Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Free fermions at the edge of interacting systems

  Jean-Marie Stéphan

  SciPost Phys. 6, 057 (2019) · published 10 May 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the edge behavior of inhomogeneous one-dimensional quantum systems, such as Lieb-Liniger models in traps or spin chains in spatially varying magnetic fields. For free systems these fall into several universality classes, the most generic one being governed by the Tracy-Widom distribution. We investigate in this paper the effect of interactions. Using semiclassical arguments, we show that since the density vanishes to leading order, the strong interactions in the bulk are renormalized to zero at the edge, which simply explains the survival of Tracy-Widom scaling in general. For integrable systems, it is possible to push this argument further, and determine exactly the remaining length scale which controls the variance of the edge distribution. This analytical prediction is checked numerically, with excellent agreement. We also study numerically the edge scaling at fronts generated by quantum quenches, which provide new universality classes awaiting theoretical explanation.

  29 citations

• Experimental input from $e^+e^-$ for $a_{\mu}$ light-by-light

  Yuping Guo on behalf of BESIII Collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 054 (2019) · published 9 May 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The anomalous magnetic momentum of the muon, $a_{\mu}$, has been measured and calculated with a precision up to $~0.5$ ppm, but there is a 3 to 4 standard deviations between these two values. The uncertainty in the calculation is dominated by the hadronic part, including the hadronic vacuum polarization and the hadronic light-by-light. The meson transition form factors and the helicity amplitudes can be used as input or constraint to the calculation of the hadronic light-by-light contribution. Latest experimental studies of the transition form factors of $\pi^0$, $\eta$, and $\eta^{*}$ and the cross-section of $\gamma\gamma^*\to\pi^+\pi-$from $e^+e^-$ collider are presented.

• Finite temperature effects on Majorana bound states in chiral $p$-wave superconductors

  Henrik Schou Røising, Roni Ilan, Tobias Meng, Steven H. Simon, Felix Flicker

  SciPost Phys. 6, 055 (2019) · published 8 May 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study Majorana fermions bound to vortex cores in a chiral $p$-wave superconductor at temperatures non-negligible compared to the superconducting gap. Thermal occupation of Caroli de Gennes-Matricon states, below the full gap, causes the free energy difference between the two fermionic parity sectors to decay algebraically with increasing temperature. The power law acquires an additional factor of $T^{-1}$ for each bound state thermally excited. The zero-temperature result is exponentially recovered well below the minigap (lowest-lying CdGM level). Our results suggest that temperatures larger than the minigap may not be disastrous for topological quantum computation. We discuss the prospect of precision measurements of pinning forces on vortices as a readout scheme for Majorana qubits.

  7 citations

• Conformal field theory on top of a breathing one-dimensional gas of hard core bosons

  Paola Ruggiero, Yannis Brun, Jérome Dubail

  SciPost Phys. 6, 051 (2019) · published 30 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The recent results of [J. Dubail, J.-M. St\'ephan, J. Viti, P. Calabrese, Scipost Phys. 2, 002 (2017)], which aim at providing access to large scale correlation functions of inhomogeneous critical one-dimensional quantum systems -- e.g. a gas of hard core bosons in a trapping potential -- are extended to a dynamical situation: a breathing gas in a time-dependent harmonic trap. Hard core bosons in a time-dependent harmonic potential are well known to be exactly solvable, and can thus be used as a benchmark for the approach. An extensive discussion of the approach and of its relation with classical and quantum hydrodynamics in one dimension is given, and new formulas for correlation functions, not easily obtainable by other methods, are derived. In particular, a remarkable formula for the large scale asymptotics of the bosonic $n$-particle function $\left< \Psi^\dagger (x_1,t_1) \dots \Psi^\dagger (x_n,t_n) \Psi(x_1',t_1') \dots \Psi(x_n',t_n') \right>$ is obtained. Numerical checks of the approach are carried out for the fermionic two-point function -- easier to access numerically in the microscopic model than the bosonic one -- with perfect agreement.

  44 citations

• Many-body localization in a quasiperiodic Fibonacci chain

  Nicolas Macé, Nicolas Laflorencie, Fabien Alet

  SciPost Phys. 6, 050 (2019) · published 29 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the many-body localization (MBL) properties of a chain of interacting fermions subject to a quasiperiodic potential such that the non-interacting chain is always delocalized and displays multifractality. Contrary to naive expectations, adding interactions in this systems does not enhance delocalization, and a MBL transition is observed. Due to the local properties of the quasiperiodic potential, the MBL phase presents specific features, such as additional peaks in the density distribution. We furthermore investigate the fate of multifractality in the ergodic phase for low potential values. Our analysis is based on exact numerical studies of eigenstates and dynamical properties after a quench.

  49 citations

• Sub-Doppler laser cooling of $^{39}$K via the 4S$\to$5P transition

  Govind Unnikrishnan, Michael Gröbner, Hanns-Christoph Nägerl

  SciPost Phys. 6, 047 (2019) · published 18 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate sub-Doppler laser cooling of $ ^{39} $K using degenerate Raman sideband cooling via the 4S$_{1/2} \rightarrow $5P$ _{1/2} $ transition at 404.8 nm. By using an optical lattice in combination with a magnetic field and optical pumping beams, we obtain a spin-polarized sample of up to $5.6 \times 10^{7}$ atoms cooled down to a sub-Doppler temperature of 4 $\mu $K, reaching a peak density of $3.9 \times 10^{9}$ atoms/cm$ ^{3} $, a phase-space density greater than $ 10^{-5} $, and an average vibrational level of $ \langle \nu \rangle=0.6 $ in the lattice. This work opens up the possibility of implementing a single-site imaging scheme in a far-detuned optical lattice utilizing shorter wavelength transitions in alkali atoms, thus allowing improved spatial resolution.

  4 citations

• Equilibrium fluctuations in maximally noisy extended quantum systems

  Michel Bauer, Denis Bernard, Tony Jin

  SciPost Phys. 6, 045 (2019) · published 16 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We introduce and study a class of models of free fermions hopping between neighbouring sites with random Brownian amplitudes. These simple models describe stochastic, diffusive, quantum, unitary dynamics. We focus on periodic boundary conditions and derive the complete stationary distribution of the system. It is proven that the generating function of the latter is provided by the Harish-Chandra-Itzykson-Zuber integral which allows us to access all fluctuations of the system state. The steady state is characterized by non trivial correlations which have a topological nature. Diagrammatic tools appropriate for the study of these correlations are presented. In the thermodynamic large system size limit, the system approaches a non random equilibrium state plus occupancy and coherence fluctuations of magnitude scaling proportionally with the inverse of the square root of the volume. The large deviation function for those fluctuations is determined. Although decoherence is effective on the mean steady state, we observe that sub-leading fluctuating coherences are dynamically produced from the inhomogeneities of the initial occupancy profile.

  26 citations

• Comments on black hole interiors and modular inclusions

  Ro Jefferson

  SciPost Phys. 6, 042 (2019) · published 5 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show how the traversable wormhole induced by a double-trace deformation of the thermofield double state can be understood as a modular inclusion of the algebras of exterior operators. The effect of this deformation is the creation of a new region of spacetime deep in the bulk, corresponding to a non-trivial center between the left and right algebras. This set-up provides a precise framework for investigating how black hole interiors are encoded in the CFT. In particular, we use modular theory to demonstrate that state dependence is an inevitable feature of any attempt to represent operators behind the horizon. Building on this geometrical structure, we propose that modular inclusions may provide a more precise means of investigating the nascent relationship between entanglement and geometry in the context of the emergent spacetime paradigm.

  17 citations

• Foliated fracton order from gauging subsystem symmetries

  Wilbur Shirley, Kevin Slagle, Xie Chen

  SciPost Phys. 6, 041 (2019) · published 2 April 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Based on several previous examples, we summarize explicitly the general procedure to gauge models with subsystem symmetries, which are symmetries with generators that have support within a sub-manifold of the system. The gauging process can be applied to any local quantum model on a lattice that is invariant under the subsystem symmetry. We focus primarily on simple 3D paramagnetic states with planar symmetries. For these systems, the gauged theory may exhibit foliated fracton order and we find that the species of symmetry charges in the paramagnet directly determine the resulting foliated fracton order. Moreover, we find that gauging linear subsystem symmetries in 2D or 3D models results in a self-duality similar to gauging global symmetries in 1D.

  101 citations

• The Tensor Networks Anthology: Simulation techniques for many-body quantum lattice systems

  Pietro Silvi, Ferdinand Tschirsich, Matthias Gerster, Johannes Jünemann, Daniel Jaschke, Matteo Rizzi, Simone Montangero

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 8 (2019) · published 18 March 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present a compendium of numerical simulation techniques, based on tensor network methods, aiming to address problems of many-body quantum mechanics on a classical computer. The core setting of this anthology are lattice problems in low spatial dimension at finite size, a physical scenario where tensor network methods, both Density Matrix Renormalization Group and beyond, have long proven to be winning strategies. Here we explore in detail the numerical frameworks and methods employed to deal with low-dimension physical setups, from a computational physics perspective. We focus on symmetries and closed-system simulations in arbitrary boundary conditions, while discussing the numerical data structures and linear algebra manipulation routines involved, which form the core libraries of any tensor network code. At a higher level, we put the spotlight on loop-free network geometries, discussing their advantages, and presenting in detail algorithms to simulate low-energy equilibrium states. Accompanied by discussions of data structures, numerical techniques and performance, this anthology serves as a programmer's companion, as well as a self-contained introduction and review of the basic and selected advanced concepts in tensor networks, including examples of their applications.

  80 citations