arXiv subjects

Carolyn Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Carolyn Zhang.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Note on quantum cellular automata and strong equivalence

In this note, we present some results on the classification of quantum cellular automata (QCA) in 1D under strong equivalence rather than stable equivalence. Under strong equivalence, we only allow adding ancillas carrying the original on-site representation of the symmetry, while under stable equivalence, we allow adding ancillas carrying any representation of the symmetry. The former may be more realistic, because in physical systems especially in AMO/quantum computing contexts, we would not expect additional spins carrying arbitrary representations of the symmetry to be present. Ref.~\onlinecite{mpu} proposed two kinds of symmetry-protected indices (SPIs) for QCA with discrete symmetries under strong equivalence. In this note, we show that the more refined of these SPIs still only has a one-to-one correspondence to equivalence classes of $\mathbb{Z}_N$ symmetric QCA when $N$ is prime. We show a counter-example for $N=4$. We show that QCA with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry under strong equivalence, for a given on-site representation, are classified by $\mathbb{Z}^{pq}$ where $p$ is the number of prime factors of the on-site Hilbert space dimension and $q$ is the number of prime factors of the trace of the nontrivial on-site $\mathbb{Z}_2$ element. Finally, we show that the GNVW index has a formulation in terms of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ SPI in a doubled system, and we provide a direct connection between the SPI formulation of the GNVW index and a second Renyi version of the mutual information formula for the GNVW index.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Anomalies of $(1+1)D$ categorical symmetries

We present a general approach for detecting when a fusion category symmetry is anomalous, based on the existence of a special kind of Lagrangian algebra of the corresponding Drinfeld center. The Drinfeld center of a fusion category $\mathcal{A}$ describes a $(2+1)D$ topological order whose gapped boundaries enumerate all $(1+1)D$ gapped phases with the fusion category symmetry, which may be spontaneously broken. There always exists a gapped boundary, given by the \emph{electric} Lagrangian algebra, that describes a phase with $\mathcal{A}$ fully spontaneously broken. The symmetry defects of this boundary can be identified with the objects in $\mathcal{A}$. We observe that if there exists a different gapped boundary, given by a \emph{magnetic} Lagrangian algebra, then there exists a gapped phase where $\mathcal{A}$ is not spontaneously broken at all, which means that $\mathcal{A}$ is not anomalous. In certain cases, we show that requiring the existence of such a magnetic Lagrangian algebra leads to highly computable obstructions to $\mathcal{A}$ being anomaly-free. As an application, we consider the Drinfeld centers of $\mathbb{Z}_N\times\mathbb{Z}_N$ Tambara-Yamagami fusion categories and recover known results from the study of fiber functors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Exactly solvable model for a deconfined quantum critical point in 1D

We construct an exactly solvable lattice model for a deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP) in (1+1) dimensions. This DQCP occurs in an unusual setting, namely at the edge of a (2+1) dimensional bosonic symmetry protected topological phase (SPT) with $\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. The DQCP describes a transition between two gapped edges that break different $\mathbb{Z}_2$ subgroups of the full $\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. Our construction is based on an exact mapping between the SPT edge theory and a $\mathbb{Z}_4$ spin chain. This mapping reveals that DQCPs in this system are directly related to ordinary $\mathbb{Z}_4$ symmetry breaking critical points.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Volume-law to area-law entanglement transition in a non-unitary periodic Gaussian circuit

We consider Gaussian quantum circuits that alternate unitary gates and post-selected weak measurements, with spatial translation symmetry and time periodicity. We show analytically that such models can host different kinds of measurement-induced phase transitions detected by entanglement entropy, by mapping the time evolution and weak measurements to Möbius transformations. We demonstrate the existence of a log-law to area-law transition, as well as a volume-law to area-law transition. For the latter, we compute the critical exponent $ν$ for the Hartley, von Neumann and Rényi entropies exactly.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Bulk-boundary correspondence for interacting Floquet systems in two dimensions

We present a method for deriving bulk and edge invariants for interacting, many-body localized Floquet systems in two spatial dimensions. This method is based on a general mathematical object which we call a flow. As an application of our method, we derive bulk invariants for Floquet systems without symmetry, as well as for systems with $U(1)$ symmetry. We also derive new formulations of previously known single-particle and many-body invariants. For bosonic systems without symmetry, our invariant gives a bulk counterpart of the rational-valued GNVW index $\frac{p}{q}$ quantifying transport of quantum information along the edge.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Topological invariants for SPT entanglers

We develop a framework for classifying locality preserving unitaries (LPUs) with internal, unitary symmetries in $d$ dimensions, based on $(d-1)$ dimensional ``flux insertion operators" which are easily computed from the unitary. Using this framework, we obtain formulas for topological invariants of LPUs that prepare, or entangle, symmetry protected topological phases (SPTs). These formulas serve as edge invariants for Floquet topological phases in $(d+1)$ dimensions that ``pump" $d$-dimensional SPTs. For 1D SPT entanglers and certain higher dimensional SPT entanglers, our formulas are completely closed-form.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Vanishing Hall conductance for commuting Hamiltonians

We consider the process of flux insertion for ground states of almost local commuting projector Hamiltonians in two spatial dimensions. In the case of finite dimensional local Hilbert spaces, we prove that this process cannot pump any charge and we conclude that the Hall conductance must vanish.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Proposal for realizing anomalous Floquet insulators via Chern band annihilation

Two-dimensional periodically driven systems can host an unconventional topological phase unattainable for equilibrium systems, termed the Anomalous Floquet-Anderson insulator (AFAI). The AFAI features a quasi-energy spectrum with chiral edge modes and a fully localized bulk, leading to non-adiabatic but quantized charge pumping. Here, we show how such a Floquet phase can be realized in a driven, disordered Quantum Anomalous Hall insulator, which is assumed to have two critical energies where the localization length diverges, carrying states with opposite Chern numbers. Driving the system at a frequency close to resonance between these two energies localizes the critical states and annihilates the Chern bands, giving rise to an AFAI phase. We exemplify this principle by studying a model for a driven, magnetically doped topological insulator film, where the annihilation of the Chern bands and the formation of the AFAI phase is demonstrated using the rotating wave approximation. This is complemented by a scaling analysis of the localization length for two copies of a quantum Hall network model with a tunable coupling between them. We find that by tuning the frequency of the driving close to resonance, the driving strength required to stabilize the AFAI phase can be made arbitrarily small.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Classification of interacting Floquet phases with $U(1)$ symmetry in two dimensions

We derive a complete classification of Floquet phases of interacting bosons and fermions with $U(1)$ symmetry in two spatial dimensions. According to our classification, there is a one-to-one correspondence between these Floquet phases and rational functions $π(z) = a(z)/b(z)$ where $a(z)$ and $b(z)$ are polynomials obeying certain conditions and $z$ is a formal parameter. The physical meaning of $π(z)$ involves the stroboscopic edge dynamics of the corresponding Floquet system: in the case of bosonic systems, $π(z) = \frac{p}{q} \cdot \tildeπ(z)$ where $\frac{p}{q}$ is a rational number which characterizes the flow of quantum information at the edge during each driving period, and $\tildeπ(z)$ is a rational function which characterizes the flow of $U(1)$ charge at the edge. A similar decomposition exists in the fermionic case. We also show that $\tildeπ(z)$ is directly related to the time-averaged $U(1)$ current that flows in a particular geometry. This $U(1)$ current is a generalization of the quantized current and quantized magnetization density found in previous studies of non-interacting fermionic Floquet phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Density-Matrix Renormalization Group study of Many-Body Localization in Floquet Eigenstates

We generalize the recently introduced Density-Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG-X) [Khemani et al, PRL 2016] algorithm to obtain Floquet eigenstates of one-dimensional, periodically driven many-body localized systems. This generalization is made possible by the fact that the time-evolution operator for a period can be efficiently represented using a matrix-product operator. We first benchmark the method by comparing to exact diagonalization for small systems. We then obtain Floquet eigenstates for larger systems and show unambiguously that the characteristic area-law scaling remains robust.

cond-mat.str-el↗