arXiv subjects

Chih-Chun Chien

Publications and source records attributed to Chih-Chun Chien.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Phase-induced transport in atomic gases: from superfluid to Mott insulator

Recent experimental realizations of artificial gauge fields for cold atoms are promising for generating steady states carrying a mass current in strongly correlated systems, such as the Bose-Hubbard model. Moreover, a homogeneous condensate confined by hard-wall potentials from laser sheets has been demonstrated, which provides opportunities for probing the intrinsic transport properties of isolated quantum systems. Using the time-dependent Density Matrix Renormalization Group (TDMRG), we analyze the effect of the lattice and interaction strength on the current generated by a quench in the artificial vector potential when the density varies from low values (continuum limit) up to integer filling in the Mott-insulator regime. There is no observable mass current deep in the Mott-insulator state as one may expect. Other observable quantities used to characterize the quasi-steady state in the bulk of the system are the Drude weight and entanglement entropy production rate. The latter in particular provides a striking signature of the superfluid-Mott insulator transition. Furthermore, an interesting property of the superfluid state is the formation of shock and rarefaction waves at the boundaries due to the hard-wall confining potentials. We provide results for the height and the speed of the shock front that propagates from the boundary toward the center of the lattice. Our results should be verifiable with current experimental capabilities.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Site-wise manipulations and Mott insulator-superfluid transition of interacting photons using superconducting circuit simulators

The Bose Hubbard model (BHM) of interacting bosons in a lattice has been a paradigm in many-body physics, and it exhibits a Mott insulator (MI)-superfluid (SF) transition at integer filling. Here a quantum simulator of the BHM using a superconducting circuit is proposed. Specifically, a superconducting transmission line resonator supporting microwave photons is coupled to a charge qubit to form one site of the BHM, and adjacent sites are connected by a tunable coupler. To obtain a mapping from the superconducting circuit to the BHM, we focus on the dispersive regime where the excitations remain photon-like. Standard perturbation theory is implemented to locate the parameter range where the MI-SF transition may be simulated. This simulator allows single-site manipulations and we illustrate this feature by considering two scenarios where a single-site manipulation can drive a MI-SF transition. The transition can be analyzed by mean-field analyses, and the exact diagonalization was implemented to provide accurate results. The variance of the photon density and the fidelity metric clearly show signatures of the transition. Experimental realizations and other possible applications of this simulator are also discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Landauer, Kubo, and microcanonical approaches to quantum transport and noise: A comparison and implications for cold-atom dynamics

We compare the Landauer, Kubo, and microcanonical [J. Phys. Cond. Matter {\bf 16}, 8025 (2004)] approaches to quantum transport for the average current, the entanglement entropy and the semiclassical full-counting statistics (FCS). Our focus is on the applicability of these approaches to isolated quantum systems such as ultra-cold atoms in engineered optical potentials. For two lattices connected by a junction, we find that the current and particle number fluctuations from the microcanonical approach compare well with the values predicted by the Landauer formalism and FCS assuming a binomial distribution. However, we demonstrate that well-defined reservoirs (i.e., particles in Fermi-Dirac distributions) are not present for a substantial duration of the quasi-steady state. Thus, the Landauer assumption of reservoirs and/or inelastic effects is not necessary for establishing a quasi-steady state. Maintaining such a state indefinitely requires an infinite system, and in this limit well-defined Fermi-Dirac distributions can occur. A Kubo approach -- in the spirit of the microcanonical picture -- bridges the gap between the two formalisms, giving explicit analytical expressions for the formation of the steady state. The microcanonical formalism is designed for closed, finite-size quantum systems and is thus more suitable for studying particle dynamics in ultra-cold atoms. Our results highlight both the connection and differences with more traditional approaches to calculating transport properties in condensed matter systems, and will help guide the way to their simulations in cold-atom systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Dynamically generated flat-band phases in optical kagome lattices

Motivated by recent advances in the realization of complex two-dimensional optical lattices, we investigate theoretically the quantum transport of ultracold fermions in an optical kagome lattice. In particular, we focus on its extensively degenerate localized states (flat band). By loading fermions in a partial region of the lattice and depleting the mobile atoms at the far boundary of the initially unoccupied region, we find a dynamically generated flat-band insulator, which is also a population-inverted state. We further show that inclusion of weak repulsion leads to a dynamical stripe phase for two-component fermions in a similar setup. Finally, by preparing a topological insulating state in a partially occupied kagome lattice, we find that the topological chiral current decays but exhibits an interesting oscillating dynamics during the nonequilibrium transport. Given the broad variety of lattice geometries supporting localized or topological states, our work suggests new possibilities to use geometrical effects and their dynamics in atomtronic devices.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Density and Spin Linear Response of Atomic Fermi Superfluids with Population Imbalance in BCS-BEC Crossover

We present a theoretical study of the density and spin (representing the two components) linear response of Fermi superfluids with tunable attractive interactions and population imbalance. In both linear response theories, we find that the fluctuations of the order parameter must be treated on equal footing with the gauge transformations associated with the symmetries of the Hamiltonian so that important constraints including various sum rules can be satisfied. Both theories can be applied to the whole BCS-Bose-Einstein condensation crossover. The spin linear responses are qualitatively different with and without population imbalance because collective-mode effects from the fluctuations of the order parameter survive in the presence of population imbalance, even though the associated symmetry is not broken by the order parameter. Since a polarized superfluid becomes unstable at low temperatures in the weak and intermediate coupling regimes, we found that the density and spin susceptibilities diverge as the system approaches the unstable regime, but the emergence of phase separation preempts the divergence.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Interaction-induced conducting-nonconducting transition of ultra-cold atoms in 1D optical lattices

The study of time-dependent, many-body transport phenomena is increasingly within reach of ultra-cold atom experiments. We show that the introduction of spatially inhomogeneous interactions, e.g., generated by optically-controlled collisions, induce negative differential conductance in the transport of atoms in 1D optical lattices. Specifically, we simulate the dynamics of interacting fermionic atoms via a micro-canonical transport formalism within both mean-field and a higher-order approximation, as well as with time-dependent DMRG. For weakly repulsive interactions, a quasi steady-state atomic current develops that is similar to the situation occurring for electronic systems subject to an external voltage bias. At the mean-field level, we find that this atomic current is robust against the details of how the interaction is switched on. Further, a conducting-to-nonconducting transition exists when the interaction imbalance exceeds some threshold from both our approximate and time-dependent DMRG simulations. This transition is preceded by the atomic equivalent of negative differential conductivity observed in transport across solid-state structures.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

The Compressibility in Strongly Correlated Superconductors and Superfluids: From BCS to BEC

We present a theoretical study of the compressibility, $κ$, in a Fermi gas with attractive contact interactions, providing predictions for the strongly-attractive regime and the superfluid phase. Our work emphasizes the compressibility sum rule and gauge invariance as constraints on $κ$ and we show how within a particular $t$-matrix approach, these can be satisfied in the normal phase when no approximations are made. For tractability, approximations must be introduced, and it is believed that thermodynamical approaches to $κ$ are more reliable, than correlation function based schemes. Contrasting with other studies in the literature, we present thermodynamic calculations of $κ$; these yield semi-quantitative agreement with experiment and provide physical insight into similar results obtained via quantum Monte Carlo simulations.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Fundamental Constraints on Linear Response Theories of Fermi Superfluids Above and Below $T_c$

We present fundamental constraints required for a consistent linear response theory of fermionic superfluids and address temperatures both above and below the transition temperature $T_c$. We emphasize two independent constraints, one associated with gauge invariance (and the related Ward identity) and another associated with the compressibility sum rule, both of which are satisfied in strict BCS theory. However, we point out that it is the rare many body theory which satisfies both of these. Indeed, well studied quantum Hall systems and random-phase approximations to the electron gas are found to have difficulties with meeting these constraints. We summarize two distinct theoretical approaches which are, however, demonstrably compatible with gauge invariance and the compressibility sum rule. The first of these involves an extension of BCS theory to a mean field description of the BCS-Bose Einstein condensation crossover. The second is the simplest Nozieres Schmitt- Rink (NSR) treatment of pairing correlations in the normal state. As a point of comparison we focus on the compressibility $κ$ of each and contrast the predictions above $T_c$. We note here that despite the compliance with sum rules, this NSR based scheme leads to an unphysical divergence in $κ$ at the transition. Because of the delicacy of the various consistency requirements, the results of this paper suggest that avoiding this divergence may repair one problem while at the same time introducing others.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Leading-Order Auxiliary Field Theory of the Bose-Hubbard Model

We discuss the phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard (BH) model in the leading-order auxiliary field (LOAF) theory. LOAF is a conserving non-perturbative approximation that treats on equal footing the normal and anomalous density condensates. The mean-field solutions in LOAF correspond to first-order and second-order phase transition solutions with two critical temperatures corresponding to a vanishing Bose-Einstein condensate, $T_c$, and a vanishing diatom condensate, $T^\star$. The \emph{second-order} phase transition solution predicts the correct order of the transition in continuum Bose gases. For either solution, the superfluid state is tied to the presence of the diatom condensate related to the anomalous density in the system. In ultracold Bose atomic gases confined on a three-dimensional lattice, the critical temperature $T_c$ exhibits a quantum phase transition, where $T_c$ goes to zero at a finite coupling. The BH phase diagram in LOAF features a line of first-order transitions ending in a critical point beyond which the transition is second order while approaching the quantum phase transition. We identify a region where a diatom condensate is expected for temperatures higher than $T_c$ and less than $T_0$, the critical temperature of the non-interacting system. The LOAF phase diagram for the BH model compares qualitatively well with existing experimental data and results of \emph{ab initio} Monte Carlo simulations.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Theories of Linear Response in BCS Superfluids and How They Meet Fundamental Constraints

We address the importance of symmetry and symmetry breaking on linear response theories of fermionic BCS superfluids. The linear theory of a noninteracting Fermi gas is reviewed and several consistency constraints are verified. The challenge to formulate linear response theories of BCS superfluids consistent with density and spin conservation laws comes from the presence of a broken U(1)$_{\textrm{EM}}$ symmetry associated with electromagnetism (EM) and we discuss two routes for circumventing this. The first route follows Nambu's integral-equation approach for the EM vertex function, but this method is not specific for BCS superfluids. We focus on the second route based on a consistent-fluctuation-of-the order-parameter (CFOP) approach where the gauge transformation and the fluctuations of the order parameter are treated on equal footing. The CFOP approach allows one to explicitly verify several important constraints: The EM vertex satisfies not only a Ward identity which guarantees charge conservation but also a $Q$-limit Ward identity associated with the compressibility sum rule. In contrast, the spin degrees of freedom associated with another U(1)$_z$ symmetry are not affected by the Cooper-pair condensation that breaks only the U(1)$_{\textrm{EM}}$ symmetry. As a consequence the collective modes from the fluctuations of the order parameter only couple to the density response function but decouple from the spin response function, which reflects the different fates of the two U(1) symmetries in the superfluid phase. Our formulation lays the ground work for application to more general theories of BCS-Bose Einstein Condensation crossover both above and below $T_c$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Quench Dynamics and Emergence of Phase Separation in Two-Component Atomic Bose Gases at Zero Temperature and above the BEC Critical Temperature

We study the dynamics of two-component atomic Bose gases initially in a mixture encountering a sudden quench of the inter-species interactions. The dynamics above the critical temperature $T_c$ is studied using a leading order large-N approximation that predicted a phase transition from mixing to phase separation as a function of the inter-species coupling. Here we explore the dynamics of this phase transition following a quench and compare our results to those found at zero temperature using the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equations which ignore quantum and thermal fluctuations. In the regime above $T_c$ where no condensate is present, however, the time evolution of the densities following the quench exhibits features similar to that found at zero temperature where only the condensates contribute to the densities. When the inter-species interaction jumps above the critical value, we observe dynamical transitions from a homogeneous mixture to a phase-separated structure for both cases. Our simulations suggest that at temperatures above $T_c$ where no condensate is present this dynamical transition should still be observable in experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Electrochemical response of biased nanoelectrodes in solution

Novel approaches to DNA sequencing and detection require the measurement of electrical currents between metal probes immersed in ionic solution. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that these systems maintain large background currents with a transient response that decays very slowly in time and noise that increases with ionic concentration. Using a non-equilibrium stochastic model, we obtain an analytical expression for the ionic current that shows these results are due to a fast electrochemical reaction at the electrode surface followed by the slow formation of a diffusion layer. During the latter, ions translocate in the weak electric field generated after the initial rapid screening of the strong fields near the electrode surfaces. Our theoretical results are in very good agreement with experimental findings.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Tunable Thermal Switching via DNA-Based Nano Devices

DNA has a well-defined structural transition -- the denaturation of its double-stranded form into two single strands -- that strongly affects its thermal transport properties. We show that, according to a widely implemented model for DNA denaturation, one can engineer DNA "heattronic" devices that have a rapidly increasing thermal conductance over a narrow temperature range across the denaturation transition (~350 K). The origin of this rapid increase of conductance, or "switching", is the softening of the lattice and suppression of nonlinear effects as the temperature crosses the transition temperature and DNA denatures. Most importantly, we demonstrate that DNA nanojunctions have a broad range of thermal tunability due to varying the sequence and length, and exploiting the underlying nonlinear behavior. We discuss the role of disorder in the base sequence, as well as the relation to genomic DNA. These results set the basis for developing thermal devices out of materials with nonlinear structural dynamics, as well as understanding the underlying mechanisms of DNA denaturation.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Controlling Transport of Ultra-Cold Atoms in 1D Optical Lattices with Artificial Gauge Fields

We show that the recently developed optical lattices with Peierls substitution -- which can be modeled as a lattice with a complex tunneling coefficient -- may be used to induce controllable quantum transport of ultra-cold atoms. In particular, we show that by ramping up the phase of the complex tunneling coefficient in a spatially uniform fashion, a finite quasi steady-state current (QSSC) ensues from the exact dynamics of non-interacting fermions. The direction and magnitude of the current can be controlled by the overall phase difference but not the details of the ramp. The entanglement entropy does not increase when the QSSC lasts. Due to different spin statistics, condensed non-interacting bosons do not support a finite QSSC under the same setup. We also find that an approximate form of the QSSC survives when perturbative effects from interactions, weak harmonic background traps, and finite-temperature are present, which suggests that our findings should be observable with available experimental capabilities.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

The Two Component Optical Conductivity in the Cuprates: A Necessary Consequence of Preformed Pairs

We address how the finite frequency real conductivity $σ(ω)$ in the underdoped cuprates is affected by the pseudogap, contrasting the behavior above and below $T_c$. The f-sum rule is analytically shown to hold. Here we presume the pseudogap is associated with non-condensed pairs arising from stronger-than-BCS attraction. This leads to both a Drude and a mid infrared (MIR) peak, the latter associated with the energy needed to break pairs. These general characteristics appear consistent with experiment. Importantly, there is no more theoretical flexibility (phenomenology) here than in BCS theory; the origin of the two component conductivity we find is robust.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Mean-field description of pairing effects, BKT physics, and superfluidity in 2D Bose gases

We derive a mean-field description for two-dimensional (2D) interacting Bose gases at arbitrary temperatures. We find that genuine Bose-Einstein condensation with long-range coherence only survives at zero temperature. At finite temperatures, many-body pairing effects included in our mean-field theory introduce a finite amplitude for the pairing density, which results in a finite superfluid density. We incorporate Berenzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) physics into our model by considering the phase fluctuations of our pairing field. This then leads to the result that the superfluid phase is only stable below the BKT temperature due to these phase fluctuations. In the weakly interacting regime at low temperature we compare our theory to previous results from perturbative calculations, renormalization group calculations as well as Monte Carlo simulations. We present a finite-temperature phase diagram of 2D Bose gases. One signature of the finite amplitude of the pairing density field is a two-peak structure in the single-particle spectral function, resembling that of the pseudogap phase in 2D attractive Fermi gases.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Large-N approximation for single- and two-component dilute Bose gases

We discuss the mean-field theories obtained from the leading order in a large-$N$ approximation for one- and two- component dilute Bose gases. For a one-component Bose gas this approximation has the following properties: the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) phase transition is second order but the critical temperature $T_c$ is not shifted from the non-interacting gas value $T_0$. The spectrum of excitations in the BEC phase resembles the Bogoliubov dispersion with the usual coupling constant replaced by the running coupling constant which depends on both temperature and momentum. We then study two-component Bose gases with both inter- and intra- species interactions and focus on the stability of the mixture state above $T_c$. Our mean-field approximation predicts an instability from the mixture state to a phase-separated state when the ratio of the inter-species interaction strength to the intra-species interaction strength (assuming equal strength for both species) exceeds a critical value. At high temperature this is a structural transition and the global translational symmetry is broken. Our work complements previous studies on the instability of the mixture phase in the presence of BEC.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Dynamical crossover between the infinite-volume and empty-lattice limits of ultra-cold fermions in 1D optical lattices

Unlike typical condensed-matter systems, ultra-cold atoms loaded into optical lattices allow separate control of both the particle number and system size. As a consequence, there are two distinct "thermodynamic" limits that can be defined for these systems: i) "infinite-volume limit" at constant finite density, and ii) "empty-lattice limit" at constant particle number. To probe the difference between these two limits and their crossover, we consider a partially occupied lattice and study the transport of non-interacting fermions and fermions interacting at the mean-field level into the unoccupied region. In the infinite-volume limit, a finite steady-state current emerges. On the other hand, in the empty-lattice limit there is no finite steady-state current. By changing the initial filling, we find a smooth crossover between the two limits. Our predictions may be verified using available experimental tools and demonstrate a fundamental difference between isolated small systems such as ultra-cold atoms and conventional condensed-matter systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗