arXiv subjects

E. Rico

Publications and source records attributed to E. Rico.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Loops and Strings in a Superconducting Lattice Gauge Simulator

We propose an architecture for an analog quantum simulator of electromagnetism in 2+1 dimensions, based on an array of superconducting fluxonium devices. The encoding is in the integer (spin-1 representation of the quantum link model formulation of compact U(1) lattice gauge theory. We show how to engineer Gauss' law via an ancilla mediated gadget construction, and how to tune between the strongly coupled and intermediately coupled regimes. The witnesses to the existence of the predicted confining phase of the model are provided by nonlocal order parameters from Wilson loops and disorder parameters from 't Hooft strings. We show how to construct such operators in this model and how to measure them nondestructively via dispersive coupling of the fluxonium islands to a microwave cavity mode. Numerical evidence is found for the existence of the confined phase in the ground state of the simulation Hamiltonian on a ladder geometry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Entangling polaritons via dynamical Casimir effect in circuit quantum electrodynamics

We investigate how the dynamical Casimir effect can entangle quantum systems in different coupling regimes of circuit quantum electrodynamics, and show the robustness of such entanglement generation against dissipative effects with current technology. We consider two qubit-resonator systems, which are coupled by a SQUID driven with an external magnetic field, and explore the entire range of coupling regimes between each qubit and its respective resonator. In this scheme, we derive a semianalytic explanation for the entanglement generation between both superconducting qubits when they are coupled to their resonators in the strong coupling regime. For the ultrastrong and deep strong coupling regimes, we design feasible protocols to generate maximally-entangled polaritonic states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Real-time Dynamics in U(1) Lattice Gauge Theories with Tensor Networks

Tensor network algorithms provide a suitable route for tackling real-time dependent problems in lattice gauge theories, enabling the investigation of out-of-equilibrium dynamics. We analyze a U(1) lattice gauge theory in (1+1) dimensions in the presence of dynamical matter for different mass and electric field couplings, a theory akin to quantum-electrodynamics in one-dimension, which displays string-breaking: the confining string between charges can spontaneously break during quench experiments, giving rise to charge-anticharge pairs according to the Schwinger mechanism. We study the real-time spreading of excitations in the system by means of electric field and particle fluctuations: we determine a dynamical state diagram for string breaking and quantitatively evaluate the time-scales for mass production. We also show that the time evolution of the quantum correlations can be detected via bipartite von Neumann entropies, thus demonstrating that the Schwinger mechanism is tightly linked to entanglement spreading. To present the variety of possible applications of this simulation platform, we show how one could follow the real-time scattering processes between mesons and the creation of entanglement during scattering processes. Finally, we test the quality of quantum simulations of these dynamics, quantifying the role of possible imperfections in cold atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting circuit systems. Our results demonstrate how entanglement properties can be used to deepen our understanding of basic phenomena in the real-time dynamics of gauge theories such as string breaking and collisions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Non-Abelian $SU(2)$ Lattice Gauge Theories in Superconducting Circuits

We propose a digital quantum simulator of non-Abelian pure-gauge models with a superconducting circuit setup. Within the framework of quantum link models, we build a minimal instance of a pure $SU(2)$ gauge theory, using triangular plaquettes involving geometric frustration. This realization is the least demanding, in terms of quantum simulation resources, of a non-Abelian gauge dynamics. We present two superconducting architectures that can host the quantum simulation, estimating the requirements needed to run possible experiments. The proposal establishes a path to the experimental simulation of non-Abelian physics with solid-state quantum platforms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Two-dimensional Lattice Gauge Theories with Superconducting Quantum Circuits

A quantum simulator of U(1) lattice gauge theories can be implemented with superconducting circuits. This allows the investigation of confined and deconfined phases in quantum link models, and of valence bond solid and spin liquid phases in quantum dimer models. Fractionalized confining strings and the real-time dynamics of quantum phase transitions are accessible as well. Here we show how state-of-the-art superconducting technology allows us to simulate these phenomena in relatively small circuit lattices. By exploiting the strong non-linear couplings between quantized excitations emerging when superconducting qubits are coupled, we show how to engineer gauge invariant Hamiltonians, including ring-exchange and four-body Ising interactions. We demonstrate that, despite decoherence and disorder effects, minimal circuit instances allow us to investigate properties such as the dynamics of electric flux strings, signaling confinement in gauge invariant field theories. The experimental realization of these models in larger superconducting circuits could address open questions beyond current computational capability.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Tensor networks for Lattice Gauge Theories and Atomic Quantum Simulation

We show that gauge invariant quantum link models, Abelian and non-Abelian, can be exactly described in terms of tensor networks states. Quantum link models represent an ideal bridge between high-energy to cold atom physics, as they can be used in cold-atoms in optical lattices to study lattice gauge theories. In this framework, we characterize the phase diagram of a (1+1)-d quantum link version of the Schwinger model in an external classical background electric field: the quantum phase transition from a charge and parity ordered phase with non-zero electric flux to a disordered one with a net zero electric flux configuration is described by the Ising universality class.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Superconducting Circuits for Quantum Simulation of Dynamical Gauge Fields

We describe a superconducting-circuit lattice design for the implementation and simulation of dynamical lattice gauge theories. We illustrate our proposal by analyzing a one-dimensional U(1) quantum-link model, where superconducting qubits play the role of matter fields on the lattice sites and the gauge fields are represented by two coupled microwave resonators on each link between neighboring sites. A detailed analysis of a minimal experimental protocol for probing the physics related to string breaking effects shows that despite the presence of decoherence in these systems, distinctive phenomena from condensed-matter and high-energy physics can be visualized with state-of-the-art technology in small superconducting-circuit arrays.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Atomic Quantum Simulation of U(N) and SU(N) Non-Abelian Lattice Gauge Theories

Using ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices, we construct a quantum simulator for U(N) and SU(N) lattice gauge theories with fermionic matter based on quantum link models. These systems share qualitative features with QCD, including chiral symmetry breaking and restoration at non-zero temperature or baryon density. Unlike classical simulations, a quantum simulator does not suffer from sign problems and can address the corresponding chiral dynamics in real time.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Topology by dissipation

Topological states of fermionic matter can be induced by means of a suitably engineered dissipative dynamics. Dissipation then does not occur as a perturbation, but rather as the main resource for many-body dynamics, providing a targeted cooling into a topological phase starting from an arbitrary initial state. We explore the concept of topological order in this setting, developing and applying a general theoretical framework based on the system density matrix which replaces the wave function appropriate for the discussion of Hamiltonian ground-state physics. We identify key analogies and differences to the more conventional Hamiltonian scenario. Differences mainly arise from the fact that the properties of the spectrum and of the state of the system are not as tightly related as in a Hamiltonian context. We provide a symmetry-based topological classification of bulk steady states and identify the classes that are achievable by means of quasi-local dissipative processes driving into superfluid paired states. We also explore the fate of the bulk-edge correspondence in the dissipative setting, and demonstrate the emergence of Majorana edge modes. We illustrate our findings in one- and two-dimensional models that are experimentally realistic in the context of cold atoms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Atomic Quantum Simulation of Dynamical Gauge Fields coupled to Fermionic Matter: From String Breaking to Evolution after a Quench

Using a Fermi-Bose mixture of ultra-cold atoms in an optical lattice, we construct a quantum simulator for a U(1) gauge theory coupled to fermionic matter. The construction is based on quantum links which realize continuous gauge symmetry with discrete quantum variables. At low energies, quantum link models with staggered fermions emerge from a Hubbard-type model which can be quantum simulated. This allows us to investigate string breaking as well as the real-time evolution after a quench in gauge theories, which are inaccessible to classical simulation methods.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Majorana Modes in Driven-Dissipative Atomic Superfluids With Zero Chern Number

We investigate dissipation-induced p-wave paired states of fermions in two dimensions and show the existence of spatially separated Majorana zero modes in a phase with vanishing Chern number. We construct an explicit and natural model of a dissipative vortex that traps a single of these modes, and establish its topological origin by mapping the problem to a chiral one-dimensional wire where we observe a non-equilibrium topological phase transition characterized by an abrupt change of a topological invariant (winding number). We show that the existence of a single Majorana zero mode in the vortex core is intimately tied to the dissipative nature of our model. Engineered dissipation opens up possibilities for experimentally realizing such states with no Hamiltonian counterpart.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Topology by Dissipation in Atomic Quantum Wires

Robust edge states and non-Abelian excitations are the trademark of topological states of matter, with promising applications such as "topologically protected" quantum memory and computing. While so far topological phases have been exclusively discussed in a Hamiltonian context, we show that such phases and the associated topological protection and phenomena also emerge in open quantum systems with engineered dissipation. The specific system studied here is a quantum wire of spinless atomic fermions in an optical lattice coupled to a bath. The key feature of the dissipative dynamics described by a Lindblad master equation is the existence of Majorana edge modes, representing a non-local decoherence free subspace. The isolation of the edge states is enforced by a dissipative gap in the p-wave paired bulk of the wire. We describe dissipative non-Abelian braiding operations within the Majorana subspace, and we illustrate the insensitivity to imperfections. Topological protection is granted by a nontrivial winding number of the system density matrix.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Local renormalization method for random systems

In this paper, we introduce a real-space renormalization transformation for random spin systems on 2D lattices. The general method is formulated for random systems and results from merging two well known real space renormalization techniques, namely the strong disorder renormalization technique (SDRT) and the contractor renormalization (CORE). We analyze the performance of the method on the 2D random transverse field Ising model (RTFIM).

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2009

Valence Bond States: Link models

An isotropic anti-ferromagnetic quantum state on a square lattice is characterized by symmetry arguments only. By construction, this quantum state is the result of an underlying valence bond structure without breaking any symmetry in the lattice or spin spaces. A detailed analysis of the correlations of the quantum state is given (using a mapping to a 2D classical statistical model and methods in field theory like mapping to the non-linear sigma model or bosonization techniques) as well as the results of numerical treatments (regarding exact diagonalization and variational methods). Finally, the physical relevance of the model is motivated. A comparison of the model to known anti-ferromagnetic Mott-Hubbard insulators is given by means of the two-point equal-time correlation function obtained i) numerically from the suggested state and ii) experimentally from neutron scattering on cuprates in the anti-ferromagnetic insulator phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

2D Multipartite Valence Bond States in Quantum Antiferromagnets

A quantum anti-ferromagnetic spin-1 model is characterised on a 2D lattice with the following requirements: i) The Hamiltonian is made out of nearest neighbour interactions. ii) It is homogeneous, translational and rotational invariant. iii) The ground state is a real singlet state of SU(2) (non-chiral). iv) It has a local spin-1 representation. Along the way to characterise the system, connections with classical statistical mechanics and integrable models are explored. Finally, the relevance of the model in the physics of low dimensional anti-ferromagnetic Mott-Hubbard insulators is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Scale perturbation in valence bond ground states

A simple and efficient method for calculating the ground state for a class of antiferromagnet systems is presented. It combines the valence bond structure of the ground state for this class of systems and real space renormalization group. As an example, the entire Haldane phase for a spin-1 chain is described, from the AKLT model through to the Heisenberg model, ending at the critical WZNW $SU_2(2)$ model. The picture that emerges from this new method leads us to consider the relationship between the hidden topological order that characterizes the Haldane phase and potential applications in quantum communication technology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Quantum correlations in (1+1)-dimensional systems

Contents: 1.- Introduction 2.- Scaling of entanglement in (1+1)-dimensional systems 3.- Entanglement and RG-flows 4.- Matrix Product States Appendix A.- Entanglement and order relations B.- Hilbert space in a conformal theory

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Entanglement entropy in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model

We analyze the entanglement entropy in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model, which describes mutually interacting spins half embedded in a magnetic field. This entropy displays a singularity at the critical point that we study as a function of the interaction anisotropy, the magnetic field, and the system size. Results emerging from our analysis are surprisingly similar to those found for the one-dimensional XY chain.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗