Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Logarithmic negativity in out-of-equilibrium open free-fermion chains: An exactly solvable case

  Vincenzo Alba, Federico Carollo

  SciPost Phys. 15, 124 (2023) · published 29 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive the quasiparticle picture for the fermionic logarithmic negativity in a tight-binding chain subject to gain and loss dissipation. We focus on the dynamics after the quantum quench from the fermionic Néel state. We consider the negativity between both adjacent and disjoint intervals embedded in an infinite chain. Our result holds in the standard hydrodynamic limit of large subsystems and long times, with their ratio fixed. Additionally, we consider the weakly-dissipative limit, in which the dissipation rates are inversely proportional to the size of the intervals. We show that the negativity is proportional to the number of entangled pairs of quasiparticles that are shared between the two intervals, as is the case for the mutual information. Crucially, in contrast with the unitary case, the negativity content of quasiparticles is not given by the Rényi entropy with Rényi index $1/2$, and it is in general not easily related to thermodynamic quantities.

  17 citations

• Unifying constructions of non-invertible symmetries

  Lakshya Bhardwaj, Sakura Schäfer-Nameki, Apoorv Tiwari

  SciPost Phys. 15, 122 (2023) · published 28 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the past year several constructions of non-invertible symmetries in Quantum Field Theory in $d≥3$ have appeared. In this paper we provide a unified perspective on these constructions. Central to this framework are so-called theta defects, which generalize the notion of theta-angles, and allow the construction of universal and non-universal topological symmetry defects. We complement this physical analysis by proposing a mathematical framework (based on higher-fusion categories) that converts the physical construction of non-invertible symmetries into a concrete computational scheme.

  58 citations

• Quantum oscillations in an impurity-band Anderson insulator

  Nigel R. Cooper, Jack Kelsall

  SciPost Phys. 15, 118 (2023) · published 27 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show that for a system of localized electrons in an impurity band, which form an Anderson insulating state at zero temperature, there can appear quantum oscillations of the magnetization, i.e. the Anderson insulator can exhibit the de Haas-van Alphen effect. This is possible when the electronic band from which the localized states are formed has an extremum that traces out a nonzero area in reciprocal space. Our work extends existing theories for clean band insulators of this form to the situation where they host an impurity band. We show that the energies of these impurity levels oscillate with magnetic field, and compute the conditions under which these oscillations can dominate the de Haas-van Alphen effect. We discuss our results in connection with experimental measurements of quantum oscillations in Kondo insulators, and propose other experimental systems where the impurity band contribution can be dominant.

  3 citations

• Pfaffian invariant identifies magnetic obstructed atomic insulators

  Isidora Araya Day, Anastasiia Varentcova, Daniel Varjas, Anton R. Akhmerov

  SciPost Phys. 15, 114 (2023) · published 25 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive a $\mathbb{Z}_4$ topological invariant that extends beyond symmetry eigenvalues and Wilson loops and classifies two-dimensional insulators with a $C_4 \mathcal{T}$ symmetry. To formulate this invariant, we consider an irreducible Brillouin zone and constrain the spectrum of the open Wilson lines that compose its boundary. We fix the gauge ambiguity of the Wilson lines by using the Pfaffian at high symmetry momenta. As a result, we distinguish the four $C_4 \mathcal{T}$-protected atomic insulators, each of which is adiabatically connected to a different atomic limit. We establish the correspondence between the invariant and the obstructed phases by constructing both the atomic limit Hamiltonians and a $C_4 \mathcal{T}$-symmetric model that interpolates between them. The phase diagram shows that $C_4 \mathcal{T}$ insulators allow $\pm 1$ and $2$ changes of the invariant, where the latter is overlooked by symmetry indicators.

  5 citations

• First-order photon condensation in magnetic cavities: A two-leg ladder model

  Zeno Bacciconi, Gian M. Andolina, Titas Chanda, Giuliano Chiriacò, Marco Schirò, Marcello Dalmonte

  SciPost Phys. 15, 113 (2023) · published 25 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider a model of free fermions in a ladder geometry coupled to a non-uniform cavity mode via Peierls substitution. Since the cavity mode generates a magnetic field, no-go theorems on spontaneous photon condensation do not apply, and we indeed observe a phase transition to a photon condensed phase characterized by finite circulating currents, alternatively referred to as the equilibrium superradiant phase. We consider both square and triangular ladder geometries, and characterize the transition by studying the energy structure of the system, light-matter entanglement, the properties of the photon mode, and chiral currents. The transition is of first order and corresponds to a sudden change in the fermionic band structure as well as the number of its Fermi points. Thanks to the quasi-one dimensional geometry we scrutinize the accuracy of (mean field) cavity-matter decoupling against large scale density-matrix renormalization group simulations. We find that light-matter entanglement is essential for capturing corrections to matter properties at finite sizes and for the description of the correct photon state. The latter remains Gaussian in the the thermodynamic limit both in the normal and photon condensed phases.

  20 citations

• Exact effective action for the O(N) vector model in the large N limit

  Han Ma, Sung-Sik Lee

  SciPost Phys. 15, 111 (2023) · published 22 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present the Wilsonian effective action as a solution of the exact RG equation for the critical $O(N)$ vector model in the large $N$ limit. Below four dimensions, the exact effective action can be expressed in a closed form as a transcendental function of two leading scaling operators with infinitely many derivatives. From the exact solution that describes the RG flow from a UV theory to the fixed point theory in the IR, we obtain the mapping between UV operators and IR scaling operators. It is shown that IR scaling operators are given by sums of infinitely many UV operators with infinitely many derivatives.

• Electron addition spectral functions of low-density polaron liquids

  Alberto Nocera, Mona Berciu

  SciPost Phys. 15, 110 (2023) · published 22 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Spectral functions are important quantities that contain a wealth of information about the quasiparticles of a system, and that can also be measured experimentally. For systems with electron-phonon coupling, good approximations for the spectral function are available only in the Migdal limit (at Fermi energies much larger than the typical phonon frequency, $E_F\gg \Omega$, requiring a large carrier concentration $x$) and in the single polaron limit (at $x=0$). Here we show that the region with $x\ll 1$ ($E_F <\Omega$) can also be reliably investigated with the Momentum Average (MA) variational approximation, which essentially describes the formation of a polaron above an inert Fermi sea. Specifically, we show that for the one-dimensional spinless Holstein model, the MA spectral functions compare favorably with those calculated using variationally exact density matrix renormalization group simulations (DMRG) evaluated directly in frequency-space, so long as $x<0.1$ and the adiabaticity ratio $\Omega/t>0.5$. Unlike in the Migdal limit, here 'polaronic physics' emerges already at moderate couplings. The relevance of these results for a spinful low-$x$ metal is also discussed.

  2 citations

• On weak ergodicity breaking in mean-field spin glasses

  Giampaolo Folena, Francesco Zamponi

  SciPost Phys. 15, 109 (2023) · published 21 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The weak ergodicity breaking hypothesis postulates that out-of-equilibrium glassy systems lose memory of their initial state despite being unable to reach an equilibrium stationary state. It is a milestone of glass physics, and has provided a lot of insight on the physical properties of glass aging. Despite its undoubted usefulness as a guiding principle, its general validity remains a subject of debate. Here, we present evidence that this hypothesis does not hold for a class of mean-field spin glass models. While most of the qualitative physical picture of aging remains unaffected, our results suggest that some important technical aspects should be revisited.

  15 citations

• Attenuating dynamics of strongly interacting fermionic superfluids in SYK solvable models

  Tian-Gang Zhou, Pengfei Zhang

  SciPost Phys. 15, 108 (2023) · published 21 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Quench dynamics of fermionic superfluids are an active topic both experimentally and theoretically. Using the BCS theory, such non-equilibrium problems can be reduced to nearly independent spin dynamics, only with a time-dependent mean-field pairing term. This results in persisting oscillations of the pairing strength in certain parameter regimes. However, experiments have observed that the oscillations decay rapidly when the interaction becomes strong, such as in the unitary Fermi gas [Phys. Rev. Res. 3, 023205 (2021)]. Theoretical analysis on this matter is still absent. In this work, we construct an SYK-like model to analyze the effect of strong interactions in a one-dimensional BCS system. We employ the large-$N$ approximation and a Green's function-based technique to solve the equilibrium problem and quench dynamics. Our findings reveal that a strong SYK interaction suppresses the pairing order. Additionally, we verify that the system quickly thermalizes with SYK interactions, whether it involves intrinsic pairing order or proximity effect, resulting in a rapid decay of the oscillation strength. The decay rates exhibit different scaling laws against SYK interaction, which can be understood in terms of the Boltzmann equation. This work represents a first step towards understanding the attenuating dynamics of strongly interacting fermionic superfluids.

  2 citations

• Bethe-state counting and Witten index

  Hongfei Shu, Peng Zhao, Rui-Dong Zhu, Hao Zou

  SciPost Phys. 15, 103 (2023) · published 19 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We count the physical Bethe states of quantum integrable models with twisted boundary conditions using the Witten index of 2d supersymmetric gauge theories. For multi-component models solvable by the nested Bethe ansatz, the result is a novel restricted occupancy problem. For the SU(3) spin chain and the t-J model, we propose formulae for the solution count on singular loci in the space of twist parameters.

  5 citations