arXiv subjects

Fernando Sols

Publications and source records attributed to Fernando Sols.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev physics from the Hubbard model: A Floquet engineering approach

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model has attracted widespread attention due to its relevance to diverse areas of physics, such as high temperature superconductivity, black holes, and quantum chaos. The model is, however, extremely challenging to realize experimentally. In this work, we show how a particular form of Floquet engineering, termed ``kinetic driving'', effectively eliminates single-particle processes and creates quasi-random all-to-all interactions when applied to models of Hubbard type. For the specific case of the Bose-Hubbard model, we explicitly verify that the driven system indeed reproduces SYK physics by direct comparison of the spectral form factor and out-of-time ordered correlation functions (OTOCs). Our findings indicate that a cold-atom realization of kinetic driving -- achieved through modulation of hopping amplitudes in an optical lattice -- offers a practical and accurate platform for quantum simulation of the SYK model.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Time Crystal from Self-Amplification of Spontaneous Analog Hawking Radiation

We propose a time crystal based on a quantum black-hole laser, where the genuinely spontaneous character of the symmetry breaking stems from the self-amplification of spontaneous Hawking radiation. The resulting Hawking time crystal (HTC) is characterized by the periodic dependence of the out-of-time density-density correlation function, while equal-time observables are time independent because they embody averages over different realizations with a random oscillation phase. The HTC provides a nonlinear periodic analog of the Andreev-Hawking effect, exhibiting anticorrelation bands resulting from the spontaneous, quantum emission of pairs of dispersive waves and solitons into the upstream and downstream regions. Remarkably, we prove that any parametric amplifier has associated a time operator, which leads to a unique characterization of the time-crystal formation in terms of two time operators: one associated with the initial black-hole laser and another associated with the final spontaneous Floquet state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Resonant analogue configurations in atomic condensates

As a contribution to a memorial volume, we provide a comprehensive discussion of resonant configurations in analogue gravity, focusing on its implementation in atomic condensates and combining review features with original insights and calculations. In particular, we analyze the analogues of the Andreev and Hawking effects using a microscopic description based on the Bogoliubov approximation. We contemplate several resonant scenarios whose efficiency to enhance anomalous scattering processes is compared to that of non-resonant setups. The presence of quantum signatures in analogue configurations, such as the violation of Cauchy-Schwarz inequalities or entanglement, is analyzed, observing that resonant configurations highly increase the entanglement signal, especially for the Andreev effect. We also discuss how these results have served as inspiration for the rapidly expanding field of quantum information in high-energy colliders. Finally, we study the physics of black-hole lasers as further examples of resonant analogue structures, distinguishing three stages in its time evolution. For short times, we compute the linear and non-linear spectrum for different models. For intermediate times, we generalize the current analysis of the BHL-BCL crossover. For long times, we discuss the emerging concept of spontaneous Floquet state and its potential implications.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Simultaneous symmetry breaking in spontaneous Floquet states: temporal Floquet-Nambu-Goldstone modes, Floquet thermodynamics, and the time operator

We study simultaneous symmetry breaking in spontaneous Floquet states, focusing on the specific case of an atomic condensate. We first describe the quantization of the Nambu-Goldstone (NG) modes for a stationary state simultaneously breaking several symmetries of the Hamiltonian by invoking the generalized Gibbs ensemble, which enables a thermodynamical description of the problem. The quantization procedure involves a Berry-Gibbs connection, which depends on the macroscopic conserved charges associated to each broken symmetry and whose curvature is not invariant under generalized gauge transformations. We extend the formalism to Floquet states, where Goldstone theorem translates into the emergence of Floquet-Nambu-Goldstone (FNG) modes with zero quasi-energy. In the case of a spontaneous Floquet state, there is a genuine temporal FNG mode arising from the continuous time-translation symmetry breaking, whose quantum amplitude provides a rare realization of a time operator in Quantum Mechanics. Furthermore, since they conserve energy, spontaneous Floquet states can be shown to possess a conserved Floquet charge. Conventional Floquet systems also admit a thermodynamic description in terms of the Floquet enthalpy, the Legendre transform of the energy with respect to the Floquet charge, as these operate at fixed frequency. We apply our formalism to a particular realization of spontaneous Floquet state, the CES state, which breaks $U(1)$ and time-translation symmetries, representing a time supersolid. We numerically compute its density-density correlations, predicted to be dominated by the temporal FNG mode at long times, observing a remarkable agreement between simulation and theory. Based on these results, we propose a feasible experimental scheme to observe the temporal FNG mode of the CES state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Spectral statistics of driven Bose-Hubbard models

We study the spectral statistics of a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model subjected to kinetic driving; a form of Floquet engineering where the kinetic energy is periodically driven in time with a zero time-average. As the amplitude of the driving is increased, the ground state of the resulting flat-band system passes from the Mott insulator regime to an exotic superfluid. We show that this transition is associated with a change in the system's spectral statistics from Poisson to GOE-type. Remarkably, and unlike in the conventional Bose-Hubbard model, which we use as a benchmark, the details of the GOE statistics are sensitive to the parity of both the particle number and the lattice sites. We show how this effect arises from a hidden symmetry of the Hamiltonian produced by this form of Floquet driving.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

The BHL-BCL crossover: from nonlinear to linear quantum amplification

The black-hole laser (BHL) effect is the self-amplification of Hawking radiation between a pair of horizons which act as a resonant cavity. In a flowing atomic condensate, the BHL effect arises in a finite supersonic region, where Bogoliubov-Cherenkov-Landau (BCL) radiation is resonantly excited by any static perturbation. Thus, experimental attempts to produce a BHL unavoidably deal with the presence of a strong BCL background, making the observation of the BHL effect still a major challenge in the analogue gravity field. Here, we perform a theoretical study of the BHL-BCL crossover using an idealized model where both phenomena can be unambiguously isolated. By drawing an analogy with an unstable pendulum, we distinguish three main regimes according to the interplay between quantum fluctuations and classical stimulation: quantum BHL, classical BHL, and BCL. Based on quite general scaling arguments, the nonlinear amplification of quantum fluctuations up to saturation is identified as the most robust trait of a quantum BHL. A classical BHL behaves instead as a linear quantum amplifier, where the output is proportional to the input. The BCL regime also acts as a linear quantum amplifier, but its gain is exponentially smaller as compared to a classical BHL. Complementary signatures of black-hole lasing are a decrease in the amplification for increasing BCL amplitude or a nonmonotonic dependence of the growth rate with respect to the background parameters. We also identify interesting analogue phenomena such as Hawking-stimulated white-hole radiation or quantum BCL-stimulated Hawking radiation. The results of this work not only are of interest for analogue gravity, where they help to distinguish each phenomenon and to design experimental schemes for a clear observation of the BHL effect, but they also open the prospect of finding applications of analogue concepts in quantum technologies.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Superfluidity from correlations in driven boson systems

We investigate theoretically the superfluidity of a one-dimensional boson system whose hopping energy is periodically modulated with a zero time average, which results in the suppression of first-order single-particle hopping processes. The dynamics of this flat band system is entirely driven by correlations and described by exotic Hamiltonian and current operators. We employ exact diagonalization and compare our results with those of the conventional, undriven Bose-Hubbard system. We focus on the two main manifestations of superfluidity, the Hess-Fairbank effect and the metastability of supercurrents, with explicit inclusion of an impurity when relevant. Among the novel superfluid features, we highlight the presence of a cat-like ground state, with branches that have opposite crystal momentum but carry the same flux-dependent current, and the essential role of the interference between the collective components of the ground-state wave function. Calculation of the dynamic form factor reveals the presence of an acoustic mode that guarantees superfluidity in the thermodynamic limit.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Cat states in a driven superfluid: role of signal shape and switching protocol

We investigate the behavior of a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model whose kinetic energy is made to oscillate with zero time-average. The effective dynamics is governed by an atypical many-body Hamiltonian where only even-order hopping processes are allowed. At a critical value of the driving, the system passes from a Mott insulator to a superfluid formed by a cat-like superposition of two quasi-condensates with opposite non-zero momenta. We analyze the robustness of this unconventional ground state against variations of a number of system parameters. In particular we study the effect of the waveform and the switching protocol of the driving signal. Knowledge of the sensitivity of the system to these parameter variations allows us to gauge the robustness of the exotic physical behavior.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Strong-field-driven dynamics and high-harmonic generation in interacting 1D systems

We explore the roles of electronic band structure and Coulomb interactions in solid-state HHG by studying the optical response of linear atomic chains and carbon nanotubes to intense ultrashort pulses. Specifically, we simulate electron dynamics by solving the single-particle density matrix equation of motion in the presence of intense ultrafast optical fields, incorporating tight-binding electronic states and a self-consistent electron-electron interaction. While linear atomic chains constitute an idealized system, our realistic 1D model readily provides insight on the temporal evolution of electronic states in reciprocal space, both in the absence or presence of electron interactions, which we demonstrate to play an important role in the HHG yield. This model further predicts that doped semiconductors generate high harmonics more efficiently than their metallic and undoped counterparts. To complement this idealized system we also show results for HHG in more realistic quasi-1D structures such as carbon nanotubes, the behavior of which is found to be in good qualitative agreement with the atomic chains. Our findings apply directly to extreme nonlinear optical phenomena in atoms on surfaces, carbon-based structures, linear arrays of dopant atoms in semiconductors, and linear molecules, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon chains, and can be straightforwardly extended to optimize existing platforms for HHG or identify new solid-state alternatives in the context of nonlinear plasmonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Layered Chaos in Mean-field and Quantum Many-body Dynamics

We investigate the dimension of the phase space attractor of a quantum chaotic many-body ratchet in the mean-field limit. Specifically, we explore a driven Bose-Einstein condensate in three distinct dynamical regimes - Rabi oscillations, chaos, and self-trapping regime, and for each of them we calculate the correlation dimension. For the ground state of the ratchet formed by a system of field-free non-interacting particles, we find four distinct pockets of chaotic dynamics throughout these regimes. We show that a measurement of a local density in each of the dynamical regimes, has an attractor characterized with a higher fractal dimension, $D_{R}=2.59\pm0.01$, $D_{C}=3.93\pm0.04$, and $D_{S}=3.05\pm0.05$, as compared to the global measure of current, $D_{R}=2.07\pm0.02$, $D_{C}=2.96\pm0.05$, and $D_{S}=2.30\pm0.02$. We find that the many-body case converges to mean-field limit with strong sub-unity power laws in particle number $N$, namely $N^α$ with $α_{R}={0.28\pm0.01}$, $α_{C}={0.34\pm0.067}$ and $α_{S}={0.90\pm0.24}$ for each of the dynamical regimes mentioned above. The deviation between local and global measurement of the attractor's dimension corresponds to an increase towards high condensate depletion which remains constant for long time scales in both Rabi and chaotic regimes. The depletion is found to scale polynomially with particle number as $N^β$ with $β_{R}={0.51\pm0.004}$ and $β_{C}={0.18\pm0.004}$ for the two regimes. Thus, we find a strong deviation from the mean-field results, especially in the chaotic regime of the quantum ratchet. The ratchet also reveals quantum revivals in the Rabi and self-trapped regimes but not in the chaotic regime. Based on the obtained results we outline pathways for the identification and characterization of the emergent phenomena in driven many-body systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Generation of atypical hopping and interactions by kinetic driving

We study the effect of time-periodically varying the hopping amplitude in a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model, such that its time-averaged value is zero. Employing Floquet theory, we derive a static effective Hamiltonian in which nearest-neighbor single-particle hopping processes are suppressed, but all even higher-order processes are allowed. Unusual many-body features arise from the combined effect of nonlocal interactions and correlated tunneling. At a critical value of the driving, the system passes from a Mott insulator to a superfluid formed by two quasi-condensates with opposite nonzero momenta. This work shows how driving of the hopping energy provides a novel form of Floquet engineering, which enables atypical Hamiltonians and exotic states of matter to be produced and controlled.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Many-body Quantum Chaos and Entanglement in a Quantum Ratchet

We uncover signatures of quantum chaos in the many-body dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate-based quantum ratchet in a toroidal trap. We propose measures including entanglement, condensate depletion, and spreading over a fixed basis in many-body Hilbert space which quantitatively identify the region in which quantum chaotic many-body dynamics occurs, where random matrix theory is limited or inaccessible. With these tools we show that many-body quantum chaos is neither highly entangled nor delocalized in the Hilbert space, contrary to conventionally expected signatures of quantum chaos.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Electron-phonon vertex and its influence on the superconductivity of two-dimensional metals on a piezoelectric substrate

We investigate the interaction between the electrons of a two-dimensional metal and the acoustic phonons of an underlying piezoelectric substrate. Fundamental inequalities can be obtained from general energy arguments. As a result, phonon mediated attraction can be proven to never overcome electron Coulomb repulsion, at least for long phonon wavelengths. We study the influence of these phonons on the possible pairing instabilities of a two-dimensional electron gas such as graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Wannier-Bloch approach to localization in high harmonics generation in solids

Emission of high-order harmonics from solids provides a new avenue in attosecond science. On one hand, it allows to investigate fundamental processes of the non-linear response of electrons driven by a strong laser pulse in a periodic crystal lattice. On the other hand, it opens new paths toward efficient attosecond pulse generation, novel imaging of electronic wave functions, and enhancement of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) intensity. A key feature of HHG in a solid (as compared to the well-understood phenomena of HHG in an atomic gas) is the delocalization of the process, whereby an electron ionized from one site in the periodic lattice may recombine with any other. Here, we develop an analytic model, based on the localized Wannier wave functions in the valence band and delocalized Bloch functions in the conduction band. This Wannier-Bloch approach assesses the contributions of individual lattice sites to the HHG process, and hence addresses precisely the question of localization of harmonic emission in solids. We apply this model to investigate HHG in a ZnO crystal for two different orientations, corresponding to wider and narrower valence and conduction bands, respectively. Interestingly, for narrower bands, the HHG process shows significant localization, similar to harmonic generation in atoms. For all cases, the delocalized contributions to HHG emission are highest near the band-gap energy. Our results pave the way to controlling localized contributions to HHG in a solid crystal, with hard to overestimate implications for the emerging area of atto-nanoscience.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Heat pump driven by the shot noise of a tunnel contact

We investigate a mechanism for cooling a lead based on a process that replaces hot electrons by cold ones. The central idea is that a double quantum dot with an inhomogeneous Zeeman splitting acts as energy filter for the transported electrons. The setup is such that hot electrons with spin up are removed, while cold electrons with spin down are added. The required non-equilibrium condition is provided by the capacitive coupling of one quantum dot to the shot noise of a strongly biased quantum point contact in the tunnelling limit. Special attention is paid to the identification of an operating regime in which the net electrical current vanishes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Coupling light into graphene plasmons through surface acoustic waves

We propose a scheme for coupling laser light into graphene plasmons with the help of electrically generated surface acoustic waves. The surface acoustic wave forms a diffraction grating which allows to excite the long lived phonon-like branch of the hybridized graphene plasmon-phonon dispersion with infrared laser light. Our approach avoids patterning the graphene sheet, does not rely on complicated optical near-field techniques, and allows to electrically switch the coupling between far field radiation and propagating graphene plasmons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Effective Josephson dynamics in resonantly driven Bose-Einstein condensates

We show that the orbital Josephson effect appears in a wide range of driven atomic Bose-Einstein condensed systems, including quantum ratchets, double wells and box potentials. We use three separate numerical methods: Gross-Pitaevskii equation, exact diagonalization of the few-mode problem, and the Multi-Configurational Time-Dependent Hartree for Bosons algorithm. We establish the limits of mean-field and few-mode descriptions, demonstrating that they represent the full many-body dynamics to high accuracy in the weak driving limit. Among other quantum measures, we compute the instantaneous particle current and the occupation of natural orbitals. We explore four separate dynamical regimes, the Rabi limit, chaos, the critical point, and self-trapping; a favorable comparison is found even in the regimes of dynamical instabilities or macroscopic quantum self-trapping. Finally, we present an extension of the (t,t')-formalism to general time-periodic equations of motion, which permits a systematic description of the long-time dynamics of resonantly driven many-body systems, including those relevant to the orbital Josephson effect.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Uncertainty, incompleteness, chance, and design

The 20th century has revealed two important limitations of scientific knowledge. On the one hand, the combination of Poincaré's nonlinear dynamics and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle leads to a world picture where physical reality is, in many respects, intrinsically undetermined. On the other hand, Gödel's incompleteness theorems reveal us the existence of mathematical truths that cannot be demonstrated. More recently, Chaitin has proved that, from the incompleteness theorems, it follows that the random character of a given mathematical sequence cannot be proved in general (it is 'undecidable'). I reflect here on the consequences derived from the indeterminacy of the future and the undecidability of randomness, concluding that the question of the presence or absence of finality in nature is fundamentally outside the scope of the scientific method.

physics.hist-ph↗