arXiv subjects

Birgit Wehefritz-Kaufmann

Publications and source records attributed to Birgit Wehefritz-Kaufmann.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Quantum Phase diagrams and transitions for Chern topological insulators

Topological invariants such as Chern classes are by now a standard way to classify topological phases. Introducing and varying parameters in such systems leads to phase diagrams, where the Chern classes may jump when crossing a critical locus. These systems appear naturally when considering slicing of higher dimensional systems or when considering systems with parameters. As the Chern classes are topological invariants, they can only change if the "topology breaks down". We give a precise mathematical formulation of this phenomenon and show that synthetically any phase diagram of Chern topological phases can be designed and realized by a physical system, using covering, aka. winding maps. Here we provide explicit families realizing arbitrary Chern jumps. The critical locus of these maps is described by the classical rose curves. These realize the lower bound on the number of Dirac points necessary obtained from viewing them as local charges. We treat several concrete models and show that they have the predicted generic behavior. In particular, we focus on different types of lattices and tight-binding models, and show that effective winding maps, and thus higher Chern numbers, can be achieved using k-th nearest neighbors. We give explicit formulas for a family of 2D lattices using imaginary quadratic field extensions and their norms. Our study includes the square, triangular, honeycomb and Kagome lattices.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Refined Phase Diagram for a Spin-1 System Exhibiting a Haldane Phase

We provide the phase diagram of a 2-parameter spin-1 chain that has a symmetry-protected topological (SPT) Haldane phase using computational algorithms along with tensor-network tools. We improve previous results, showing the existence of a new phase and new triple points. New striking features are the triple end of the Haldane phase and the complexity of phases bordering the Haldane phase in proximity allowing moving to nearby non-SPT phases via small perturbations. These characteristics make the system, which appears in Rydberg excitons, e.g. in Cu$_2$O, a prime candidate for applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Using Quantum Annealers to Calculate Ground State Properties of Molecules

Quantum annealers are an alternative approach to quantum computing which make use of the adiabatic theorem to efficiently find the ground state of a physically realizable Hamiltonian. Such devices are currently commercially available and have been successfully applied to several combinatorial and discrete optimization problems. However, the application of quantum annealers to problems in chemistry remains a relatively sparse area of research due to the difficulty in mapping molecular systems to the Ising model Hamiltonian. In this paper we review two different methods for finding the ground state of molecular Hamiltonians using Ising model-based quantum annealers. In addition, we compare the relative effectiveness of each method by calculating the binding energies, bond lengths, and bond angles of the H+3and H2O molecules and mapping their potential energy curves. We also assess the resource requirements of each method by determining the number of qubits and computation time required to simulate each molecule using various parameter values. While each of these methods is capable of accurately predicting the ground state properties of small molecules, we find that they are still outperformed by modern classical algorithms and that the scaling of the resource requirements remains a challenge.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Observability of a Sharp Majorana Transition in a Few-Body Model

We propose experimentally observable signatures of of topological Majorana quasiparticles in the few-body limit of the interacting cold-atom model of [Iemini et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 200404 (2017)]. In this limit, the total on-site density and single-body correlations change smoothly with the model parameters, while the calculated mutual information of opposite ends of the lattice indicates a sharp transition of the system to a topological ground state. Furthermore, local density and parity measurements provide an experimentally viable path for observing the ground state Majorana quasiparticles in ultracold atoms. Our results lay out a promising future for utilizing few-body systems as a testing ground for Majorana physics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Topological insulators and K-theory

We analyze the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant, which characterizes time reversal invariant topological insulators, in the framework of index theory and K-theory. The topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant counts the parity of generalized Majorana zero modes, which can be interpreted as an analytical index. As we show, it fits perfectly into a mod 2 index theorem, and the topological index provides an efficient way to compute the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant. Finally, we give a new version of the bulk-boundary correspondence which yields an alternative explanation of the index theorem and the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant. Here the boundary is not the geometric boundary of a probe, but an effective boundary in the momentum space.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Local models and global constraints for degeneracies and band crossings

We study topological properties of families of Hamiltonians which may contain degenerate energy levels aka. band crossings. The primary tool are Chern classes, Berry phases and slicing by surfaces. To analyse the degenerate locus, we study local models. These give information about the Chern classes and Berry phases. We then give global constraints for the topological invariants. This is an hitherto relatively unexplored subject. The global constraints are more strict when incorporating symmetries such as time reversal symmetries. The results can also be used in the study of deformations. We furthermore use these constraints to analyse examples which include the Gyroid geometry, which exhibits Weyl points and triple crossings and the honeycomb geometry with its two Dirac points.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Notes on topological insulators

This paper is a survey of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-valued invariant of topological insulators used in condensed matter physics. The $\mathbb{Z}$-valued topological invariant, which was originally called the TKNN invariant in physics, has now been fully understood as the first Chern number. The $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant is more mysterious, we will explain its equivalent descriptions from different points of view and provide the relations between them. These invariants provide the classification of topological insulators with different symmetries in which K-theory plays an important role. Moreover, we establish that both invariants are realizations of index theorems which can also be understood in terms of condensed matter physics.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Noncommutative topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant

We generalize the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant of topological insulators using noncommutative differential geometry in two different ways. First, we model Majorana zero modes by KQ-cycles in the framework of analytic K-homology, and we define the noncommutative $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant as a topological index in noncommutative topology. Second, we look at the geometric picture of the Pfaffian formalism of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant, i.e., the Kane--Mele invariant, and we define the noncommutative Kane--Mele invariant over the fixed point algebra of the time reversal symmetry in the noncommutative 2-torus. Finally, we are able to prove the equivalence between the noncommutative topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ index and the noncommutative Kane--Mele invariant.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

The Stiefel--Whitney theory of topological insulators

We study the topological band theory of time reversal invariant topological insulators and interpret the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant as an obstruction in terms of Stiefel--Whitney classes. The band structure of a topological insulator defines a Pfaffian line bundle over the momentum space, whose structure group can be reduced to $\mathbb{Z}_2$. So the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant will be understood by the Stiefel--Whitney theory, which detects the orientability of a principal $\mathbb{Z}_2$-bundle. Moreover, the relation between weak and strong topological insulators will be understood based on cobordism theory. Finally, the topological $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant gives rise to a fully extended topological quantum field theory (TQFT).

math-ph↗

arXiv2013

Re-gauging groupoid, symmetries and degeneracies for Graph Hamiltonians and applications to the Gyroid wire network

We study a class of graph Hamiltonians given by a type of quiver representation to which we can associate (non)--commutative geometries. By selecting gauging data these geometries are realized by matrices through an explicit construction or a Kan-extension. We describe the changes in gauge via the action of a regauging groupoid. It acts via matrices that give rise to a noncommutative 2--cocycle and hence to a groupoid extension (gerbe). We furthermore show that automorphisms of the underlying graph of the quiver can be lifted to extended symmetry groups of regaugings. In the commutative case, we deduce that the extended symmetries act via a projective representation. This yields isotypical decompositions and super--selection rules. We apply these results to the PDG and honeycomb wire--networks using representation theory for projective groups and show that all the degeneracies in the spectra are consequences of these enhanced symmetries. This includes the Dirac points of the G(yroid) and the honeycomb systems.

math-ph↗

arXiv2013

Avalanches in the Raise and Peel model in the presence of a wall

We investigate a non-equilibrium one-dimensional model known as the raise and peel model describing a growing surface which grows locally and has non-local desorption. For specific values of adsorption ($u_a$) and desorption($u_d$) rates the model shows interesting features. At $u_a = u_d$, the model is described by a conformal field theory (with conformal charge $c=0$) and its stationary probability canbe mapped to the ground state of the XXZ quantum chain. Moreover, for $u_a \geq u_d$, the model shows a phase in which the the avalanche distribution is scale invariant. In this work we study the surface dynamics by looking at avalanche distributions using Finite-size Scaling formalism and explore the effect of adding a wall to the model. The model shows the same universality for the cases with and without a wall for an odd number of tiles removed, but we find a new exponent in the presence of a wall for an even number of avalanches released. We provide new conjecture for the probability distribution of avalanches with a wall obtained by using exact diagonalization of small lattices and Monte-Carlo simulations.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

The geometry of the Double Gyroid wire network: Quantum and Classical

Quantum wire networks have recently become of great interest. Here we deal with a novel nano material structure of a Double Gyroid wire network. We use methods of commutative and non-commutative geometry to describe this wire network. Its non--commutative geometry is closely related to non-commutative 3-tori as we discuss in detail.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

The noncommutative geometry of wire networks from triply periodic surfaces

We study wire networks that are the complements of triply periodic minimal surfaces. Here we consider the P, D, G surfaces which are exactly the cases in which the corresponding graphs are symmetric and self-dual. Our approach is using the Harper Hamiltonian in a constant magnetic field. We treat this system with the methods of noncommutative geometry and obtain a classification for all the $C^*$ geometries that appear.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

Singularities, swallowtails and Dirac points. An analysis for families of Hamiltonians and applications to wire networks, especially the Gyroid

Motivated by the Double Gyroid nanowire network we develop methods to detect Dirac points and classify level crossings, aka. singularities in the spectrum of a family of Hamiltonians. The approach we use is singularity theory. Using this language, we obtain a characterization of Dirac points and also show that the branching behavior of the level crossings is given by an unfolding of $A_n$ type singularities. Which type of singularity occurs can be read off a characteristic region inside the miniversal unfolding of an $A_k$ singularity. We then apply these methods in the setting of families of graph Hamiltonians, such as those for wire networks. In the particular case of the Double Gyroid we analytically classify its singularities and show that it has Dirac points. This indicates that nanowire systems of this type should have very special physical properties.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

Finite size scaling for quantum criticality using the finite-element method

Finite size scaling for the Schrödinger equation is a systematic approach to calculate the quantum critical parameters for a given Hamiltonian. This approach has been shown to give very accurate results for critical parameters by using a systematic expansion with global basis-type functions. Recently, the finite element method was shown to be a powerful numerical method for ab initio electronic structure calculations with a variable real-space resolution. In this work, we demonstrate how to obtain quantum critical parameters by combining the finite element method (FEM) with finite size scaling (FSS) using different ab initio approximations and exact formulations. The critical parameters could be atomic nuclear charges, internuclear distances, electron density, disorder, lattice structure, and external fields for stability of atomic, molecular systems and quantum phase transitions of extended systems. To illustrate the effectiveness of this approach we provide detailed calculations of applying FEM to approximate solutions for the two-electron atom with varying nuclear charge; these include Hartree-Fock, density functional theory under the local density approximation, and an "exact"' formulation using FEM. We then use the FSS approach to determine its critical nuclear charge for stability; here, the size of the system is related to the number of elements used in the calculations. Results prove to be in good agreement with previous Slater-basis set calculations and demonstrate that it is possible to combine finite size scaling with the finite-element method by using ab initio calculations to obtain quantum critical parameters. The combined approach provides a promising first-principles approach to describe quantum phase transitions for materials and extended systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Dynamical Critical Exponent for Two-Species Totally Asymmetric Diffusion on a Ring

We present a study of the two species totally asymmetric diffusion model using the Bethe ansatz. The Hamiltonian has $U_q(SU(3))$ symmetry. We derive the nested Bethe ansatz equations and obtain the dynamical critical exponent from the finite-size scaling properties of the eigenvalue with the smallest real part. The dynamical critical exponent is 3/2 which is the exponent corresponding to KPZ growth in the single species asymmetric diffusion model.

math-ph↗

arXiv2003

Integrable quantum field theories with supergroup symmetries: the $OSP(1/2)$ case

As a step to understand general patterns of integrability in 1+1 quantum field theories with supergroup symmetry, we study in details the case of $OSP(1/2)$. Our results include the solutions of natural generalizations of models with ordinary group symmetry: the $UOSP(1/2)_{k}$ WZW model with a current current perturbation, the $UOSP(1/2)$ principal chiral model, and the $UOSP(1/2)\otimes UOSP(1/2)/UOSP(1/2)$ coset models perturbed by the adjoint. Graded parafermions are also discussed. A pattern peculiar to supergroups is the emergence of another class of models, whose simplest representative is the $OSP(1/2)/OSP(0/2)$ sigma model, where the (non unitary) orthosymplectic symmetry is realized non linearly (and can be spontaneously broken). For most models, we provide an integrable lattice realization. We show in particular that integrable $osp(1/2)$ spin chains with integer spin flow to $UOSP(1/2)$ WZW models in the continuum limit, hence providing what is to our knowledge the first physical realization of a super WZW model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Integrable quantum field theories with OSP(m/2n) symmetries

We conjecture the factorized scattering description for OSP(m/2n)/OSP(m-1/2n) supersphere sigma models and OSP(m/2n) Gross Neveu models. The non-unitarity of these field theories translates into a lack of `physical unitarity' of the S matrices, which are instead unitary with respect to the non-positive scalar product inherited from the orthosymplectic structure. Nevertheless, we find that formal thermodynamic Bethe ansatz calculations appear meaningful, reproduce the correct central charges, and agree with perturbative calculations. This paves the way to a more thorough study of these and other models with supergroup symmetries using the S matrix approach.

hep-th↗