arXiv subjects

Bruno Amorim

Publications and source records attributed to Bruno Amorim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Temperature-induced optical enhancement near a localization transition

Quasiperiodic systems are an intermediate class of systems between periodic crystals and disordered systems, famously exhibiting metal-insulator transitions (MITs) even in one dimension. While their transport properties have been studied extensively, a systematic analysis of the finite-frequency optical conductivity near the critical point has been lacking. In this work, we carry out a detailed study of the optical conductivity in the paradigmatic Aubry-Andr\'e model. We find that the zero-temperature low-frequency optical signal is strongly restructured by the quasiperiodic potential, exhibiting an optical gap that closes discontinuously as the system approaches the MIT. Most strikingly, we uncover a mechanism for a strong enhancement of the low-frequency finite temperature optical conductivity at certain resonant frequencies. This enhancement stems from the thermal activation of Pauli-blocked transitions between strongly resonant van Hove singularities. This mechanism provides new insight into finite-frequency transport in quasiperiodic systems and a new pathway for manipulating optical properties near a localization transition. Furthermore, our findings establish the optical response as a powerful, experimentally accessible tool for probing non-trivial quasiperiodicity effects.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2026

Effective band-projected description of interacting quasiperiodic systems

We study the interplay between electronic interactions and quasiperiodicity in a one-dimensional narrow-band system, focusing on ground-state and low-energy excitation properties. Using band projection as low-energy effective approach, we show that a projection restricted to first order in the interaction strength fails to reproduce the correlated phase diagram. This contrasts with the standard success of first-order band projection in translationally invariant flatband systems and highlights the essential role of virtual processes involving remote bands in quasiperiodic settings. By incorporating second-order interband contributions perturbatively, we obtain an effective Hamiltonian that quantitatively reproduces the exact phase iagram previously obtained using density matrix renormalization group calculations, including the transition between a Luttinger liquid and a charge-density-wave phase and the crossover to a quasifractal charge-density-wave regime at strong quasiperiodicity. We further use this controlled framework to investigate low-energy neutral excitations and the optical conductivity, identifying clear dynamical signatures distinguishing the different phases. Our results establish second-order band projection as a reliable tool for correlated quasiperiodic narrow-band systems and suggest a promising route for studying interacting quasiperiodic and moir\'e materials beyond one dimension.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Semiconductor Wannier equations: a real-time, real-space approach to the nonlinear optical response in crystals (ATATA)

We develop the semiconductor Wannier equations (SWEs), a real-time, real-space formulation of ultrafast light-matter dynamics in crystals, by deriving the equations of motion for the electronic reduced density matrix in a localized Wannier basis. Working in real space removes the structure-gauge ambiguities that hinder reciprocal-space semiconductor Bloch equations. Electron--electron interactions are included at the time-dependent Hartree plus static screened-exchange (TD-HSEX) level. Decoherence is modeled with three complementary channels: pure dephasing, population relaxation, and distance-dependent real-space dephasing; providing physically grounded damping for strong-field phenomena such as high-harmonic generation. Conceptually, the SWEs bridge real-space semiclassical intuition with many-body solid-state optics, offering a numerically robust and gauge-clean alternative to reciprocal-space approaches for nonlinear optical response and attosecond spectroscopy in solids.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Local Density of States as a Probe of Multifractality in Quasiperiodic Moir\'e Materials

Quasiperiodic moir\'e materials provide a new platform for realizing critical electronic states, yet a direct and experimentally practical method to characterize this criticality has been lacking. We show that a multifractal analysis of the local density of states (LDOS), accessible via scanning tunneling microscopy, offers an unambiguous signature of criticality from a single experimental sample. Applying this approach to a one-dimensional quasiperiodic model, a stringent test case due to its fractal energy spectrum, we find a clear distinction between the broad singularity spectra $f\left(\alpha\right)$ of critical states and the point-like spectra of extended states. We further demonstrate that these multifractal signatures remain robust over a wide range of energy broadenings relevant to experiments. Our results establish a model-independent, experimentally feasible framework for identifying and probing multifractality in the growing family of quasiperiodic and moir\'e materials.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2025

Ground state and excitations of quasiperiodic 1D narrow-band moir\'e systems: a mean field approach

We demonstrate that a mean field approximation can be confidently employed in quasiperiodic moir\'e systems to treat interactions and quasiperiodicity on equal footing. We obtain the mean field phase diagram for an illustrative one-dimensional moir\'e system that exhibits narrow bands and a regime with non-interacting multifractal critical states. By systematically comparing our findings with existing exact results, we identify the regimes where the mean field approximation provides an accurate description. Interestingly, in the critical regime, we obtain a quasifractal charge density wave, consistent with the exact results. To complement this study, we employ a real-space implementation of the time-dependent Hartree-Fock, enabling the computation of the excitation spectrum and response functions at the RPA level. These findings indicate that a mean field approximation to treat systems hosting multifractal critical states, as found in two-dimensional quasiperiodic moir\'e systems, is an appropriate methodology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Fractal Quasicondensation in One Dimension

We unveil a novel mechanism for quasicondensation of hard-core bosons in the presence of quasiperiodicity-induced multifractal single-particle states. The new critical state, here dubbed fractal quasicondensate, is characterized by natural orbitals with multifractal properties and by an occupancy of the lowest natural orbital, {\lambda}0 ~ L{\gamma}, which grows with system size but with a nonuniversal scaling exponent, {\gamma} < 1/2. In contrast to fractal quasicondensates obtained when the chemical potential lies in a region of multifractal single-particle states, placing the chemical potential in regions of localized or delocalized states yields, respectively, no condensation or the usual 1D quasicondensation with {\gamma} = 1/2. Our findings are established by studying one-dimensional hardcore bosons subjected to various quasiperiodic potentials, including the well-known Aubry-Andre model, employing a mapping to non-interacting fermionics that allows for numerically exact results. We discuss how to test our findings in state-of-the-art ultracold atom experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Formation, stability, and highly nonlinear optical response of excitons to intense light fields interacting with two-dimensional materials

Excitons play a key role in the linear optical response of 2D materials. However, their significance in the highly nonlinear optical response to intense mid-infrared light has often been overlooked. Using hBN as a prototypical example, we theoretically demonstrate that excitons play a major role in this process. Specifically, we illustrate their formation and stability in intense low-frequency fields, where field strengths surpass the Coulomb field binding the electron-hole pair in the exciton. Additionally, we establish a parallelism between these results and the already-known physics of Rydberg states using an atomic model. Finally, we propose an experimental setup to test the effect of excitons in the nonlinear optical response

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Incommensurability enabled quasi-fractal order in 1D narrow-band moir\'e systems

We demonstrate that quasiperiodicity can radically change the ground state properties of 1D moir\'e systems with respect to their periodic counterparts. By studying an illustrative example we show that while narrow bands play a significant role in enhancing interactions both for commensurate and incommensurate structures, only quasiperiodicity is able to extend the ordered phase down to an infinitesimal interaction strength. In this regime, the quasiperiodic-enabled state has contributions from infinitely many wave vectors. This quasi-factal regime cannot be stabilized in the commensurate case even in the presence of a narrow band. These findings suggest that quasiperiodicity may be a critical factor in stabilizing non-trivial ordered phases in interacting moir\'e structures and signal out multifractal non-interacting phases, recently found in 2D incommensurate moir\'e systems, as particularly promising parent states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Short-range interactions are irrelevant at the quasiperiodic-driven Luttinger Liquid to Anderson Glass transition

We show that short-range interactions are irrelevant around gapless ground-state delocalization-localization transitions driven by quasiperiodicity in interacting fermionic chains. In the presence of interactions, these transitions separate Luttinger Liquid and Anderson glass phases. Remarkably, close to criticality, we find that excitations become effectively non-interacting. By formulating a many-body generalization of a recently developed method to obtain single-particle localization phase diagrams, we carry out precise calculations of critical points between Luttinger Liquid and Anderson glass phases and find that the correlation length critical exponent takes the value $\nu = 1.001 \pm 0.007$, compatible with $\nu=1$ known exactly at the non-interacting critical point. We also show that other critical exponents, such as the dynamical exponent $z$ and a many-body analog of the fractal dimension are compatible with the exponents obtained at the non-interacting critical point. Noteworthy, we find that the transitions are accompanied by the emergence of a many-body generalization of previously found single-particle hidden dualities. Finally, we show that in the limit of vanishing interaction strength, all finite range interactions are irrelevant at the non-interacting critical point.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2023

Quasiperiodicity-induced enhancement of superconductivity in one-dimensional critical systems

We show that quasiperiodicity can enhance superconductivity in one-dimensional narrow-band systems with s-wave pairing. Using a generalized Aubry-Andr\'e-Harper model featuring quasiperiodic modulations in both the on-site potential and the hoppings, we study superconductivity across the extended, critical, and localized phases present in the noninteracting limit. Our results show that within the critical and localized phases, the superconducting critical temperature exhibits an algebraic scaling with the interaction strength, in contrast to the conventional BCS scaling observed in periodic approximants with a similar density of states. This direct comparison establishes that the enhancement originates from the nature of the single-particle eigenstates, rather than from band flattening alone. Furthermore, we find that the superfluid weight remains finite across all phases, including the localized regime, highlighting that superconducting phase coherence is retained throughout. The effects of quasiperiodicity on the superfluid weight are most pronounced in the weak-coupling regime, indicating the nontrivial role of the localization properties of the parent eigenstates in shaping the superconducting phases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Topological phase transitions for any taste in 2D quasiperiodic systems

In this paper we explore the effects of quasiperiodicity in paradigmatic models of Chern insulators. We identify a plethora of topological phase transitions and characterize them based on spectral and localization properties. Contrary to uncorrelated disorder, gap closing and reopening topological transitions can be induced by quasiperiodicity. These can separate widely different phases, including (i) trivial and Chern insulators, both with ballistic states near the gap edges; (ii) Chern insulators with critical states around the gap edges or (iii) Chern and trivial insulators respectively with ballistic and localized gap-edge states. Transition (i) is similar to clean-limit topological transitions due to the ballistic character of the gap-edge states, but at the same time resembles (quasi)disorder driven topological Anderson insulator phenomena. On the other hand, transitions (ii) and (iii) have no clean-limit counterpart. Additionally, quasiperiodicity can also induce topological transitions into a trivial state for which the gap closes and does not reopen, a scenario that resembles more what is observed with uncorrelated disorder. However, we found that such transitions can also be non-conventional in that they can be accompanied by the emergence of intermediate metallic and critical phases where the Chern number is not quantized. Our results show that a rich variety of topological phase transitions, not previously realized experimentally nor predicted theoretically can be attained when applying quasiperiodic modulations to simple Chern insulators. Such models have previously been realized experimentally in widely different platforms, including in optical lattices and photonic or acoustic media, where quasiperiodicity effects can be incorporated. The unveiled topological phase transitions can in principle be observed experimentally with state-of-the-art techniques.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2022

Critical phase dualities in 1D exactly-solvable quasiperiodic models

We propose a solvable class of 1D quasiperiodic tight-binding models encompassing extended, localized, and critical phases, separated by nontrivial mobility edges. Limiting cases include the Aubry-Andr\'e model and the models of PRL 114, 146601 and PRL 104, 070601. The analytical treatment follows from recognizing these models as a novel type of fixed-points of the renormalization group procedure recently proposed in arXiv:2206.13549 for characterizing phases of quasiperiodic structures. Beyond known limits, the proposed class of models extends previously encountered localized-delocalized duality transformations to points within multifractal critical phases. Besides an experimental confirmation of multifractal duality, realizing the proposed class of models in optical lattices allows stabilizing multifractal critical phases and non-trivial mobility edges without the need for the unbounded potentials required by previous proposals.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2022

Renormalization-Group Theory of 1D quasiperiodic lattice models with commensurate approximants

We develop a renormalization group (RG) description of the localization properties of onedimensional (1D) quasiperiodic lattice models. The RG flow is induced by increasing the unit cell of subsequent commensurate approximants. Phases of quasiperiodic systems are characterized by RG fixed points associated with renormalized single-band models. We identify fixed-points that include many previously reported exactly solvable quasiperiodic models. By classifying relevant and irrelevant perturbations, we show that phase boundaries of more generic models can be determined with exponential accuracy in the approximant's unit cell size, and in some cases analytically. Our findings provide a unified understanding of widely different classes of 1D quasiperiodic systems.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2021

Hidden dualities in 1D quasiperiodic lattice models

We find that quasiperiodicity-induced transitions between extended and localized phases in generic 1D systems are associated with hidden dualities that generalize the well-known duality of the Aubry-Andr\'e model. These spectral and eigenstate dualities are locally defined near the transition and can, in many cases, be explicitly constructed by considering relatively small commensurate approximants. The construction relies on auxiliary 2D Fermi surfaces obtained as functions of the phase-twisting boundary conditions and of the phase-shifting real-space structure. We show that, around the critical point of the limiting quasiperiodic system, the auxiliary Fermi surface of a high-enough-order approximant converges to a universal form. This allows us to devise a highly-accurate method to obtain mobility edges and duality transformations for generic 1D quasiperiodic systems through their commensurate approximants. To illustrate the power of this approach, we consider several previously studied systems, including generalized Aubry-Andr\'e models and coupled Moir\'e chains. Our findings bring a new perspective to examine quasiperiodicity-induced extended-to-localized transitions in 1D, provide a working criterion for the appearance of mobility edges, and an explicit way to understand the properties of eigenstates close to and at the transition.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2020

Incommensurability-induced sub-ballistic narrow-band-states in twisted bilayer graphene

We study the localization properties of electrons in incommensurate twisted bilayer graphene for small angles, encompassing the narrow-band regime, by numerically exact means. Sub-ballistic states are found within the narrow-band region around the magic angle. Such states are delocalized in momentum-space and follow non-Poissonian level statistics, in contrast with their ballistic counterparts found for close commensurate angles. Transport results corroborate this picture: for large enough systems, the conductance decreases with system size for incommensurate angles within the sub-ballistic regime. Our results show that incommensurability effects are of crucial importance in the narrow-band regime. The incommensurate nature of a general twist angle must therefore be taken into account for an accurate description of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Ballistic charge transport in twisted bilayer graphene

We study conductance across a twisted bilayer graphene coupled to single-layer graphene leads in two setups: a flake of graphene on top of an infinite graphene ribbon and two overlapping semi-infinite graphene ribbons. We find conductance strongly depends on the angle between the two graphene layers and identify three qualitatively different regimes. For large angles ($θ\gtrsim 10^{\circ}$) there are strong commensurability effects for incommensurate angles the low energy conductance approaches that of two disconnected layers, while sharp conductance features correlate with commensurate angles with small unit cells. For intermediate angles ($3^{\circ}\lesssim θ\lesssim 10^{\circ}$), we find a one-to-one correspondence between certain conductance features and the twist-dependent Van Hove singularities arising at low energies, suggesting conductance measurements can be used to determine the twist angle. For small twist angles ($1^{\circ}\lesssimθ\lesssim 3^{\circ}$), commensurate effects seem to be washed out and the conductance becomes a smooth function of the angle. In this regime, conductance can be used to probe the narrow bands, with vanishing conductance regions corresponding to spectral gaps in the density of states, in agreement with recent experimental findings.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Impact of graphene on the polarizability of a neighbour nanoparticle: a dyadic Green's function study

We discuss the renormalization of the polarizability of a nanoparticle in the presence of either (i) a continuous graphene sheet or (ii) a plasmonic graphene grating, taking into account retardation effects. Our analysis demonstrates that the excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons in graphene produces a large enhancement of the real and imaginary parts of the renormalized polarizability. We show that the imaginary part can be changed by a factor of up to 100 relatively to its value in the absence of graphene. We also show that the resonance in the case of the grating is narrower than in the continuous sheet. In the case of the grating it is shown that the resonance can be tuned by changing the grating geometric parameters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Flexural mode of graphene on a substrate

Out of plane vibrations are suppressed in graphene layers placed on a substrate. These modes, in suspended samples, are relevant for the understanding of properties such as the resistivity, the thermal expansion coefficient, and other. We present a general framework for the study of the properties of out of plane modes in graphene on different substrates. We use the model to estimate the substrate induced changes in the thermal expansion coefficient, or in the temperature dependence of the resistivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗