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Juerg Froehlich

Publications and source records attributed to Juerg Froehlich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2020

Local iterative block-diagonalization of gapped Hamiltonians: a new tool in singular perturbation theory

In this paper the local iterative Lie-Schwinger block-diagonalization method, introduced in [FP], [DFPR1], and [DFPR2] for quantum chains, is extended to higher-dimensional quantum lattice systems with Hamiltonians that can be written as the sum of an unperturbed gapped operator, consisting of a sum of on-site terms, and a perturbation consisting of bounded interaction potentials of short range mutltiplied by a real coupling constant t. Our goal is to prove that the spectral gap above the ground-state energy of such Hamiltonians persists for sufficiently small values of |t|, independently of the size of the lattice. New ideas and concepts are necessary to extend our method to systems in dimension d > 1: As in our earlier work, a sequence of local block-diagonalization steps based on judiciously chosen unitary conjugations of the original Hamiltonian is introduced. The supports of effective interaction potentials generated in the course of these block-diagonalization steps can be identified with what we call minimal rectangles contained in the lattice, a concept that serves to tackle combinatorial problems that arise in the course of iterating the block-diagonalization steps. For a given minimal rectangle, control of the effective interaction potentials generated in each block-diagonalization step with support in the given rectangle is achieved by exploiting a variety of rather subtle mechanisms which include, for example, the use of weighted sums of paths consisting of overlapping rectangles and of large denominators, expressed in terms of sums of orthogonal projections, that serve to control analogous sums of projections in the numerators resulting from the unitary conjugations of the interaction potential terms involved in the local block-diagonalization step.

math-ph↗
arXiv2019

Relativistic Quantum Theory

The purpose of this paper is to sketch an approach towards a reconciliation of quantum theory with relativity theory. It will actually be argued that these two theories ultimately rely on one another. A general operator-algebraic framework for relativistic quantum theory is outlined. Some concepts of space-time structure are translated into algebra. Following deep results of Buchholz et al., the key role of massless modes, photons and gravitons, and of Huygens' Principle in a relativistic quantum theory well suited to describe "events" and "measurements" is highlighted. In summary, a relativistic version of the "ETH Approach" to quantum mechanics is described.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2019

Unified Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Baryogenesis via a "Cosmological Wetting Transition''

In a recent publication \cite{us}, a cosmological scenario featuring a scalar field, $φ$, that is a source for Dark Matter and Dark Energy has been proposed. In this paper, a concrete realization of that scenario is presented. As in many models of scalar-field driven Dark Energy, the effective Lagrangian of the field $φ$ contains a potential proportional to $e^{-φ/f}$. This potential is modulated in such a way that, in the absence of other matter fields, it has a local minimum at a small value of $φ$. Fluctuations of $φ$ around this minimum give rise to a gas of dark-matter particles. The field $φ$ is coupled to another scalar field $χ$ in such a way that the minimum in the effective potential of $φ$ disappears when, after a continuous phase transition accompanied by spontaneous symmetry breaking, $χ$ develops a non-vanishing expectation value. This triggers slow growth of a homogeneous component of $φ$ accompanied by the emergence of Dark Energy, a phenomenon analogous to the "wetting transition" in statistical mechanics. Inside regions of the Universe where the pressure is small and the energy density is large enough to stall expansion, in particular around galaxies and galaxy clusters, the phase transition in the state of $χ$ does not take place, and a gas of cold dark-matter particles persists. The evolution of $φ$ at very early times may tune the rate of baryogenesis.

hep-th↗
arXiv2019

A Brief Review of the "ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics"

To begin with, some of the conundrums concerning Quantum Mechanics and its interpretation(s) are recalled. Subsequently, a sketch of the "ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics" is presented. This approach yields a logically coherent quantum theory of "events" featured by physical systems and of direct or projective measurements of physical quantities, without the need to invoke "observers". It enables one to determine the stochastic time evolution of states of physical systems. We also briefly comment on the quantum theory of indirect or weak measurements, which is much easier to understand and more highly developed than the theory of direct (projective) measurements. A relativistic form of the ETH-Approach will be presented in a separate paper.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2019

Lie-Schwinger block-diagonalization and gapped quantum chains

We study quantum chains whose Hamiltonians are perturbations by bounded interactions of short range of a Hamiltonian that does not couple the degrees of freedom located at different sites of the chain and has a strictly positive energy gap above its ground-state energy. We prove that, for small values of a coupling constant, the spectral gap of the perturbed Hamiltonian above its ground-state energy is bounded from below by a positive constant uniformly in the length of the chain. In our proof we use a novel method based on local Lie-Schwinger conjugations of the Hamiltonians associated with connected subsets of the chain.

math-ph↗
arXiv2018

Laminar and turbulent dynamos in chiral magnetohydrodynamics. II. Simulations

Using direct numerical simulations (DNS), we study laminar and turbulent dynamos in chiral magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) with an extended set of equations that accounts for an additional contribution to the electric current due to the chiral magnetic effect (CME). This quantum phenomenon originates from an asymmetry between left- and right-handed relativistic fermions in the presence of a magnetic field and gives rise to a chiral dynamo. We show that the magnetic field evolution proceeds in three stages: (1) a small-scale chiral dynamo instability; (2) production of chiral magnetically driven turbulence and excitation of a large-scale dynamo instability due to a new chiral effect (alpha_mu effect); and (3) saturation of magnetic helicity and magnetic field growth controlled by a conservation law for the total chirality. The $α_μ$ effect becomes dominant at large fluid and magnetic Reynolds numbers and is not related to kinetic helicity. The growth rate of the large-scale magnetic field and its characteristic scale measured in the numerical simulations agree well with theoretical predictions based on mean-field theory. The previously discussed two-stage chiral magnetic scenario did not include stage (2) during which the characteristic scale of magnetic field variations can increase by many orders of magnitude. Based on the findings from numerical simulations, the relevance of the CME and the chiral effects revealed in the relativistic plasma of the early universe and of proto-neutron stars are discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2018

Chiral Anomaly, Topological Field Theory, and Novel States of Matter

Starting with a description of the motivation underlying the analysis presented in this paper and a brief survey of the chiral anomaly, I proceed to review some basic elements of the theory of the quantum Hall effect in 2D incompressible electron gases in an external magnetic field, ("Hall insulators"). I discuss the origin and role of anomalous chiral edge currents and of anomaly inflow in 2D insulators with explicitly or spontaneously broken time reversal, i.e., in Hall insulators and "Chern insulators". The topological Chern-Simons action yielding the large-scale response equations for the 2D bulk of such states of matter is displayed. A classification of Hall insulators featuring quasi-particles with abelian braid statistics is sketched. Subsequently, the chiral edge spin currents encountered in some time-reversal invariant 2D topological insulators with spin-orbit interactions and the bulk response equations of such materials are described. A short digression into the theory of 3D topological insulators, including "axionic insulators", follows next. To conclude, some open problems are described and a problem in cosmology related to axionic insulators is mentioned. As far as the quantum Hall effect and the spin currents in time-reversal invariant 2D topological insulators are concerned this review is based on extensive work my collaborators and I carried out in the early 1990's.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2017

Decay of correlations in 2D quantum systems with continuous symmetry

We study a large class of models of two-dimensional quantum lattice systems with continuous symmetries, and we prove a general McBryan-Spencer-Koma-Tasaki theorem concerning algebraic decay of correlations. We present applications of our main result to the Heisenberg-, Hubbard-, and t-J models, and to certain models of random loops.

math-ph↗
arXiv2016

Exponential Convergence to the Maxwell Distribution For Some Class of Boltzmann Equations

We consider a class of nonlinear Boltzmann equations describing return to thermal equilibrium in a gas of colliding particles suspended in a thermal medium. We study solutions in the space $L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{3}\times \mathbb{T}^3).$ Special solutions of these equations, called "Maxwellians," are spatially homogenous static Maxwell velocity distributions at the temperature of the medium. We prove that, for dilute gases, the solutions corresponding to smooth initial conditions in a weighted $L^{1}$-space converge to a Maxwellian in $L^{1},$ exponentially fast in time.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

Tracking Dark Energy from Axion-Gauge Field Couplings

We propose a toy model of Dark Energy in which the degrees of freedom currently dominating the energy density of the universe are described by a pseudo-scalar "axion field" linearly coupled to the Pontryagin density, $ \text{tr}(F \wedge F)$, i.e., the exterior derivative of the Chern-Simons form, of a gauge field. We assume that the axion has self-interactions corresponding to an exponential potential. We argue that a non-vanishing magnetic helicity of the gauge field leads to slow-rolling of the axion at field values far below the Planck scale. Our proposal suggests a "Tracking Dark Energy Scenario" in which the contribution of the axion energy density to the total energy density is constant (and small), during the early radiation phase, until a secular growth term proportional to the Pontryagin density of the gauge field becomes dominant. The initially small contribution of the axion field to the total energy density is related to the observed small baryon-to-entropy ratio.

hep-th↗
arXiv2016

Dark Energy and Dark Matter in a Model of an Axion Coupled to a Non-Abelian Gauge Field

We study cosmological field configurations (solutions) in a model in which the pseudo-scalar phase of a complex field couples to the Pontryagin density of a massive non-abelian gauge field, in analogy to how the Peccei-Quinn axion field couples to the $SU(3)$-color gauge field of QCD. Assuming that the self-interaction potential of the complex scalar field has the typical {\it Mexican hat} form, we find that the radial fluctuations of this field can act as {\it Dark Matter}, while its phase may give rise to tracking {\it Dark Energy}. In our model, Dark-Energy domination will, however, not continue for ever. A new component of dark matter, namely the one originating from the gauge field, will dominate in the future.

hep-th↗
arXiv2016

A "Garden of Forking Paths" - the Quantum Mechanics of Histories of Events

We present a short survey of a novel approach, called "ETH approach", to the quantum theory of events happening in isolated physical systems and to the effective time evolution of states of systems featuring events. In particular, we attempt to present a clear explanation of what is meant by an "event" in quantum mechanics and of the significance of this notion. We then outline a theory of direct (projective) and indirect observations or recordings of physical quantities and events. Some key ideas underlying our general theory are illustrated by studying a simple quantum-mechanical model of a mesoscopic system.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Some Properties of Correlations of Quantum Lattice Systems in Thermal Equilibrium

Simple proofs of uniqueness of the thermodynamic limit of KMS states and of the decay of equilibrium correlations are presented for a large class of quantum lattice systems at high temperatures. New quantum correlation inequalities for general Heisenberg models are described. Finally, a simplified derivation of a general result on power-law decay of correlations in 2D quantum lattice systems with continuous symmetries is given, extending results of Mc Bryan and Spencer for the 2D classical XY model.

math-ph↗
arXiv2014

The preparation of states in quantum mechanics

The important problem of how to prepare a quantum mechanical system, $S$, in a specific initial state of interest - e.g., for the purposes of some experiment - is addressed. Three distinct methods of state preparation are described. One of these methods has the attractive feature that it enables one to prepare $S$ in a preassigned initial state with certainty; i.e., the probability of success in preparing $S$ in a given state is unity. This method relies on coupling $S$ to an open quantum-mechanical environment, $E$, in such a way that the dynamics of $S \vee E$ pulls the state of $S$ towards an "attractor", which is the desired initial state of $S$. This method is analyzed in detail.

math-ph↗
arXiv2014

Exponential Relaxation to Equilibrium for a One-Dimensional Focusing Non-Linear Schrödinger Equation with Noise

We construct generalized grand-canonical- and canonical Gibbs measures for a Hamiltonian system described in terms of a complex scalar field that is defined on a circle and satisfies a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a focusing nonlinearity of order $p<6$. Key properties of these Gibbs measures, in particular absence of "phase transitions" and regularity properties of field samples, are established. We then study a time evolution of this system given by the Hamiltonian evolution perturbed by a stochastic noise term that mimics effects of coupling the system to a heat bath at some fixed temperature. The noise is of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type for the Fourier modes of the field, with the strength of the noise decaying to zero, as the frequency of the mode tends to $\infty$. We prove exponential approach of the state of the system to a grand-canonical Gibbs measure at a temperature and "chemical potential" determined by the stochastic noise term.

math-ph↗
arXiv2014

Emission of Cherenkov Radiation as a Mechanism for Hamiltonian Friction

We study the motion of a heavy tracer particle weakly coupled to a dense, weakly interacting Bose gas exhibiting Bose-Einstein condensation. In the so-called mean-field limit, the dynamics of this system approaches one determined by nonlinear Hamiltonian evolution equations. We prove that if the initial speed of the tracer particle is above the speed of sound in the Bose gas, and for a suitable class of initial states of the Bose gas, the particle decelerates due to emission of Cherenkov radiation of sound waves, and its motion approaches a uniform motion at the speed of sound, as time tends to infinity.

math-ph↗
arXiv2013

Quantum Diffusion with Drift and the Einstein Relation I

We study the dynamics of a quantum particle hopping on a simple cubic lattice and driven by a constant external force. It is coupled to an array of identical, independent thermal reservoirs consisting of free, massless Bose fields, one at each site of the lattice. When the particle visits a site x of the lattice it can emit or absorb field quanta of the reservoir at x. Under the assumption that the coupling between the particle and the reservoirs and the driving force are sufficiently small, we establish the following results: The ergodic average over time of the state of the particle approaches a non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) describing a non-zero mean drift of the particle. Its motion around the mean drift is diffusive, and the diffusion constant and the drift velocity are related to one another by the Einstein relation.

math-ph↗