arXiv subjects

Aprem P. Joy

Publications and source records attributed to Aprem P. Joy.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Kinetically induced order from mobility-constrained excitations

A fascinating feature of strongly correlated systems is that excitations may carry nontrivial quantum numbers under emergent symmetries which, in some cases, may strongly constrain their motion. We show that such constrained excitations can play a central role in driving symmetry-breaking long-range order through a kinetic mechanism: coupling to a local order-parameter field activates the mobility of otherwise constrained excitations, and condensation of the order parameter then enables a large gain in kinetic energy, thereby stabilizing a phase with long-range order. We illustrate this mechanism in two settings: (i) a dimerization instability in a spin chain with a magnetization dipole conservation law, and (ii) itinerant magnetism of electrons in the Kitaev-Kondo model, where charge carriers couple to local moments that form a spin liquid. This mechanism becomes operative whenever a finite density of mobility-constrained excitations is present, either through non-equilibrium preparation or thermal activation. In the latter case, we argue that increasing temperature can, counterintuitively, promote order by enhancing the kinetic-energy gain of thermally activated excitations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Diffusion and relaxation of topological excitations in layered spin liquids

Relaxation processes in topological phases such as quantum spin liquids are controlled by the dynamics and interaction of fractionalized excitations. In layered materials hosting two-dimensional topological phases, elementary quasiparticles can diffuse freely within the layer, whereas only pairs (or more) can hop between layers - a fundamental consequence of topological order. Using exact solutions of emergent nonlinear diffusion equations and particle-based stochastic simulations, we explore how pump-probe experiments can provide unique signatures of the presence of $2d$ topological excitations in a $3d$ material. Here we show that the characteristic time scale of such experiments is inversely proportional to the initial excitation density, set by the pump intensity. A uniform excitation density created on the surface of a sample spreads subdiffusively into the bulk with a mean depth $\bar z$ scaling as $\sim t^{1/3}$ when annihilation processes are absent. The propagation becomes logarithmic, $\bar z \sim \log t$, when pair-annihilation is allowed. Furthermore, pair-diffusion between layers leads to a new decay law for the total density, $n(t) \sim (\log^2 t)/t$ - slower than in a purely $2d$ system. We discuss possible experimental implications for pump-probe experiments in samples of finite width.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Raman spectroscopy of anyons in generic Kitaev spin liquids

Optical probes have emerged as versatile tools for detecting exotic fractionalized phases in quantum materials. We calculate the low-energy Raman response arising from mobile, interacting Ising anyons (or visons) in the chiral Kitaev spin liquid perturbed by symmetry allowed interactions - a phase relevant to \rucl. under a magnetic field. At zero temperature, the two-anyon continuum response shows a leading power-law scaling of the intensity near the onset of the signal: $I(\omega) \sim (\omega-E^0_{2\sigma})^{\frac{1}{8}}$ for linear and parallel-circular polarization channels, where $E^0_{2\sigma}$ is the two-particle gap. Strong corrections due to short-range interactions arise at order $\frac{1}{4}$. For cross-circularly polarized channels, the scaling is given by $I(\omega) \sim (\omega-E^0_{2\sigma})^{|l\pm 1/8|}$, where the value of $l=0,1,2$ is determined by the number of minima in the single anyon dispersion. The exponents are directly related to the topological spin of Ising anyons $\theta_\sigma =\frac{\pi}{8}$, describing their exchange statistics. Our theory generalizes to spectral probes of anyonic quasiparticles with multiple band minima in other quantum liquids. Interaction between anyons may also induce bound-states, resulting in sharp peaks that show strong polarization dependence.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Gauge Field Dynamics in Multilayer Kitaev Spin Liquids

The Kitaev spin liquid realizes an emergent static $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge field with vison excitations coupled to Majorana fermions. We consider Kitaev models stacked on top of each other, weakly coupled by Heisenberg interaction $\propto J_\perp$. This inter-layer coupling breaks the integrability of the model and makes the gauge fields dynamic. \new{Conservation laws and topology keeps single visons immobile. However, an inter-layer vison pairs can hop with a hopping amplitude linear in $J_\perp$ confined to the layer, but their motion is strongly influenced by the type of stacking. For AA stacking, an interlayer pair has a two-dimensional motion but for the AB or ABC stacking, sheet conservation laws restrict its motion to a one-dimensional channel within the plane. For all stackings, an intra-layer vison-pair is constrained to move out-of-plane only.} Depending on the anisotropy of the Kitaev couplings $K_x, K_y, K_z$, the intra-layer vison pairs can display either coherent tunnelling or purely incoherent hopping. When a magnetic field opens a gap for Majorana fermions, there exist two types of intra-layer vison pairs - a bosonic and a fermionic one. Only the bosonic pair obtains a hopping rate linear in $J_\perp$. We use our results to identify the leading instabilities of the spin liquid phase induced by the inter-layer coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Dynamics of visons and thermal Hall effect in perturbed Kitaev models

A vison is an excitation of the Kitaev spin liquid which carries a $\mathbb Z_2$ gauge flux. While immobile in the pure Kitaev model, it becomes a dynamical degree of freedom in the presence of perturbations. We study an isolated vison in the isotropic Kitaev model perturbed by a small external magnetic field $h$, an offdiagonal exchange interactions $Γ$ and a Heisenberg coupling $J$. In the ferromagnetic Kitaev model, the dressed vison obtains a dispersion linear in $Γ$ and $h$ and a fully universal low-$T$ mobility, $μ=6 v_m^2/T^{2}$, where $v_m$ is the velocity of Majorana fermions. In contrast, in the antiferromagnetic Kitaev model interference effects suppress the coherent propagation and an incoherent Majorana-assisted hopping leads to a $T$-independent mobility. The motion of a single vison due to Heisenberg interactions is strongly suppressed for both signs of the Kitaev coupling. Vison bands in the antiferromagnetic Kitaev models can be topological and may lead to a characteristic features in thermal Hall effects in Kitaev materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗