arXiv subjects

A. Altland

Publications and source records attributed to A. Altland.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Topological dualities via tensor networks

The ground state of the toric code, that of the two-dimensional class D superconductor, and the partition sum of the two-dimensional Ising model are dual to each other. This duality is remarkable inasmuch as it connects systems commonly associated to different areas of physics -- that of long range entangled topological order, (topological) band insulators, and classical statistical mechanics, respectively. Connecting fermionic and bosonic systems, the duality construction is intrinsically non-local, a complication that has been addressed in a plethora of different approaches, including dimensional reduction to one dimension, conformal field theory methods, and operator algebra. In this work, we propose a unified approach to this duality, whose main protagonist is a tensor network (TN) assuming the role of an intermediate translator. Introducing a fourth node into the net of dualities offers several advantages: the formulation is integrative in that all links of the duality are treated on an equal footing, (unlike in field theoretical approaches) it is formulated with lattice precision, a feature that becomes key in the mapping of correlation functions, and their possible numerical implementation. Finally, the passage from bosons to fermions is formulated entirely within the two-dimensional TN framework where it assumes an intuitive and technically convenient form. We illustrate the predictive potential of the formalism by exploring the fate of phase transitions, point and line defects, topological boundary modes, and other structures under the mapping between system classes. Having condensed matter readerships in mind, we introduce the construction pedagogically in a manner assuming only minimal familiarity with the concept of TNs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Dynamics of measured many-body quantum chaotic systems

We consider the dynamics of continuously measured many-body chaotic quantum systems. Focusing on the observable of state purification, we analytically describe the limits of strong and weak measurement rate, where in the latter case monitoring up to time scales exponentially long in the numbers of particles is required. We complement the analysis of the limiting regimes with the construction of an effective replica theory providing information on the stability and the symmetries of the respective phases. The analytical results are tested by comparison to exact numerical simulations for a measured SYK model.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2021

Effective Theory for the Measurement-Induced Phase Transition of Dirac Fermions

A wave function exposed to measurements undergoes pure state dynamics, with deterministic unitary and probabilistic measurement induced state updates, defining a quantum trajectory. For many-particle systems, the competition of these different elements of dynamics can give rise to a scenario similar to quantum phase transitions. To access it despite the randomness of single quantum trajectories, we construct an $n$-replica Keldysh field theory for the ensemble average of the $n$-th moment of the trajectory projector. A key finding is that this field theory decouples into one set of degrees of freedom that heats up indefinitely, while $n-1$ others can be cast into the form of pure state evolutions generated by an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. This decoupling is exact for free theories, and useful for interacting ones. In particular, we study locally measured Dirac fermions in $(1+1)$ dimensions, which can be bosonized to a monitored interacting Luttinger liquid at long wavelengths. For this model, the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian corresponds to a quantum Sine-Gordon model with complex coefficients. A renormalization group analysis reveals a gapless critical phase with logarithmic entanglement entropy growth, and a gapped area law phase, separated by a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. The physical picture emerging here is a pinning of the trajectory wave function into eigenstates of the measurement operators upon increasing the monitoring rate.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Simulating topological tensor networks with Majorana qubits

The realization of topological quantum phases of matter remains a key challenge to condensed matter physics and quantum information science. In this work, we demonstrate that progress in this direction can be made by combining concepts of tensor network theory with Majorana device technology. Considering the topological double semion string-net phase as an example, we exploit the fact that the representation of topological phases by tensor networks can be significantly simpler than their description by lattice Hamiltonians. The building blocks defining the tensor network are tailored to realization via simple units of capacitively coupled Majorana bound states. In the case under consideration, this yields a remarkably simple blueprint of a synthetic double semion string-net, and one may be optimistic that the required device technology will be available soon. Our results indicate that the implementation of tensor network structures via mesoscopic quantum devices opens up a powerful novel avenue toward the realization and quantum simulation of synthetic topological quantum matter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Roadmap to Majorana surface codes

Surface codes offer a very promising avenue towards fault-tolerant quantum computation. We argue that two-dimensional interacting networks of Majorana bound states in topological superconductor/semiconductor heterostructures hold several distinct advantages in that direction, both concerning the hardware realization and the actual operation of the code. We here discuss how topologically protected logical qubits in this Majorana surface code architecture can be defined, initialized, manipulated, and read out. All physical ingredients needed to implement these operations are routinely used in topologically trivial quantum devices. In particular, we show that by means of quantum interference terms in linear conductance measurements, composite single-electron pumping protocols, and gate-tunable tunnel barriers, the full set of quantum gates required for universal quantum computation can be implemented.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Towards realistic implementations of a Majorana surface code

Surface codes have emerged as promising candidates for quantum information processing. Building on the previous idea to realize the physical qubits of such systems in terms of Majorana bound states supported by topological semiconductor nanowires, we show that the basic code operations, namely projective stabilizer measurements and qubit manipulations, can be implemented by conventional tunnel conductance probes and charge pumping via single-electron transistors, respectively. The simplicity of the access scheme suggests that a functional code might be in close experimental reach.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Echo spectroscopy of Anderson localization

We propose a conceptually new framework to study the onset of Anderson localization in disordered systems. The idea is to expose waves propagating in a random scattering environment to a sequence of short dephasing pulses. The system responds through coherence peaks forming at specific echo times, each echo representing a particular process of quantum interference. We suggest a concrete realization for cold gases, where quantum interferences are observed in the momentum distribution of matter waves in a laser speckle potential. This defines a challenging, but arguably realistic framework promising to yield unprecedented insight into the mechanisms of Anderson localization.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Multi-channel Kondo impurity dynamics in a Majorana device

We study the multi-channel Kondo impurity dynamics realized in a mesoscopic superconducting island connected to metallic leads. The effective 'impurity spin' is non-locally realized by Majorana bound states and strongly coupled to lead electrons by non-Fermi liquid correlations. We explore the spin dynamics and its observable ramifications near the low-temperature fixed point. The topological protection of the system raises the perspective to observe multi-channel Kondo impurity dynamics in experimentally realistic environments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Strong Anderson localization in cold atom quantum quenches

Signatures of strong Anderson localization in the momentum distribution of a cold atom cloud after a quantum quench are studied. We consider a quasi one-dimensional cloud initially prepared in a well defined momentum state, and expanding for some time in a disorder speckle potential. Anderson localization leads to a formation of a coherence peak in the \emph{forward} scattering direction (as opposed to the common weak localization backscattering peak). We present a microscopic, and fully time resolved description of the phenomenon, covering the entire diffusion--to--localization crossover. Our results should be observable by present day technology.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Bethe ansatz solution of the topological Kondo model

Conduction electrons coupled to a mesoscopic superconducting island hosting Majorana bound states have been shown to display a topological Kondo effect with robust non-Fermi liquid correlations. With $M$ bound states coupled to $M$ leads, this is an SO($M$) Kondo problem, with the asymptotic high and low energy theories known from bosonization and conformal field theory studies. Here we complement these approaches by analyzing the Bethe ansatz equations describing the exact solution of these models at all energy scales. We apply our findings to obtain nonperturbative results on the thermodynamics of $M\rightarrow M-2$ crossovers induced by tunnel couplings between adjacent Majorana bound states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Transport properties of the Coulomb-Majorana junction

We provide a comprehensive theoretical description of low-energy quantum transport for a Coulomb-Majorana junction, where several helical Luttinger liquid nanowires are coupled to a joint mesoscopic superconductor with finite charging energy. Including the Majorana bound states formed near the ends of superconducting wire parts, we derive and analyze the Keldysh phase action describing nonequilibrium charge transport properties of the junction. The low-energy physics corresponds to a two-channel Kondo model with symmetry group SO(M), where M is the number of leads connected to the superconductor. Transport observables, such as the conductance tensor or current noise correlations, display non-trivial temperature or voltage dependences reflecting non-Fermi liquid behavior.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Semiclassical theory of chaotic quantum resonances

States supported by chaotic open quantum systems fall into two categories: a majority showing instantaneous ballistic decay, and a set of quantum resonances of classically vanishing support in phase space. We present a theory describing these structures within a unified semiclassical framework. Emphasis is put on the quantum diffraction mechanism which introduces an element of probability and is crucial for the formation of resonances. Our main result are boundary conditions on the semiclassical propagation along system trajectories. Depending on whether the trajectory propagation time is shorter or longer than the Ehrenfest time, these conditions describe deterministic escape, or probabilistic quantum decay.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2010

Fluctuation relations and rare realizations of transport observables

Fluctuation relations establish rigorous identities for the nonequilibrium averages of observables. Starting from a general transport master equation with time-dependent rates, we employ the stochastic path integral approach to study statistical fluctuations around such averages. We show how under nonequilibrium conditions, rare realizations of transport observables are crucial and imply massive fluctuations that may completely mask such identities. Quantitative estimates for these fluctuations are provided. We illustrate our results on the paradigmatic example of a mesoscopic RC circuit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2010

Transient fluctuation relations for time-dependent particle transport

We consider particle transport under the influence of time-varying driving forces, where fluctuation relations connect the statistics of pairs of time reversed evolutions of physical observables. In many "mesoscopic" transport processes, the effective many-particle dynamics is dominantly classical, while the microscopic rates governing particle motion are of quantum-mechanical origin. We here employ the stochastic path integral approach as an optimal tool to probe the fluctuation statistics in such applications. Describing the classical limit of the Keldysh quantum nonequilibrium field theory, the stochastic path integral encapsulates the quantum origin of microscopic particle exchange rates. Dynamically, it is equivalent to a transport master equation which is a formalism general enough to describe many applications of practical interest. We apply the stochastic path integral to derive general functional fluctuation relations for current flow induced by time-varying forces. We show that the successive measurement processes implied by this setup do not put the derivation of quantum fluctuation relations in jeopardy. While in many cases the fluctuation relation for a full time-dependent current profile may contain excessive information, we formulate a number of reduced relations, and demonstrate their application to mesoscopic transport. Examples include the distribution of transmitted charge, where we show that the derivation of a fluctuation relation requires the combined monitoring of the statistics of charge and work.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2010

Theory of localization and resonance phenomena in the quantum kicked rotor

We present an analytic theory of quantum interference and Anderson localization in the quantum kicked rotor (QKR). The behavior of the system is known to depend sensitively on the value of its effective Planck's constant $\he$. We here show that for rational values of $\he/(4π)=p/q$, it bears similarity to a disordered metallic ring of circumference $q$ and threaded by an Aharonov-Bohm flux. Building on that correspondence, we obtain quantitative results for the time--dependent behavior of the QKR kinetic energy, $E(\tilde t)$ (this is an observable which sensitively probes the system's localization properties). For values of $q$ smaller than the localization length $ξ$, we obtain scaling $E(\tilde t) \sim Δ\tilde t^2$, where $Δ=2π/q$ is the quasi--energy level spacing on the ring. This scaling is indicative of a long time dynamics that is neither localized nor diffusive. For larger values $q\gg ξ$, the functions $E(\tilde t)\to ξ^2$ saturates (up to exponentially small corrections $\sim\exp(-q/ξ)$), thus reflecting essentially localized behavior.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2008

Non-adiabacity and large flucutations in a many particle Landau Zener problem

We consider the behavior of an interacting many particle system under slow external driving -- a many body generalization of the Landau-Zener paradigm. We find that a conspiracy of interactions and driving leads to physics profoundly different from that of the single particle limit: for practically all values of the driving rate the particle distributions in Hilbert space are very broad, a phenomenon caused by a strong amplification of quantum fluctuations in the driving process. These fluctuations are 'non-adiabatic' in that even at very slow driving it is exceedingly difficult to push the center of the distribution towards the limit of full ground state occupancy. We obtain these results by a number of complementary theoretical approaches, including diagrammatic perturbation theory, semiclassical analysis, and exact diagonalization.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Universal dephasing rate due to diluted Kondo impurities

We calculate the dephasing rate due to magnetic impurities in a weakly disordered metal as measured in a weak localization experiment. If the density n_S of magnetic impurities is sufficiently low, the dephasing rate 1/tau_phi is a universal function, 1/tau_phi = (n_S/nu) f(T/T_K), where T_K is the Kondo temperature and nu the density of states. We show that inelastic vertex corrections with a typical energy transfer Delta E are suppressed by powers of 1/(tau_phi Delta E) proportional to n_S. Therefore the dephasing rate can be calculated from the inelastic cross section proportional to pi nu Im T- |pi nu T|^2, where T is the T-matrix which is evaluated numerically exactly using the numerical renormalization group.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Phonons in Random Elastic Media and the Boson Peak

We show that the density of states of random wave equations, normalized by the square of the frequency, has a peak - sometimes narrow and sometimes broad - in the range of wave vectors between the disorder correlation length and the interatomic spacing. The results of this letter may be relevant for understanding vibrational spectra and light propagation in disordered solids.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗