arXiv subjects

Congjun Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Congjun Wu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Slater and Mott insulating states in the SU(6) Hubbard model

We perform large scale projector determinant quantum Monte-Carlo simulations to study the insulating states of the half-filled SU(6) Hubbard model on the square lattice. The transition from the antiferromagnetic state to the valence bond solid state occurs as increasing the Hubbard $U$. In contrast, in the SU(2) and SU(4) cases antiferromagnetism persists throughout the entire interaction range. In the SU(6) case, antiferromagnetism starts to develop in the weak interacting regime based on the Slater mechanism of Fermi surface nesting. As $U$ passes a crossover value $U^*/t\approx 9$, the single-particle gap scales linearly with $U$, marking the onset of Mott physics. In the Mott regime, antiferromagnetism becomes to be suppressed as $U$ increases, and vanishes after $U$ passes the critical value $U_{\rm AF,c}/t=13.3\pm 0.05$. The critical exponents are obtained via critical scalings as $ν_{\rm AF}=0.60\pm 0.02$ and $η_{\rm AF}=0.44\pm 0.03$. As $U$ further increases, the valence bond solid ordering appears exhibiting the anomalous dimension $η_{\rm VBS}=0.98\pm 0.01$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Interaction effects with varying $N$ in SU($N$) symmetric fermion lattice systems

The interaction effects in ultracold Fermi gases with SU($N$) symmetry are studied non-perturbatively in half-filled one-dimensional lattices by employing quantum Monte Carlo simulations.We find that as $N$ increases, weak and strong interacting systems are driven to a crossover region, but from opposite directions as a convergence of itinerancy and Mottness.In the weak interaction region, particles are nearly itinerant,and inter-particle collisions are enhanced by $N$, resulting in the amplification of interaction effects. In contrast, in the strong coupling region, increasing $N$ softens the Mott-insulating background through the enhanced virtual hopping processes.The crossover region exhibits nearly $N$-independent physical quantities, including the relative bandwidth, Fermi distribution, and the spin structure factor.The difference between even-$N$ and odd-$N$ systems is most prominent at small $N$'s with strong interactions, since the odd case allows local real hopping with an energy scale much larger than the virtual one.The above effects can be experimentally tested in ultracold atom experiments with alkaline-earth (-like) fermions such as $^{87}$Sr ($^{173}$Yb).

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

A new paradigm for the quantum spin Hall effect at high temperatures

The quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) has formed the seed for contemporary research on topological quantum states of matter. Since its discovery in HgTe/CdTe quantum wells and AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures, all such systems have so far been suffering from extremely low operating temperatures, rendering any technological application out of reach. We formulate a theoretical paradigm to accomplish the high temperature QSHE in monolayer-substrate heterostructures. Specifically, we explicate our proposal for hexagonal compounds formed by monolayers of heavy group-V elements (As, Sb, Bi) on a SiC substrate. We show how orbital filtering due to substrate hybridization, a tailored multi-orbital density of states at low energies, and large spin-orbit coupling can conspire to yield QSH states with bulk gaps of several hundreds of meV. Combined with the successful realization of Bi/SiC (0001), with a measured bulk gap of 800 meV reported previously [Reis et al., 10.1126/science.aai8142 (2017)], our paradigm elevates the QSHE from an intricate quantum phenomenon at low temperatures to a scalable effect amenable to device design and engineering.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Quantum critical dynamics for a prototype class of insulating antiferromagnets

Quantum criticality is a fundamental organizing principle for studying strongly correlated systems. Nevertheless, understanding quantum critical dynamics at nonzero temperatures is a major challenge of condensed matter physics due to the intricate interplay between quantum and thermal fluctuations. The recent experiments in the quantum spin dimer material TlCuCl$_3$ provide an unprecedented opportunity to test the theories of quantum criticality. We investigate the nonzero temperature quantum critical spin dynamics by employing an effective $O(N)$ field theory. The on-shell mass and the damping rate of quantum critical spin excitations as functions of temperature are calculated based on the renormalized coupling strength, which are in excellent agreements with experiment observations. Their $T\ln T$ dependence is predicted to be dominant at very low temperatures, which is to be tested in future experiments. Our work provides confidence that quantum criticality as a theoretical framework, being considered in so many different contexts of condensed matter physics and beyond, is indeed grounded in materials and experiments accurately. It is also expected to motivate further experimental investigations on the applicability of the field theory to related quantum critical systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Ferromagnetism and Wigner crystallization in Kagome graphene and related structures

Interaction in a flat band is magnified due to the divergence in the density of states, which gives rise to a variety of many-body phenomena such as ferromagnetism and Wigner crystallization. Until now, however, most studies of the flat band physics are based on model systems, making their experimental realization a distant future. Here, we propose a class of systems made of real atoms, namely, carbon atoms with realistic physical interactions (dubbed here as Kagome graphene/graphyne). Density functional theory calculations reveal that these Kagome lattices offer a controllable way to realize robust flat bands sufficiently close to the Fermi level. Upon hole doping, they split into spin-polarized bands at different energies to result in a flat-band ferromagnetism. At a half filling, this splitting reaches its highest level of 768 meV. At smaller fillings, e.g., when ν=1/6, on the other hand, a Wigner crystal spontaneously forms, where the electrons form closed loops localized on the grid points of a regular triangular lattice. It breaks the translational symmetry of the original Kagome lattice. We further show that the Kagome lattices exhibit good mechanical stabilities, based on which a possible route for experimental realization of the Kagome graphene is also proposed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Mott transition in the $π$-flux SU($4$) Hubbard model on a square lattice

We employ the projector quantum Monte Carlo simulations to study the ground-state properties of the square-lattice SU(4) Hubbard model with a $π$ flux per plaquette. In the weak coupling regime, its ground state is in the gapless Dirac semi-metal phase. With increasing repulsive interaction, we show that, a Mott transition occurs from the semimetal to the valence bond solid, accompanied by the $Z_4$ discrete symmetry breaking. Our simulations demonstrate the existence of a second-order phase transition, which confirms the Ginzburg-Landau analysis. The phase transition point and the critical exponent $η$ are also estimated. To account for the effect of a $π$ flux on the ordering in the strong coupling regime, we analytically derive by the perturbation theory the ring-exchange term which describes the leading-order difference between the $π$-flux and zero-flux SU(4) Hubbard models.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Space-time crystal and space-time group

Crystal structures and the Bloch theorem play a fundamental role in condensed matter physics. We extend the static crystal to the dynamic "space-time" crystal characterized by the general intertwined space-time periodicities in $D+1$ dimensions, which include both the static crystal and the Floquet crystal as special cases. A new group structure dubbed "space-time" group is constructed to describe the discrete symmetries of space-time crystal. Compared to space and magnetic groups, space-time group is augmented by "time-screw" rotations and "time-glide" reflections involving fractional translations along the time direction. A complete classification of the 13 space-time groups in 1+1D is performed. The Kramers-type degeneracy can arise from the glide time-reversal symmetry without the half-integer spinor structure, which constrains the winding number patterns of spectral dispersions. In 2+1D, non-symmorphic space-time symmetries enforce spectral degeneracies, leading to protected Floquet semi-metal states. Our work provides a general framework for further studying topological properties of the $D+1$ dimensional space-time crystal.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Majorana Positivity and the Fermion sign problem of Quantum Monte Carlo Simulations

The sign problem is a major obstacle in quantum Monte Carlo simulations for many-body fermion systems. We examine this problem with a new perspective based on the Majorana reflection positivity and Majorana Kramers positivity. Two sufficient conditions are proven for the absence of the fermion sign problem. Our proof provides a unified description for all the interacting lattice fermion models previously known to be free of the sign problem based on the auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo method. It also allows us to identify a number of new sign-problem-free interacting fermion models including, but not limited to, lattice fermion models with repulsive interactions but without particle-hole symmetry and interacting topological insulators with spin-flip terms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Synthetic Landau levels and spinor vortex matter on Haldane spherical surface with magnetic monopole

We present a flexible scheme to realize exact flat Landau levels on curved spherical geometry in a system of spinful cold atoms. This is achieved by Floquet engineering of a magnetic quadrupole field. We show that a synthetic monopole field in real space can be created. We prove that the system can be exactly mapped to the electron-monopole system on sphere, thus realizing Haldane's spherical geometry for fractional quantum Hall physics. The scheme works for either bosons or fermions. We investigate the ground state vortex pattern for an $s$-wave interacting atomic condensate by mapping this system to the classical Thompson's problem. We further study the distortion and stability of the vortex pattern when dipolar interaction is present. Our scheme is compatible with current experimental setup, and may serve as a promising route of investigating quantum Hall physics and exotic spinor vortex matter on curved space.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

A Quantized Inter-level Character in Quantum Systems

For a quantum system subject to external parameters, the Berry phase is an intra-level property, which is gauge invariant module $2π$ for a closed loop in the parameter space and generally is non-quantized. In contrast, we define a inter-band character $Θ$ for a closed loop, which is gauge invariant and quantized as integer values. It is a quantum mechanical analogy of the Euler character based on the Gauss-Bonnet theorem for a manifold with a boundary. The role of the Gaussian curvature is mimicked by the difference between the Berry curvatures of the two levels, and the counterpart of the geodesic curvature is the quantum geometric potential which was proposed to improve the quantum adiabatic condition. This quantized inter-band character is also generalized to quantum degenerate systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Majorana surface modes of nodal topological pairings in spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ semi-metals

Multi-component electronic systems can appear in solid state systems with active orbital band structures. They exhibit richer structures of topological superconductivity beyond the conventional scenarios of spin singlet and triplet pairings in spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ systems. Examples include the half-Heusler compounds RPtBi series (R for a rare earth element), whose electronic structures are described by the effective Luttinger-Kohn model with spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ fermions exhibiting strong spin-orbit coupling and band conversion. Recent experiments provide evidence to unconventional superconductivity in the YPtBi material with nodal spin-septet pairing. We systematically study topological pairing structures in spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ systems with cubic group symmetries and calculate surface Majorana spectra, which exhibit both the zero energy flat band and the cubic dispersion. The signatures of these surface states in the quasi-particle interference patterns are studied, which can be tested in future tunneling experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Experimental Observation of Bethe Strings

Almost one century ago, string states - complex bound states (Wellenkomplexe) of magnetic excitations - have been predicted to exist in one-dimensional quantum magnets and since then become a subject of intensive theoretical study. However, experimental realization and identification of string states in condensed-matter systems remains an unsolved challenge up to date. Here we use high-resolution terahertz spectroscopy to identify string states in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain SrCo2V2O8 in strong longitudinal magnetic fields. We observe complex bound states (strings) and fractional magnetic excitations (psinons and antipsinons) in the field-induced critical regime, which are precisely described by the Bethe ansatz. Our study reveals that two-string and three-string states govern the quantum spin dynamics close to the quantum criticality, while the fractional excitations are dominant at low energies, reflecting the antiferromagnetic quantum fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Quantum criticality of bosonic systems with the Lifshitz dispersion

We study the quantum criticality of the Lifshitz $φ^4$-theory below the upper critical dimension. Two fixed points, one Gaussian and the other non-Gaussian, are identified with zero and finite interaction strengths, respectively. At zero temperature the particle density exhibits different power-law dependences on the chemical potential in the weak and strong interaction regions. At finite temperatures, critical behaviors in the quantum disordered region are mainly controlled by the chemical potential. In contrast, in the quantum critical region critical scalings are determined by temperature. The scaling ansatz remains valid in the strong interaction limit for the chemical potential, correlation length, and particle density, while it breaks down in the weak interaction one. As approaching the upper critical dimension, physical quantities develop logarithmic dependence on dimensionality in the strong interaction region. These results are applied to spin-orbit coupled bosonic systems, leading to predictions testable by future experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Finite-temperature valence-bond-solid transitions and thermodynamic properties of interacting SU($2N$) Dirac fermions

We investigate the SU($2N$) symmetry effects with $2N>2$ on the two-dimensional interacting Dirac fermions at finite temperatures, including the valence-bond-solid transition, the Pomeranchuk effect, the compressibility and the uniform spin susceptibility, by performing the determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the half-filled SU($2N$) Hubbard model on a honeycomb lattice. The columnar valence-bond-solid (cVBS) phase only breaks the three-fold discrete symmetry, and thus can survive at finite temperatures. The disordered phase in the weak coupling regime is the thermal Dirac semi-metal state, while in the strong coupling regime it is largely a Mott state in which the cVBS order is thermally melted. The calculated entropy-temperature relations for various values of the Hubbard interaction $U$ show that, the Pomeranchuk effect occurs when the specific entropy is below a characteristic value of $S^*$ --- the maximal entropy per particle from the spin channel of local moments. The SU($2N$) symmetry enhances the Pomeranchuk effect, which facilitates the interaction-induced adiabatic cooling. Our work sheds new light on future explorations of novel states of matter with ultra-cold large-spin alkaline fermions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

From confined spinons to emergent fermions: Observation of elementary magnetic excitations in a transverse-field Ising chain

We report on spectroscopy study of elementary magnetic excitations in an Ising-like antiferromagnetic chain compound SrCo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ as a function of temperature and applied transverse magnetic field up to 25 T. An optical as well as an acoustic branch of confined spinons, the elementary excitations at zero field, are identified in the antiferromagnetic phase below the Néel temperature of 5 K and described by a one-dimensional Schrödinger equation. The confinement can be suppressed by an applied transverse field and a quantum disordered phase is induced at 7 T. In this disordered paramagnetic phase, we observe three emergent fermionic excitations with different transverse-field dependencies. The nature of these modes is clarified by studying spin dynamic structure factor of a 1D transverse-field Heisenberg-Ising (XXZ) model using the method of infinite time evolving block decimation. Our work reveals emergent quantum phenomena and provides a concrete system for testifying theoretical predications of one-dimension quantum spin models.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Room temperature magnetism on the zigzag edges of phosphorene nanoribbons

Searching for room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors has evolved into a broad field of material science and spintronics for decades, nevertheless, these novel states remain rare. Phosphorene, a monolayer black phosphorus with a puckered honeycomb lattice structure possessing a finite band gap and high carrier mobility, has been synthesized recently. Here we show, by means of two different large scale quantum Monte-Carlo methods, that relatively weak interactions can lead to remarkable edge magnetism in the phosphorene nanoribbons. The ground state constrained path quantum Monte-Carlo simulations reveal strong ferromagnetic correlations along the zigzag edges, and the finite temperature determinant quantum Monte-Carlo calculations show a high Curie temperature up to room temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Unconventional Bose-Einstein Condensation in a System of Two-species Bosons in the $p$-orbital Bands of a Bipartite Lattice

In the context of Gross-Pitaevskii theory, we investigate the unconventional Bose-Einstein condensations in the two-species mixture with $p$-wave symmetry in the second band of a bipartite optical lattice. A new imaginary-time propagation method is developed to numerically determine the $p$-orbital condensation. Different from the single-species case, the two-species boson mixture exhibits two non-equivalent complex condensates in the intraspecies-interaction-dominating regime, exhibiting the vortex-antivortex lattice configuration in the charge and spin channels, respectively. When the interspecies interaction is tuned across the SU(2) invariant point, the system undergoes a quantum phase transition toward a checkerboard-like spin density wave state with a real-valued condensate wavefunction. The influence of lattice asymmetry on the quantum phase transition is addressed. Finally, we present a phase-sensitive measurement scheme for experimentally detecting the UBEC in our model.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Topological septet pairing with spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ fermions -- high partial-wave channel counterpart of the $^3$He-B phase

We systematically generalize the exotic $^3$He-B phase, which not only exhibits unconventional symmetry but is also isotropic and topologically non-trivial, to arbitrary partial-wave channels with multi-component fermions. The concrete example with four-component fermions is illustrated including the isotropic $f$, $p$ and $d$-wave pairings in the spin septet, triplet, and quintet channels, respectively. The odd partial-wave channel pairings are topologically non-trivial, while pairings in even partial-wave channels are topologically trivial. The topological index reaches the largest value of $N^2$ in the $p$-wave channel ($N$ is half of the fermion component number). The surface spectra exhibit multiple linear and even high order Dirac cones. Applications to multi-orbital condensed matter systems and multi-component ultra-cold large spin fermion systems are discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗