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A. Polkovnikov

Publications and source records attributed to A. Polkovnikov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

On non-coercive mixed problems for parameter-dependent elliptic operators

We consider a (generally, non-coercive) mixed boundary value problem in a bounded domain $D$ of ${\mathbb R}^n$ for a second order parameter-dependent elliptic differential operator $A (x,\partial, λ)$ with complex-valued essentially bounded measured coefficients and complex parameter $λ$. The differential operator is assumed to be of divergent form in $D$, the boundary operator $B (x,\partial)$ is of Robin type with possible pseudo-differential components on $\partial D$. The boundary of $D$ is assumed to be a Lipschitz surface. Under these assumptions the pair $(A (x,\partial, λ),B)$ induces a holomorphic family of Fredholm operators $L(λ): H^+(D) \to H^- (D)$ in suitable Hilbert spaces $H^+(D)$ , $H^- (D)$ of Sobolev type. If the argument of the complex-valued multiplier of the parame\-ter in $A (x,\partial, λ)$ is continuous and the coefficients related to second order derivatives of the operator are smooth then we prove that the operators $L(λ)$ are conti\-nu\-ously invertible for all $λ$ with sufficiently large modulus $|λ|$ on each ray on the complex plane $\mathbb C$ where the differential operator $A (x,\partial, λ)$ is parameter-dependent elliptic. We also describe reasonable conditions for the system of root functions related to the family $L (λ)$ to be (doubly) complete in the spaces $H^+(D)$, $H^- (D)$ and the Lebesgue space $L^2 (D)$.

math.AP

Ergodic dynamics and thermalization in an isolated quantum system

Statistical mechanics is founded on the assumption that all accessible configurations of a system are equally likely. This requires dynamics that explore all states over time, known as ergodic dynamics. In isolated quantum systems, however, the occurrence of ergodic behavior has remained an outstanding question. Here, we demonstrate ergodic dynamics in a small quantum system consisting of only three superconducting qubits. The qubits undergo a sequence of rotations and interactions and we measure the evolution of the density matrix. Maps of the entanglement entropy show that the full system can act like a reservoir for individual qubits, increasing their entropy through entanglement. Surprisingly, these maps bear a strong resemblance to the phase space dynamics in the classical limit; classically chaotic motion coincides with higher entanglement entropy. We further show that in regions of high entropy the full multi-qubit system undergoes ergodic dynamics. Our work illustrates how controllable quantum systems can investigate fundamental questions in non-equilibrium thermodynamics.

quant-ph

Universal dynamic scaling in three-dimensional Ising spin glasses

We use a non-equilibrium simulation method to study the spin glass transition in three-dimensional Ising spin glasses. The transition point is repeatedly approached at finite velocity $v$ (temperature change versus time) in Monte Carlo simulations starting at a high temperature. The normally problematic critical slowing-down is not hampering this kind of approach, since the system equilibrates quickly at the initial temperature and the slowing-down is merely reflected in the dynamic scaling of the non-equilibrium order parameter with $v$ and the system size. The equilibrium limit does not have to be reached. For the dynamic exponent we obtain $z = 5.85(9)$ for bimodal couplings distribution and $z=6.00(10)$ for the Gaussian case, thus supporting universal dynamic scaling (in contrast to recent claims of non-universal behavior).

cond-mat.dis-nn

Observation of topological transitions in interacting quantum circuits

The discovery of topological phases in condensed matter systems has changed the modern conception of phases of matter. The global nature of topological ordering makes these phases robust and hence promising for applications. However, the non-locality of this ordering makes direct experimental studies an outstanding challenge, even in the simplest model topological systems, and interactions among the constituent particles adds to this challenge. Here we demonstrate a novel dynamical method to explore topological phases in both interacting and non-interacting systems, by employing the exquisite control afforded by state-of-the-art superconducting quantum circuits. We utilize this method to experimentally explore the well-known Haldane model of topological phase transitions by directly measuring the topological invariants of the system. We construct the topological phase diagram of this model and visualize the microscopic evolution of states across the phase transition, tasks whose experimental realizations have remained elusive. Furthermore, we developed a new qubit architecture that allows simultaneous control over every term in a two-qubit Hamiltonian, with which we extend our studies to an interacting Hamiltonian and discover the emergence of an interaction-induced topological phase. Our implementation, involving the measurement of both global and local textures of quantum systems, is close to the original idea of quantum simulation as envisioned by R. Feynman, where a controllable quantum system is used to investigate otherwise inaccessible quantum phenomena. This approach demonstrates the potential of superconducting qubits for quantum simulation and establishes a powerful platform for the study of topological phases in quantum systems.

quant-ph

Microscopic theory of non-adiabatic response in real and imaginary time

We present a general approach to describe slowly driven quantum systems both in real and imaginary time. We highlight many similarities, qualitative and quantitative, between real and imaginary time evolution. We discuss how the metric tensor and the Berry curvature can be extracted from both real and imaginary time simulations as a response of physical observables. For quenches ending at or near the quantum critical point, we show the utility of the scaling theory for detecting the location of the quantum critical point by comparing sweeps at different velocities. We briefly discuss the universal relaxation to equilibrium of systems after a quench. We finally review recent developments of quantum Monte Carlo methods for studying imaginary-time evolution. We illustrate our findings with explicit calculations using the transverse field Ising model in one dimension.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Universal nonequilibrium quantum dynamics in imaginary time

We propose a method to study dynamical response of a quantum system by evolving it with an imaginary-time dependent Hamiltonian. The leading non-adiabatic response of the system driven to a quantum-critical point is universal and characterized by the same exponents in real and imaginary time. For a linear quench protocol, the fidelity susceptibility and the geometric tensor naturally emerge in the response functions. Beyond linear response, we extend the finite-size scaling theory of quantum phase transitions to non-equilibrium setups. This allows, e.g., for studies of quantum phase transitions in systems of fixed finite size by monitoring expectation values as a function of the quench velocity. Non-equilibrium imaginary-time dynamics is also amenable to quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations, with a scheme that we introduce here and apply to quenches of the transverse-field Ising model to quantum-critical points in one and two dimensions. The QMC method is generic and can be applied to a wide range of models and non-equilibrium setups.

cond-mat.other

Dynamical Quantum Hall Effect in the Parameter Space

Geometric phases in quantum mechanics play an extraordinary role in broadening our understanding of fundamental significance of geometry in nature. One of the best known examples is the Berry phase (M.V. Berry (1984), Proc. Royal. Soc. London A, 392:45) which naturally emerges in quantum adiabatic evolution. So far the applicability and measurements of the Berry phase were mostly limited to systems of weakly interacting quasi-particles, where interference experiments are feasible. Here we show how one can go beyond this limitation and observe the Berry curvature and hence the Berry phase in generic systems as a non-adiabatic response of physical observables to the rate of change of an external parameter. These results can be interpreted as a dynamical quantum Hall effect in a parameter space. The conventional quantum Hall effect is a particular example of the general relation if one views the electric field as a rate of change of the vector potential. We illustrate our findings by analyzing the response of interacting spin chains to a rotating magnetic field. We observe the quantization of this response, which term the rotational quantum Hall effect.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Dynamic Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in 2D Bose mixtures of ultra-cold atoms

We propose a realistic experiment to demonstrate a dynamic Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in ultra-cold atomic gases in two dimensions. With a numerical implementation of the Truncated Wigner Approximation we simulate the time evolution of several correlation functions, which can be measured via matter wave interference. We demonstrate that the relaxational dynamics is well-described by a real-time renormalization group approach, and argue that these experiments can guide the development of a theoretical framework for the understanding of critical dynamics.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Quench dynamics near a quantum critical point: application to the sine-Gordon model

We discuss the quench dynamics near a quantum critical point focusing on the sine-Gordon model as a primary example. We suggest a unified approach to sudden and slow quenches, where the tuning parameter $λ(t)$ changes in time as $λ(t)\sim \upsilon t^r$, based on the adiabatic expansion of the excitation probability in powers of $\upsilon$. We show that the universal scaling of the excitation probability can be understood through the singularity of the generalized adiabatic susceptibility $χ_{2r+2}(λ)$, which for sudden quenches ($r=0$) reduces to the fidelity susceptibility. In turn this class of susceptibilities is expressed through the moments of the connected correlation function of the quench operator. We analyze the excitations created after a sudden quench of the cosine potential using a combined approach of form-factors expansion and conformal perturbation theory for the low-energy and high-energy sector respectively. We find the general scaling laws for the probability of exciting the system, the density of excited quasiparticles, the entropy and the heat generated after the quench. In the two limits where the sine-Gordon model maps to hard core bosons and free massive fermions we provide the exact solutions for the quench dynamics and discuss the finite temperature generalizations.

cond-mat.other

Light cone dynamics and reverse Kibble-Zurek mechanism in two-dimensional superfluids following a quantum quench

We study the dynamics of the relative phase of a bilayer of two-dimensional superfluids after the two superfluids have been decoupled. We find that on short time scales the relative phase shows "light cone" like dynamics and creates a metastable superfluid state, which can be supercritical. We also demonstrate similar light cone dynamics for the transverse field Ising model. On longer time scales the supercritical state relaxes to a disordered state due to dynamical vortex unbinding. This scenario of dynamically suppressed vortex proliferation constitutes a reverse-Kibble-Zurek effect. We study this effect both numerically using truncated Wigner approximation and analytically within a newly suggested time dependent renormalization group approach (RG). In particular, within RG we show that there are two possible fixed points for the real time evolution corresponding to the superfluid and normal steady states. So depending on the initial conditions and the microscopic parameters of the Hamiltonian the system undergoes a non-equilibrium phase transition of the Kosterlitz-Thouless type. The time scales for the vortex unbinding near the critical point are exponentially divergent, similar to the equilibrium case.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Quench dynamics near a quantum critical point

We study the dynamical response of a system to a sudden change of the tuning parameter $λ$ starting (or ending) at the quantum critical point. In particular we analyze the scaling of the excitation probability, number of excited quasiparticles, heat and entropy with the quench amplitude and the system size. We extend the analysis to quenches with arbitrary power law dependence on time of the tuning parameter, showing a close connection between the scaling behavior of these quantities with the singularities of the adiabatic susceptibilities of order $m$ at the quantum critical point, where $m$ is related to the power of the quench. Precisely for sudden quenches the relevant susceptibility of the second order coincides with the fidelity susceptibility. We discuss the generalization of the scaling laws to the finite temperature quenches and show that the statistics of the low-energy excitations becomes important. We illustrate the relevance of those results for cold atoms experiments.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Adiabatic perturbation theory: from Landau-Zener problem to quenching through a quantum critical point

We discuss the application of the adiabatic perturbation theory to analyze the dynamics in various systems in the limit of slow parametric changes of the Hamiltonian. We first consider a two-level system and give an elementary derivation of the asymptotics of the transition probability when the tuning parameter slowly changes in the finite range. Then we apply this perturbation theory to many-particle systems with low energy spectrum characterized by quasiparticle excitations. Within this approach we derive the scaling of various quantities such as the density of generated defects, entropy and energy. We discuss the applications of this approach to a specific situation where the system crosses a quantum critical point. We also show the connection between adiabatic and sudden quenches near a quantum phase transitions and discuss the effects of quasiparticle statistics on slow and sudden quenches at finite temperatures.

cond-mat.stat-mech

A supercritical superfluid and vortex unbinding following a quantum quench

We study the dynamics of the relative phase of a bilayer of two-dimensional superfluids after the two superfluids have been decoupled, using truncated Wigner approximation. On short time scales the relative phase shows "light cone" like thermalization and creates a metastable superfluid state, which can be supercritical. On longer time scales this state relaxes to a disordered state due to dynamical vortex unbinding. This scenario of dynamically suppressed vortex proliferation constitutes a {\it reverse-Kibble-Zurek effect}. We observe dynamics of creation of vortex anti-vortex pairs and their consequent motion. Our predictions can be directly measured in interference experiments, see Ref 1.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Commuting Heisenberg operators as the quantum response problem: Time-normal averages in the truncated Wigner representation

The applicability of the so-called truncated Wigner approximation (-W) is extended to multitime averages of Heisenberg field operators. This task splits naturally in two. Firstly, what class of multitime averages the -W approximates, and, secondly, how to proceed if the average in question does not belong to this class. To answer the first question we develop an (in principle, exact) path-integral approach in phase-space based on the symmetric (Weyl) ordering of creation and annihilation operators. These techniques calculate a new class of averages which we call time-symmetric. The -W equations emerge as an approximation within this path-integral techniques. We then show that the answer to the second question is associated with response properties of the system. In fact, for two-time averages Kubo's renowned formula relating the linear response function to two-time commutators suffices. The -W is trivially generalised to the response properties of the system allowing one to calculate approximate time-normally ordered two-time correlation functions with surprising ease. The techniques we develop are demonstrated for the Bose-Hubbard model.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Adiabatic nonlinear probes of one-dimensional Bose gases

We discuss two complementary problems: adiabatic loading of one-dimensional bosons into an optical lattice and merging two one-dimensional Bose systems. Both problems can be mapped to the sine-Gordon model. This mapping allows us to find power-law scalings for the number of excitations with the ramping rate in the regime where the conventional linear response approach fails. We show that the exponent of this power law is sensitive to the interaction strength. In particular, the response is larger, or less adiabatic, for strongly (weakly) interacting bosons for the loading (merging) problem. Our results illustrate that in general the nonlinear response to slow relevant perturbations can be a powerful tool for characterizing properties of interacting systems.

cond-mat.other

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

Interferometric probe of paired states

We propose a new method for detecting paired states in either bosonic or fermionic systems using interference experiments with independent or weakly coupled low dimensional systems. We demonstrate that our method can be used to detect both the FFLO and the d-wave paired states of fermions, as well as quasicondensates of singlet pairs for polar F=1 atoms in two dimensional systems. We discuss how this method can be used to perform phase-sensitive determination of the symmetry of the pairing amplitude.

cond-mat.other

Breakdown of the adiabatic limit in low dimensional gapless systems

It is generally believed that a generic system can be reversibly transformed from one state into another by sufficiently slow change of parameters. A standard argument favoring this assertion is based on a possibility to expand the energy or the entropy of the system into the Taylor series in the ramp speed. Here we show that this argumentation is only valid in high enough dimensions and can break down in low-dimensional gapless systems. We identify three generic regimes of a system response to a slow ramp: (A) mean-field, (B) non-analytic, and (C) non-adiabatic. In the last regime the limits of the ramp speed going to zero and the system size going to infinity do not commute and the adiabatic process does not exist in the thermodynamic limit. We support our results by numerical simulations. Our findings can be relevant to condensed-matter, atomic physics, quantum computing, quantum optics, cosmology and others.

cond-mat.stat-mech