arXiv subjects

K. L. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to K. L. Zhang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Floquet-Sambe Bottleneck and Frequency-Selective Localization in a Driven Synthetic Spin Chain

We study a finite Floquet chain in which a uniform nearest-neighbor hopping coexists with a periodically rotating, \textrm{SU(2)}-dictated spin-assisted hopping profile. The resulting coupling is spatially inhomogeneous -- weakest at the chain boundaries and strongest in the bulk -- and produces a frequency-dependent Floquet-Sambe bottleneck. In the closed system, the mean inverse participation ratio (\textrm{MIPR}) of the Floquet eigenstates exhibits a striking nonmonotonic dependence on the driving frequency $ω$: the states remain extended at both low and high frequencies, but become maximally localized at an intermediate frequency. We demonstrate that this localization maximum occurs at $ω_{\mathrm{peak}}\sim μ_{-s}=\sqrt{% 2s}$, a scale controlled by the first boundary bottleneck. To connect these spectral properties to measurable transport, we construct an open-system Floquet-Sambe Green-function inverse participation ratio from the spatial density of the injected scattering state. This open-system diagnostic recovers the same nonmonotonic localization trend as its closed-system counterpart, with the peak shifted to higher frequencies by the static bandwidth and the lead self-energy. These findings establish the driven synthetic spin chain as a directly realizable, frequency-tunable platform for coherent information storage and retrieval, rooted in the interplay of Floquet-Sambe virtual channels, boundary-controlled localization, and frequency-selective transport in emerging multi-level superconducting circuit architectures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Dynamically stable topological edge states in an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger ladder with balanced perturbation

The on-site potentials may break the symmetry of a system, resulting in the loss of its original topology protected by the symmetry. In this work, we study the counteracting effect of non-Hermitian terms on real potentials, resulting in dynamically stable topological edge states. We show exactly for a class of systems that the spectrum remains unchanged in the presence of balanced perturbations. As a demonstration, we investigate an extended non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger(SSH) ladder. We find that the bulk-boundary correspondence still holds, and the zero-energy edge states become coalescing states. In comparison to the original SSH chain, such edge states are robust not only against local perturbations but also in the time domain. As a result, a trivial initial state can always evolve to a stable edge state. Our results provide insights for the application of time-domain stable topological quantum devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Dynamics of non-Hermitian Floquet Wannier-Stark system

We study the dynamics of the non-Hermitian Floquet Wannier-Stark system in the framework of the tight-binding approximation, where the hopping strength is a periodic function of time with Floquet frequency $ω$. It is shown that the energy level of the instantaneous Hamiltonian is still equally spaced and independent of time $t$ and the Hermiticity of the hopping term. In the case of off resonance, the dynamics are still periodic, while the occupied energy levels spread out at the resonance, exhibiting $t^z$ behavior. Analytic analysis and numerical simulation show that the level-spreading dynamics for real and complex hopping strengths exhibit distinct behaviors and are well described by the dynamical exponents $z=1$ and $z=1/2$, respectively.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Magnetic Bloch oscillations in a non-Hermitian quantum Ising chain

We investigate the impacts of an imaginary transverse field on the dynamics of magnetic domain walls in a quantum Ising chain. We show that an imaginary field plays a similar role as a real transverse field in forming a low-lying Wannier-Stark ladder. However, analytical and numerical calculations of the time evolutions in both systems show that the corresponding Bloch oscillations exhibit totally different patterns for the same initial states. These findings reveal the nontrivial effect of non-Hermiticity on quantum spin dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Topological bulk and edge correlations of BCS condensate in a two-dimensional singlet-triplet spin pairing model

The condensate of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) pair in the ground state, which may contain information on both topology and spin pairing, promises the superconductivity of the system. In this paper, we study a singlet-triplet spin paring model on a square lattice and investigate the consequences of the competition of on-site and nearest neighbor pairing parameters. We show that the ground state of the system has the form of the condensate of the BCS pair, and the topological transition is associated with the nonanalytic behavior of the pairing order parameters. A real space correlation function on opposite spin direction is introduced to characterizing the topological phase of the many-body ground state. Numerical results demonstrate that this method works well in the presence of disordered perturbation, lattice defects, or irregular boundary conditions. The real space correlation function between two edges of the system is also discussed, which directly reflects the existence of topological edge modes in the many-body ground state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Dynamic generation of nonequilibrium superconducting states in Kitaev chain

Non-equilibrium state can exhibit the same macroscopic properties, such as conductivity or superconductivity, as a static state when they share the identical average of an observable over a period of time. We investigate the quench dynamics of a Kitaev chain by introducing two kinds of order parameters which relate to two channels of pairing, local pair in real space and BCS-like pair in momentum space. Based on exact solutions, we find that two order parameters are identical for the ground state, indicating the balance between two kinds of pairing channels, and can identify the quantum phase diagram. However, for a non-equilibrium state obtained by the time evolution from initially prepared vacuum state, the two are different but both can still clearly identify the phase diagram. In the topologically non-trivial region, the non-equilibrium states prefer the BCS-like pairing state. Our finding provides an alternative way to dynamically generate a superconducting state from a trivial empty state and sheds light on the mechanism of pairing.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Exceptional spectrum and dynamic magnetization

A macroscopic effect can be induced by a local non-Hermitian term in a many-body system, when it manifests simultaneously level coalescence of a full real degeneracy spectrum, leading to exceptional spectrum. In this paper, we propose a family of systems that support such an intriguing property. It is generally consisted of two arbitrary identical Hermitian sub-lattices in association with unidirectional couplings between them. We show exactly that all single-particle eigenstates coalesce in pairs even only single unidirectional coupling appears. It means that all possible initial states obey the exceptional dynamics, resulting in some macroscopic phenomena, which never appears in a Hermitian system. As an application, we study the dynamic magnetization induced by complex fields in an itinerant electron system. It shows that an initial saturated ferromagnetic state at half-filling can be driven into its opposite state according to the dynamics of high-order exceptional point. Any Hermitian quench term cannot realize a steady opposite saturated ferromagnetic state. Numerical simulations for the dynamical processes of magnetization are performed for several representative situations, including lattice dimensions, global random and local impurity distributions. It shows that the dynamic magnetization processes exhibit universal behavior.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Nonlocal pseudospin dynamics in a quantum Ising chain

The existence of topological zero modes in nontrivial phase of quantum Ising chain results in not only the Kramers-like degeneracy spectrum, but also dynamic response for non-Hermitian perturbation in the ordered phase (2021 Phys. Rev. Lett. 126 116401). In this work, we investigate the possible response of the degeneracy spectrum for Hermitian perturbations. We provide a single-particle description of the model in the ordered phase, associating with an internal degree of freedom characterized as a pseudospin. The effective magnetic field, arising from both local and nonlocal perturbations in terms of string operators, acts on the pseudospin. We show that the action of string operator can be realized via a quench under the local perturbations. As an application, any ground states and excited states for the Hamiltonian with perturbation can be selected to identify the quantum phase, by adding the other perturbations to trigger a quench and measuring the Loschmidt echo.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Steady helix states in a resonant XXZ Heisenberg model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

We systematically investigate possible helix states in XXZ Heisenberg model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction. Exact solutions show that a set of precession helix states can be constructed by deliberate superposition of degenerate eigenstates of the Hamiltonian under the resonant condition. When a non-Hermitian balance boundary term is imposed as a quenching action, the quench dynamics shows that a steady helix state emerges from some easily prepared initial states, including saturate and maximally mixed ferromagnetic states, according to the analysis of perturbation method. The corresponding dynamics for near resonant cases is also investigated numerically, indicating the robustness of the scheme. Our findings highlight the cooperation of non-Hermiticity and the DM interaction in quantum spin system, suggesting a way for preparing steady helix state in non-Hermitian quantum spin system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Signature of edge states in resonant wave scattering

Particle beam scattering is a conventional technique for detecting the nature of matter. We studied the scattering problem of a cluster connected to multiple leads. We established the connection between the eigenstate of the topological scattering center and the transmission and reflection amplitudes for the resonant scattering process. We discovered that as an application, this approach enables the detection of the edge state in the band gap for both Hermitian and non-Hermitian systems and the identification of the topology of a system. We investigated two types of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chains as examples. In addition, we proposed a dynamic scheme through an evanescently coupled-waveguide array to detect the edge state on the basis of measured transmission intensity. Numerical simulation revealed that pattern visibility can be the signature of the edge states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Building ground states of Hubbard model by time-ordered bound-pair injection

According to energy band theory, ground states of a normal conductor and insulator can be obtained by filling electrons individually into energy levels, without any restrictions. It fails when the electron-electron correlation is taken into account. In this work, we investigate the dynamic process of building ground states of a Hubbard model. It is based on time-ordered quantum quenches for unidirectional hopping across a central and an auxiliary Hubbard model. We find that there exists a set of optimal parameters (chemical potentials and pair binding energy) for the auxiliary system, which takes the role of electron-pair reservoir. The exceptional point dynamics in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics allows the perfect transfer of electron pair from the reservoir to the central system, obtaining its ground states at different fillings. The dynamics of time-ordered pair-filling not only provides a method for correlated quantum state engineering, but also reveals the feature of the ground state in an alternative way.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Topologically protected two-fluid edge states

Edge states reveal the nontrivial topology of energy band in the bulk. As localized states at boundaries, many-body edge states may obey a special symmetry that is broken in the bulk. When local particle-particle interaction is induced, they may support a particular property. We consider an extended two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Hubbard model and examine the appearance of $η$-pairing states, which are excited eigenstates related to superconductivity. In the absence of Hubbard interaction, the energy band is characterized by topologically invariant polarization in association with edge states. In the presence of on-site Hubbard interaction, $η$-pairing edge states appear in the topologically nontrivial phase, resulting in the condensation of pairs at the boundary. In addition, as Hamiltonian eigenstates, the edge states contain paired fermions and unpaired fermions. Neither affects the other; they act as two-fluid states. From numerical simulations of many-body scattering processes, a clear manifestation and experimental detection scheme of topologically protected two-fluid edge states are provided.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Transition from degeneracy to coalescence: theorem and applications

Exceptional point (EP) is exclusive for non-Hermitian system and distinct from that at a degeneracy point (DP), supporting intriguing dynamics, which can be utilized to probe quantum phase transition and prepare eigenstates in a Hermitian many-body system. In this work, we investigate the transition from DP for a Hermitian system to EP driven by non-Hermitian terms. We present a theorem on the existence of transition between DP and EP for a general system. The obtained EP is robust to the strength of non-Hermitian terms. We illustrate the theorem by an exactly solvable quasi-one-dimensional model, which allows the existence of transition between fully degeneracy and exceptional spectra driven by non-Hermitian tunnelings in real and k spaces, respectively. We also study the EP dynamics for generating coalescing edge modes in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger-like models. This finding reveals the ubiquitous connection between DP and EP.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Phase Transition in a Quantum Ising Chain at Nonzero Temperatures

We study the response of a thermal state of an Ising chain to a nonlocal non-Hermitian perturbation, which coalesces the topological Kramer-like degeneracy in the ferromagnetic phase. The dynamic responses for initial thermal states in different quantum phases are distinct. The final state always approaches its half component with a fixed parity in the ferromagnetic phase but remains almost unchanged in the paramagnetic phase. This indicates that the phase diagram at zero temperature is completely preserved at finite temperatures. Numerical simulations for Loschmidt echoes demonstrate such dynamical behaviors in finite-size systems. In addition, it provides a clear manifestation of the bulk-boundary correspondence at nonzero temperatures. This work presents an alternative approach to understanding the quantum phase transitions of quantum spin systems at nonzero temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Resonant-amplified and invisible Bragg scattering based on spin coalescing modes

Unlike a real magnetic field, which separates the energy levels of particle with opposite spin polarization, a complex field can lead to a special kind of spectral degeneracy, known as exceptional point (EP), at which two spin eigenmodes coalesce. It allows an EP impurity to be an invisible scattering center for a fermion with the resonant spin polarization, but an amplifying emitter for opposite polarization. We show that a pair of conjugate EP modes supports resonant mutual stimulation, acting as a resonant amplifier based on the underlying mechanism of positive-feedback loop. Together with other Hermitian eigenmodes, a fermion with EP polarization exhibits some exclusive dynamics, referred to as EP dynamics. We construct several typical superlattices, which are built up by embedding EP-impurity arrays in a Hermitian two-dimensional square lattice. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate resonant amplification and invisibility of Bragg scattering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Dynamic crystallization in a quantum Ising chain

The topological degeneracy of ground states in transverse field Ising chain cannot be removed by local perturbation and allows it to be a promising candidate for topological computation. We study the dynamic processes of crystallization and dissolution for the gapped ground states in an Ising chain. For this purpose, the real-space renormalization method is employed to build an effective Hamiltonian that captures the low-energy physics of a given system. We show that the ground state and the first-excited state of an $ \left( N+1\right) $-site chain can be generated from that of the $N$-site one by adding a spin adiabatically and vice versa. Numerical simulation shows that the robust quasidegenerate ground states of finite-size chain can be prepared with high fidelity from a set of noninteracting spins by a quasiadiabatic process. As an application, we propose a scheme for entanglement transfer between a pair of spins and two separable Ising chains as macroscopic topological qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Ising chain with topological degeneracy induced by dissipation

The ground-state degeneracy of the quantum spin system is a characteristic of nontrivial topology, when it is gapped and robust against disordered perturbation. The corresponding quantum phase transition (QPT) is usually driven by a real parameter. We study a non-Hermitian Ising chain with two transverse fields, one real and another imaginary, based on the exact solution and numerical simulation. We show that topological degeneracy still exists and can be obtained by an imaginary transverse field from a topologically trivial phase of a Hermitian system. The topological degeneracy is robust against the random imaginary field and therefore expected to be immune to disordered dissipation from the spontaneous decay in experiment. The underlying mechanism is the nonlocal symmetry, which emerges only in thermodynamic limit and relates two categories of QPTs in the quantum spin system, rooted from topological order and symmetry breaking, respectively.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Coherent confinement and unidirectional dynamics of a wave packet induced by a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger segment

The competition between staggered imaginary potentials and lattice dimerization results in a unidirectional propagating coalescing state of a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) ring at an exceptional point. A segment of the SSH ring inherits the unidirectional feature and exhibits some intriguing dynamic behaviors when it is embedded in a Hermitian chain as a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric scattering center. Based on the Bethe ansatz scattering solution for the interface between Hermitian and non-Hermitian regions, we show that the SSH scattering center supports the following wave-packet dynamics. (i) A left incident wave packet is allowed perfect transmission, while a right incident wave packet stimulates an amplified reflecting wave train with the length proportional to the size of the SSH segment. Accordingly, a unidirectional invisibility of Bragg scatterers is observed when a multi-SSH segment is considered. (ii) A left incident wave packet can be well confined in a SSH segment if the right lead is removed. (iii) In addition, a wave packet is perfectly absorbed when its size closes to the length of the SSH segment. The underlying mechanism stems from a subtle property of the SSH segment, which supports two quasicoalescing wave packets but with opposite group velocities. Our findings are applicable to the schemes of realizing quantum state storage, quantum diode, and lasing device.

quant-ph↗