arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A. Leviatan.
We study the classical dynamics in a generic first-order quantum phase transition between the U(5) and SU(3) limits of the interacting boson model. The dynamics is chaotic, of Hénon-Heiles type, in the spherical phase and is regular, yet sensitive to local degeneracies, in the deformed phase. Both types of dynamics persist in the coexistence region resulting in a divided phase space.
We study the evolution of the dynamics across a generic first order quantum phase transition in an interacting boson model of nuclei. The dynamics inside the phase coexistence region exhibits a very simple pattern. A classical analysis reveals a robustly regular dynamics confined to the deformed region and well separated from a chaotic dynamics ascribed to the spherical region. A quantum analysis discloses regular bands of states in the deformed region, which persist to energies well above the phase-separating barrier, in the face of a complicated environment. The impact of kinetic collective rotational terms on this intricate interplay of order and chaos is investigated.
We discuss the the notion of a partial dynamical symmetry (PDS), for which a prescribed symmetry is obeyed by only a subset of solvable eigenstates, while other eigenstates are strongly mixed. We present an explicit construction of Hamiltonians with this property, including higher-order terms, and portray their significance for spectroscopy and shape-phase transitions in nuclei. The occurrence of both a single PDS, relevant to stable structures, and of several PDSs, relevant to coexistence phenomena, are considered.
The effect of a fermion with angular momentum j on quantum phase transitions of a (s,d) bosonic system is investigated. It is shown that the presence of a fermion strongly modifies the critical value at which the transition occurs, and its nature, even for small and moderate values of the coupling constant. The analogy with a bosonic system in an external field is mentioned. Experimental evidence for precursors of quantum phase transitions in bosonic systems plus a fermion (odd-even nuclei) is presented.
We study the interplay between regular and chaotic dynamics at the critical point of a generic first-order quantum phase transition in an interacting boson model of nuclei. A classical analysis reveals a distinct behavior of the coexisting phases in a broad energy range. The dynamics is completely regular in the deformed phase and, simultaneously, strongly chaotic in the spherical phase. A quantum analysis of the spectra separates the regular states from the irregular ones, assigns them to particular phases, and discloses persisting regular rotational bands in the deformed region.
Quantum shape-phase transitions in odd-even nuclei are investigated in the framework of the interacting boson-fermion model. Classical and quantum analysis show that the presence of the odd fermion strongly influences the location and nature of the phase transition, especially near the critical point. Experimental evidence for the occurrence of spherical to axially-deformed transitions in odd-proton nuclei Pm, Eu and Tb (Z=61, 63, 65) is presented.
We study the interplay between ordered and chaotic dynamics at the critical point of a generic first-order quantum phase transition in the interacting boson model of nuclei. Classical and quantum analyses reveal a distinct behavior of the coexisting phases. While the dynamics in the deformed phase is robustly regular, the spherical phase shows strongly chaotic behavior in the same energy intervals. The effect of collective rotations on the dynamics is investigated.
Quantum phase transitions in a system of N bosons with angular momentum L=0,2 (s,d) and a single fermion with angular momentum j are investigated both classically and quantum mechanically. It is shown that the presence of the odd fermion strongly influences the location and nature of the phase transition, especially the critical value of the control parameter at which the phase transition occurs. Experimental evidence for the U(5)-SU(3) (spherical to axially-deformed) transition in odd-even nuclei is presented.
This overview focuses on the notion of partial dynamical symmetry (PDS), for which a prescribed symmetry is obeyed by a subset of solvable eigenstates, but is not shared by the Hamiltonian. General algorithms are presented to identify interactions, of a given order, with such intermediate-symmetry structure. Explicit bosonic and fermionic Hamiltonians with PDS are constructed in the framework of models based on spectrum generating algebras. PDSs of various types are shown to be relevant to nuclear spectroscopy, quantum phase transitions and systems with mixed chaotic and regular dynamics.
We discuss a hierarchy of broken symmetries with special emphasis on partial dynamical symmetries (PDS). The latter correspond to a situation in which a non-invariant Hamiltonian accommodates a subset of solvable eigenstates with good symmetry, while other eigenstates are mixed. We present an algorithm for constructing Hamiltonians with this property and demonstrate the relevance of the PDS notion to nuclear spectroscopy, to quantum phase transitions and to mixed systems with coexisting regularity and chaos.
The single-particle spectrum of deformed shell-model states in nuclei, is shown to exhibit a supersymmetric pattern. The latter involves deformed pseudospin doublets and intruder levels. The underlying supersymmetry is associated with the relativistic pseudospin symmetry of the nuclear mean-field Dirac Hamiltonian with scalar and vector potentials.
Partial dynamical symmetry is shown to be relevant for describing the anharmonicity of excited bands in $^{196}$Pt while retaining solvability and good SO(6) symmetry for the ground band.
We consider several classes of symmetries of the Dirac Hamiltonian in 3+1 dimensions, with axially-deformed scalar and vector potentials. The symmetries include the known pseudospin and spin limits and additional symmetries which occur when the potentials depend on different variables. Supersymmetries are observed within each class and the corresponding charges are identified.
A generic procedure is proposed to construct many-body quantum Hamiltonians with partial dynamical symmetry. It is based on a tensor decomposition of the Hamiltonian and allows the construction of a hierarchy of interactions that have selected classes of solvable states. The method is illustrated in the SO(6) limit of the interacting boson model of atomic nuclei and applied to the nucleus $^{196}$Pt.
Classes of relativistic symmetries accommodating supersymmetric patterns are considered for the Dirac Hamiltonian with axially-deformed scalar and vector potentials.
We examine several types of symmetries which are relevant to quantum phase transitions in nuclei. These include: critical-point, quasidynamical, and partial dynamical symmetries.
We show that partial dynamical symmetries (PDS) can occur at critical-points of quantum phase transitions, in which case, underlying competing symmetries are conserved exactly by a subset of states, and mix strongly in other states. Several types of PDS are demonstrated with the example of critical-point Hamiltonians for first- and second-order transitions in the framework of the interacting boson model, whose dynamical symmetries correspond to different shape-phases in nuclei.
Quantum shape-phase transitions in finite nuclei are considered in the framework of the interacting boson model. Critical-point Hamiltonians for first- and second-order transitions are identified by resolving them into intrinsic and collective parts. Suitable wave functions and finite-N estimates for observables at the critical-points are derived.