Publications

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Design of a Majorana trijunction

Juan Daniel Torres Luna, Sathish R. Kuppuswamy, Anton R. Akhmerov

SciPost Phys. 16, 044 (2024) · published 9 February 2024 | · pdf

Braiding of Majorana states demonstrates their non-Abelian exchange statistics. One implementation of braiding requires control of the pairwise couplings between all Majorana states in a trijunction device. To have adiabaticity, a trijunction device requires the desired pair coupling to be sufficiently large and the undesired couplings to vanish. In this work, we design and simulate a trijunction device in a two-dimensional electron gas with a focus on the normal region that connects three Majorana states. We use an optimisation approach to find the operational regime of the device in a multi-dimensional voltage space. Using the optimization results, we simulate a braiding experiment by adiabatically coupling different pairs of Majorana states without closing the topological gap. We then evaluate the feasibility of braiding in a trijunction device for different shapes and disorder strengths.
Quantum-inspired tempering for ground state approximation using artificial neural networks

Tameem Albash, Conor Smith, Quinn Campbell, Andrew D. Baczewski

SciPost Phys. 14, 121 (2023) · published 19 May 2023 | · pdf

A large body of work has demonstrated that parameterized artificial neural networks (ANNs) can efficiently describe ground states of numerous interesting quantum many-body Hamiltonians. However, the standard variational algorithms used to update or train the ANN parameters can get trapped in local minima, especially for frustrated systems and even if the representation is sufficiently expressive. We propose a parallel tempering method that facilitates escape from such local minima. This methods involves training multiple ANNs independently, with each simulation governed by a Hamiltonian with a different "driver" strength, in analogy to quantum parallel tempering, and it incorporates an update step into the training that allows for the exchange of neighboring ANN configurations. We study instances from two classes of Hamiltonians to demonstrate the utility of our approach using Restricted Boltzmann Machines as our parameterized ANN. The first instance is based on a permutation-invariant Hamiltonian whose landscape stymies the standard training algorithm by drawing it increasingly to a false local minimum. The second instance is four hydrogen atoms arranged in a rectangle, which is an instance of the second quantized electronic structure Hamiltonian discretized using Gaussian basis functions. We study this problem in a minimal basis set, which exhibits false minima that can trap the standard variational algorithm despite the problem's small size. We show that augmenting the training with quantum parallel tempering becomes useful to finding good approximations to the ground states of these problem instances.
Nonlinear sigma model description of deconfined quantum criticality in arbitrary dimensions

Da-Chuan Lu

SciPost Phys. Core 6, 047 (2023) · published 6 July 2023 | · pdf

In this paper, we propose using the nonlinear sigma model (NLSM) with the Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) term as a general description of deconfined quantum critical points that separate two spontaneously symmetry-breaking (SSB) phases in arbitrary dimensions. In particular, we discuss the suitable choice of the target space of the NLSM, which is in general the homogeneous space G/K, where $G$ is the UV symmetry and $K$ is generated by ${\mathfrak k}={\mathfrak h}_1\cap {\mathfrak h}_2$, and ${\mathfrak h}_i$ is the Lie algebra of the unbroken symmetry in each SSB phase. With this specific target space, the symmetry defects in both SSB phases are on equal footing, and their intertwinement is captured by the WZW term. The DQCP transition is then tuned by proliferating the symmetry defects. By coupling the $G/K$ NLSM with the WZW term to the background gauge field, the 't Hooft anomaly of this theory can be determined. The bulk symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase that cancels the anomaly is described by the relative Chern-Simons term in odd spacetime dimensions or mixed $\theta$ term in even dimensions. We construct and discuss a series of models with Grassmannian symmetry defects in 3+1d. We also provide the fermionic model that reproduces the $G/K$ NLSM with the WZW term.
Few-body reactions investigated with the Trojan Horse Method

Roberta Spartà, Giuseppe G. Rapisarda, Claudio Spitaleri, M. La Cognata, Rosario G. Pizzone, S. Romano, Aurora Tumino

SciPost Phys. Proc. 3, 033 (2020) · published 26 February 2020 | · pdf

The Trojan Horse Method is an indirect method to measure reaction cross sections at energies of interest for nuclear astrophysics, exploiting the nuclei clustering properties. Here it is presented with its general features and detailed for the case of the 2H(d,p)3H and 2H(d,n)3He measurements, where interesting results for astrophysics and energy fusion power plants have been obtained.
Properties of non-relativistic string theory

E.A. Bergshoeff, J. Lahnsteiner, L. Romano, C. Simsek

SciPost Phys. Proc. 4, 001 (2021) · published 13 August 2021 | · pdf

We show how Newton-Cartan geometry can be generalized to String Newton-Cartan geometry which is the geometry underlying non-relativistic string theory. Several salient properties of non-relativistic string theory in this geometric background are presented and a discussion of possible research for the future is outlined.
Exotic structures in exotic nuclei

F. Miguel Marqués

SciPost Phys. Proc. 3, 001 (2020) · published 24 February 2020 | · pdf

Nuclei with proton and neutron numbers away from stability are known as exotic, and provide stringent tests of nuclear models, mainly developed for the description of stable nuclei. However, only the most extreme combinations lead to literally exotic structures, with sometimes unexpected properties. In this contribution we review some selected examples around the neutron dripline of very light elements: neutron halo structures with embedded substructures in the boron chain; the emission of neutron pairs in $^{16}$Be; and the existence of multi-neutron resonances in `superheavy' hydrogen isotopes.
Measuring the light meson nuclear modification factor in p-Pb collisions over an unprecedented $p_{\text{T}}$ range with ALICE

Joshua König

SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 048 (2022) · published 12 July 2022 | · pdf

Differential invariant cross sections of light neutral mesons in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 8.16 TeV and in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV have been measured up to very high transverse momentum ($p_{\text{T}}$). By combining independent reconstruction techniques available in ALICE using the EMCal and PHOS calorimeters as well as the central barrel tracking detectors, the combined spectra cover almost two orders of magnitude in $p_{\rm T}$ for the $\pi^{0}$ meson. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\text{pPb}}$ has been measured for the $\pi^{0}$ and $\eta$ mesons and is found to be consistent with NLO pQCD, CGC and energy loss calculations. Comparisons to the $R_{\text{pPb}}$ of $\pi^{0}$ measured in $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV hint at a stronger suppression at low $p_{\rm T}$ with increasing collision energy.
Anomalous coupling studies with intact protons at the LHC

Cristophe Royon

SciPost Phys. Proc. 15, 029 (2024) · published 3 April 2024 | · pdf

We describe the reaches on quartic $\gamma \gamma \gamma \gamma$, $\gamma \gamma WW$, $\gamma \gamma ZZ$, $\gamma \gamma \gamma Z$, $\gamma \gamma t \bar{t}$ anomalous couplings at the LHC using intact protons in the final state measured in AFP in ATLAS or PPS in CMS-TOTEM.
Discounted Mean-Field Game model of a dense static crowd with variable information crossed by an intruder

Matteo Butano, Cécile Appert-Rolland, Denis Ullmo

SciPost Phys. 16, 104 (2024) · published 12 April 2024 | · pdf

It was demonstrated in [Bonnemain et al., Phys. Rev. E 107, 024612 (2023)] that the anticipation pattern displayed by a dense crowd crossed by an intruder can be successfully described by a minimal Mean-Field Games model. However, experiments show that changes in the pedestrian knowledge significantly modify the dynamics of the crowd. Here, we show that the addition of a single parameter, the discount factor $\gamma$, which gives a lower weight to events distant in time, is sufficient to observe the whole variety of behaviors observed in the experiments. We present a comparison between the discounted MFG and the experimental data, also providing new analytic results and insight about how the introduction of $\gamma$ modifies the model.
Transitions in Xenes between excitonic, topological and trivial insulator phases: Influence of screening, band dispersion and external electric field

Olivia Pulci, Paola Gori, Davide Grassano, Marco D'Alessandro, Friedhelm Bechstedt

SciPost Phys. 15, 025 (2023) · published 24 July 2023 | · pdf

Using a variational approach, the binding energies $E_b$ of the lowest bound excitons in Xenes under varying electric field are investigated. The internal exciton motion is described both by Dirac electron dispersion and in effective-mass approximation, while the screened electron-hole attraction is modeled by a Rytova-Keldysh potential with a 2D electronic polarizability $\alpha_{2D}$. The most important parameters as spin-orbit-induced gap $E_g$, Fermi velocity $v_F$ and $\alpha_{2D}$ are taken from ab initio density functional theory calculations. In addition, $\alpha_{2D}$ is approximated in two different ways. The relation of $E_b$ and $E_g$ is ruled by the screening. The existence of an excitonic insulator phase with $E_b>E_g$ sensitively depends on the chosen $\alpha_{2D}$. The values of $E_g$ and $\alpha_{2D}$ are strongly modified by a vertical external electric bias $U$, which defines a transition from the topological into a trivial insulator at $U=E_g/2$, with the exception of plumbene. Within the Dirac approximation, but also within the effective mass description of the kinetic energy, the treatment of screening dominates the appearance or non-appearance of an excitonic insulator phase. Gating does not change the results: the prediction done at zero electric field is confirmed when a vertical electric field is applied. Finally, Many-Body perturbation theory approaches based on the Green's function method, applied to stanene, confirm the absence of an excitonic insulator phase, thus validating our results obtained by ab initio modeling of $\alpha_{2D}$.

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