Publications

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• Quantum hypothesis testing in many-body systems

  Jan de Boer, Victor Godet, Jani Kastikainen, Esko Keski-Vakkuri

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 019 (2021) · published 23 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  One of the key tasks in physics is to perform measurements in order to determine the state of a system. Often, measurements are aimed at determining the values of physical parameters, but one can also ask simpler questions, such as "is the system in state A or state B?". In quantum mechanics, the latter type of measurements can be studied and optimized using the framework of quantum hypothesis testing. In many cases one can explicitly find the optimal measurement in the limit where one has simultaneous access to a large number $n$ of identical copies of the system, and estimate the expected error as $n$ becomes large. Interestingly, error estimates turn out to involve various quantum information theoretic quantities such as relative entropy, thereby giving these quantities operational meaning. In this paper we consider the application of quantum hypothesis testing to quantum many-body systems and quantum field theory. We review some of the necessary background material, and study in some detail the situation where the two states one wants to distinguish are parametrically close. The relevant error estimates involve quantities such as the variance of relative entropy, for which we prove a new inequality. We explore the optimal measurement strategy for spin chains and two-dimensional conformal field theory, focusing on the task of distinguishing reduced density matrices of subsystems. The optimal strategy turns out to be somewhat cumbersome to implement in practice, and we discuss a possible alternative strategy and the corresponding errors.

  7 citations

• Chaotic correlation functions with complex fermions

  Ritabrata Bhattacharya, Dileep P. Jatkar, Arnab Kundu

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 018 (2021) · published 9 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study correlation functions in the complex fermion SYK model. We focus, specifically, on the h = 2 mode which explicitly breaks conformal invariance and exhibits the chaotic behaviour. We explicitly compute fermion six-point function and extract the corresponding six-point OTOC which exhibits an exponential growth with maximal chaos. Following the program of Gross-Rosenhaus, this correlator contains information of the bulk cubic coupling, at the conformal point as well as perturbatively away from it. Unlike the conformal modes with high values of h, the h = 2 mode has contact interaction dominating over the planar in the large q limit.

  2 citations

• Computing the eigenstate localisation length at very low energies from Localisation Landscape Theory

  Sophie S. Shamailov, Dylan J. Brown, Thomas A. Haase, Maarten D. Hoogerland

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 017 (2021) · published 9 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  While Anderson localisation is largely well-understood, its description has traditionally been rather cumbersome. A recently-developed theory -- Localisation Landscape Theory (LLT) -- has unparalleled strengths and advantages, both computational and conceptual, over alternative methods. To begin with, we demonstrate that the localisation length cannot be conveniently computed starting directly from the exact eigenstates, thus motivating the need for the LLT approach. Then, we confirm that the Hamiltonian with the effective potential of LLT has very similar low energy eigenstates to that with the physical potential, justifying the crucial role the effective potential plays in our new method. We proceed to use LLT to calculate the localisation length for very low-energy, maximally localised eigenstates, as defined by the length-scale of exponential decay of the eigenstates, (manually) testing our findings against exact diagonalisation. We then describe several mechanisms by which the eigenstates spread out at higher energies where the tunnelling-in-the-effective-potential picture breaks down, and explicitly demonstrate that our method is no longer applicable in this regime. We place our computational scheme in context by explaining the connection to the more general problem of multidimensional tunnelling and discussing the approximations involved. Our method of calculating the localisation length can be applied to (nearly) arbitrary disordered, continuous potentials at very low energies.

  4 citations

• Thermodynamic Casimir forces in strongly anisotropic systems within the $N\to \infty$ class

  Maciej Łebek, Paweł Jakubczyk

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 016 (2021) · published 7 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We analyze the thermodynamic Casimir effect in strongly anizotropic systems from the vectorial $N\to\infty$ class in a slab geometry. Employing the imperfect (mean-field) Bose gas as a representative example, we demonstrate the key role of spatial dimensionality $d$ in determining the character of the effective fluctuation-mediated interaction between the confining walls. For a particular, physically conceivable choice of anisotropic dispersion and periodic boundary conditions, we show that the Casimir force at criticality as well as within the low-temperature phase is repulsive for dimensionality $d\in (\frac{5}{2},4)\cup (6,8)\cup (10,12)\cup\dots$ and attractive for $d\in (4,6)\cup (8,10)\cup \dots$. We argue, that for $d\in\{4,6,8\dots\}$ the Casimir interaction entirely vanishes in the scaling limit. We discuss implications of our results for systems characterized by $1/N>0$ and possible realizations in the context of quantum phase transitions.

  4 citations

• A new derivation of the relationship between diffusion coefficient and entropy in classical Brownian motion by the ensemble method

  Yi Liao, Xiao-Bo Gong

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 015 (2021) · published 2 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The diffusion coefficient--a measure of dissipation, and the entropy--a measure of fluctuation are found to be intimately correlated in many physical systems. Unlike the fluctuation dissipation theorem in linear response theory, the correlation is often strongly non-linear. To understand this complex dependence, we consider the classical Brownian diffusion in this work. Under certain rational assumption, i.e. in the bi-component fluid mixture, the mass of the Brownian particle $M$ is far greater than that of the bath molecule $m$, we can adopt the weakly couple limit. Only considering the first-order approximation of the mass ratio $m/M$, we obtain a linear motion equation in the reference frame of the observer as a Brownian particle. Based on this equivalent equation, we get the Hamiltonian at equilibrium. Finally, using canonical ensemble method, we define a new entropy that is similar to the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. Further, we present an analytic expression of the relationship between the diffusion coefficient $D$ and the entropy $S$ in the thermal equilibrium, that is to say, $D =\frac{\hbar}{eM} \exp{[S/(k_Bd)]}$, where $d$ is the dimension of the space, $k_B$ the Boltzmann constant, $\hbar $ the reduced Planck constant and $e$ the Euler number. This kind of scaling relation has been well-known and well-tested since the similar one for single component is firstly derived by Rosenfeld with the expansion of volume ratio.

  1 citation

• Quantum criticality in many-body parafermion chains

  Ville Lahtinen, Teresia Mansson, Eddy Ardonne

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 014 (2021) · published 28 May 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We construct local generalizations of 3-state Potts models with exotic critical points. We analytically show that these are described by non-diagonal modular invariant partition functions of products of $Z_3$ parafermion or $u(1)_6$ conformal field theories (CFTs). These correspond either to non-trivial permutation invariants or block diagonal invariants, that one can understand in terms of anyon condensation. In terms of lattice parafermion operators, the constructed models correspond to parafermion chains with many-body terms. Our construction is based on how the partition function of a CFT depends on symmetry sectors and boundary conditions. This enables to write the partition function corresponding to one modular invariant as a linear combination of another over different sectors and boundary conditions, which translates to a general recipe how to write down a microscopic model, tuned to criticality. We show that the scheme can also be extended to construct critical generalizations of $k$-state clock type models.

  3 citations

• Testing new physics models with global comparisons to collider measurements: the Contur toolkit

  A. Buckley, J. M. Butterworth, L. Corpe, M. Habedank, D. Huang, D. Yallup, M. Altakach, G. Bassman, I. Lagwankar, J. Rocamonde, H. Saunders, B. Waugh, G. Zilgalvis

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 013 (2021) · published 20 May 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Measurements at particle collider experiments, even if primarily aimed at understanding Standard Model processes, can have a high degree of model independence, and implicitly contain information about potential contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. The Contur package allows users to benefit from the hundreds of measurements preserved in the Rivet library to test new models against the bank of LHC measurements to date. This method has proven to be very effective in several recent publications from the Contur team, but ultimately, for this approach to be successful, the authors believe that the Contur tool needs to be accessible to the wider high energy physics community. As such, this manual accompanies the first user-facing version: Contur v2. It describes the design choices that have been made, as well as detailing pitfalls and common issues to avoid. The authors hope that with the help of this documentation, external groups will be able to run their own Contur studies, for example when proposing a new model, or pitching a new search.

  21 citations

• Lattice Clifford fractons and their Chern-Simons-like theory

  Weslei B. Fontana, Pedro R. S. Gomes, Claudio Chamon

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 012 (2021) · published 11 May 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We use Dirac matrix representations of the Clifford algebra to build fracton models on the lattice and their effective Chern-Simons-like theory. As an example we build lattice fractons in odd $D$ spatial dimensions and their $(D+1)$ effective theory. The model possesses an anti-symmetric $K$ matrix resembling that of hierarchical quantum Hall states. The gauge charges are conserved in sub-dimensional manifolds which ensures the fractonic behavior. The construction extends to any lattice fracton model built from commuting projectors and with tensor products of spin-$1/2$ degrees of freedom at the sites.

  14 citations

• Classical Casimir free energy for two Drude spheres of arbitrary radii: A plane-wave approach

  Tanja Schoger, Gert-Ludwig Ingold

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 011 (2021) · published 4 May 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive an exact analytic expression for the high-temperature limit of the Casimir interaction between two Drude spheres of arbitrary radii. Specifically, we determine the Casimir free energy by using the scattering approach in the plane-wave basis. Within a round-trip expansion, we are led to consider the combinatorics of certain partitions of the round trips. The relation between the Casimir free energy and the capacitance matrix of two spheres is discussed. Previously known results for the special cases of a sphere-plane geometry as well as two spheres of equal radii are recovered. An asymptotic expansion for small distances between the two spheres is determined and analytical expressions for the coefficients are given.

  9 citations

• The Folded Spin-1/2 XXZ Model: I. Diagonalisation, Jamming, and Ground State Properties

  Lenart Zadnik, Maurizio Fagotti

  SciPost Phys. Core 4, 010 (2021) · published 29 April 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study an effective Hamiltonian generating time evolution of states on intermediate time scales in the strong-coupling limit of the spin-1/2 XXZ model. To leading order, it describes an integrable model with local interactions. We solve it completely by means of a coordinate Bethe Ansatz that manifestly breaks the translational symmetry. We demonstrate the existence of exponentially many jammed states and estimate their stability under the leading correction to the effective Hamiltonian. Some ground state properties of the model are discussed.

  54 citations