arXiv subjects

Eugene Demler

Publications and source records attributed to Eugene Demler.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Realistic scheme for quantum simulation of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theories with dynamical matter in $(2+1)$D

Gauge fields coupled to dynamical matter are ubiquitous in many disciplines of physics, ranging from particle to condensed matter physics, but their implementation in large-scale quantum simulators remains challenging. Here we propose a realistic scheme for Rydberg atom array experiments in which a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge structure with dynamical charges emerges on experimentally relevant timescales from only local two-body interactions and one-body terms in two spatial dimensions. The scheme enables the experimental study of a variety of models, including $(2+1)$D $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theories coupled to different types of dynamical matter and quantum dimer models on the honeycomb lattice, for which we derive effective Hamiltonians. We discuss ground-state phase diagrams of the experimentally most relevant effective $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theories with dynamical matter featuring various confined and deconfined, quantum spin liquid phases. Further, we present selected probes with immediate experimental relevance, including signatures of disorder-free localization and a thermal deconfinement transition of two charges.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Many-body parametric resonances in the driven sine-Gordon model

We study a quantum many-body variant of the parametric oscillator, by investigating the driven sine-Gordon model with a modulated tunnel coupling via a semi-classical Truncated Wigner Approximation (TWA). We first analyze the parametric resonant regime for driving protocols that retain our model gapped, and compare the TWA to a Time-Dependent Gaussian Variational Ansatz (TGVA). We then turn to a drive which closes the gap, resulting in an enhanced energy absorption. While the TGVA approach breaks down in this regime, we can apply TWA to explore the dynamics of the mode-resolved energy density, and the higher-order correlations between modes in the prethermal heating regime. For weak driving amplitude, we find an exponentially fast energy absorption in the main resonant mode, while the heating of all remaining modes is almost perfectly suppressed on short time scales. At later times, the highly excited main resonance provides effective resonant driving terms for its higher harmonics through the non-linearities in the Hamiltonian, and gives rise to an exponentially fast heating in these particular modes. We capture the strong correlations induced by these resonant processes by evaluating higher order connected correlation functions. Our results can be experimentally probed in ultracold atomic settings, with parallel one-dimensional quasi-condensates in the presence of a modulated tunnel coupling.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics with Hyperbolic van der Waals Materials

The ground-state properties and excitation energies of a quantum emitter can be modified in the ultrastrong coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) where the light-matter interaction strength becomes comparable to the cavity resonance frequency. Recent studies have started to explore the possibility of controlling an electronic material by embedding it in a cavity that confines electromagnetic fields in deep subwavelength scales. Currently, there is a strong interest in realizing ultrastrong-coupling cavity QED in the terahertz (THz) part of the spectrum, since most of the elementary excitations of quantum materials are in this frequency range. We propose and discuss a promising platform to achieve this goal based on a two-dimensional electronic material encapsulated by a planar cavity consisting of ultrathin polar van der Waals crystals. As a concrete setup, we show that nanometer-thick hexagonal boron nitride layers should allow one to reach the ultrastrong coupling regime for single-electron cyclotron resonance in a bilayer graphene. The proposed cavity platform can be realized by a wide variety of thin dielectric materials with hyperbolic dispersions. Consequently, van der Waals heterostructures hold the promise of becoming a versatile playground for exploring the ultrastrong-coupling physics of cavity QED materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Terahertz parametric amplification as a reporter of exciton condensate dynamics

Condensates are a hallmark of emergence in quantum materials with superconductors and charge density wave as prominent examples. An excitonic insulator (EI) is an intriguing addition to this library, exhibiting spontaneous condensation of electron-hole pairs. However, condensate observables can be obscured through parasitic coupling to the lattice. Time-resolved terahertz (THz) spectroscopy can disentangle such obscurants through measurement of the quantum dynamics. We target $Ta_{2}NiSe_{5}$, a putative room-temperature EI where electron-lattice coupling dominates the structural transition ($T_{c}$=326 K), hindering identification of excitonic correlations. A pronounced increase in the THz reflectivity manifests following photoexcitation and exhibits a BEC-like temperature dependence. This occurs well below the $T_{c}$, suggesting a novel approach to monitor exciton condensate dynamics. Nonetheless, dynamic condensate-phonon coupling remains as evidenced by peaks in the enhanced reflectivity spectrum at select infrared-active phonon frequencies. This indicates that parametric reflectivity enhancement arises from phonon squeezing, validated using Fresnel-Floquet theory and density functional calculations. Our results highlight that coherent dynamics can drive parametric stimulated emission with concomitant possibilities, including entangled THz photon generation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Experimental verification of the area law of mutual information in a quantum field simulator

Theoretical understanding of the scaling of entropies and the mutual information has led to significant advances in the research of correlated states of matter, quantum field theory, and gravity. Measuring von Neumann entropy in quantum many-body systems is challenging as it requires complete knowledge of the density matrix. In this work, we measure the von Neumann entropy of spatially extended subsystems in an ultra-cold atom simulator of one-dimensional quantum field theories. We experimentally verify one of the fundamental properties of equilibrium states of gapped quantum many-body systems, the area law of quantum mutual information. We also study the dependence of mutual information on temperature and the separation between the subsystems. Our work is a crucial step toward employing ultra-cold atom simulators to probe entanglement in quantum field theories.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Signatures of bath-induced quantum avalanches in a many-body--localized system

Strongly correlated systems can exhibit surprising phenomena when brought in a state far from equilibrium. A spectacular example are quantum avalanches, that have been predicted to run through a many-body--localized system and delocalize it. Quantum avalanches occur when the system is locally coupled to a small thermal inclusion that acts as a bath. Here we realize an interface between a many-body--localized system and a thermal inclusion of variable size, and study its dynamics. We find evidence for accelerated transport into the localized region, signature of a quantum avalanche. By measuring the site-resolved entropy we monitor how the avalanche travels through the localized system and thermalizes it site by site. Furthermore, we isolate the bath-induced dynamics by evaluating multipoint correlations between the bath and the system. Our results have fundamental implications on the robustness of many-body--localized systems and their critical behavior.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Surface Cooper pair spin waves in triplet superconductors

We study the electrodynamics of spin triplet superconductors including dipolar interactions, which give rise to an interplay between the collective spin dynamics of the condensate and orbital Meissner screening currents. Within this theory, we identify a class of spin waves that originate from the coupled dynamics of the spin-symmetry breaking triplet order parameter and the electromagnetic field. In particular, we study magnetostatic spin wave modes that are localized to the sample surface. We show that these surface modes can be excited and detected using experimental techniques such as microwave spin wave resonance spectroscopy or nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry, and propose that the detection of these modes offers a means for the identification of spin triplet superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

A Variational Ansatz for the Ground State of the Quantum Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Model

We present an ansatz for the ground states of the Quantum Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model, a paradigmatic model for quantum spin glasses. Our ansatz, based on the concept of generalized coherent states, very well captures the fundamental aspects of the model, including the ground state energy and the position of the spin glass phase transition. It further enables us to study some previously unexplored features, such as the non-vanishing longitudinal field regime and the entanglement structure of the ground states. We find that the ground state entanglement can be captured by a simple ensemble of weighted graph states with normally distributed phase gates, leading to a volume law entanglement, contrasting with predictions based on entanglement monogamy.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Polaron spectroscopy of a bilayer excitonic insulator

Recent advances in fabrication of two dimensional materials and their moiré heterostructures have opened up new avenues for realization of ground-state excitonic insulators, where the structure spontaneously develops a finite interlayer electronic polarization. We propose and analyze a scheme where an optically generated intralayer exciton is screened by excitations out of the excitonic insulator to form interlayer polarons. Using Quantum Monte-Carlo calculations we first determine the binding energy of the biexciton state composed of inter- and intralayer excitons, which plays a central role in understanding polaron formation. We describe the excitations out of the ground-state condensate using BCS theory and use a single interacting-quasiparticle-pair excitation Ansatz to describe dynamical screening of optical excitations. Our predictions carry the hallmarks of the excitonic insulator excitation spectrum and show how changing the interlayer exciton binding energy by increasing the layer separation modifies the optical spectra.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Pairing of holes by confining strings in antiferromagnets

In strongly correlated quantum materials, the behavior of charge carriers is dominated by strong electron-electron interactions. These can lead to insulating states with spin order, and upon doping to competing ordered states including unconventional superconductivity. The underlying pairing mechanism remains poorly understood however, even in strongly simplified theoretical models. Recent advances in quantum simulation allow to study pairing in paradigmatic settings, e.g. in the $t-J$ and $t-J_z$ Hamiltonians. Even there, the most basic properties of paired states of only two dopants, such as their dispersion relation and excitation spectra, remain poorly studied in many cases. Here we provide new analytical insights into a possible string-based pairing mechanism of mobile holes in an antiferromagnet. We analyze an effective model of partons connected by a confining string and calculate the spectral properties of bound states. Our model is equally relevant for understanding Hubbard-Mott excitons consisting of a bound doublon-hole pair or confined states of dynamical matter in lattice gauge theories, which motivates our study of different parton statistics. Although an accurate semi-analytic estimation of binding energies is challenging, our theory provides a detailed understanding of the internal structure of pairs. For example, in a range of settings we predict heavy states of immobile pairs with flat-band dispersions -- including for the lowest-energy $d$-wave pair of fermions. Our findings shed new light on the long-standing question about the origin of pairing and competing orders in high-temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Efficient variational approach to the Fermi polaron problem in two dimensions, both in and out of equilibrium

We develop a non-Gaussian variational approach that enables us to study both equilibrium and far-from-equilibrium physics of the two-dimensional Fermi polaron. This method provides an unbiased analysis of the polaron-to-molecule phase transition without relying on truncations in the total number of particle-hole excitations. Our results -- which include the ground state energy and quasiparticle residue -- are in qualitative agreement with the known Monte Carlo calculations. The main advantage of the non-Gaussian states compared to conventional numerical methods is that they enable us to explore long-time polaron evolution and, in particular, study various spectral properties accessible to both solid-state and ultracold atom experiments. We design two types of radiofrequency spectroscopies to measure polaronic and molecular spectral functions. Depending on the parameter regime, we find that these spectral functions and fermionic density profiles near the impurity display either long-lived oscillations between the repulsive and attractive polaron branches or exhibit fast relaxational dynamics to the molecular state.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Stabilizing fluctuating spin-triplet superconductivity in graphene via induced spin-orbit coupling

A recent experiment showed that proximity induced Ising spin-orbit coupling enhances the spin-triplet superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene. Here, we show that, due to the nearly perfect spin rotation symmetry of graphene, the fluctuations of the spin orientation of the triplet order parameter suppress the superconducting transition to nearly zero temperature. Our analysis shows that both Ising spin-orbit coupling and in-plane magnetic field can eliminate these low-lying fluctuations and can greatly enhance the transition temperature, consistent with the recent experiment. Our model also suggests the possible existence of a phase at small anisotropy and magnetic field which exhibits quasi-long-range ordered spin-singlet charge 4e superconductivity, even while the triplet 2e superconducting order only exhibits short-ranged correlations. Finally, we discuss relevant experimental signatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

High-temperature kinetic magnetism in triangular lattices

We study kinetic magnetism for the Fermi-Hubbard models in triangular type lattices, including a zigzag ladder, four- and six-legged triangular cylinders and a full two-dimensional triangular lattice. We focus on the regime of strong interactions, $U\gg t$ and filling factors around one electron per site. For temperatures well above the hopping strength, the Curie-Weiss form of the magnetic susceptibility suggests effective antiferromagnetic correlations for systems that are hole doped with respect to $ν=1$, and ferromagnetic correlations for systems with electron dopings. We show that these correlations arise from magnetic polaron dressing of charge carrier propagating in a spin incoherent Mott insulator. Effective interactions corresponding to these correlations can strongly exceed the magnetic super-exchange energy. In the case of hole doping, antiferromagnetic polarons originate from kinetic frustration of individual holes in a triangular lattice. In the case of electron doping, Nagaoka type ferromagnetic correlations are induced by propagating doublons. These results provide a theoretical explanation of recent experimental results in moire TMDC materials. To understand many-body states arising from antiferromagentic polarons at low temperatures, we study hole doped systems in finite magnetic fields. At low dopings and intermediate magnetic fields we find a magnetic polaron phase, separated from the fully polarized state by a metamagnetic transition. With decreasing magnetic field the system shows a tendency to phase separate, with hole rich regions forming antiferromagnetic spinbags. We demonstrate that direct observations of magnetic polarons in triangular lattices can be achieved in experiments with ultracold atoms, which allow measurements of three point hole-spin-spin correlations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Generating coherent phonon waves in narrow-band materials: a twisted bilayer graphene phaser

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) exhibits extremely low Fermi velocities for electrons, with the speed of sound surpassing the Fermi velocity. This regime enables the use of TBG for amplifying vibrational waves of the lattice through stimulated emission, following the same principles of operation of free-electron lasers. Our work proposes a lasing mechanism relying on the slow-electron bands to produce a coherent beam of acoustic phonons. We propose a device based on undulated electrons in TBG, which we dub the phaser. The device generates phonon beams in a terahertz (THz) frequency range, which can then be used to produce THz electromagnetic radiation. The ability to generate coherent phonons in solids breaks new ground in controlling quantum memories, probing quantum states, realizing non-equilibrium phases of matter, and designing new types of THz optical devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Nonperturbative Waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics

Understanding physical properties of quantum emitters strongly interacting with quantized electromagnetic modes is one of the primary goals in the emergent field of waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED). When the light-matter coupling strength is comparable to or even exceeds energies of elementary excitations, conventional approaches based on perturbative treatment of light-matter interactions, two-level description of matter excitations, and photon-number truncation are no longer sufficient. Here we study in and out of equilibrium properties of waveguide QED in such nonperturbative regimes on the basis of a comprehensive and rigorous theoretical approach using an asymptotic decoupling unitary transformation. We uncover several surprising features ranging from symmetry-protected many-body bound states in the continuum to strong renormalization of the effective mass and potential; the latter may explain recent experiments demonstrating cavity-induced changes in chemical reactivity as well as enhancements of ferromagnetism or superconductivity. To illustrate our general results with concrete examples, we use our formalism to study a model of coupled cavity arrays, which is relevant to experiments in superconducting qubits interacting with microwave resonators or atoms coupled to photonic crystals. We examine the relation between our results and delocalization-localization transition in the spin-boson model; notably, we point out that a reentrant transition can occur in the regimes where the coupling strength becomes the dominant energy scale. We also discuss applications of our results to other problems in different fields, including quantum optics, condensed matter physics, and quantum chemistry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Optically-induced Umklapp shift currents in striped cuprates

Motivated by recent experiments that observed low-frequency second-order optical responses in doped striped superconductors, here we investigate the nonlinear electrodynamics of systems exhibiting a charge density wave (CDW) order parameter. Due to the Bragg scattering off the CDW order, an incoming spatially homogeneous electric field in addition to zero momentum current generates Umklapp currents that are modulated in space at momenta of the reciprocal CDW lattice. In particular, here we predict and microscopically evaluate the Umklapp shift current, a finite momentum analog of the regular shift current which represents the second-order optical process that downconverts homogeneous AC electric field into low-frequency, zero momentum current. Specifically, we evaluate real-time response functions within mean-field theory via the Keldysh technique and use the Peierls substitution to compute observables at finite momenta in lattice models. We find that systems with certain lattice symmetries (such as inversion symmetry), where the regular shift current is disallowed, may give rise to the Umklapp one. We apply our framework to investigate lattice symmetries in layered materials with helical-like stripes and show that both types of shift currents provide insight into the nature of intertwined phases of matter. Finally, we discuss the relation of our findings to recent experiments in striped superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Quantum fluctuation induced time of flight correlations of an interacting trapped Bose gas

We investigate numerically the momentum correlations in a two dimensional, harmonically trapped interacting Bose system at $T=0$ temperature, by using a particle number preserving Bogoliubov approximation. Interaction induced quantum fluctuations of the quasi-condensate lead to a large anti-correlation dip between particles of wave numbers $\mathbf{k}$ and $-\mathbf{k}$ for $|\mathbf{k}|\sim 1/R_c$, with $R_c$ typical size of the condensate. The anti-correlation dip found is a clear fingerprint of coherent quantum fluctuations of the condensate. In contrast, for larger wave numbers, $|\mathbf{k}| >> 1/R_c$, a weak positive correlation is found between particles of wave numbers $\mathbf{k}$ and $-\mathbf{k}$, in accordance with the Bogoliubov result for homogeneous interacting systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Full counting statistics of time of flight images

Inspired by recent advances in cold atomic systems and non-equilibrium physics, we introduce a novel characterization scheme, the time of flight full counting statistics. We benchmark this method on an interacting one dimensional Bose gas, and show that there the time of flight image displays several universal regimes. Finite momentum fluctuations are observed at larger distances, where a crossover from exponential to Gamma distribution occurs upon decreasing momentum resolution. Zero momentum particles, on the other hand, obey a Gumbel distribution in the weakly interacting limit, characterizing the quantum fluctuations of the former quasi-condensate. Time of flight full counting statistics is demonstrated to capture thermalization processes after a quantum quench, and can be useful for characterizing exotic quantum states such as many-body localized systems or models of holography.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗