arXiv subjects

Daniel Waltner

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Waltner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The role of classical periodic orbits in quantum many-body systems

Semiclassical methods have been applied very successfully to describe the nontrivial transition from the quantum to the classical regime in $\textit{single}$-particle or at least $\textit{few}$-particle systems. Challenges on the way to an extension to $\textit{many}$-body systems result from the exponential proliferation of the number of classical orbits in chaotic systems and the exponential growth of the quantum Hilbert-space dimension with the particle number. To circumvent these problems, we apply here our recently developed duality relation. Considering the kicked spin chain as example for a many-body system, we show how the duality relation can be used to extract the classical orbits from the quantum spectrum. For coupled cat maps, we analyze the spectral statistics of chaotic many-body systems and discuss the double limit of large semiclassical parameter and large particle number.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Scattering model of scintillation arcs in pulsar secondary spectra

The dynamic spectra of pulsars frequently exhibit diverse interference patterns, often associated with parabolic arcs in the Fourier-transformed (secondary) spectra. Our approach differs from previous ones in two ways: first, we extend beyond the traditional Fresnel-Kirchhoff method by using the Green's function of the Helmholtz equation, i.e.\ we consider spherical waves originating from three dimensional space, not from a two dimensional screen. Secondly, the discrete structures observed in the secondary spectrum result from discrete scatterer configurations, namely plasma concentrations in the interstellar medium, and not from the selection of points by the stationary phase approximation. Through advanced numerical techniques, we model both the dynamic and secondary spectra, providing a comprehensive framework that describes all components of the latter spectra in terms of physical quantities. Additionally, we provide a thorough analytical explanation of the secondary spectrum.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Signatures of the interplay between chaos and local criticality on the dynamics of scrambling in many-body systems

Fast scrambling, quantified by the exponential initial growth of Out-of-Time-Ordered-Correlators (OTOCs), is the ability to efficiently spread quantum correlations among the degrees of freedom of interacting systems, and constitutes a characteristic signature of local unstable dynamics. As such, it may equally manifest both in systems displaying chaos or in integrable systems around criticality. Here, we go beyond these extreme regimes with an exhaustive study of the interplay between local criticality and chaos right at the intricate phase space region where the integrability-chaos transition first appears. We address systems with a well defined classical (mean-field) limit, as coupled large spins and Bose-Hubbard chains, thus allowing for semiclassical analysis. Our aim is to investigate the dependence of the exponential growth of the OTOCs, defining the quantum Lyapunov exponent $\lambda_{\textrm{q}}$ on quantities derived from the classical system with mixed phase space, specifically the local stability exponent of a fixed point $\lambda_{\textrm{loc}}$ as well as the maximal Lyapunov exponent $\lambda_{\textrm{L}}$ of the chaotic region around it. By extensive numerical simulations covering a wide range of parameters we give support to a conjectured linear dependence $2\lambda_{\textrm{q}}=a\lambda_{\textrm{L}}+b\lambda_{\textrm{loc}}$, providing a simple route to characterize scrambling at the border between chaos and integrability.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Winding Number Statistics of a Parametric Chiral Unitary Random Matrix Ensemble

The winding number is a concept in complex analysis which has, in the presence of chiral symmetry, a physics interpretation as the topological index belonging to gapped phases of fermions. We study statistical properties of this topological quantity. To this end, we set up a random matrix model for a chiral unitary system with a parametric dependence. We analytically calculate the discrete probability distribution of the winding numbers, as well as the parametric correlations functions of the winding number density. Moreover, we address aspects of universality for the two-point function of the winding number density by identifying a proper unfolding procedure. We conjecture the unfolded two-point function to be universal.

math-ph↗

arXiv2021

Localization in the Kicked Ising Chain

Determining the border between ergodic and localized behavior is of central interest for interacting many-body systems. We consider here the recently very popular spin-chain model that is periodically excited. A convenient description of such a many-body system is achieved by the dual operator that evolves the system in contrast to the time-evolution operator not in time but in particle direction. We identify in this paper the largest eigenvalue of a function based on the dual operator as a convenient tool to determine if the system shows ergodic or many-body localized features. By perturbation theory in the vicinity of the noninteracting system we explain analytically the eigenvalue structure and compare it with numerics in [P. Braun, D. Waltner, M. Akila, B. Gutkin, T. Guhr, Phys. Rev. E $\bf{101}$, 052201 (2020)] for small times. Furthermore we identify a quantity that allows based on extensive large-time numerical computations of the spectral form factor to distinguish between localized and ergodic system features and to determine the Thouless time, i.e. the transition time between these regimes in the thermodynamic limit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

A Mapping between the Spin and Fermion Algebra

We derive a formalism to express the spin algebra $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ in a spin $s$ representation in terms of the algebra of $L$ fermionic operators that obey the Canonical Anti-commutation Relations. We also give the reverse direction of expressing the fermionic operators as polynomials in the spin operators of a single spin. We extend here to further spin values the previous investigations by Dobrov [J.Phys.A: Math. Gen 36 L503, (2003)] who in turn clarified on an inconsistency within a similar formalism in the works of Batista and Ortiz [Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett. 86, 1082 (2001)]. We then consider a system of $L$ fermion flavors and apply our mapping in order to express it in terms of the spin algebra. Furthermore we investigate a possibility to simplify certain Hamiltonian operators by means of the mapping.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Exact local correlations in kicked chains at light cone edges

We show that local correlators in a wide class of kicked chains can be calculated exactly at light cone edges. Extending previous works on dual-unitary systems, the correlators between local operators are expressed through the expectation values of transfer matrices $T$ with small dimensions. Contrary to the previous studies, our results are not restricted to dual-unitary systems with spatial-temporal symmetry of the dynamics. They hold for a generic case without fine tuning of model parameters. The results are exemplified on the kicked Ising spin chain model, where we provide an explicit formula for two-point correlators near light cone edges beyond the dual-unitary regime.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

Hilbert space average of transition probabilities

The typicality approach and the Hilbert space averaging method as its technical manifestation are important concepts of quantum statistical mechanics. Extensively used for expectation values we extend them in this paper to transition probabilities. In this context we also find that the transition probability of two random uniformly distributed states is connected to the spectral statistics of the considered operator. Furthermore, within our approach we are capable to consider distributions of matrix elements between states, that are not orthogonal. We will demonstrate our quite general result numerically for a kicked spin chain in the integrable resp. chaotic regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Local correlations in dual-unitary kicked chains

We show that for dual-unitary kicked chains, built upon a pair of complex Hadamard matrices, correlators of strictly local, traceless operators vanish identically for sufficiently long chains. On the other hand, operators supported at pairs of adjacent chain sites, generically, exhibit nontrivial correlations along the light cone edges. In agreement with Bertini et. al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 210601 (2019)], they can be expressed through the expectation values of a transfer matrix $T$. Furthermore, we identify a remarkable family of dual-unitary models where an explicit information on the spectrum of $T$ is available. For this class of models we provide a closed analytical formula for the corresponding two-point correlators. This result, in turn, allows an evaluation of local correlators in the vicinity of the dual-unitary regime which is exemplified on the kicked Ising spin chain.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Towards a semiclassical understanding of chaotic single- and many-particle quantum dynamics at post-Heisenberg time scales

Despite considerable progress during the last decades in devising a semiclassical theory for classically chaotic quantum systems a quantitative semiclassical understanding of their dynamics at late times (beyond the so-called Heisenberg time $T_H$) is still missing. This challenge, corresponding to resolving spectral structures on energy scales below the mean level spacing, is intimately related to the quest for semiclassically restoring quantum unitarity, which is reflected in real-valued spectral determinants. Guided through insights for quantum graphs we devise a periodic-orbit resummation procedure for quantum chaotic systems invoking periodic-orbit self encounters as the structuring element of a hierarchical phase space dynamics. We propose a way to purely semiclassically construct real spectral determinants based on two major underlying mechanisms: (i) Complementary contributions to the spectral determinant from regrouped pseudo orbits of duration $T < T_H$ and $T_H-T$ are complex conjugate to each other. (ii) Contributions from long periodic orbits involving multiple traversals along shorter orbits cancel out. We furthermore discuss implications for interacting $N$-particle quantum systems with a chaotic classical large-$N$ limit that have recently attracted interest in the context of many-body quantum chaos.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2019

Transition from Quantum Chaos to Localization in Spin Chains

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in quantum chaos and related aspects of spatially extended systems, such as spin chains. However, the results are strongly system dependent, generic approaches suggest the presence of many-body localization while analytical calculations for certain system classes, here referred to as the ``self-dual case'', prove adherence to universal (chaotic) spectral behavior. We address these issues studying the level statistics in the vicinity of the latter case, thereby revealing transitions to many-body localization as well as the appearance of several non-standard random-matrix universality classes.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

New approach to periodic orbit theory of spectral correlations

The existing periodic orbit theory of spectral correlations for classically chaotic systems relies on the Riemann-Siegel-like representation of the spectral determinants which is still largely hypothetical. We suggest a simpler derivation using analytic continuation of the periodic-orbit expansion of the pertinent generating function from the convergence border to physically important real values of its arguments. As examples we consider chaotic systems without time reversal as well as the Riemann zeta function and Dirichlet L-functions zeros.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2017

Collectivity and Periodic Orbits in a Chain of Interacting, Kicked Spins

The field of quantum chaos originated in the study of spectral statistics for interacting many-body systems, but this heritage was almost forgotten when single-particle systems moved into the focus. In recent years new interest emerged in many-body aspects of quantum chaos. We study a chain of interacting, kicked spins and carry out a semiclassical analysis that is capable of identifying all kinds of genuin many-body periodic orbits. We show that the collective many-body periodic orbits can fully dominate the spectra in certain cases.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2017

Semiclassical Prediction of Large Spectral Fluctuations in Interacting Kicked Spin Chains

While plenty of results have been obtained for single-particle quantum systems with chaotic dynamics through a semiclassical theory, much less is known about quantum chaos in the many-body setting. We contribute to recent efforts to make a semiclassical analysis of many-body systems feasible. This is nontrivial due to both the enormous density of states and the exponential proliferation of periodic orbits with the number of particles. As a model system we study kicked interacting spin chains employing semiclassical methods supplemented by a newly developed duality approach. We show that for this model the line between integrability and chaos becomes blurred. Due to the interaction structure the system features (non-isolated) manifolds of periodic orbits possessing highly correlated, collective dynamics. As with the invariant tori in integrable systems, their presence lead to significantly enhanced spectral fluctuations, which by order of magnitude lie in-between integrable and chaotic cases.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2016

Semiclassical Identification of Periodic Orbits in a Quantum Many-Body System

While a wealth of results has been obtained for chaos in single-particle quantum systems, much less is known about chaos in quantum many-body systems. We contribute to recent efforts to make a semiclassical analysis of such systems feasible, which is nontrivial due to the exponential proliferation of orbits with increasing particle number. Employing a recently discovered duality relation, we focus on the collective, coherent motion that together with the also present incoherent one typically leads to a mixture of regular and chaotic dynamics. We investigate a kicked spin chain as an example of a presently experimentally and theoretically much studied class of systems.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2016

Stationary waves on nonlinear quantum graphs II: Application of canonical perturbation theory in basic graph structures

We consider exact and asymptotic solutions of the stationary cubic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (NLSE) on metric graphs. We focus on some basic example graphs. The asymptotic solutions are obtained using the canonical perturbation formalism developed in our earlier paper \cite{paper1}. For closed example graphs (interval, ring, star graph, tadpole graph) we calculate spectral curves and show how the description of spectra reduces to known characteristic functions of linear quantum graphs in the low intensity limit. Analogously for open examples we show how nonlinear scattering of stationary waves arises and how it reduces to known linear scattering amplitudes at low intensities. In the short-wave length asymptotics we discuss how genuine nonlinear effects such as may be described using the leading order of canonical perturbation theory: bifurcation of spectral curves (and the corresponding solutions) in closed graphs and multistability in open graphs.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2016

Trace formula for spin chains

While detailed information about the semiclassics for single-particle systems is available, much less is known about the connection between quantum and classical dynamics for many-body systems. As an example, we focus on spin chains which are of considerable conceptual and practical importance. We derive a trace formula for coupled spin $j$ particles which relates the quantum energy levels to the classical dynamics. Our derivation is valid in the limit $j\rightarrow\infty$ with $j\hbar={\rm const.}$ and applies to time-continuous as well as to periodically driven dynamics. We provide a simple explanation why the Solari-Kochetov phase can be omitted if the correct classical Hamiltonian is chosen.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Stationary waves on nonlinear quantum graphs: General framework and canonical perturbation theory

In this paper we present a general framework for solving the stationary nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (NLSE) on a network of one-dimensional wires modelled by a metric graph with suitable matching conditions at the vertices. A formal solution is given that expresses the wave function and its derivative at one end of an edge (wire) nonlinearly in terms of the values at the other end. For the cubic NLSE this nonlinear transfer operation can be expressed explicitly in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions. Its application reduces the problem of solving the corresponding set of coupled ordinary nonlinear differential equations to a finite set of nonlinear algebraic equations. For sufficiently small amplitudes we use canonical perturbation theory which makes it possible to extract the leading nonlinear corrections over large distances.

nlin.PS↗