Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Many-body quantum dynamics with MCTDH-X

  Paolo Molignini, Sunayana Dutta, Elke Fasshauer

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 94 (2025) · published 26 March 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The lecture notes on "Many-body Quantum Dynamics with MCTDH-X", adapted from the 2023 Heidelberg MCTDH Summer School, provide an in-depth exploration of the Multiconfigurational Time-Dependent Hartree approach for indistinguishable particles. They serve as a comprehensive guide for understanding and utilizing the MCTDH-X software for both bosonic and fermionic systems. The tutorial begins with an introduction to the MCTDH-X software, highlighting its capability to handle various quantum systems, including those with internal degrees of freedom and long-range interactions. The theoretical foundation is then laid out on how to solve the time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equations for many-body systems. The workflow section provides practical instructions on setting up and executing simulations using MCTDH-X. Detailed benchmarks against exact solutions are presented, showcasing the accuracy and reliability of the software in ground-state and dynamic simulations. The notes then delve into the dynamics of quantum systems, covering relaxation processes, time evolution, and the analysis of propagation for both bosonic and fermionic particles. The discussion includes the interpretation of various physical quantities such as energy, density distributions, and orbital occupations. Advanced features of MCTDH-X are also explored in the last section, including the calculation of correlation functions and the creation of visualizations through video tutorials. The notes conclude with a Linux/UNIX command cheat sheet, facilitating ease of use for users operating the software on different systems. Overall, these lecture notes provide a valuable resource for researchers and students in the field of quantum dynamics, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidance on the use of MCTDH-X for studying complex many-body systems.

  5 citations

• Stability of topological purity under random local unitaries

  Salvatore F. E. Oliviero, Lorenzo Leone, You Zhou, Alioscia Hamma

  SciPost Phys. 12, 096 (2022) · published 17 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In this work, we provide an analytical proof of the robustness of a form of topological entanglement under a model of random local perturbations. We define the notion of topological purity and show that, in the context of quantum double models, this quantity does detect topological order and is robust under the action of a random shallow quantum circuit.

  5 citations

• A note on the identity module in $c=0$ CFTs

  Yifei He, Hubert Saleur

  SciPost Phys. 12, 100 (2022) · published 21 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  It has long been understood that non-trivial Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) with vanishing central charge ($c=0$) are logarithmic. So far however, the structure of the identity module -- the (left and right) Virasoro descendants of the identity field -- had not been elucidated beyond the stress-energy tensor $T$ and its logarithmic partner $t$ (the solution of the "$c\to 0$ catastrophe"). In this paper, we determine this structure together with the associated OPE of primary fields up to level $h=\bar{h}=2$ for polymers and percolation CFTs. This is done by taking the $c\to 0$ limit of $O(n)$ and Potts models and combining recent results from the bootstrap with arguments based on conformal invariance and self-duality. We find that the structure contains a rank-3 Jordan cell involving the field $T\bar{T}$, and is identical for polymers and percolation. It is characterized in part by the common value of a non-chiral logarithmic coupling $a_0=-{25\over 48}$.

  5 citations

• Network construction of non-Abelian chiral spin liquids

  Hernan B. Xavier, Claudio Chamon, Rodrigo G. Pereira

  SciPost Phys. 14, 105 (2023) · published 10 May 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We use a network of chiral junctions to construct a family of topological chiral spin liquids in two spatial dimensions. The chiral spin liquid phase harbors SU(2)$_k$ anyons, which stem from the underlying SU(2)$_k$ WZW models that describe the constituent spin chains of the network. The network exhibits quantized spin and thermal Hall conductances. We illustrate our construction by inspecting the topological properties of the SU(2)$_2$ model. We find that this model has emergent Ising anyons, with spinons acting as vortex excitations that bind Majorana zero modes. We also show that the ground state of this network is threefold degenerate on the torus, asserting its non-Abelian character. Our results shed new light on the stability of non-Abelian topological phases in artificial quantum materials.

  5 citations

• Phases and dynamics of quantum droplets in the crossover to two-dimensions

  Jose Carlos Pelayo, George Bougas, Thomás Fogarty, Thomas Busch, Simeon I. Mistakidis

  SciPost Phys. 18, 129 (2025) · published 17 April 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We explore the ground states and dynamics of ultracold atomic droplets in the crossover region from three to two dimensions by solving the two-dimensional and the quasi two-dimensional extended Gross-Pitaevskii equations numerically and with a variational approach. By systematically comparing the droplet properties, we determine the validity regions of the pure two-dimensional description, and therefore the dominance of the logarithmic nonlinear coupling, as a function of the sign of the averaged mean-field interactions and the size of the transverse confinement. One of our main findings is that droplets become substantially extended upon transitioning from negative-to-positive averaged mean-field interactions. This is accompanied by a significant reduction of their binding energies which are approximately inversely proportional to the square of their size. To explore fundamental dynamical properties in the crossover region, we study interaction quenches and show that the droplets perform a periodic breathing motion for modest quench strengths, while larger quench amplitudes lead to continuous expansion exhibiting density ring structures. We also showcase that it is possible to form complex bulk and surface density patterns in anisotropic geometries following the quench. Since we are working with realistic parameters, our results can directly facilitate future experimental realizations.

  5 citations

• Topological to magnetically ordered quantum phase transition in antiferromagnetic spin ladders with long-range interactions

  Luhang Yang, Phillip Weinberg, Adrian E. Feiguin

  SciPost Phys. 13, 060 (2022) · published 21 September 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study a generalized quantum spin ladder with staggered long range interactions that decay as a power-law with exponent $\alpha$. Using large scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulations, we show that this model undergoes a transition from a rung-dimer phase characterized by a non-local string order parameter, to a symmetry broken N\'eel phase. We find evidence that the transition is second order. In the magnetically ordered phase, the spectrum exhibits gapless modes, while excitations in the gapped phase are well described in terms of triplons -- bound states of spinons across the legs. We obtain the momentum resolved spin dynamic structure factor numerically and find a well defined triplon band that evolves into a gapless magnon dispersion across the transition. We further discuss the possibility of deconfined criticality in this model.

  5 citations

• Electric polarization and magnetization in metals

  Perry T. Mahon, John E. Sipe

  SciPost Phys. 14, 058 (2023) · published 3 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A feature of the "modern theory" is that electric polarization is not well-defined in a metallic ground state. A different approach invokes the general existence of a complete set of exponentially localized Wannier functions, with respect to which general definitions of microscopic electronic polarization and magnetization fields, and free charge and current densities are always admitted. These definitions assume no particular initial electronic state of the crystal, and the set of microscopic fields satisfy the usual relations of classical electrodynamics. Notably, when applied to a trivial insulator initially occupying its $T=0$ ground state, the expressions for the unperturbed polarization and orbital magnetization, and for the orbital magnetoelectric polarizability tensor obtained from these different approaches can agree. However, the "modern theory of magnetization" has been extended via thermodynamic arguments to include metals and Chern insulators. We here compare with that generalization and find disagreement; the manner in which the expressions differ elucidates the distinct philosophies of these approaches. Our approach leads to the usual electrical conductivity tensor in the long-wavelength limit; in the absence of any scattering mechanisms, the dc divergence of that tensor is due to the free current density and the finite-frequency generalization of the anomalous Hall contribution arises from a combination of bound and free current densities. As well, in the limit that the electronic ground state is that of a trivial insulator, our expressions reduce to those expected for the unperturbed polarization and magnetization, and the electric susceptibility.

  5 citations

• Correlations of quantum curvature and variance of Chern numbers

  Omri Gat, Michael Wilkinson

  SciPost Phys. 10, 149 (2021) · published 21 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We analyse the correlation function of the quantum curvature in complex quantum systems, using a random matrix model to provide an exemplar of a universal correlation function. We show that the correlation function diverges as the inverse of the distance at small separations. We also define and analyse a correlation function of mixed states, showing that it is finite but singular at small separations. A scaling hypothesis on a universal form for both types of correlations is supported by Monte-Carlo simulations. We relate the correlation function of the curvature to the variance of Chern integers which can describe quantised Hall conductance.

  5 citations

• Gauging U(1) symmetry in (2+1)d topological phases

  Meng Cheng, Chao-Ming Jian

  SciPost Phys. 12, 202 (2022) · published 27 June 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the gauging of a global U(1) symmetry in a gapped system in (2+1)d. The gauging procedure has been well-understood for a finite global symmetry group, which leads to a new gapped phase with emergent gauge structure and can be described algebraically using the mathematical framework of modular tensor category (MTC). We develop a categorical description of U(1) gauging in an MTC, taking into account the dynamics of U(1) gauge field absent in the finite group case. When the ungauged system has a non-zero Hall conductance, the gauged theory remains gapped and we determine the complete set of anyon data for the gauged theory. On the other hand, when the Hall conductance vanishes, we argue that gauging has the same effect of condensing a special Abelian anyon nucleated by inserting $2\pi$ U(1) flux. We apply our procedure to the SU(2)$_k$ MTCs and derive the full MTC data for the $\mathbb{Z}_k$ parafermion MTCs. We also discuss a dual U(1) symmetry that emerges after the original U(1) symmetry of an MTC is gauged.

  5 citations

• Plasmons in holographic graphene

  Ulf Gran, Marcus Tornsö, Tobias Zingg

  SciPost Phys. 8, 093 (2020) · published 25 June 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate how self-sourced collective modes - of which the plasmon is a prominent example due to its relevance in modern technological applications - are identified in strongly correlated systems described by holographic Maxwell theories. The characteristic $\omega \propto \sqrt{k}$ plasmon dispersion for 2D materials, such as graphene, naturally emerges from this formalism. We also demonstrate this by constructing the first holographic model containing this feature. This provides new insight into modeling such systems from a holographic point of view, bottom-up and top-down alike. Beyond that, this method provides a general framework to compute the dynamical charge response of strange metals, which has recently become experimentally accessible due to the novel technique of momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (M-EELS). This framework therefore opens up the exciting possibility of testing holographic models for strange metals against actual experimental data.

  5 citations