Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Theorems for the lightcone bootstrap

  Balt C. van Rees

  SciPost Phys. 18, 207 (2025) · published 26 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Consider a conformally covariant four-point function of identical scalar operators with a discrete spectrum, a twist gap, and compatible with the unitarity conditions. We give a mathematical proof confirming that the spectrum and OPE coefficients at large spin and fixed twist always become that of a generalized free field theory.

  3 citations

• Majorana zero-modes in a dissipative Rashba nanowire

  Arnob Kumar Ghosh, Annica M. Black-Schaffer

  SciPost Phys. 17, 036 (2024) · published 7 August 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Condensed matter systems are continuously subjected to dissipation, which often has adverse effects on quantum phenomena. We focus on the impact of dissipation on a superconducting Rashba nanowire. We reveal that the system can still host Majorana zero-modes (MZMs) with a finite lifetime in the presence of dissipation. Most interestingly, dissipation can also generate two kinds of dissipative boundary states: four robust zero-modes (RZMs) and two MZMs, in the regime where the non-dissipative system is topologically trivial. The MZMs appear via bulk gap closing and are topologically characterized by a winding number. The RZMs are not associated with any bulk states and possess no winding number, but their emergence is instead tied to exceptional points. Further, we confirm the stability of the dissipation-induced RZMs and MZMs in the presence of random disorder. Our study paves the way for both realizing and stabilizing MZMs in an experimental setup, driven by dissipation.

  3 citations

• Effective field theory of fluctuating wall in open systems: from a kink in Josephson junction to general domain wall

  Keisuke Fujii, Masaru Hongo

  SciPost Phys. 12, 160 (2022) · published 13 May 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate macroscopic behaviors of fluctuating domain walls in nonequilibrium open systems with the help of the effective field theory based on symmetry. Since the domain wall in open systems breaks the translational symmetry, there appears a gapless excitation identified as the Nambu-Goldstone (NG) mode, which shows the non-propagating diffusive behavior in contrast to those in closed systems. After demonstrating the presence of the diffusive NG mode in the $(2+1)$-dimensional dissipative Josephson junction, we provide a symmetry-based general analysis for open systems breaking the one-dimensional translational symmetry. A general effective Lagrangian is constructed based on the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism, which supports the presence of the gapless diffusion mode in the fluctuation spectrum in the thin wall regime. Besides, we also identify a term peculiar to the open system, which possibly leads to the instability in the thick-wall regime or the nonlinear Kardar-Parisi-Zhang coupling in the thin-wall regime although it is absent in the Josephson junction.

  3 citations

• Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz and generalised hydrodynamics in the sine-Gordon model

  Botond C. Nagy, Gábor Takács, Márton Kormos

  SciPost Phys. 16, 145 (2024) · published 4 June 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We set up a hydrodynamic description of the non-equilibrium dynamics of sine-Gordon quantum field theory for generic coupling. It is built upon an explicit form of the Bethe Ansatz description of general thermodynamic states, with the structure of the resulting coupled integral equations encoded in terms of graphical diagrams. The resulting framework is applied to derive results for the Drude weights of charge and energy. Quantities associated with the charge universally have fractal dependence on the coupling, which is notably absent from those associated with energy, a feature explained by the different roles played by reflective scattering in transporting these quantities. We then present far-from-equilibrium results, including explicit time evolution starting from bipartite initial states and dynamical correlation functions. Our framework can be applied to explore numerous other aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics, which opens the way to a wide array of theoretical studies and potential novel experimental predictions.

  3 citations

• Viability of rotation sensing using phonon interferometry in Bose-Einstein condensates

  Charles W. Woffinden, Andrew J. Groszek, Guillaume Gauthier, Bradley J. Mommers, Michael. W. J. Bromley, Simon A. Haine, Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Matthew J. Davis, Tyler W. Neely, Mark Baker

  SciPost Phys. 15, 128 (2023) · published 2 October 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate the use of a ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate as a rotation sensor by measuring the interference between two counter-propagating phonon modes imprinted azimuthally around the ring. We observe rapid decay of the excitations, quantified by quality factors of at most Q ≈ 27. We numerically model our experiment using the c-field methodology, allowing us to estimate the parameters that maximise the performance of our sensor. We explore the damping mechanisms underlying the observed phonon decay, and identify two distinct Landau scattering processes that each dominate at different driving amplitudes and temperatures. Our simulations reveal that Q is limited by strong damping of phonons even in the zero temperature limit. We perform an experimental proof-of-principle rotation measurement using persistent currents imprinted around the ring. We demonstrate a rotation sensitivity of up to $\Delta \Omega ≈ 0.3 rad s^{-1}$ from a single image, with a theoretically achievable value of $\Delta \Omega ≈ 0.04 rad s^{-1}$ in the atomic shot-noise limit. This is a significant improvement over the shot-noise-limited $\Delta \Omega ≈ 1 rad s^{-1}$ sensitivity obtained by Marti et al. [Phys. Rev. A 91, 013602 (2015)] for a similar setup.

  3 citations

• Supersymmetric ground states of 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ SUSY gauge theories and Heisenberg algebras

  Andrea E. V. Ferrari

  SciPost Phys. 14, 063 (2023) · published 6 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ theories on the geometry $\Sigma \times \mathbb{R}$, where $\Sigma$ is a closed and connected Riemann surface, from the point of view of a quantum mechanics on $\mathbb{R}$. Focussing on the elementary mirror pair in the presence of real deformation parameters, namely SQED with one hypermultiplet (SQED[1]) and the free hypermulitplet, we study the algebras of local operators in the respective quantum mechanics as well as their action on the vector space of supersymmetric ground states. We demonstrate that the algebras can be described in terms of Heisenberg algebras, and that they act in a way reminiscent of Segal-Bargmann (B-twist of the free hypermultiplet) and Nakajima (A-twist of SQED[1]) operators.

  3 citations

• Tensor network study of the Shastry-Sutherland model with weak interlayer coupling

  Patrick C. G. Vlaar, Philippe Corboz

  SciPost Phys. 15, 126 (2023) · published 2 October 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The layered material SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ has long been studied because of its fascinating physics in a magnetic field and under pressure. Many of its properties are remarkably well described by the Shastry-Sutherland model (SSM) - a two-dimensional frustrated spin system. However, the extent of the intermediate plaquette phase discovered in SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ under pressure is significantly smaller than predicted in theory, which is likely due to the weak interlayer coupling that is present in the material but neglected in the model. Using state-of-the-art tensor network methods we study the SSM with a weak interlayer coupling and show that the intermediate plaquette phase is destabilized already at a smaller value around $J''/J\sim0.04-0.05$ than previously predicted from series expansion. Based on our phase diagram we estimate the effective interlayer coupling in SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ to be around $J''/J\sim 0.027$ at ambient pressure.

  3 citations

• Analytic neutrino oscillation probabilities

  Chee Sheng Fong

  SciPost Phys. 15, 013 (2023) · published 18 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the work, we derive exact analytic expressions for $(3+N)$-flavor neutrino oscillation probabilities in an arbitrary matter potential in term of matrix elements and eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian. With the analytic expressions, we demonstrate that nonunitary and nonstandard neutrino interaction scenarios are physically distinct: they satisfy different identities and can in principle be distinguished experimentally. The analytic expressions are implemented in a public code NuProbe, a tool for probing new physics through neutrino oscillations.

  3 citations

• Unfolding $E_{11}$

  Nicolas Boulanger, Paul P. Cook, Josh A. O'Connor, Peter West

  SciPost Phys. 18, 149 (2025) · published 6 May 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We work out the unfolded formulation of the fields in the non-linear realisation of $E_{11}$. Using the connections in this formalism, we propose, at the linearised level, an infinite number of first-order duality relations between the dual fields in $E_{11}$. In this way, we introduce extra fields that do not belong to $E_{11}$ and we investigate their origin. The equations of motion of the fields are obtained by taking derivatives and higher traces of the duality relations.

  3 citations

• Accessing CKM suppressed top decays at the LHC

  Darius A. Faroughy, Jernej F. Kamenik, Manuel Szewc, Jure Zupan

  SciPost Phys. 16, 131 (2024) · published 24 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose an extension of the existing experimental strategy for measuring branching fractions of top quark decays, targeting specifically $t\to j_q W$, where $j_q$ is a light quark jet. The improved strategy uses orthogonal $b$- and $q$-taggers, and adds a new observable, the number of light-quark-tagged jets, to the already commonly used observable, the fraction of $b$-tagged jets in an event. Careful inclusion of the additional complementary observable significantly increases the expected statistical power of the analysis, with the possibility of excluding $|V_{tb}|=1$ at $95\%$ C.L. at the HL-LHC, and accessing directly the standard model value of $|V_{td}|^2+|V_{ts}|^2$.

  3 citations