Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Exceptional points in the Baxter-Fendley free parafermion model

  Robert A. Henry, Murray T. Batchelor

  SciPost Phys. 15, 016 (2023) · published 19 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Certain spin chains, such as the quantum Ising chain, have free fermion spectra which can be expressed as the sum of decoupled two-level fermionic systems. Free parafermions are a generalisation of this idea to $\mathbb{Z}_N$-symmetric clock models. In 1989 Baxter discovered a non-Hermitian but $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric model directly generalising the Ising chain, which was later described by Fendley as a free parafermion spectrum. By extending the model's magnetic field parameter to the complex plane, it is shown that a series of exceptional points emerges, where the quasienergies defining the free spectrum become degenerate. An analytic expression for the locations of these points is derived, and various numerical investigations are performed. These exceptional points also exist in the Ising chain with a complex transverse field. Although the model is not in general $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric at these exceptional points, their proximity can have a profound impact on the model on the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric real line. Furthermore, in certain cases an exceptional point may appear on the real line (with negative field).

  4 citations

• Universal Chern number statistics in random matrix fields

  Or Swartzberg, Michael Wilkinson, Omri Gat

  SciPost Phys. 15, 015 (2023) · published 19 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the probability distribution of Chern numbers (quantum Hall conductance integers) for a parametric version of the GUE random matrix ensemble, which is a model for a chaotic or disordered system. The numerically-calculated single-band Chern number statistics agree well with predictions based on an earlier study [O. Gat and M. Wilkinson, SciPost Phys., 10, 149, (2021)] of the statistics of the quantum adiabatic curvature, when the parametric correlation length is small. However, contrary to an earlier conjecture, we find that the gap Chern numbers are correlated, and that the correlation is weak but slowly-decaying. Also, the statistics of weighted sums of Chern numbers differs markedly from predictions based upon the hypothesis that gap Chern numbers are uncorrelated. All our results are consistent with the universality hypothesis described in the earlier paper, including in the previously unstudied regime of large correlation length, where the Chern statistics is highly non-Gaussian.

• Characterizing (non-)Markovianity through Fisher information

  Paolo Abiuso, Matteo Scandi, Dario De Santis, Jacopo Surace

  SciPost Phys. 15, 014 (2023) · published 18 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A non-isolated physical system typically loses information to its environment, and when such loss is irreversible the evolution is said to be Markovian. Non-Markovian effects are studied by monitoring how information quantifiers, such as the distance between physical states, evolve in time. Here we show that the Fisher information metric emerges as a natural object to study in this context; we fully characterize the relation between its contractivity properties and Markovianity, both from the mathematical and operational point of view. We prove, for classical dynamics, that Markovianity is equivalent to the monotonous contraction of the Fisher metric at all points of the set of states. At the same time, operational witnesses of non-Markovianity based on the dilation of the Fisher distance cannot, in general, detect all non-Markovian evolutions, unless specific physical postprocessing is applied to the dynamics. Finally, we show for the first time that non-Markovian dilations of Fisher distance between states at any time correspond to backflow of information about the initial state of the dynamics at time 0, via Bayesian retrodiction. All the presented results can be lifted to the case of quantum dynamics by considering the standard CP-divisibility framework.

  6 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.

  1 citation

• Special transition and extraordinary phase on the surface of a two-dimensional quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet

  Chengxiang Ding, Wenjing Zhu, Wenan Guo, Long Zhang

  SciPost Phys. 15, 012 (2023) · published 18 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Continuous phase transitions exhibit richer critical phenomena on the surface than in the bulk, because distinct surface universality classes can be realized at the same bulk critical point by tuning the surface interactions. The exploration of surface critical behavior provides a window looking into higher-dimensional boundary conformal field theories. In this work, we study the surface critical behavior of a two-dimensional (2D) quantum critical Heisenberg model by tuning the surface coupling strength, and discover a direct special transition on the surface from the ordinary phase into an extraordinary phase. The extraordinary phase has a long-range antiferromagnetic order on the surface, in sharp contrast to the logarithmic decaying spin correlations in the 3D classical O(3) model. The special transition point has a new set of critical exponents, $y_{s}=0.86(4)$ and $\eta_{\parallel}=-0.33(1)$, which are distinct from the special transition of the classical O(3) model and indicate a new surface universality class of the 3D O(3) Wilson-Fisher theory.

  5 citations

• Stability and asymptotic interactions of chiral magnetic skyrmions in a tilted magnetic field

  Bruno Barton-Singer, Bernd J. Schroers

  SciPost Phys. 15, 011 (2023) · published 17 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Using a general framework, interaction potentials between chiral magnetic solitons in a planar system with a tilted external magnetic field are calculated analytically in the limit of large separation. The results are compared to previous numerical results for solitons with topological charge $\pm 1$. A key feature of the calculation is the interpretation of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) as a background $SO(3)$ gauge field. In a tilted field, this leads to a $U(1)$-gauged version of the usual equation for spin excitations, leading to a distinctive oscillating interaction profile. We also obtain predictions for skyrmion stability in a tilted field which closely match numerical observations.

  3 citations

• Boundary modes in the Chamon model

  Weslei B. Fontana, Rodrigo G. Pereira

  SciPost Phys. 15, 010 (2023) · published 17 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the fracton phase described by the Chamon model in a manifold with a boundary. The new processess and excitations emerging at the boundary can be understood by means of a diagrammatic framework. From a continuum perspective, the boundary theory is described by a set of scalar fields in similarity with standard $K$-matrix Chern-Simons theory. The continuum theory recovers the gapped boundaries of the lattice model once we include sufficiently strong interactions that break charge conservation. The analysis of the perturbative relevance of the leading interactions reveals a regime in which the Chamon model can have a stable gapless fractonic phase at its boundary.

  5 citations

• Electronic excitations of the charged nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond obtained using time-independent variational density functional calculations

  Aleksei V. Ivanov, Yorick L. A. Schmerwitz, Gianluca Levi, Hannes Jónsson

  SciPost Phys. 15, 009 (2023) · published 13 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Elucidation of the mechanism for optical spin initialization of point defects in solids in the context of quantum applications requires an accurate description of the excited electronic states involved. While variational density functional calculations have been successful in describing the ground state of a great variety of systems, doubts have been expressed in the literature regarding the ability of such calculations to describe electronic excitations of point defects. A direct orbital optimization method is used here to perform time-independent, variational density functional calculations of a prototypical defect, the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. The calculations include up to 511 atoms subject to periodic boundary conditions and the excited state calculations require similar computational effort as ground state calculations. Contrary to some previous reports, the use of local and semilocal density functionals gives the correct ordering of the low-lying triplet and singlet states, namely ${}^{3}A_2 < {}^{1}E < {}^{1}A_1 < {}^{3}E$. Furthermore, the more advanced meta generalized gradient approximation functionals give results that are in remarkably good agreement with high-level, many-body calculations as well as available experimental estimates, even for the excited singlet state which is often referred to as having multireference character. The lowering of the energy in the triplet excited state as the atom coordinates are optimized in accordance with analytical forces is also close to the experimental estimate and the resulting zero-phonon line triplet excitation energy is underestimated by only 0.15 eV. The approach used here is found to be a promising tool for studying electronic excitations of point defects in, for example, systems relevant for quantum technologies.

  7 citations

• Gapful electrons in a vortex core in granular superconductors

  Dmitry E. Kiselov, Mikhail A. Skvortsov, Mikhail V. Feigel'man

  SciPost Phys. 15, 008 (2023) · published 12 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We calculate the quasiparticle density of states (DoS) inside the vortex core in a granular superconductor, generalizing the classical solution applicable for dirty superconductors. A discrete version of the Usadel equation for a vortex is derived and solved numerically for a broad range of parameters. Electron DoS is found to be gapful when the coherence length $\xi$ becomes comparable to the distance between neighboring grains $l$. Minigap magnitude $E_g$ grows from zero at $\xi \approx 1.4 l$ to third of superconducting gap $\Delta_0 $ at $\xi \approx 0.5 l$. The absence of low-energy excitations is the main ingredient needed to understand strong suppression of microwave dissipation recently observed in a mixed state of granular Al.

  1 citation

• Entanglement in the full state vector of boson sampling

  Yulong Qiao, Joonsuk Huh, Frank Grossmann

  SciPost Phys. 15, 007 (2023) · published 12 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The full state vector of boson sampling is generated by passing $S$ single photons through beam splitters of $M$ modes. We express the initial Fock state in terms of 2$^{S-1}$ generalized coherent states, making possible the exact application of the unitary evolution. Due to the favorable polynomial scaling of numerical effort in $M$, we can investigate Rényi entanglement entropies for moderate particle and huge mode numbers. We find symmetric Page curves with a maximum entropy at equal partition, which is almost independent on Rényi index. Furthermore, the maximum entropy as a function of mode index saturates for $M\geq S^2$ in the collision-free subspace case. The asymptotic value of the entropy increases linearly with $S$. In addition, we show that the build-up of the entanglement leads to a cusp in the asymmetric entanglement curve. Maximum entanglement is reached well before the mode population is distributed over the whole system.

  1 citation