Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Particle fluctuations and the failure of simple effective models for many-body localized phases

  Maximilian Kiefer-Emmanouilidis, Razmik Unanyan, Michael Fleischhauer, Jesko Sirker

  SciPost Phys. 12, 034 (2022) · published 21 January 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate and compare the particle number fluctuations in the putative many-body localized (MBL) phase of a spinless fermion model with potential disorder and nearest-neighbor interactions with those in the non-interacting case (Anderson localization) and in effective models where only interaction terms diagonal in the Anderson basis are kept. We demonstrate that these types of simple effective models cannot account for the particle number fluctuations observed in the MBL phase of the microscopic model. This implies that assisted and pair hopping terms---generated when transforming the microscopic Hamiltonian into the Anderson basis---cannot be neglected even at strong disorder and weak interactions. As a consequence, it appears questionable if the microscopic model possesses an exponential number of exactly conserved {\it local} charges. If such a set of conserved local charges does not exist, then particles are expected to ultimately delocalize for any finite disorder strength.

  10 citations

• Duality and form factors in the thermally deformed two-dimensional tricritical Ising model

  Axel Cortés Cubero, Robert M. Konik, Máté Lencsés, Giuseppe Mussardo, Gabor Takács

  SciPost Phys. 12, 162 (2022) · published 16 May 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The thermal deformation of the critical point action of the 2D tricritical Ising model gives rise to an exact scattering theory with seven massive excitations based on the exceptional $E_7$ Lie algebra. The high and low temperature phases of this model are related by duality. This duality guarantees that the leading and sub-leading magnetisation operators, $\sigma(x)$ and $\sigma'(x)$, in either phase are accompanied by associated disorder operators, $\mu(x)$ and $\mu'(x)$. Working specifically in the high temperature phase, we write down the sets of bootstrap equations for these four operators. For $\sigma(x)$ and $\sigma'(x)$, the equations are identical in form and are parameterised by the values of the one-particle form factors of the two lightest $\mathbb{Z}_2$ odd particles. Similarly, the equations for $\mu(x)$ and $\mu'(x)$ have identical form and are parameterised by two elementary form factors. Using the clustering property, we show that these four sets of solutions are eventually not independent; instead, the parameters of the solutions for $\sigma(x)/\sigma'(x)$ are fixed in terms of those for $\mu(x)/\mu'(x)$. We use the truncated conformal space approach to confirm numerically the derived expressions of the matrix elements as well as the validity of the $\Delta$-sum rule as applied to the off-critical correlators. We employ the derived form factors of the order and disorder operators to compute the exact dynamical structure factors of the theory, a set of quantities with a rich spectroscopy which may be directly tested in future inelastic neutron or Raman scattering experiments.

  10 citations

• Four-derivative couplings and BPS dyons in heterotic CHL orbifolds

  Guillaume Bossard, Charles Cosnier-Horeau, Boris Pioline

  SciPost Phys. 3, 008 (2017) · published 31 July 2017 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Three-dimensional string models with half-maximal supersymmetry are believed to be invariant under a large U-duality group which unifies the S and T dualities in four dimensions. We propose an exact, U-duality invariant formula for four-derivative scalar couplings of the form $F(\Phi) (\nabla\Phi)^4$ in a class of string vacua known as CHL $\mathbb{Z}_N$ heterotic orbifolds with $N$ prime, generalizing our previous work which dealt with the case of heterotic string on $T^6$. We derive the Ward identities that $F(\Phi)$ must satisfy, and check that our formula obeys them. We analyze the weak coupling expansion of $F(\Phi)$, and show that it reproduces the correct tree-level and one-loop contributions, plus an infinite series of non-perturbative contributions. Similarly, the large radius expansion reproduces the exact $F^4$ coupling in four dimensions, including both supersymmetric invariants, plus infinite series of instanton corrections from half-BPS dyons winding around the large circle, and from Taub-NUT instantons. The summation measure for dyonic instantons agrees with the helicity supertrace for half-BPS dyons in 4 dimensions in all charge sectors. In the process we clarify several subtleties about CHL models in $D=4$ and $D=3$, in particular we obtain the exact helicity supertraces for 1/2-BPS dyonic states in all duality orbits.

  10 citations

• The equilibrium landscape of the Heisenberg spin chain

  Enej Ilievski, Eoin Quinn

  SciPost Phys. 7, 033 (2019) · published 13 September 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We characterise the equilibrium landscape, the entire manifold of local equilibrium states, of an interacting integrable quantum model. Focusing on the isotropic Heisenberg spin chain, we describe in full generality two complementary frameworks for addressing equilibrium ensembles: the functional integral Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz approach, and the lattice regularisation transfer matrix approach. We demonstrate the equivalence between the two, and in doing so clarify several subtle features of generic equilibrium states. In particular we explain the breakdown of the canonical Y-system, which reflects a hidden structure in the parametrisation of equilibrium ensembles.

  10 citations

• Exceptional points in the Baxter-Fendley free parafermion model

  Robert A. Henry, Murray T. Batchelor

  SciPost Phys. 15, 016 (2023) · published 19 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Certain spin chains, such as the quantum Ising chain, have free fermion spectra which can be expressed as the sum of decoupled two-level fermionic systems. Free parafermions are a generalisation of this idea to $\mathbb{Z}_N$-symmetric clock models. In 1989 Baxter discovered a non-Hermitian but $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric model directly generalising the Ising chain, which was later described by Fendley as a free parafermion spectrum. By extending the model's magnetic field parameter to the complex plane, it is shown that a series of exceptional points emerges, where the quasienergies defining the free spectrum become degenerate. An analytic expression for the locations of these points is derived, and various numerical investigations are performed. These exceptional points also exist in the Ising chain with a complex transverse field. Although the model is not in general $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric at these exceptional points, their proximity can have a profound impact on the model on the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric real line. Furthermore, in certain cases an exceptional point may appear on the real line (with negative field).

  10 citations

• The simple-cubic structure of elemental Polonium and its relation to combined charge and orbital order in other elemental chalcogens

  Ana Silva, Jasper van Wezel

  SciPost Phys. 4, 028 (2018) · published 13 June 2018 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Polonium is the only element to crystallise into a simple cubic structure at ambient conditions. Moreover, at high temperatures it undergoes a structural phase transition into a less symmetric trigonal configuration. It has long been suspected that the strong spin-orbit coupling in Polonium is involved in both peculiarities, but the precise mechanism by which it operates remains controversial. Here, we introduce a single microscopic model capable of capturing the atomic structure of all chalcogen crystals: Selenium, Tellurium, and Polonium. We show that the strong spin-orbit coupling in Polonium suppresses the trigonal charge and orbital ordered state known to be the ground state configuration of Selenium and Tellurium, and allows the simple cubic state to prevail instead. We also confirm a recent suggestion based on ab initio calculations that a small increase in the lattice constant may effectively decrease the role of spin-orbit coupling, leading to a re-emergence of the trigonal orbital ordered state at high temperatures. We conclude that Polonium is a unique element, in which spins, orbitals, electronic charges, and lattice deformations all cooperate and collectively cause the emergence of the only elemental crystal structure with the simplest possible, cubic, lattice.

  10 citations

• Supervised learning of few dirty bosons with variable particle number

  Pere Mujal, Àlex Martínez Miguel, Artur Polls, Bruno Juliá-Díaz, Sebastiano Pilati

  SciPost Phys. 10, 073 (2021) · published 24 March 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the supervised machine learning of few interacting bosons in optical speckle disorder via artificial neural networks. The learning curve shows an approximately universal power-law scaling for different particle numbers and for different interaction strengths. We introduce a network architecture that can be trained and tested on heterogeneous datasets including different particle numbers. This network provides accurate predictions for all system sizes included in the training set and, by design, is suitable to attempt extrapolations to (computationally challenging) larger sizes. Notably, a novel transfer-learning strategy is implemented, whereby the learning of the larger systems is substantially accelerated and made consistently accurate by including in the training set many small-size instances.

  10 citations

• Cost of holographic path integrals

  Ammanamanchi Ramesh Chandra, Jan de Boer, Mario Flory, Michal P. Heller, Sergio Hörtner, Andrew Rolph

  SciPost Phys. 14, 061 (2023) · published 5 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider proposals for the cost of holographic path integrals. Gravitational path integrals within finite radial cutoff surfaces have a precise map to path integrals in $T\overline{T}$ deformed holographic CFTs. In Nielsen's geometric formulation cost is the length of a not-necessarily-geodesic path in a metric space of operators. Our cost proposals differ from holographic state complexity proposals in that (1) the boundary dual is cost, a quantity that can be 'optimised' to state complexity, (2) the set of proposals is large: all functions on all bulk subregions of any co-dimension which satisfy the physical properties of cost, and (3) the proposals are by construction UV-finite. The optimal path integral that prepares a given state is that with minimal cost, and cost proposals which reduce to the CV and CV2.0 complexity conjectures when the path integral is optimised are found, while bounded cost proposals based on gravitational action are not found. Related to our analysis of gravitational action-based proposals, we study bulk hypersurfaces with a constant intrinsic curvature of a specific value and give a Lorentzian version of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem valid in the presence of conical singularities.

  10 citations

• Neural network approach to reconstructing spectral functions and complex poles of confined particles

  Thibault Lechien, David Dudal

  SciPost Phys. 13, 097 (2022) · published 13 October 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Reconstructing spectral functions from propagator data is difficult as solving the analytic continuation problem or applying an inverse integral transformation are ill-conditioned problems. Recent work has proposed using neural networks to solve this problem and has shown promising results, either matching or improving upon the performance of other methods. We generalize this approach by not only reconstructing spectral functions, but also (possible) pairs of complex poles or an infrared (IR) cutoff. We train our network on physically motivated toy functions, examine the reconstruction accuracy and check its robustness to noise. Encouraging results are found on both toy functions and genuine lattice QCD data for the gluon propagator, suggesting that this approach may lead to significant improvements over current state-of-the-art methods.

  10 citations

• Reading between the rational sections: Global structures of 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ KK theories

  Cyril Closset, Horia Magureanu

  SciPost Phys. 16, 137 (2024) · published 28 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study how the global structure of rank-one 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric field theories is encoded into global aspects of the Seiberg-Witten elliptic fibration. Starting with the prototypical example of the $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ gauge theory, we distinguish between relative and absolute Seiberg-Witten curves. For instance, we discuss in detail the three distinct absolute curves for the $SU(2)$ and $SO(3)_±$ 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories. We propose that the $1$-form symmetry of an absolute theory is isomorphic to a torsion subgroup of the Mordell-Weil group of sections of the absolute curve, while the full defect group of the theory is encoded in the torsion sections of a so-called relative curve. We explicitly show that the relative and absolute curves are related by isogenies (that is, homomorphisms of elliptic curves) generated by torsion sections - hence, gauging a one-form symmetry corresponds to composing isogenies between Seiberg-Witten curves. We apply this approach to Kaluza-Klein (KK) 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories that arise from toroidal compactifications of 5d and 6d SCFTs to four dimensions, uncovering an intricate pattern of 4d global structures obtained by gauging discrete $0$-form and/or $1$-form symmetries. Incidentally, we propose a 6d BPS quiver for the 6d M-string theory on $\mathbb{R}^4× T^2$.

  10 citations