arXiv subjects

Germán Sierra

Publications and source records attributed to Germán Sierra.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Five Experimental Tests on the 5-Qubit IBM Quantum Computer

The 5-qubit quantum computer prototypes that IBM has given open access to on the cloud allow the implementation of real experiments on a quantum processor. We present the results obtained in five experimental tests performed on these computers: dense coding, quantum Fourier transforms, Bell's inequality, Mermin's inequalities (up to $n=5$) and the construction of the prime state $|p_3\rangle$. These results serve to assess the functioning of the IBM 5Q chips.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Tachyonic quench in a free bosonic field theory

We present a characterization of a bosonic field theory driven by a free (Gaussian) tachyonic Hamiltonian. This regime is obtained from a theory describing two coupled bosonic fields after a regular quench. Relevant physical quantities such as simple correlators, entanglement entropies, and the mutual information of disconnected subregions are computed. We show that the causal structure resembles a critical (massless) quench. For short times, physical quantities also resemble critical quenches. However, exponential divergences end up dominating the dynamics in a very characteristic way. This is related to the fact that the low-frequency modes do not equilibrate. Some applications and extensions are outlined.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Entanglement hamiltonian and entanglement contour in inhomogeneous 1D critical systems

Inhomogeneous quantum critical systems in one spatial dimension have been studied by using conformal field theory in static curved backgrounds. Two interesting examples are the free fermion gas in the harmonic trap and the inhomogeneous XX spin chain called rainbow chain. For conformal field theories defined on static curved spacetimes characterised by a metric which is Weyl equivalent to the flat metric, with the Weyl factor depending only on the spatial coordinate, we study the entanglement hamiltonian and the entanglement spectrum of an interval adjacent to the boundary of a segment where the same boundary condition is imposed at the endpoints. A contour function for the entanglement entropies corresponding to this configuration is also considered, being closely related to the entanglement hamiltonian. The analytic expressions obtained by considering the curved spacetime which characterises the rainbow model have been checked against numerical data for the rainbow chain, finding an excellent agreement.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2017

The BCS wave function, matrix product states, and the Ising conformal field theory

We present a characterization of the many-body lattice wave functions obtained from the conformal blocks (CBs) of the Ising conformal field theory (CFT). The formalism is interpreted as a matrix product state using continuous ancillary degrees of freedom. We provide analytic and numerical evidence that the resulting states can be written as BCS states. We give a complete proof that the translationally invariant 1D configurations have a BCS form and we find suitable parent Hamiltonians. In particular, we prove that the ground state of the finite-size critical Ising transverse field (ITF) Hamiltonian can be obtained with this construction. Finally, we study 2D configurations using an operator product expansion (OPE) approximation. We associate these states to the weak pairing phase of the $p+ip$ superconductor via the scaling of the pairing function and the entanglement spectrum.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Many-body Lattice Wavefunctions From Conformal Blocks

We introduce a general framework to construct many-body lattice wavefunctions starting from the conformal blocks (CBs) of rational conformal field theories (RCFTs). We discuss the different ways of encoding the physical degrees of freedom of the lattice system using both the internal symmetries of the theory and the fusion channels of the CBs. We illustrate this construction both by revisiting the known Haldane-Shastry model and by providing a novel implementation for the Ising RCFT. In the latter case, we find a connection to the Ising transverse field (ITF) spin chain via the Kramers-Wannier duality and the Temperley-Lieb-Jones algebra. We also find evidence that the ground state of the finite-size critical ITF Hamiltonian corresponds exactly to the wavefunction obtained from CBs of spin fields.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Lattice effects on Laughlin wave functions and parent Hamiltonians

We investigate lattice effects on wave functions that are lattice analogues of bosonic and fermionic Laughlin wave functions with number of particles per flux $ν=1/q$ in the Landau levels. These wave functions are defined analytically on lattices with $μ$ particles per lattice site, where $μ$ may be different than $ν$. We give numerical evidence that these states have the same topological properties as the corresponding continuum Laughlin states for different values of $q$ and for different fillings $μ$. These states define, in particular, particle-hole symmetric lattice Fractional Quantum Hall states when the lattice is half-filled. On the square lattice it is observed that for $q\leq 4$ this particle-hole symmetric state displays the topological properties of the continuum Laughlin state at filling fraction $ν=1/q$, while for larger $q$ there is a transition towards long-range ordered anti-ferromagnets. This effect does not persist if the lattice is deformed from a square to a triangular lattice, or on the Kagome lattice, in which case the topological properties of the state are recovered. We then show that changing the number of particles while keeping the expression of these wave functions identical gives rise to edge states that have the same correlations in the bulk as the reference lattice Laughlin states but a different density at the edge. We derive an exact parent Hamiltonian for which all these edge states are ground states with different number of particles. In addition this Hamiltonian admits the reference lattice Laughlin state as its unique ground state of filling factor $1/q$. Parent Hamiltonians are also derived for the lattice Laughlin states at other fillings of the lattice, when $μ\leq 1/q$ or $μ\geq 1-1/q$ and when $q=4$ also at half-filling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

More on the rainbow chain: entanglement, space-time geometry and thermal states

The rainbow chain is an inhomogenous exactly solvable local spin model that, in its ground state, displays a half-chain entanglement entropy growing linearly with the system size. Although many exact results about the rainbow chain are known, the structure of the underlying quantum field theory has not yet been unraveled. Here we show that the universal scaling features of this model are captured by a massless Dirac fermion in a curved space-time with constant negative curvature $R=-h^2$ ($h$ is the amplitude of the inhomogeneity). This identification allows us to use recently developed techniques to study inhomogeneous conformal systems and to analytically characterise the entanglement entropies of more general bipartitions. These results are carefully tested against exact numerical calculations. Finally, we study the entanglement entropies of the rainbow chain in thermal states, and find that there is a non-trivial interplay between the rainbow effective temperature $T_R$ and the physical temperature $T$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Fourier-space entanglement of spin chains

Entanglement between different regions in momentum space is studied for ground states of some spin-chain Hamiltonians: the XY model, the Ising model in a transverse field (ITF) and the XXZ models. In the XY and ITF cases, entanglement only takes place between states with opposite momenta. Thus, an anisotropy in the interaction induces entanglement in the momentum pairs. In the ITF case, the ferromagnetic phase is characterized by a total entropy between left- and right-moving modes which is independent on the external field. This result characterizes the Ising phase transition in momentum space. In the critical XXZ case, we provide evidence that the maximal entropy between energy modes around the Fermi point grows logarithmically with the system size, with a prefactor which depends on the compactification radius. The slow growth of the entanglement in Fourier space with the system size provides an explanation for the success of the renormalization techniques in momentum space.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Edge states for the Kalmeyer-Laughlin wave function

We study lattice wave functions obtained from the SU(2)$_1$ Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theory. Following Moore and Read's construction, the Kalmeyer-Laughlin fractional quantum Hall state is defined as a correlation function of primary fields. By an additional insertion of Kac-Moody currents, we associate a wave function to each state of the conformal field theory. These wave functions span the complete Hilbert space of the lattice system. On the cylinder, we study global properties of the lattice states analytically and correlation functions numerically using a Metropolis Monte Carlo method. By comparing short-range bulk correlations, numerical evidence is provided that the states with one current operator represent edge states in the thermodynamic limit. We show that the edge states with one Kac-Moody current of lowest order have a good overlap with low-energy excited states of a local Hamiltonian, for which the Kalmeyer-Laughlin state approximates the ground state. For some states, exact parent Hamiltonians are derived on the cylinder. These Hamiltonians are SU(2) invariant and nonlocal with up to four-body interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Entanglement in correlated random spin chains, RNA folding and kinetic roughening

Average block entanglement in the 1D XX-model with uncorrelated random couplings is known to grow as the logarithm of the block size, in similarity to conformal systems. In this work we study random spin chains whose couplings present long range correlations, generated as gaussian fields with a power-law spectral function. Ground states are always planar valence bond states, and their statistical ensembles are characterized in terms of their block entropy and their bond-length distribution, which follow power-laws. We conjecture the existence of a critical value for the spectral exponent, below which the system behavior is identical to the case of uncorrelated couplings. Above that critical value, the entanglement entropy violates the area law and grows as a power law of the block size, with an exponent which increases from zero to one. Similar planar bond structures are also found in statistical models of RNA folding and kinetic roughening, and we trace an analogy between them and quantum valence bond states. Using an inverse renormalization procedure we determine the optimal spin-chain couplings which give rise to a given planar bond structure, and study the statistical properties of the couplings whose bond structures mimic those found in RNA folding.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2016

Boson Condensation in Topologically Ordered Quantum Liquids

Boson condensation in topological quantum field theories (TQFT) has been previously investigated through the formalism of Frobenius algebras and the use of vertex lifting coefficients. While general, this formalism is physically opaque and computationally arduous: analyses of TQFT condensation are practically performed on a case by case basis and for very simple theories only, mostly not using the Frobenius algebra formalism. In this paper we provide a new way of treating boson condensation that is computationally efficient. With a minimal set of physical assumptions, such as commutativity of lifting and the definition of confined particles, we can prove a number of theorems linking Boson condensation in TQFT with chiral algebra extensions, and with the factorization of completely positive matrices over the nonnegative integers. We present numerically efficient ways of obtaining a condensed theory fusion algebra and S matrices; and we then use our formalism to prove several theorems for the S and T matrices of simple current condensation and of theories which upon condensation result in a low number of confined particles. We also show that our formalism easily reproduces results existent in the mathematical literature such as the noncondensability of 5 and 10 layers of the Fibonacci TQFT.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Infinite matrix product states, boundary conformal field theory, and the open Haldane-Shastry model

We show that infinite Matrix Product States (MPS) constructed from conformal field theories can describe ground states of one-dimensional critical systems with open boundary conditions. To illustrate this, we consider a simple infinite MPS for a spin-1/2 chain and derive an inhomogeneous open Haldane-Shastry model. For the spin-1/2 open Haldane-Shastry model, we derive an exact expression for the two-point spin correlation function. We also provide an SU($n$) generalization of the open Haldane-Shastry model and determine its twisted Yangian generators responsible for the highly degenerate multiplets in the energy spectrum.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Excited States in Spin Chains from Conformal Blocks

We develop a method of constructing excited states in one dimensional spin chains which are derived from the $SU(2)_1$ Wess-Zumino-Witten Conformal Field Theory (CFT) using a parent Hamiltonian approach. The resulting systems are equivalent to the Haldane-Shastry model. In our ansatz, correlation functions between primary fields correspond to the ground state of the spin system, whereas excited states are obtained by insertion of descendant fields. Our construction is based on the current algebra of the CFT and emphasizes the close relation between the spectrum of the spin system and the underlying CFT. This general structure might imply that the method could be applied to a wider range of model systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Exact parent Hamiltonians of bosonic and fermionic Moore-Read states on lattices and local models

We introduce a family of strongly-correlated spin wave functions on arbitrary spin-1/2 and spin-1 lattices in one and two dimensions. These states are lattice analogues of Moore-Read states of particles at filling fraction 1/q, which are non-Abelian Fractional Quantum Hall states in 2D. One parameter enables us to perform an interpolation between the continuum limit, where the states become continuum Moore-Read states of bosons (odd q) and fermions (even q), and the lattice limit. We show numerical evidence that the topological entanglement entropy stays the same along the interpolation for some of the states we introduce in 2D, which suggests that the topological properties of the lattice states are the same as in the continuum, while the 1D states are critical states. We then derive exact parent Hamiltonians for these states on lattices of arbitrary size. By deforming these parent Hamiltonians, we construct local Hamiltonians that stabilize some of the states we introduce in 1D and in 2D.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Bosonic fractional quantum Hall states on the torus from conformal field theory

The Kalmeyer-Laughlin state, which is a lattice version of the bosonic Laughlin state at filling factor one half, has attracted much attention due to its topological and chiral spin liquid properties. Here we show that the Kalmeyer-Laughlin state on the torus can be expressed in terms of a correlator of conformal fields from the $SU(2)_1$ Wess-Zumino-Witten model. This reveals an interesting underlying mathematical structure and provides a natural way to generalize the Kalmeyer-Laughlin state to arbitrary lattices on the torus. We find that the many-body Chern number of the states is unity for more different lattices, which suggests that the topological properties of the states are preserved when the lattice is changed. Finally, we analyze the symmetry properties of the states on square lattices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Entanglement over the rainbow

In one dimension the area law for the entanglement entropy is violated maximally by the ground state of a strong inhomogeneous spin chain, the so called concentric singlet phase (CSP), that looks like a rainbow connecting the two halves of the chain. In this paper we show that, in the weak inhomogeneity limit, the rainbow state is a thermofield double of a conformal field theory with a temperature proportional to the inhomogeneity parameter. This result suggests some relation of the CSP with black holes. Finally, we propose an extension of the model to higher dimensions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

From conformal to volume-law for the entanglement entropy in exponentially deformed critical spin 1/2 chains

An exponential deformation of 1D critical Hamiltonians gives rise to ground states whose entanglement entropy satisfies a volume-law. This effect is exemplified in the XX and Heisenberg models. In the XX case we characterize the crossover between the critical and the maximally entangled ground state in terms of the entanglement entropy and the entanglement spectrum.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Construction of spin models displaying quantum criticality from quantum field theory

We provide a method for constructing finite temperature states of one-dimensional spin chains displaying quantum criticality. These models are constructed using correlators of products of quantum fields and have an analytical purification. Their properties can be investigated by Monte-Carlo simulations, which enable us to study the low-temperature phase diagram and to show that it displays a region of quantum criticality. The mixed states obtained are shown to be close to the thermal state of a simple nearest neighbour Hamiltonian.

cond-mat.str-el↗