $E_b>E_g$ sensitively depends on the chosen $\alpha_{2D}$. The values of $E_g$ and $\alpha_{2D}$ are strongly modified by a vertical external electric bias $U$, which defines a transition from the topological into a trivial insulator at $U=E_g/2$, with the exception of plumbene. Within the Dirac approximation, but also within the effective mass description of the kinetic energy, the treatment of screening dominates the appearance or non-appearance of an excitonic insulator phase. Gating does not change the results: the prediction done at zero electric field is confirmed when a vertical electric field is applied. Finally, Many-Body perturbation theory approaches based on the Green's function method, applied to stanene, confirm the absence of an excitonic insulator phase, thus validating our results obtained by ab initio modeling of $\alpha_{2D}$.

  2 citations

• Equilibration of quantum cat states

  Tony Jin

  SciPost Phys. 9, 004 (2020) · published 8 July 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the equilibration properties of isolated ergodic quantum systems initially prepared in a cat state, i.e a macroscopic quantum superposition of states. Our main result consists in showing that, even though decoherence is at work in the mean, there exists a remnant of the initial quantum coherences visible in the strength of the fluctuations of the steady state. We back-up our analysis with numerical results obtained on the XXX spin chain with a random field along the z-axis in the ergodic regime and find good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the theory. We also present and discuss a framework where equilibrium quantities can be computed from general statistical ensembles without relying on microscopic details about the initial state, akin to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis.

  2 citations

• First steps towards the reconstruction of the squark flavour structure

  Jordan Bernigaud, Björn Herrmann

  SciPost Phys. 6, 066 (2019) · published 11 June 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Assuming the observation of a squark at the Large Hadron Collider, we investigate methods to access its flavour content and thus gain information on the underlying flavour structure of the theory. Based on simple observables, we apply a likelihood inference method to determine the top-flavour content of the observed particle. In addition, we employ a multivariate analysis in order to classify different flavour hypotheses. Both methods are discussed within a simplified model and the more general Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model including most general squark mixing. We conclude that the likelihood inference may provide an estimation of the top-flavour content if additional knowledge, especially on the gaugino sector is available, while the multivariate analysis identifies different flavour patterns and can accommodate a more minimalistic set of observables.

  2 citations