Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Boundary RG flows for fermions and the mod 2 anomaly

  Philip Boyle Smith, David Tong

  SciPost Phys. 10, 010 (2021) · published 19 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Boundary conditions for Majorana fermions in d=1+1 dimensions fall into one of two SPT phases, associated to a mod 2 anomaly. Here we consider boundary conditions for 2N Majorana fermions that preserve a $U(1)^N$ symmetry. In general, the left-moving and right-moving fermions carry different charges under this symmetry, and implementation of the boundary condition requires new degrees of freedom, which manifest themselves in a boundary central charge, $g$. We follow the boundary RG flow induced by turning on relevant boundary operators. We identify the infra-red boundary state. In many cases, the boundary state flips SPT class, resulting in an emergent Majorana mode needed to cancel the anomaly. We show that the ratio of UV and IR boundary central charges is given by $g^2_{IR} / g^2_{UV} = {\rm dim}\,({\cal O})$, the dimension of the perturbing boundary operator. Any relevant operator necessarily has ${\rm dim}({\cal O}) < 1$, ensuring that the central charge decreases in accord with the g-theorem.

  10 citations

• The seniority quantum number in Tensor Network States

  Klaas Gunst, Dimitri Van Neck, Peter Andreas Limacher, Stijn De Baerdemacker

  SciPost Chem. 1, 001 (2021) · published 15 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We employ tensor network methods for the study of the seniority quantum number -- defined as the number of unpaired electrons in a many-body wave function -- in molecular systems. Seniority-zero methods recently emerged as promising candidates to treat strong static correlations in molecular systems, but are prone to deficiencies related to dynamical correlation and dispersion. We systematically resolve these deficiencies by increasing the allowed seniority number using tensor network methods. In particular, we investigate the number of unpaired electrons needed to correctly describe the binding of the neon and nitrogen dimer and the $D_{6h}$ symmetry of benzene.

  6 citations

• Non-equilibrium evolution of Bose-Einstein condensate deformation in temporally controlled weak disorder

  Milan Radonjić, Axel Pelster

  SciPost Phys. 10, 008 (2021) · published 14 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider a time-dependent extension of a perturbative mean-field approach to the homogeneous dirty boson problem by considering how switching on and off a weak disorder potential affects the stationary state of an initially equilibrated Bose-Einstein condensate by the emergence of a disorder-induced condensate deformation. We find that in the switch on scenario the stationary condensate deformation turns out to be a sum of an equilibrium part, that actually corresponds to adiabatic switching on the disorder, and a dynamically-induced part, where the latter depends on the particular driving protocol. If the disorder is switched off afterwards, the resulting condensate deformation acquires an additional dynamically-induced part in the long-time limit, while the equilibrium part vanishes. We also present an appropriate generalization to inhomogeneous trapped condensates. Our results demonstrate that the condensate deformation represents an indicator of the generically non-equilibrium nature of steady states of a Bose gas in a temporally controlled weak disorder.

  1 citation

• Newton series expansion of bosonic operator functions

  Jürgen König, Alfred Hucht

  SciPost Phys. 10, 007 (2021) · published 13 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show how series expansions of functions of bosonic number operators are naturally derived from finite-difference calculus. The scheme employs Newton series rather than Taylor series known from differential calculus, and also works in cases where the Taylor expansion fails. For a function of number operators, such an expansion is automatically normal ordered. Applied to the Holstein-Primakoff representation of spins, the scheme yields an exact series expansion with a finite number of terms and, in addition, allows for a systematic expansion of the spin operators that respects the spin commutation relations within a truncated part of the full Hilbert space. Furthermore, the Newton series expansion strongly facilitates the calculation of expectation values with respect to coherent states. As a third example, we show that factorial moments and factorial cumulants arising in the context of photon or electron counting are a natural consequence of Newton series expansions. Finally, we elucidate the connection between normal ordering, Taylor and Newton series by determining a corresponding integral transformation, which is related to the Mellin transform.

  17 citations

• Entanglement spreading after local fermionic excitations in the XXZ chain

  Matthias Gruber, Viktor Eisler

  SciPost Phys. 10, 005 (2021) · published 12 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the spreading of entanglement produced by the time evolution of a local fermionic excitation created above the ground state of the XXZ chain. The resulting entropy profiles are investigated via density-matrix renormalization group calculations, and compared to a quasiparticle ansatz. In particular, we assume that the entanglement is dominantly carried by spinon excitations traveling at different velocities, and the entropy profile is reproduced by a probabilistic expression involving the density fraction of the spinons reaching the subsystem. The ansatz works well in the gapless phase for moderate values of the XXZ anisotropy, eventually deteriorating as other types of quasiparticle excitations gain spectral weight. Furthermore, if the initial state is excited by a local Majorana fermion, we observe a nontrivial rescaling of the entropy profiles. This effect is further investigated in a conformal field theory framework, carrying out calculations for the Luttinger liquid theory. Finally, we also consider excitations creating an antiferromagnetic domain wall in the gapped phase of the chain, and find again a modified quasiparticle ansatz with a multiplicative factor.

  10 citations

• Dissipative flow equations

  Lorenzo Rosso, Fernando Iemini, Marco Schirò, Leonardo Mazza

  SciPost Phys. 9, 091 (2020) · published 29 December 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We generalize the theory of flow equations to open quantum systems focusing on Lindblad master equations. We introduce and discuss three different generators of the flow that transform a linear non-Hermitian operator into a diagonal one. We first test our dissipative flow equations on a generic matrix and on a physical problem with a driven-dissipative single fermionic mode. We then move to problems with many fermionic modes and discuss the interplay between coherent (disordered) dynamics and localized losses. Our method can also be applied to non-Hermitian Hamiltonians.

  11 citations

• Single T gate in a Clifford circuit drives transition to universal entanglement spectrum statistics

  Shiyu Zhou, Zhi-Cheng Yang, Alioscia Hamma, Claudio Chamon

  SciPost Phys. 9, 087 (2020) · published 14 December 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Clifford circuits are insufficient for universal quantum computation or creating $t$-designs with $t\ge 4$. While the entanglement entropy is not a telltale of this insufficiency, the entanglement spectrum is: the entanglement levels are Poisson-distributed for circuits restricted to the Clifford gate-set, while the levels follow Wigner-Dyson statistics when universal gates are used. In this paper we show, using finite-size scaling analysis of different measures of level spacing statistics, that in the thermodynamic limit, inserting a single T $(\pi/8)$ gate in the middle of a random Clifford circuit is sufficient to alter the entanglement spectrum from a Poisson to a Wigner-Dyson distribution.

  34 citations

• On scalar products in higher rank quantum separation of variables

  Jean Michel Maillet, Giuliano Niccoli, Louis Vignoli

  SciPost Phys. 9, 086 (2020) · published 11 December 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Using the framework of the quantum separation of variables (SoV) for higher rank quantum integrable lattice models [1], we introduce some foundations to go beyond the obtained complete transfer matrix spectrum description, and open the way to the computation of matrix elements of local operators. This first amounts to obtain simple expressions for scalar products of the so-called separate states (transfer matrix eigenstates or some simple generalization of them). In the higher rank case, left and right SoV bases are expected to be pseudo-orthogonal, that is for a given SoV co-vector, there could be more than one non-vanishing overlap with the vectors of the chosen right SoV basis. For simplicity, we describe our method to get these pseudo-orthogonality overlaps in the fundamental representations of the $\mathcal{Y}(gl_3)$ lattice model with $N$ sites, a case of rank 2. The non-zero couplings between the co-vector and vector SoV bases are exactly characterized. While the corresponding SoV-measure stays reasonably simple and of possible practical use, we address the problem of constructing left and right SoV bases which do satisfy standard orthogonality. In our approach, the SoV bases are constructed by using families of conserved charges. This gives us a large freedom in the SoV bases construction, and allows us to look for the choice of a family of conserved charges which leads to orthogonal co-vector/vector SoV bases. We first define such a choice in the case of twist matrices having simple spectrum and zero determinant. Then, we generalize the associated family of conserved charges and orthogonal SoV bases to generic simple spectrum and invertible twist matrices. Under this choice of conserved charges, and of the associated orthogonal SoV bases, the scalar products of separate states simplify considerably and take a form similar to the $\mathcal{Y}(gl_2)$ rank one case.

  12 citations

• Coupling quantum corrals to form artificial molecules

  Saoirsé E. Freeney, Samuel T. P. Borman,Jacob W. Harteveld, Ingmar Swart

  SciPost Phys. 9, 085 (2020) · published 10 December 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Quantum corrals can be considered as artificial atoms. By coupling many quantum corrals together, artificial matter can be created at will. The atomic scale precision with which the quantum corrals can be made grants the ability to tune parameters that are difficult to control in real materials, such as the symmetry of the states that couple, the on-site energy of these states, the hopping strength and the magnitude of the orbital overlap. Here, we systematically investigate the accessible parameter space for the dominant platform (CO molecules on Cu(111)) by constructing (coupled) quantum corrals of different sizes and shapes. By changing the configuration of the CO molecules that constitute the barrier between two quantum corrals, the hopping integral can be tuned between 0 and -0.3 eV for s- and p-like states, respectively. Incorporation of orbital overlap is essential to account for the experimental observations. Our results aid the design of future artificial lattices.

  16 citations

• DMRG study of strongly interacting $\mathbb{Z}_2$ flatbands: a toy model inspired by twisted bilayer graphene

  P. Myles Eugenio, Ceren B. Dağ

  SciPost Phys. Core 3, 015 (2020) · published 9 December 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Strong interactions between electrons occupying bands of opposite (or like) topological quantum numbers (Chern$=\pm1$), and with flat dispersion, are studied by using lowest Landau level (LLL) wavefunctions. More precisely, we determine the ground states for two scenarios at half-filling: (i) LLL's with opposite sign of magnetic field, and therefore opposite Chern number; and (ii) LLL's with the same magnetic field. In the first scenario -- which we argue to be a toy model inspired by the chirally symmetric continuum model for twisted bilayer graphene -- the opposite Chern LLL's are Kramer pairs, and thus there exists time-reversal symmetry ($\mathbb{Z}_2$). Turning on repulsive interactions drives the system to spontaneously break time-reversal symmetry -- a quantum anomalous Hall state described by one particle per LLL orbital, either all positive Chern $|++\cdots+>$ or all negative $|--\cdots->$. If instead, interactions are taken between electrons of like-Chern number, the ground state is an $SU(2)$ ferromagnet, with total spin pointing along an arbitrary direction, as with the $\nu=1$ spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ quantum Hall ferromagnet. The ground states and some of their excitations for both of these scenarios are argued analytically, and further complimented by density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) and exact diagonalization.

  20 citations