Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• The quantum cartpole: A benchmark environment for non-linear reinforcement learning

  Kai Meinerz, Simon Trebst, Mark Rudner, Evert van Nieuwenburg

  SciPost Phys. Core 7, 026 (2024) · published 7 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Feedback-based control is the de-facto standard when it comes to controlling classical stochastic systems and processes. However, standard feedback-based control methods are challenged by quantum systems due to measurement induced backaction and partial observability. Here we remedy this by using weak quantum measurements and model-free reinforcement learning agents to perform quantum control. By comparing control algorithms with and without state estimators to stabilize a quantum particle in an unstable state near a local potential energy maximum, we show how a trade-off between state estimation and controllability arises. For the scenario where the classical analogue is highly nonlinear, the reinforcement learned controller has an advantage over the standard controller. Additionally, we demonstrate the feasibility of using transfer learning to develop a quantum control agent trained via reinforcement learning on a classical surrogate of the quantum control problem. Finally, we present results showing how the reinforcement learning control strategy differs from the classical controller in the non-linear scenarios.

• Large N instantons from topological strings

  Marcos Mariño, Ramon Miravitllas

  SciPost Phys. 16, 155 (2024) · published 19 June 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The $1/N$ expansion of matrix models is asymptotic, and it requires non-perturbative corrections due to large $N$ instantons. Explicit expressions for large $N$ instanton amplitudes are known in the case of Hermitian matrix models with one cut, but not in the multi-cut case. We show that the recent exact results on topological string instanton amplitudes provide the non-perturbative contributions of large $N$ instantons in generic multi-cut, Hermitian matrix models. We present a detailed test in the case of the cubic matrix model by considering the asymptotics of its $1/N$ expansion, which we obtain at relatively high genus for a generic two-cut background. These results can be extended to certain non-conventional matrix models which admit a topological string theory description. As an application, we determine the large $N$ instanton corrections for the free energy of ABJM theory on the three-sphere, which correspond to D-brane instanton corrections in superstring theory. We also illustrate the applications of topological string instantons in a more mathematical setting by considering orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants. By focusing on the example of ${\mathbb C}^3/{\mathbb Z}_3$, we show that they grow doubly-factorially with the genus and we obtain and test explicit asymptotic formulae for them.

• Strengthening the atom-field coupling through the deep-strong regime via pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians

  M. A. de Ponte, F. Oliveira Neto, P. M. Soares, M. H. Y. Moussa

  SciPost Phys. 15, 091 (2023) · published 13 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present a strategy for strengthening the atom-field interaction through a pseudo-Hermitian Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian. Apart from the engineering of an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, our strategy also relies on the accomplishment of short-time measurements on canonically conjugate variables. The resulting fast Rabi oscillations may be used for many quantum optics purposes and specially to shorten the processing time of quantum information.

• STEP: A tool to perform tests of smoothness on differential distributions based on expansion of polynomials

  Patrick L. S. Connor, Radek Žlebčík

  SciPost Phys. Core 6, 040 (2023) · published 1 June 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We motivate and describe a method based on fits with polynomials to test the smoothness of differential distributions. As a demonstration, we apply the method to several measurements of inclusive jet double-differential cross section in the jet transverse momentum and rapidity at the Tevatron and LHC. This method opens new possibilities to test the quality of differential distributions used for the extraction of physics quantities such as the strong coupling.

• Goodness of fit by Neyman-Pearson testing

  Gaia Grosso, Marco Letizia, Maurizio Pierini, Andrea Wulzer

  SciPost Phys. 16, 123 (2024) · published 13 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Neyman-Pearson strategy for hypothesis testing can be employed for goodness of fit if the alternative hypothesis is selected from data by exploring a rich parametrised family of models, while controlling the impact of statistical fluctuations. The New Physics Learning Machine (NPLM) methodology has been developed as a concrete implementation of this idea, to target the detection of new physical effects in the context of high energy physics collider experiments. In this paper we conduct a comparison of this approach to goodness of fit with others, in particular with classifier-based strategies that share strong similarities with NPLM. From our comparison, NPLM emerges as the more sensitive test to small departures of the data from the expected distribution and not biased towards detecting specific types of anomalies. These features make it suited for agnostic searches for new physics at collider experiments. Its deployment in other scientific and industrial scenarios should be investigated.

• Impact of uncertainties of unbound 10Li on the ground state of two-neutron halo 11Li

  Jagjit Singh, Wataru Horiuchi

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 3, 007 (2020) · published 24 February 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Recently, the energy spectrum of 10Li was measured upto 4.6 MeV, via one-neutron transfer reaction d(9Li, p)10Li. Considering the ambiguities on the 10Li continuum spectrum with reference to new data, we report the con guration mixing in the ground state of the two-neutron halo nucleus 11Li for two different choices of the 9Li+n potential. For the present study, we employ a three-body (core+n+n) structure model developed for describing the two-neutron halo system by explicit coupling of unbound continuum states of the subsystem (core+n), and discuss the two-neutron correlations in the ground state of 11Li.

• Quasiparticle disintegration in fermionic superfluids

  Senne Van Loon, Jacques Tempere, Hadrien Kurkjian

  SciPost Phys. 12, 108 (2022) · published 28 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the fermionic quasiparticle spectrum in a zero-temperature superfluid Fermi gas, and in particular how it is modified by different disintegration processes. On top of the disintegration by emission of a collective boson ($1\to2$, subject of a previous study, PRL 124, 073404), we consider here disintegration events where three quasiparticles are emitted ($1\to3$). We show that both disintegration processes are described by a $t$-matrix self-energy (as well as some highly off-resonant vacuum processes), and we characterize the associated disintegration continua. At strong coupling, we show that the quasiparticle spectrum is heavily distorted near the $1\to3$ disintegration threshold. Near the dispersion minimum, where the quasiparticles remain well-defined, the main effect of the off-shell disintegration processes is to shift the location of the minimum by a value that corresponds to the Hartree shift in the BCS limit. With our approximation of the self-energy, the correction to the energy gap with respect to the mean-field result however remains small, in contrast with experimental measurements.

• Low-energy neutron scattering on light nuclei and $^{19}$B as a $^{17}$B-$n$-$n$ three-body system in the unitary limit

  Jaume Carbonell, Emiko Hiyama, Rimantas Lazauskas, F. Miguel Marqués

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 3, 008 (2020) · published 24 February 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider the evolution of the neutron-nucleus scattering length for the lightest nuclei. We show that, when increasing the number of neutrons in the target nucleus, the strong Pauli repulsion is weakened and the balance with the attractive nucleon-nucleon interaction results into a resonant virtual state in $^{18}$B. We describe $^{19}$B in terms of a $^{17}$B-$n$-$n$ three-body system where the two-body subsystems $^{17}$B-$n$ and $n$-$n$ are unbound (virtual) states close to the unitary limit. The energy of $^{19}$B ground state is well reproduced and two low-lying resonances are predicted. Their eventual link with the Efimov physics is discussed. This model can be extended to describe the recently discovered resonant states in $^{20,21}$B.

• Chaos enhancement in large-spin chains

  Yael Lebel, Lea F. Santos, Yevgeny Bar Lev

  SciPost Phys. 15, 022 (2023) · published 21 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the chaotic properties of a large-spin XXZ chain with onsite disorder and a small number of excitations above the fully polarized state. We show that while the classical limit, which is reached for large spins, is chaotic, enlarging the spin suppresses quantum chaos features. We examine ways to facilitate chaos by introducing additional terms to the Hamiltonian. Interestingly, perturbations that are diagonal in the basis of product states in the $z$-direction do not lead to significant enhancement of chaos, while off-diagonal perturbations restore chaoticity for large spins, so that only three excitations are required to achieve strong level repulsion and ergodic eigenstates.

• Cosmic censorship of trans-Planckian field ranges in gravitational collapse

  Himanshu Chaudhary, Chethan Krishnan

  SciPost Phys. 9, 036 (2020) · published 11 September 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A classical solution where the (scalar) field value moves by an ${\cal O}(1)$ range in Planck units is believed to signal the breakdown of Effective Field Theory (EFT). One heuristic argument for this is that such a field will have enough energy to be inside its own Schwarzschild radius, and will result in collapse. In this paper, we consider an inverse problem: what kind of field ranges arise during the gravitational collapse of a classical field? Despite the fact that collapse has been studied for almost a hundred years, most of the discussion is phrased in terms of fluid stress tensors, and not fields. An exception is the scalar collapse made famous by Choptuik. We re-consider Choptuik-like systems, but with the emphasis now on the evolution of the scalar. We give strong evidence that generic spherically symmetric collapse of a massless scalar field leads to super-Planckian field movement. But we also note that in every such supercritical collapse scenario, the large field range is hidden behind an apparent horizon. We also discuss how the familiar perfect fluid models for collapse like Oppenheimer-Snyder and Vaidya should be viewed in light of our results.