arXiv subjects

Heiko Rieger

Publications and source records attributed to Heiko Rieger.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Light cone in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model in time-dependent mean-field theory

We investigate the propagation of a local perturbation in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model with a time-dependent application of mean-field theory based on the BBGKY hierarchy. We show that the perturbation propagates through the system with a finite velocity and that there is transition from Manhattan to Euclidian metric, resulting in a light cone with an almost circular shape at sufficiently large distances. The propagation velocity of the perturbation defining the front of the light cone is discussed with respect to the parameters of the Hamiltonian and compared to exact results for the transverse-field Ising model in one dimension.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Optimality of spatially inhomogeneous search strategies

We consider random search processes alternating stochastically between diffusion and ballistic motion, in which the distribution function of ballistic motion directions varies from point to point in space. The specific space dependence of the directional distribution together with the switching rates between the two modes of motion establishes a spatially inhomogeneous search strategy. We show that the mean first passage times for several standard search problems - narrow escape, reaction partner finding, reaction-escape - can be minimized with a directional distribution that is reminiscent of the spatial organization of the cytoskeleton filaments of cells with a centrosome: radial ballistic transport from center to periphery and back, and ballistic transport in random directions within a concentric shell of thickness $Δ_{\rm opt}$ along the domain boundary. The results suggest that living cells realize efficient search strategies for various intracellular transport problems economically through a spatial cytoskeleton organization that involves radial microtubules in the central region and only a narrow actin cortex rather than a cell body filled with randomly oriented actin filaments.

q-bio.SC↗

arXiv2016

Numerical analysis of homogeneous and inhomogeneous intermittent search strategies

A random search is a stochastic process representing the random motion of a particle (denoted as the searcher) that is terminated when it reaches (detects) a target particle or area the first time. In intermittent search the random motion alternates between two or more motility modes, one of which is non-detecting. An example is the slow diffusive motion as the detecting mode and fast, directed ballistic motion as the non-detecting mode, which can lead to much faster detection than a purely diffusive search. The transition rate between the diffusive and the ballistic mode (and back) together with the probability distribution of directions for the ballistic motion defines a search strategy. If these transition rates and/or probability distributions depend on the spatial coordinates within the search domain it is a spatially inhomogeneous search strategy, if both are constant, it is a homogeneous one. Here we study the efficiency, measured in terms of the mean first-passage time, of spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous search strategies for three paradigmatic search problems: 1) the narrow escape problem, where the searcher has to find a small area on the boundary of the search domain, 2) reaction kinetics, which involves the detection of an immobile target in the interior of a search domain, and 3) the reaction-escape problem, where the searcher first needs to find a diffusive target before it can escape through a narrow region on the boundary. Using families of spatially inhomogeneous search strategies, partially motivated by the spatial organization of the cytoskeleton in living cells with a centrosome, we show that they can be made almost always more efficient than homogeneous strategies.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Ultracold Bosons with cavity-mediated long-range interactions: A local mean field analysis of the phase diagram

Ultracold bosonic atoms in optical lattices self-organize into a variety of structural and quantum phases when placed into a single-mode cavity and pumped by a laser. Cavity optomechanical effects induce an atom density modulation at the cavity-mode wave length that competes with the optical lattice arrangement. Simultaneously short-range interactions via particle hopping promote superfluid order, such that a variety of structural and quantum coherent phases can occur. We analyze the emerging phase diagram in two dimensions by means of an extended Bose-Hubbard model using a local mean field approach combined with a superfluid cluster analysis. For commensurate ratios of the cavity and external lattice wave lengths the Mott insulator-superfluid transition is modified by the appearance of charge density wave and supersolid phases, at which the atomic density supports the buildup of a cavity field. For incommensurate ratios, the optomechanical forces induce the formation of Bose-glass and superglass phases, namely non-superfluid and superfluid phases, respectively, displaying quasi-periodic density modulations, which in addition can exhibit structural and superfluid stripe formation. The onset of such structures is constrained by the onsite interaction and is favourable at fractional densities. Experimental observables are identified and discussed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Quantum relaxation and finite size effects in the XY chain in a transverse field after global quenches

We consider global quenches in the quantum XY chain in a transverse field and study the nonequilibrium relaxation of the magnetization and the correlation function as well as the entanglement entropy in finite systems. For quenches in the ordered phase, the exact results are well described by a semiclassical theory (SCT) in terms of ballistically moving quasiparticles. In the thermodynamic limit the SCT is exact for the entanglement entropy and its modified version following the method of Calabrese, Essler and Fagotti: arXiv:1204.3911 is exact for the magnetization and the correlation function, too. The stationary correlation function is shown to be described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2015

Persistent-random-walk approach to anomalous transport of self-propelled particles

The motion of self-propelled particles is modeled as a persistent random walk. An analytical framework is developed that allows the derivation of exact expressions for the time evolution of arbitrary moments of the persistent walk's displacement. It is shown that the interplay of step length and turning angle distributions and self-propulsion produces various signs of anomalous diffusion at short time scales and asymptotically a normal diffusion behavior with a broad range of diffusion coefficients. The crossover from the anomalous short time behavior to the asymptotic diffusion regime is studied and the parameter dependencies of the crossover time are discussed. Higher moments of the displacement distribution are calculated and analytical expressions for the time evolution of the skewness and the kurtosis of the distribution are presented.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Non-equilibrium quantum relaxation across a localization-delocalization transition

We consider the one-dimensional $XX$-model in a quasi-periodic transverse-field described by the Harper potential, which is equivalent to a tight-binding model of spinless fermions with a quasi-periodic chemical potential. For weak transverse field (chemical potential), $h h_c$. We study the non-equilibrium relaxation of the system by applying two protocols: a sudden change of $h$ (quench dynamics) and a slow change of $h$ in time (adiabatic dynamics). For a quench into the delocalized (localized) phase, the entanglement entropy grows linearly (saturates) and the order parameter decreases exponentially (has a finite limiting value). For a critical quench the entropy increases algebraically with time, whereas the order parameter decreases with a stretched-exponential. The density of defects after an adiabatic field change through the critical point is shown to scale with a power of the rate of field change and a scaling relation for the exponent is derived.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2014

Anomalous Diffusion of Self-Propelled Particles in Directed Random Environments

We theoretically study the transport properties of self-propelled particles on complex structures, such as motor proteins on filament networks. A general master equation formalism is developed to investigate the persistent motion of individual random walkers, which enables us to identify the contributions of key parameters: the motor processivity, and the anisotropy and heterogeneity of the underlying network. We prove the existence of different dynamical regimes of anomalous motion, and that the crossover times between these regimes as well as the asymptotic diffusion coefficient can be increased by several orders of magnitude within biologically relevant control parameter ranges. In terms of motion in continuous space, the interplay between stepping strategy and persistency of the walker is established as a source of anomalous diffusion at short and intermediate time scales.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

The quantum phase transition and correlations in the multi-spin-boson model

We consider multiple non-interacting quantum mechanical two-level systems coupled to a common bosonic bath and study its quantum phase transition with Monte Carlo simulations using a continuous imaginary time cluster algorithm. The common bath induces an effective ferromagnetic interaction between the otherwise independent two-level systems, which can be quantified by an effective interaction strength. For degenerate energy levels above a critical value of the bath coupling strength $α$ all two-level systems freeze into the same state and the critical value $α_c$ decreases asymptotically as $1/N$ with increasing $N$. For a finite number, $N$, of two-level systems the quantum phase transition (at zero temperature) is in the same universality class as the single spin-boson model, in the limit $N\to\infty$ the system shows mean-field critical behavior independent of the power of the spectral function of the bosonic bath. We also study the influence of a spatial separation of the spins in a bath of bosonic modes with linear dispersion relation on the location and characteristics of the phase transition as well as on correlations between the two-level systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

Lattice Model for Spontaneous Imbibition in Porous Media: The Role of Effective Tension and Universality Class

Recently anomalous scaling properties of front broadening during spontaneous imbibition of water in Vycor glass, a nano-porous medium, were reported: the mean height and the width of the propagating front increase with time $t$ both proportional to $t^{1/2}$. Here we propose a simple lattice imbibition model and elucidate quantitatively how the correlation range of the hydrostatic pressure and the disorder strength of the pore radii affect the scaling properties of the imbibition front. We introduce an effective tension of liquid across neighboring pores, which depends on the aspect ratio of each pore, and show that it leads to a dynamical crossover: both the mean height and the roughness grow faster in the presence of tension in the intermediate-time regime but eventually saturate in the long-time regime. The universality class of the long-time behavior is discussed by examining the associated scaling exponents and their relation to directed percolation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2013

Quantum phases of incommensurate optical lattices due to cavity backaction

Ultracold bosonic atoms are confined by an optical lattice inside an optical resonator and interact with a cavity mode, whose wave length is incommensurate with the spatial periodicity of the confining potential. We predict that the intracavity photon number can be significantly different from zero when the atoms are driven by a transverse laser whose intensity exceeds a threshold value and whose frequency is suitably detuned from the cavity and the atomic transition frequency. In this parameter regime the atoms form clusters in which they emit in phase into the cavity. The clusters are phase locked, thereby maximizing the intracavity photon number. These predictions are based on a Bose-Hubbard model, whose derivation is here reported in detail. The Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian has coefficients which are due to the cavity field and depend on the atomic density at all lattice sites. The corresponding phase diagram is evaluated using Quantum Monte Carlo simulations in one-dimension and mean-field calculations in two dimensions. Where the intracavity photon number is large, the ground state of the atomic gas lacks superfluidity and possesses finite compressibility, typical of a Bose-glass.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Superfluid clusters, percolation and phase transitions in the disordered, two dimensional Bose-Hubbard model

The Bose glass (BG) phase is the Griffiths region of the disordered Bose Hubbard model (BHM), characterized by finite, quasi-superfluid clusters within a Mott insulating background. We propose to utilize this characterization to identify the complete zero-temperature phase diagram of the disordered BHM in $d\ge2$ dimensions by analyzing the geometric properties of what we call superfluid (SF) clusters, which are defined to be clusters of sites with non-integer expectation values for the local boson occupation number. The Mott insulator (MI) phase then is the region in the phase diagram where no SF clusters exist, and the SF phase the region, where SF clusters percolate - the BG phase is in between: SF clusters exist, but do not percolate. This definition is particularly useful in the context of local mean field (LMF, or Gutzwiller-Ansatz) calculations, where we show that an identification of the phases on the basis of global quantities like the averaged SF order parameter and the compressibility are misleading. We apply the SF cluster analysis to the LMF ground states of the two dimensional disordered BHM to produce its phase diagram and find a) an excellent agreement with the phase diagram predicted on the basis of quantum Monte Carlo simulations for the commensurate density $n=1$, and b) large differences to stochastic mean field and other mean field predictions for fixed disorder strength. The relation of the percolation transition of the SF clusters with the onset of non-vanishing SF stiffness indicating the BG to SF transition is discussed.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2013

Scaling theory for spontaneous imbibition in random networks of elongated pores

We present a scaling theory for the long time behavior of spontaneous imbibition in porous media consisting of interconnected pores with a large length-to-width ratio. At pore junctions the meniscus propagation in one or more branches can come to a halt when the Laplace pressure of the meniscus exceeds the hydrostatic pressure within the junction. We derive the scaling relations for the emerging arrest time distribution and show that the average front width is proportional to the height, yielding a roughness exponent of exactly beta=1/2 and explaining recent experimental results for nano-porous Vycor glass (NVG). Extensive simulations of a pore network model confirm these predictions.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2012

Bose-glass phases of ultracold atoms due to cavity backaction

We determine the quantum ground-state properties of ultracold bosonic atoms interacting with the mode of a high-finesse resonator. The atoms are confined by an external optical lattice, whose period is incommensurate with the cavity mode wave length, and are driven by a transverse laser, which is resonant with the cavity mode. While for pointlike atoms photon scattering into the cavity is suppressed, for sufficiently strong lasers quantum fluctuations can support the build-up of an intracavity field, which in turn amplifies quantum fluctuations. The dynamics is described by a Bose-Hubbard model where the coefficients due to the cavity field depend on the atomic density at all lattice sites. Quantum Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field calculations show that for large parameter regions cavity backaction forces the atoms into clusters with a checkerboard density distribution. Here, the ground state lacks superfluidity and possesses finite compressibility, typical of a Bose-glass. This system constitutes a novel setting where quantum fluctuations give rise to effects usually associated with disorder.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Anomalous Front Broadening During Spontaneous Imbibition in a Matrix with Elongated Pores

During spontaneous imbibition a wetting liquid is drawn into a porous medium by capillary forces. In systems with comparable pore length and diameter, such as paper and sand, the front of the propagating liquid forms a continuous interface. Sections of this interface advance in a highly correlated manner due to an effective surface tension, which restricts front broadening. Here we investigate water imbibition in a nanoporous glass (Vycor) in which the pores are much longer than they are wide. In this case, no continuous liquid-vapor interface with coalesced menisci can form. Anomalously fast imbibition front roughening is experimentally observed by neutron imaging.We propose a theoretical pore network model, whose structural details are adapted to the microscopic pore structure of Vycor glass, and show that it displays the same large scale roughening characteristics as observed in the experiment. The model predicts that menisci movements are uncorrelated. This indicates that despite the connectivity of the network the smoothening effect of surface tension on the imbibition front roughening is negligible. These results suggest a new universality class of imbibition behavior which is expected to occur in any matrix with elongated, interconnected pores of random radii.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Efficient kinetic Monte Carlo method for reaction-diffusion processes with spatially varying annihilation rates

We present an efficient Monte Carlo method to simulate reaction-diffusion processes with spatially varying particle annihilation or transformation rates as it occurs for instance in the context of motor-driven intracellular transport. Like Green's function reaction dynamics and first-passage time methods, our algorithm avoids small diffusive hops by propagating sufficiently distant particles in large hops to the boundaries of protective domains. Since for spatially varying annihilation or transformation rates the single particle diffusion propagator is not known analytically, we present an algorithm that generates efficiently either particle displacements or annihilations with the correct statistics, as we prove rigorously. The numerical efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated with an illustrative example.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Semi-classical theory for quantum quenches in finite transverse Ising chains

We present a quantitative semi-classical theory for the non-equilibrium dynamics of transverse Ising chains after quantum quenches, in particular sudden changes of the transverse field strength. We obtain accurate predictions for the quench dependent relaxation times and correlation lengths, and also about the recurrence times and quasiperiodicity of time dependent correlations in finite systems with open or periodic boundary conditions. We compare the quantiative predictions of our semi-classical theory (local magnetization, equal time bulk-bulk and surface-to-bulk correlations, and bulk autocorrelations) with the results from exact free fermion calculations and discuss the range of applicability of the semi-classical theory and possible generaliztaions and extensions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Non-equilibrium quantum dynamics after local quenches

We study the quantum dynamics resulting from preparing a one-dimensional quantum system in the ground state of initially two decoupled parts which are then joined together (local quench). Specifically we focus on the transverse Ising chain and compute the time-dependence of the magnetization profile, m_l(t), and correlation functions at the critical point, in the ferromagnetically ordered phase and in the paramagnetic phase. At the critical point we find finite size scaling forms for the nonequilibrium magnetization and compare predictions of conformal field theory with our numerical results. In the ferromagnetic phase the magnetization profiles are well matched by our predictions from a quasi-classical calculation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗