Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Phase diagram and conformal string excitations of square ice using gauge invariant matrix product states

  Ferdinand Tschirsich, Simone Montangero, Marcello Dalmonte

  SciPost Phys. 6, 028 (2019) · published 6 March 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the ground state phase diagram of square ice -- a U(1) lattice gauge theory in two spatial dimensions -- using gauge invariant tensor network techniques. By correlation function, Wilson loop, and entanglement diagnostics, we characterize its phases and the transitions between them, finding good agreement with previous studies. We study the entanglement properties of string excitations on top of the ground state, and provide direct evidence of the fact that the latter are described by a conformal field theory. Our results pave the way to the application of tensor network methods to confining, two-dimensional lattice gauge theories, to investigate their phase diagrams and low-lying excitations.

  30 citations

• Revisiting Wess-Zumino-Witten terms

  Yasunori Lee, Kantaro Ohmori, Yuji Tachikawa

  SciPost Phys. 10, 061 (2021) · published 10 March 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We revisit various topological issues concerning four-dimensional ungauged and gauged Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) terms for $SU$ and $SO$ quantum chromodynamics (QCD), from the modern bordism point of view. We explain, for example, why the definition of the $4d$ WZW terms requires the spin structure. We also discuss how the mixed anomaly involving the 1-form symmetry of $SO$ QCD is reproduced in the low-energy sigma model.

  30 citations

• Equilibration towards generalized Gibbs ensembles in non-interacting theories

  Marek Gluza, Jens Eisert, Terry Farrelly

  SciPost Phys. 7, 038 (2019) · published 26 September 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Even after almost a century, the foundations of quantum statistical mechanics are still not completely understood. In this work, we provide a precise account on these foundations for a class of systems of paradigmatic importance that appear frequently as mean-field models in condensed matter physics, namely non-interacting lattice models of fermions (with straightforward extension to bosons). We demonstrate that already the translation invariance of the Hamiltonian governing the dynamics and a finite correlation length of the possibly non-Gaussian initial state provide sufficient structure to make mathematically precise statements about the equilibration of the system towards a generalized Gibbs ensemble, even for highly non-translation invariant initial states far from ground states of non-interacting models. Whenever these are given, the system will equilibrate rapidly according to a power-law in time as long as there are no long-wavelength dislocations in the initial second moments that would render the system resilient to relaxation. Our proof technique is rooted in the machinery of Kusmin-Landau bounds. Subsequently, we numerically illustrate our analytical findings by discussing quench scenarios with an initial state corresponding to an Anderson insulator observing power-law equilibration. We discuss the implications of the results for the understanding of current quantum simulators, both in how one can understand the behaviour of equilibration in time, as well as concerning perspectives for realizing distinct instances of generalized Gibbs ensembles in optical lattice-based architectures.

  30 citations

• Topological characterization of Lieb-Schultz-Mattis constraints and applications to symmetry-enriched quantum criticality

  Weicheng Ye, Meng Guo, Yin-Chen He, Chong Wang, Liujun Zou

  SciPost Phys. 13, 066 (2022) · published 26 September 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Lieb-Schultz-Mattis (LSM) theorems provide powerful constraints on the emergibility problem, i.e. whether a quantum phase or phase transition can emerge in a many-body system. We derive the topological partition functions that characterize the LSM constraints in spin systems with $G_s\times G_{int}$ symmetry, where $G_s$ is an arbitrary space group in one or two spatial dimensions, and $G_{int}$ is any internal symmetry whose projective representations are classified by $\mathbb{Z}_2^k$ with $k$ an integer. We then apply these results to study the emergibility of a class of exotic quantum critical states, including the well-known deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP), $U(1)$ Dirac spin liquid (DSL), and the recently proposed non-Lagrangian Stiefel liquid. These states can emerge as a consequence of the competition between a magnetic state and a non-magnetic state. We identify all possible realizations of these states on systems with $SO(3)\times \mathbb{Z}_2^T$ internal symmetry and either $p6m$ or $p4m$ lattice symmetry. Many interesting examples are discovered, including a DQCP adjacent to a ferromagnet, stable DSLs on square and honeycomb lattices, and a class of quantum critical spin-quadrupolar liquids of which the most relevant spinful fluctuations carry spin-$2$. In particular, there is a realization of spin-quadrupolar DSL that is beyond the usual parton construction. We further use our formalism to analyze the stability of these states under symmetry-breaking perturbations, such as spin-orbit coupling. As a concrete example, we find that a DSL can be stable in a recently proposed candidate material, NaYbO$_2$.

  30 citations

• Topological superconductors on superstring worldsheets

  Justin Kaidi, Julio Parra-Martinez, Yuji Tachikawa, with a mathematical appendix by Arun Debray

  SciPost Phys. 9, 010 (2020) · published 21 July 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We point out that different choices of Gliozzi-Scherk-Olive (GSO) projections in superstring theory can be conveniently understood by the inclusion of fermionic invertible phases, or equivalently topological superconductors, on the worldsheet. This allows us to find that the unoriented Type $\rm 0$ string theory with $\Omega^2=(-1)^{\sf f}$ admits different GSO projections parameterized by $n$ mod 8, depending on the number of Kitaev chains on the worldsheet. The presence of $n$ boundary Majorana fermions then leads to the classification of D-branes by $KO^n(X)\oplus KO^{-n}(X)$ in these theories, which we also confirm by the study of the D-brane boundary states. Finally, we show that there is no essentially new GSO projection for the Type $\rm I$ worldsheet theory by studying the relevant bordism group, which classifies corresponding invertible phases. This paper provides the details for the results announced in the letter \cite{Kaidi:2019pzj}.

  30 citations

• Unifying semiclassics and quantum perturbation theory at nonlinear order

  Daniel Kaplan, Tobias Holder, Binghai Yan

  SciPost Phys. 14, 082 (2023) · published 25 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Nonlinear electrical response permits a unique window into effects of band structure geometry. It can be calculated either starting from a Boltzmann approach for small frequencies, or using Kubo's formula for resonances at finite frequency. However, a precise connection between both approaches has not been established. Focusing on the second order nonlinear response, here we show how the semiclassical limit can be recovered from perturbation theory in the velocity gauge, provided that finite quasiparticle lifetimes are taken into account. We find that matrix elements related to the band geometry combine in this limit to produce the semiclassical nonlinear conductivity. We demonstrate the power of the new formalism by deriving a quantum contribution to the nonlinear conductivity which is of order $\tau^{-1}$ in the relaxation time $\tau$, which is principally inaccessible within the Boltzmann approach. We outline which steps can be generalized to higher orders in the applied perturbation, and comment about potential experimental signatures of our results.

  30 citations

• Generalized Symmetries in F-theory and the Topology of Elliptic Fibrations

  Max Hübner, David R. Morrison, Sakura Schäfer-Nameki, Yi-Nan Wang

  SciPost Phys. 13, 030 (2022) · published 19 August 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We realize higher-form symmetries in F-theory compactifications on non-compact elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau manifolds. Central to this endeavour is the topology of the boundary of the non-compact elliptic fibration, as well as the explicit construction of relative 2-cycles in terms of Lefschetz thimbles. We apply the analysis to a variety of elliptic fibrations, including geometries where the discriminant of the elliptic fibration intersects the boundary. We provide a concrete realization of the 1-form symmetry group by constructing the associated charged line operator from the elliptic fibration. As an application we compute the symmetry topological field theories in the case of elliptic three-folds, which correspond to mixed anomalies in 5d and 6d theories.

  30 citations

• The algebra of anomaly interplay

  Joe Davighi, Nakarin Lohitsiri

  SciPost Phys. 10, 074 (2021) · published 25 March 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We give a general description of the interplay that can occur between local and global anomalies, in terms of (co)bordism. Mathematically, such an interplay is encoded in the non-canonical splitting of short exact sequences known to classify invertible field theories. We study various examples of the phenomenon in 2, 4, and 6 dimensions. We also describe how this understanding of anomaly interplay provides a rigorous bordism-based version of an old method for calculating global anomalies (starting from local anomalies in a related theory) due to Elitzur and Nair.

  30 citations

• Living on the walls of super-QCD

  Vladimir Bashmakov, Francesco Benini, Sergio Benvenuti, Matteo Bertolini

  SciPost Phys. 6, 044 (2019) · published 15 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study BPS domain walls in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ massive SQCD with gauge group $SU(N)$ and $F<N$ flavors. We propose a class of three-dimensional Chern-Simons-matter theories to describe the effective dynamics on the walls. Our proposal passes several checks, including the exact matching between its vacua and the solutions to the four-dimensional BPS domain wall equations, that we solve in the small mass regime. As the flavor mass is varied, domain walls undergo a second-order phase transition, where multiple vacua coalesce into a single one. For special values of the parameters, the phase transition exhibits supersymmetry enhancement. Our proposal includes and extends previous results in the literature, providing a complete picture of BPS domain walls for $F<N$ massive SQCD. A similar picture holds also for SQCD with gauge group $Sp(N)$ and $F < N+1$ flavors.

  30 citations

• A non-abelian analogue of DBI from $T \overline{T}$

  T. Daniel Brennan, Christian Ferko, Savdeep Sethi

  SciPost Phys. 8, 052 (2020) · published 7 April 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Dirac action describes the physics of the Nambu-Goldstone scalars found on branes. The Born-Infeld action defines a non-linear theory of electrodynamics. The combined Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) action describes the leading interactions supported on a single D-brane in string theory. We define a non-abelian analogue of DBI using the $T \overline{T}$ deformation in two dimensions. The resulting quantum theory is compatible with maximal supersymmetry and such theories are quite rare.

  30 citations