arXiv subjects

Götz S. Uhrig

Publications and source records attributed to Götz S. Uhrig.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Optical Pumping of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer Superconductors

Motivated by the generation by optical pulses of non-thermal distributions of nuclear spins in quantum dots we investigate the effect of optical pulses applied to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductors. Using time-dependent mean-field theory formulated with Anderson pseudospins, we study the electronic configurations and the energy deposited in the system by optical pulses. The pulses are included by Peierls substitution and we study short rectangular pulses as well as idealized $δ$ pulses. Already a few and even a single pulse generates highly non-trivial distributions of electron expectation values which we simulate numerically and explain analytically based on the linearization of the equations of motion. These results suggest so far unexplored experimental possibilities for the optical control of superconducting states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Exchange enhanced switching by alternating fields in quantum antiferromagnets

Information can be stored magnetically in antiferromagnets ultrafast since their characteristic times are on the picosecond scale. Various spin torques have proven to be important for efficient and high-speed magnetic memories. So far, this has been understood on the classical level by solving the equations of motion for macrospins describing the collective motion of the sublattice magnetizations. Since spins and hence magnetizations are deeply rooted in quantum mechanics, we show that the exchange enhanced manipulation of sublattice magnetizations extends to quantum antiferromagnets as well. To this end, we solve the time-dependent mean-field equations for Schwinger boson theory under external alternating magnetic fields. Exchange enhancement persists on the quantum level which includes dephasing effects. Significantly lower fields are sufficient to control the sublattice magnetization than for uniform fields which holds great promises for the realization of ultrafast magnetic storage devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Microscopic understanding of NMR signals by dynamic mean-field theory for spins

A recently developed dynamic mean-field theory for disordered spins (spinDMFT) is shown to capture the spin dynamics of nuclear spins very well. The key quantities are the spin autocorrelations. In order to compute the free induction decay (FID), pair correlations are needed in addition. They can be computed on spin clusters of moderate size which are coupled to the dynamic mean fields determined in a first step by spinDMFT. We dub this versatile approach non-local spinDMFT (nl-spinDMFT). It is a particular asset of nl-spinDMFT that one knows from where the contributions to the FID stem. We illustrate the strengths of nl-spinDMFT in comparison to experimental data for CaF$_2$. Furthermore, spinDMFT provides the dynamic mean fields explaining the FID of the nuclear spins of $^{13}$C in adamantane up to some static noise. The spin Hahn echo in adamantane is free from effects of static noise and agrees excellently with the spinDMFT results without further fitting.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Quantum melting of long-range ordered quantum antiferromagnets investigated by momentum-space continuous similarity transformations

We apply continuous similarity transformations (CSTs) to study the zero-temperature breakdown of long-range ordered quantum antiferromagnets. The CST flow equations are truncated in momentum space by the scaling dimension so that all operators with scaling dimension up to two are taken into account. We determine the quantum phase transition out of the Néel-ordered phase in the unfrustrated square lattice Heisenberg bilayer as well as the quantum melting of the Néel-ordered and columnar phase in the highly frustrated $J_1$-$J_2$ model on the square lattice. In all cases the CST is set up to isolate the ground state so that the stability of the flow equations, the ground-state energy, and the sublattice magnetization are used to explore the long-range ordered phases. We extract quantum-critical points which agree well with values in the literature. Further, we estimate the associated critical exponents $α$ and $β$ which turns out to be a challenging task for the CST approach.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Switching of Magnetization in Quantum Antiferromagnets with Time-Dependent Control Fields

Ultrafast manipulation of magnetic states is one of the necessities in modern data storage technology. Quantum antiferromagnets are promising candidates in this respect. The orientation of the order parameter, the sublattice magnetization, can be used to encode "0" and "1" of a bit. Then, the switching of magnetization and the full control of its reorientation are crucial for writing data. We show that the magnetization can be switched efficiently by an external short THz pulses with relatively low amplitude. The coupling to the spin degrees can be direct via the magnetic field or indirect via the electric field inducing spin-polarized charge currents. Our description is based on time-dependent Schwinger boson mean-field theory which includes the intrinsic dephasing mechanisms beyond a macrospin description. The findings help to introduce the use of antiferromagnets in data storage technology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Quantitative description of long-range order in the anisotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice

The quantitative description of long-range order remains a challenge in quantum many-body physics. We provide zero-temperature results from two complementary methods for the ground-state energy per site, the sublattice magnetization, the spin gap, and the transverse spin correlation length for the spin-1/2 anisotropic quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice. On the one hand, we use exact, large-scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. On the other hand, we use the semi-analytic approach based on continuous similarity transformations in terms of elementary magnon excitations. Our findings confirm the applicability and quantitative validity of both approaches along the full parameter axis from the Ising point to the symmetry-restoring phase transition at the Heisenberg point and further provide quantitative reference results in the thermodynamic limit. In addition, we analytically derive the relation between the dispersion and the correlation length at zero temperature in arbitrary dimension, and discuss improved second-moment QMC estimators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Collective excitations in competing phases in two and three dimensions

We investigate the superconducting (SC), charge-density wave (CDW), and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases in the extended Hubbard model at zero temperature and half-filling. We employ the iterated equations of motion approach to compute the two-particle Green's functions and their spectral densities. This renders a comprehensive analysis of the behavior of collective excitations possible as the model's parameters are tuned across phase transitions. We identify the well-known amplitude (Higgs) and phase (Anderson-Bogoliubov) modes within the superconducting phase and observe a similar excitation (cooperon) in the CDW phase which shifts towards zero energy as the system approaches the phase transition to the SC phase. In the CDW phase, close to the phase transition to the AFM phase, we find a collective mode, an exciton, that does not change significantly and another mode, a longitudinal magnon, that emerges from the two-particle continuum as the system approaches the phase transition to the AFM phase. It becomes identical with the former at the transition. In the AFM phase, their roles are reversed. Additionally, we find a transversal Goldstone magnon located at zero energy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Understanding the dynamics of randomly positioned dipolar spin ensembles

Dipolar spin ensembles with random spin positions attract much attention currently because they help to understand decoherence as it occurs in solid state quantum bits in contact with spin baths. Also, these ensembles are systems which may show many-body localization, at least in the sense of very slow spin dynamics. We present measurements of the autocorrelations of spins on diamond surfaces in a doubly-rotating frame which eliminates local disorder. Strikingly, the time scales in the longitudinal and the transversal channel differ by more than one order of magnitude which is a factor much greater than one would have expected from simulations of spins on lattices. A previously developed dynamic mean-field theory for spins (spinDMFT) fails to explain this phenomenon. Thus, we improve it by extending it to clusters (CspinDMFT). This theory does capture the striking mismatch up to two orders of magnitude for random ensembles. Without positional disorder, however, the mismatch is only moderate with a factor below 4. The pivotal role of positional disorder suggests that the strong mismatch is linked to precursors of many-body localization.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2023

Influence of quadrupolar interaction on NMR spectroscopy

Optically driven electronic spins coupled in quantum dots to nuclear spins show a pre-pulse signal (revival amplitude) after having been trained by long periodic sequences of pulses. The size of this revival amplitude depends on the external magnetic field in a specific way due to the varying commensurability of the nuclear Larmor precession period with the time $T_\text{rep}$ between two consecutive pulses. In theoretical simulations, sharp dips occur at fields when an integer number of precessions fits in $T_\text{rep}$; this feature could be used to identify nuclear isotopes spectroscopically. But these sharp and characteristic dips have not (yet) been detected in experiment. We study whether the nuclear quadrupolar interaction is the reason for this discrepancy because it perturbs the nuclear precessions. But our simulations show that the absolute width of the dips and their relative depth are not changed by quadrupolar interactions. Only the absolute depth decreases. We conclude that quadrupolar interaction alone cannot be the reason for the absence of the characteristic dips in experiment.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Switching the Magnetization in Quantum Antiferromagnets

The orientation of the order parameter of quantum magnets can be used to store information in a dense and efficient way. Switching this order parameter corresponds to writing data. To understand how this can be done, we study a precessional reorientation of the sublattice magnetization in an (an)isotropic quantum antiferromagnet induced by an applied magnetic field. We use a description including the leading quantum and thermal fluctuations, namely Schwinger boson mean-field theory, because this theory allows us to describe both ordered phases and the phases in between them, as is crucial for switching. An activation energy has to be overcome requiring a minimum applied field $h_\text{t}$ which is given essentially by the spin gap. It can be reduced significantly for temperatures approaching the Néel temperature facilitating switching. The time required for switching diverges when the field approaches $h_\text{t}$ which is the signature of an inertia in the magnetization dynamics. The temporal evolution of the magnetization and of the energy reveals signs of dephasing. The switched state has lost a part of its coherence because the magnetic modes do not evolve in phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Time-crystalline behavior in an engineered spin chain

Time crystals appear when systems display a commensurate spontaneous breaking of the discrete time translational invariance imposed by an external periodic drive. No consensus on the definition has been reached as yet, but important aspects comprise robustness against small variations of the parameters and the initial quantum state. Often, disorder and interaction are thought to be essential ingredients for the occurrence of time crystals. We study a finite-length polarized XX spin chain engineered to display a spectrum of equidistant energy levels without drive and show that it keeps a spectrum of equidistant quasienergies in Floquet theory for a large variety of periodic driving schemes. This interesting behavior is explained by mapping the XX spin chain with $N+1$ sites to a single large spin with $S=N/2$ invoking the closure of the group SU(2). For suitably tuned parameters this system realizes time crystals of various periodicities for \emph{all} initial states. The robustness against variations of the parameters is also discussed. Thereby, we establish a clean system without interaction which can display the phenomenon of time crystallization.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Truncated Wigner approximation for the bosonic model of large spin baths

The central spin model has a wide applicability, it is ideally suited to describe a small quantum system, for instance a quantum bit, in contact to a bath of spins, e.g., nuclear spins, or other small quantum systems in general. According to previous work~[Röhrig \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 97}, 165431 (2018)], a large bath of quantum spins can be described as a bath of quantum harmonic oscillators. But the resulting quantum model is still far from being straightforward solvable. Hence we consider a chain representation for the bosonic degrees of freedom to study how well a truncated Wigner approximation of the effective model of harmonic oscillators works in comparison with other approximate and exact methods. Numerically, we examine the effect of the number of bath spins and of the truncation level, i.e., the chain length.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Interacting triplons in frustrated spin ladders: Binding and decay in BiCu$_2$PO$_6$

Establishing a comprehensive model of the rich spin dynamics in BiCu$_2$PO$_6$ has been a challenge over the last decade. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments revealed that its elementary triplons are non-degenerate showing the existence of significant anisotropic spin couplings. Evidence for triplon decay into two triplons has been found, but two prominent downturns in the dispersions eluded an explanation. Level repulsion due to hybridization of single triplons with the continuum of two-triplon scattering states has been proposed as explanation. We show that this concept may explain the weak downturn at higher energies, but fails for the most pronounced downturn at lower energy. In turn, we provide evidence that this downturn is the signature of a two-triplon bound state of essentially singlet character pointing to triplon-triplon interaction as the second crucial ingredient of the spin dynamics in this exemplary system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Simplified approach to the magnetic blue shift of Mott gaps

The antiferromagnetic ordering in Mott insulators upon lowering the temperature is accompanied by a transfer of the single-particle spectral weight to lower energies and a shift of the Mott gap to higher energies (magnetic blue shift, MBS). The MBS is governed by the double exchange and the exchange mechanisms. Both mechanisms enhance the MBS upon increasing the number of orbitals. By performing a polynomial fit to numerical dynamical mean-field theory data we provide an expansion for the MBS in terms of hopping and exchange coupling of a prototype Hubbard-Kondo-Heisenberg model and discuss how the results can be generalized for application to realistic Mott or charge-transfer insulator materials. This allows estimating the MBS of the charge gap in real materials in an extremely simple way avoiding extensive theoretical calculations. The approach is exemplarily applied to $α$-MnTe, NiO, and BiFeO$_3$ and an MBS of about $130$ meV, $360$ meV, and $157$ meV is found, respectively. The values are compared with the previous theoretical calculations and the available experimental data. Our ready-to-use formula for the MBS simplifies the future studies searching for materials with a strong coupling between the antiferromagnetic ordering and the charge excitations, which is paramount to realize a coupled spin-charge coherent dynamics at a femtosecond time scale.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Continuous similarity transformation for critical phenomena: easy-axis antiferromagnetic XXZ model

We apply continuous similarity transformations (CSTs) to the easy-axis antiferromagnetic XXZ-model on the square lattice. The CST flow equations are truncated in momentum space by the scaling dimension $d$ so that all contributions with $d\le 2$ are taken into account. The resulting quartic magnon-conserving effective Hamiltonian is analyzed in the zero-, one-, and two-magnon sector. In this way, a quantitative description of the ground-state energy, the one-magnon dispersion and its gap as well as of two-magnon bound states is gained for anisotropies ranging from the gapped Ising model to the gapless Heisenberg model. We discuss the critical properties of the gap closing as well as the evolution of the one-magnon roton mininum. The excitation energies of two-magnon bound states are calculated and their decay into the two-magnon continuum is determined via the inverse participation ratio.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Antiferromagnetic Chern insulator in centrosymmetric systems

An antiferromagnetic Chern insulator (AFCI) can exist if the effect of the time-reversal transformation on the electronic state cannot be compensated by a space group operation. The AFCI state with collinear magnetic order is already realized in noncentrosymmetric honeycomb structures through the Kane-Mele-Hubbard model. In this paper, we demonstrate the existence of the collinear AFCI in a square lattice model which preserves the inversion symmetry. Our study relies on the time-reversal-invariant Harper-Hofstadter-Hubbard model extended by a next-nearest-neighbor hopping term including spin-orbit coupling and a checkerboard potential. We show that an easy $z$-axis AFCI appears between the band insulator at weak and the easy $xy$-plane AF Mott insulator at strong Hubbard repulsion provided the checkerboard potential is large enough. The close similarity between our results and the results obtained for the noncentrosymmetric Kane-Mele-Hubbard model suggests the AFCI as a generic consequence of spin-orbit coupling and strong electronic correlation which exists beyond a specific model or lattice structure. An AFCI with the electronic and the magnetic properties originating from the same strongly interacting electrons is promising candidate for a strong magnetic blue shift of the charge gap below the Néel temperature and for realizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect at higher temperatures so that applications for data processing become possible.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Three-body bound states in antiferromagnetic spin ladders

Stable bound quantum states are ubiquitous in nature. Mostly, they result from the interaction of only pairs of particles, so called two-body interactions, even when large complex many-particle structures are formed. We show that three-particle bound states occur in a generic, experimentally accessible solid state system: antiferromagnetic spin ladders, related to high-temperature superconductors. This binding is induced by genuine three-particle interactions; without them there is no bound state. We compute the dynamic exchange structure factor required for the experimental detection of the predicted state by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering for realistic material parameters. Our work enables us to quantify these elusive interactions and unambiguously establishes their effect on the dynamics of the quantum many-particle state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Efficient flow equations for dissipative systems

Open quantum systems provide an essential theoretical basis for the development of novel quantum technologies, since any real quantum system inevitably interacts with its environment. Lindblad master equations capture the effect of Markovian environments. Closed quantum systems can be treated using flow equations with the particle conserving generator. We generalize this generator to non-Hermitian matrices and open quantum systems governed by Lindbladians, comparing our results with recently proposed generators by Rosso et al. (arXiv:2007.12044). In comparison, we find that our advocated generator provides an efficient flow with good accuracy in spite of truncations.

quant-ph↗