arXiv subjects

Alessandro Vezzani

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Vezzani.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Phase transition of light on complex quantum networks

Recent advances in quantum optics and atomic physics allow for an unprecedented level of control over light-matter interactions, which can be exploited to investigate new physical phenomena. In this work we are interested in the role played by the topology of quantum networks describing coupled optical cavities and local atomic degrees of freedom. In particular, using a mean-field approximation, we study the phase diagram of the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model on complex networks topologies, and we characterize the transition between a Mott-like phase of localized polaritons and a superfluid phase. We found that, for complex topologies, the phase diagram is non-trivial and well defined in the thermodynamic limit only if the hopping coefficient scales like the inverse of the maximal eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of the network. Furthermore we provide numerical evidences that, for some complex network topologies, this scaling implies an asymptotically vanishing hopping coefficient in the limit of large network sizes. The latter result suggests the interesting possibility of observing quantum phase transitions of light on complex quantum networks even with very small couplings between the optical cavities.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard Model on Complex Networks

Critical phenomena can show unusual phase diagrams when defined in complex network topologies. The case of classical phase transitions such as the classical Ising model and the percolation transition has been studied extensively in the last decade. Here we show that the phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard model, an exclusively quantum mechanical phase transition, also changes significantly when defined on random scale-free networks. We present a mean-field calculation of the model in annealed networks and we show that when the second moment of the average degree diverges the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit. Moreover we study the model on quenched networks and we show that the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit as long as the maximal eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix diverges. Finally we study the phase diagram of the model on Apollonian scale-free networks that can be embedded in 2 dimensions showing the extension of the results also to this case.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2011

Slow relaxation in microcanonical warming of a Ising lattice

We study the warming process of a semi-infinite cylindrical Ising lattice initially ordered and coupled at the boundary to a heat reservoir. The adoption of a proper microcanonical dynamics allows a detailed study of the time evolution of the system. As expected, thermal propagation displays a diffusive character and the spatial correlations decay exponentially in the direction orthogonal to the heat flow. However, we show that the approach to equilibrium presents an unexpected slow behavior. In particular, when the thermostat is at infinite temperature, correlations decay to their asymptotic values by a power law. This can be rephrased in terms of a correlation length vanishing logarithmically with time. At finite temperature, the approach to equilibrium is also a power law, but the exponents depend on the temperature in a non-trivial way. This complex behavior could be explained in terms of two dynamical regimes characterizing finite and infinite temperatures, respectively. When finite sizes are considered, we evidence the emergence of a much more rapid equilibration, and this confirms that the microcanonical dynamics can be successfully applied on finite structures. Indeed, the slowness exhibited by correlations in approaching the asymptotic values are expected to be related to the presence of an unsteady heat flow in an infinite system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Dipolar bosons on an optical lattice ring

We consider an ultra-small system of polarized bosons on an optical lattice with a ring topology interacting via long range dipole-dipole interactions. Dipoles polarized perpendicular to the plane of the ring reveal sharp transitions between different density wave phases. As the strength of the dipolar interactions is varied the behavior of the transitions is first-order like. For dipoles polarized in the plane of the ring the transitions between possible phases show pronounced sensitivity to the lattice depth. The abundance of possible configurations may be useful for quantum information applications.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Dynamical bifurcation as a semiclassical counterpart of a quantum phase transition

We illustrate how dynamical transitions in nonlinear semiclassical models can be recognized as phase transitions in the corresponding -- inherently linear -- quantum model, where, in a Statistical Mechanics framework, the thermodynamic limit is realized by letting the particle population go to infinity at fixed size. We focus on lattice bosons described by the Bose-Hubbard (BH) model and Discrete Self-Trapping (DST) equations at the quantum and semiclassical level, respectively. After showing that the gaussianity of the quantum ground states is broken at the phase transition, we evaluate finite populations effects introducing a suitable scaling hypothesis; we work out the exact value of the critical exponents and we provide numerical evidences confirming our hypothesis. Our analytical results rely on a general scheme obtained from a large-population expansion of the eigenvalue equation of the BH model. In this approach the DST equations resurface as solutions of the zeroth-order problem.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Transport and Scaling in Quenched 2D and 3D Lévy Quasicrystals

We consider correlated Lévy walks on a class of two- and three-dimensional deterministic self-similar structures, with correlation between steps induced by the geometrical distribution of regions, featuring different diffusion properties. We introduce a geometric parameter $α$, playing a role analogous to the exponent characterizing the step-length distribution in random systems. By a {\it single-long jump} approximation, we analytically determine the long-time asymptotic behavior of the moments of the probability distribution, as a function of $α$ and of the dynamic exponent $z$ associated to the scaling length of the process. We show that our scaling analysis also applies to experimentally relevant quantities such as escape-time and transmission probabilities. Extensive numerical simulations corroborate our results which, in general, are different from those pertaining to uncorrelated Lévy-walks models.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2010

Microscopic energy flows in disordered Ising spin systems

An efficient microcanonical dynamics has been recently introduced for Ising spin models embedded in a generic connected graph even in the presence of disorder i.e. with the spin couplings chosen from a random distribution. Such a dynamics allows a coherent definition of local temperatures also when open boundaries are coupled to thermostats, imposing an energy flow. Within this framework, here we introduce a consistent definition for local energy currents and we study their dependence on the disorder. In the linear response regime, when the global gradient between thermostats is small, we also define local conductivities following a Fourier dicretized picture. Then, we work out a linearized "mean-field approximation", where local conductivities are supposed to depend on local couplings and temperatures only. We compare the approximated currents with the exact results of the nonlinear system, showing the reliability range of the mean-field approach, which proves very good at high temperatures and not so efficient in the critical region. In the numerical studies we focus on the disordered cylinder but our results could be extended to an arbitrary, disordered spin model on a generic discrete structures.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Energy Transport in an Ising Disordered Model

We introduce a new microcanonical dynamics for a large class of Ising systems isolated or maintained out of equilibrium by contact with thermostats at different temperatures. Such a dynamics is very general and can be used in a wide range of situations, including disordered and topologically inhomogenous systems. Focusing on the two-dimensional ferromagnetic case, we show that the equilibrium temperature is naturally defined, and it can be consistently extended as a local temperature when far from equilibrium. This holds for homogeneous as well as for disordered systems. In particular, we will consider a system characterized by ferromagnetic random couplings $J_{ij} \in [ 1 - ε, 1 + ε]$. We show that the dynamics relaxes to steady states, and that heat transport can be described on the average by means of a Fourier equation. The presence of disorder reduces the conductivity, the effect being especially appreciable for low temperatures. We finally discuss a possible singular behaviour arising for small disorder, i.e. in the limit $ε\to 0$.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Suppression of friction by mechanical vibrations

Mechanical vibrations are known to affect frictional sliding and the associated stick-slip patterns causing sometimes a drastic reduction of the friction force. This issue is relevant for applications in nanotribology and to understand earthquake triggering by small dynamic perturbations . We study the dynamics of repulsive particles confined between a horizontally driven top plate and a vertically oscillating bottom plate. Our numerical results show a suppression of the high dissipative stick-slip regime in a well defined range of frequencies that depends on the vibrating amplitude, the normal applied load, the system inertia and the damping constant. We propose a theoretical explanation of the numerical results and derive a phase diagram indicating the region of parameter space where friction is suppressed. Our results allow to define better strategies for the mechanical control of friction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Mean-field description of ultracold Bosons on disordered two-dimensional optical lattices

In the present paper we describe the properties induced by disorder on an ultracold gas of Bosonic atoms loaded into a two-dimensional optical lattice with global confinement ensured by a parabolic potential. Our analysis is centered on the spatial distribution of the various phases, focusing particularly on the superfluid properties of the system as a function of external parameters and disorder amplitude. In particular, it is shown how disorder can suppress superfluidity, while partially preserving the system coherence.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2007

On a class of rational matrices and interpolating polynomials related to the discrete Laplace operator

Let $\dlap$ be the discrete Laplace operator acting on functions (or rational matrices) $f:\mathbf{Q}_L\to\mathbb{Q}$, where $\mathbf{Q}_L$ is the two dimensional lattice of size $L$ embedded in $\mathbb{Z}_2$. Consider a rational $L\times L$ matrix $\mathcal{H}$, whose inner entries $\mathcal{H}_{ij}$ satisfy $\dlap\mathcal{H}_{ij}=0$. The matrix $\mathcal{H}$ is thus the classical finite difference five-points approximation of the Laplace operator in two variables. We give a constructive proof that $\mathcal{H}$ is the restriction to $\mathbf{Q}_L$ of a discrete harmonic polynomial in two variables for any $L>2$. This result proves a conjecture formulated in the context of deterministic fixed-energy sandpile models in statistical mechanics.

math-ph↗

arXiv2007

Ground-State Fidelity and Bipartite Entanglement in the Bose-Hubbard Model

We analyze the quantum phase transition in the Bose-Hubbard model borrowing two tools from quantum-information theory, i.e. the ground-state fidelity and entanglement measures. We consider systems at unitary filling comprising up to 50 sites and show for the first time that a finite-size scaling analysis of these quantities provides excellent estimates for the quantum critical point.We conclude that fidelity is particularly suited for revealing a quantum phase transition and pinning down the critical point thereof, while the success of entanglement measures depends on the mechanisms governing the transition.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Dynamical Invariants in the Deterministic Fixed-Energy Sandpile

The non-ergodic behavior of the deterministic Fixed Energy Sandpile (DFES), with Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld (BTW) rule, is explained by the complete characterization of a class of dynamical invariants (or toppling invariants). The link between such constants of motion and the discrete Laplacian's properties on graphs is algebraically and numerically clarified. In particular, it is possible to build up an explicit algorithm determining the complete set of independent toppling invariants. The partition of the configuration space into dynamically invariant sets, and the further refinement of such a partition into basins of attraction for orbits, are also studied. The total number of invariant sets equals the graph's complexity. In the case of two dimensional lattices, it is possible to estimate a very regular exponential growth of this number vs. the size. Looking at other features, the toppling invariants exhibit a highly irregular behavior. The usual constraint on the energy positiveness introduces a transition in the frozen phase. In correspondence to this transition, a dynamical crossover related to the halting times is observed. The analysis of the configuration space shows that the DFES has a different structure with respect to dissipative BTW and stochastic sandpiles models, supporting the conjecture that it lies in a distinct class of universality.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Attractive ultracold bosons in a necklace optical potential

We study the ground state properties of the Bose-Hubbard model with attractive interactions on a M-site one-dimensional periodic -- necklace-like -- lattice, whose experimental realization in terms of ultracold atoms is promised by a recently proposed optical trapping scheme, as well as by the control over the atomic interactions and tunneling amplitudes granted by well-established optical techniques. We compare the properties of the quantum model to a semiclassical picture based on a number-conserving su(M) coherent state, which results into a set of modified discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equations. We show that, owing to the presence of a correction factor ensuing from number conservation, the ground-state solution to these equations provides a remarkably satisfactory description of its quantum counterpart not only -- as expected -- in the weak-interaction, superfluid regime, but even in the deeply quantum regime of large interactions and possibly small populations. In particular, we show that in this regime, the delocalized, Schroedinger-cat-like quantum ground state can be seen as a coherent quantum superposition of the localized, symmetry-breaking ground-state of the variational approach. We also show that, depending on the hopping to interaction ratio, three regimes can be recognized both in the semiclassical and quantum picture of the system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Cell strong coupling perturbative approach to the phase diagram of ultracold bosons in optical superlattices

The phase diagram of ultracold bosons in realistic optical superlattices is addressed via second-order {\it cell} strong coupling perturbative expansions for the Bose-Hubbard model describing the system. Taking advantage of the cell partition inherent in the complex periodic modulation of a superlattice, this technique allows for the description of the unusual loophole-shaped insulator domains that may occur in the phase diagram of the system, unlike the standard perturbative approach. Furthermore, comparisons with quantum Monte Carlo simulations show that our approach provides quantitatively satisfactory results at a significantly lower computational cost than brute force numerical methods. We explicitly consider the phase diagrams for two realistic 3-periodic optical superlattices. These show that many insulator domains exhibit an unusual reentrant character, which we discuss, and suggest that the quantum phase transition relevant to the loophole-shaped insulating domains does not require extreme experimental condition in order to be observed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Fractional-filling Mott domains in two dimensional optical superlattices

Ultracold bosons in optical superlattices are expected to exhibit fractional-filling insulating phases for sufficiently large repulsive interactions. On strictly 1D systems, the exact mapping between hard-core bosons and free spinless fermions shows that any periodic modulation in the lattice parameters causes the presence of fractional-filling insulator domains. Here, we focus on two recently proposed realistic 2D structures where such mapping does not hold, i.e. the two-leg ladder and the trimerized kagome' lattice. Based on a cell strong-coupling perturbation technique, we provide quantitatively satisfactory phase diagrams for these structures, and give estimates for the occurrence of the fractional-filling insulator domains in terms of the inter-cell/intra-cell hopping amplitude ratio.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Topology, Hidden Spectra and Bose Einstein Condensation on low dimensional complex networks

Topological inhomogeneity gives rise to spectral anomalies that can induce Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in low dimensional systems. These anomalies consist in energy regions composed of an infinite number of states with vanishing weight in the thermodynamic limit (hidden states). Here we present a rigorous result giving the most general conditions for BEC on complex networks. We prove that the presence of hidden states in the lowest region of the spectrum is the necessary and sufficient condition for condensation in low dimension (spectral dimension $\bar{d}\leq 2$), while it is shown that BEC always occurs for $\bar{d}>2$.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Percolation on the average and spontaneous magnetization for q-states Potts model on graph

We prove that the q-states Potts model on graph is spontaneously magnetized at finite temperature if and only if the graph presents percolation on the average. Percolation on the average is a combinatorial problem defined by averaging over all the sites of the graph the probability of belonging to a cluster of a given size. In the paper we obtain an inequality between this average probability and the average magnetization, which is a typical extensive function describing the thermodynamic behaviour of the model.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗