arXiv subjects

Andrew G. Green

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew G. Green.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The Lyapunov Spectrum of Quantum Thermalisation

The eigenstate thermalisation hypothesis resolves the paradox of emergent thermal or classical behaviour in a closed quantum system by focussing upon local observations. This permits the remainder of the system to act as a bath, thermalisation arising due to a process of de-phasing that gradually reveals the thermal nature of local observables measured in an eigenstate. This is very different from thermalisation in closed classical systems, which is driven by dynamical chaos. We show how quantum thermalisation in closed systems can be recast in a way that is directly related to classical thermalisation. Local observables can be accurately captured by projecting states onto a suitable variational manifold. Evolving on this manifold using the time-dependent variational principle projects the quantum dynamics onto a (semi-)classical Hamiltonian dynamics. Thermalisation in this setting is driven by dynamical chaos. We carry out this procedure for an infinite spin chain in two ways --- using the matrix product state ansatz for the wavefunction and for the thermofield double purification of the density matrix --- and extract the full Lyapunov spectrum of the resulting chaotic dynamics. This provides an alternative perspective upon eigenstate thermalisation, pre-thermalisation and integrability.

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arXiv2017

Quantum Order-by-Disorder in Strongly Correlated Metals

Entropic forces in classical many-body systems, e.g. colloidal suspensions, can lead to the formation of new phases. Quantum fluctuations can have similar effects: spin fluctuations drive the superfluidity of Helium-3 and a similar mechanism operating in metals can give rise to superconductivity. It is conventional to discuss the latter in terms of the forces induced by the quantum fluctuations. However, focusing directly upon the free energy provides a useful alternative perspective in the classical case and can also be applied to study quantum fluctuations. Villain first developed this approach for insulating magnets and coined the term order-by-disorder to describe the observed effect. We discuss the application of this idea to metallic systems, recent progress made in doing so, and the broader prospects for the future.

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arXiv2016

Pfaffian-like ground states for bosonic atoms and molecules in one-dimensional optical lattices

We study ground states and elementary excitations of a system of bosonic atoms and diatomic Feshbach molecules trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice using exact diagonalization and variational Monte Carlo methods. We primarily study the case of an average filling of one boson per site. In agreement with bosonization theory, we show that the ground state of the system in the thermodynamic limit corresponds to the Pfaffian-like state when the system is tuned towards the superfluid-to-Mott insulator quantum phase transition. Our study clarifies the possibility of the creation of exotic Pfaffian-like states in realistic one-dimensional systems. We also present preliminary evidence that such states support non-Abelian anyonic excitations that have potential application for fault-tolerant topological quantum computation.

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arXiv2013

An Introduction to Gauge Gravity Duality and Its Application in Condensed Matter

The past few years have witnessed a remarkable crossover of string theoretical ideas from the abstract world of geometrical forms to the concrete experimental realm of condensed matter physics. The basis for this --- variously known as holography, the AdS/CFT correspondence or gauge-gravity duality --comes from notions right at the cutting edge of string theory. Nevertheless, the insights afforded can often be expressed in ways very familiar to condensed matter physicists, such as relationships between response functions and new sum rules. The aim of this short, introductory review is to survey the ideas underpinning this crossover, in a way that -- as far as possible -- strips them of sophisticated mathematical formalism, whilst at the same time retaining their fundamental essence. I will sketch the areas in which progress has been made to date and highlight where the challenges and open questions lie. Finally, I will attempt to give a perspective upon these ideas. What contribution can we realistically expect from this approach and how might it be accommodated into the canon of condensed matter theory? Inevitably, any attempt to do this in such a rapidly evolving field will be superseded by events. Nevertheless, I hope that this will provide a useful way to think about gauge-gravity duality and the uncharted directions in which it might take us.

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arXiv2012

Hawking Radiation and Non-equilibrium Quantum Critical Current Noise

The dynamical scaling of quantum critical systems in thermal equilibrium may be inherited in the driven steady-state, leading to universal out-of-equilibrium behaviour. This attractive notion has been demonstrated in just a few cases. We demonstrate how holography - a mapping between the quantum critical system and a gravity dual - provides an illuminating perspective and new results. Non-trivial out-of-equilibrium universality is particularly apparent in current noise, which is dual to Hawking radiation in the gravitational system. We calculate this in a 2-dimensional system driven by a strong in-plane electric field and deduce a universal scaling function interpolating between previously established equilibrium and far-from-equilibrium current noise. Since this applies at all fields, out-of-equilibrium experiments no longer require very high fields for comparison with theory.

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arXiv2012

Quantum order-by-disorder driven phase reconstruction in the vicinity of ferromagnetic quantum critical points

The formation of new phases close to itinerant electron quantum critical points has been observed experimentally in many compounds. We present a unified analytical model that explains the emergence of new types of order around itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical points. The central idea of our analysis is that certain Fermi-surface deformations associated with the onset of the competing order enhance the phase-space available for low-energy quantum fluctuations and so self-consistently lower the free energy. We demonstrate that this quantum order-by-disorder mechanism leads to instabilities towards the formation of spiral and d-wave spin nematic phases close to itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical points in three spatial dimensions.

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arXiv2012

Quantum order-by-disorder near criticality and the secret of partial order in MnSi

The vicinity of quantum phase transitions has proven fertile ground in the search for new quantum phases. We propose a physically motivated and unifying description of phase reconstruction near metallic quantum-critical points using the idea of quantum order-by-disorder. Certain deformations of the Fermi surface associated with the onset of competing order enhance the phase space available for low-energy, particle-hole fluctuations and self-consistently lower the free energy. Applying the notion of quantum order-by-disorder to the itinerant helimagnet MnSi, we show that near to the quantum critical point, fluctuations lead to an increase of the spiral ordering wave vector and a reorientation away from the lattice favored directions. The magnetic ordering pattern in this fluctuation-driven phase is found to be in excellent agreement with the neutron scattering data in the partially ordered phase of MnSi.

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arXiv2009

Dynamics after a sweep through a quantum critical point

The coherent quantum evolution of a one-dimensional many-particle system after sweeping the Hamiltonian through a critical point is studied using a generalized quantum Ising model containing both integrable and non-integrable regimes. It is known from previous work that universal power laws appear in such quantities as the mean number of excitations created by the sweep. Several other phenomena are found that are not reflected by such averages: there are two scaling regimes of the entanglement entropy and a relaxation that is power-law rather than exponential. The final state of evolution after the quench is not well characterized by any effective temperature, and the Loschmidt echo converges algebraically to a constant for long times, with cusplike singularities in the integrable case that are dynamically broadened by nonintegrable perturbations.

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