arXiv subjects

Kartiek Agarwal

Publications and source records attributed to Kartiek Agarwal.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Magnetic noise spectroscopy as a probe of local electronic correlations in two-dimensional systems

We develop the theoretical framework for calculating magnetic noise from conducting two-dimensional (2D) materials. We describe how local measurements of this noise can directly probe the wave-vector dependent transport properties of the material over a broad range of length scales, thus providing new insight into a range of correlated phenomena in 2D electronic systems. As an example, we demonstrate how transport in the hydrodynamic regime in an electronic system exhibits a unique signature in the magnetic noise profile that distinguishes it from diffusive and ballistic transport and how this can be used to measure the viscosity of the electronic fluid. We employ a Boltzmann approach in a two-time relaxation-time approximation to compute the conductivity of graphene and quantitatively illustrate these transport regimes and the experimental feasibility of observing them. Next, we discuss signatures of isolated impurities lodged inside the conducting 2D material. The noise near an impurity is found to be suppressed compared to the background by an amount that is directly proportional to the cross-section of electrons/holes scattering off of the impurity. We use these results to outline an experimental proposal to measure the temperature dependent level-shift and line-width of the resonance associated with an Anderson impurity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Quantum heat waves in a one-dimensional condensate

We study the dynamics of phase relaxation between a pair of one-dimensional condensates created by a bi-directional, supersonic `unzipping' of a finite single condensate. We find that the system fractures into different \emph{extensive} chunks of space-time, within which correlations appear thermal but correspond to different effective temperatures. Coherences between different eigen-modes are crucial for understanding the development of such thermal correlations; at no point in time can our system be described by a generalized Gibbs' ensemble despite nearly always appearing locally thermal. We rationalize a picture of propagating fronts of hot and cold sound waves, populated at effective, relativistically red- and blue-shifted temperatures to intuitively explain our findings. The disparity between these hot and cold temperatures vanishes for the case of instantaneous splitting but diverges in the limit where the splitting velocity approaches the speed of sound; in this limit, a sonic boom occurs wherein the system is excited only along an infinitely narrow, and infinitely hot beam. We expect our findings to apply generally to the study of superluminal perturbations in systems with emergent Lorentz symmetry.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Griffiths effects and slow dynamics in nearly many-body localized systems

The low-frequency response of systems near a many-body localization transition can be dominated by rare regions that are locally critical or "in the other phase". It is known that, in one dimension, these rare regions can cause the d.c. conductivity and diffusion constant to vanish even inside the delocalized thermal phase. Here, we present a general analysis of such Griffiths effects in the thermal phase near the many-body localization transition: we consider both one-dimensional and higher-dimensional systems, subject to quenched randomness, and discuss both linear response (including the frequency- and wavevector-dependent conductivity) and more general dynamics. In all the regimes we consider, we identify observables that are dominated by rare-region effects. In some cases (one-dimensional systems and Floquet systems with no extensive conserved quantities), essentially all long-time local observables are dominated by rare-region effects; in others, generic observables are instead dominated by hydrodynamic long-time tails throughout the thermal phase, and one must look at specific probes, such as spin echo, to see Griffiths behavior.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2015

$1/f^α$ noise and generalized diffusion in random Heisenberg spin systems

We study the `flux noise' spectrum of random-bond quantum Heisenberg spin systems using a real-space renormalization group (RSRG) procedure that accounts for both the renormalization of the system Hamiltonian and of a generic probe that measures the noise. For spin chains, we find that the dynamical structure factor $S_q(f)$, at finite wave-vector $q$, exhibits a power-law behavior both at high and low frequencies $f$, with exponents that are connected to one another and to an anomalous dynamical exponent through relations that differ at $T = 0$ and $T = \infty$. The low-frequency power-law behavior of the structure factor is inherited by any generic probe with a finite band-width and is of the form $1/f^α$ with $0.5 < α< 1$. An analytical calculation of the structure factor, assuming a limiting distribution of the RG flow parameters (spin size, length, bond strength) confirms numerical findings. More generally, we demonstrate that this form of the structure factor, at high temperatures, is a manifestation of anomalous diffusion which directly follows from a generalized spin-diffusion propagator. We also argue that $1/f$-noise is intimately connected to many-body-localization at finite temperatures. In two dimensions, the RG procedure is less reliable; however, it becomes convergent for quasi-one-dimensional geometries where we find that one-dimensional $1/f^α$ behavior is recovered at low frequencies; the latter configurations are likely representative of paramagnetic spin networks that produce $1/f^α$ noise in SQUIDs.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2015

Anomalous diffusion and Griffiths effects near the many-body localization transition

We explore the high-temperature dynamics of the disordered, one-dimensional XXZ model near the many-body localization (MBL) transition, focusing on the delocalized (i.e., "metallic") phase. In the vicinity of the transition, we find that this phase has the following properties: (i) Local magnetization fluctuations relax subdiffusively; (ii) the a.c. conductivity vanishes near zero frequency as a power law; (iii) the distribution of resistances becomes increasingly broad at low frequencies, approaching a power law in the zero-frequency limit. We argue that these effects can be understood in a unified way if the metallic phase near the MBL transition is a Griffiths phase. We establish scaling relations between the associated exponents, using exact linear-response arguments as well as a phenomenological resistor-capacitor model.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2014

Chiral Prethermalization in supersonically split condensates

We study the dynamics of phase relaxation between a pair of one-dimensional condensates created by a supersonic unzipping of a single condensate. We use the Lorentz invariance of the low energy sector of such systems to show that dephasing results in an unusual prethermal state, in which right- and left-moving excitations have different, Doppler-shifted temperatures. The chirality of these modes can be probed experimentally by measuring the interference fringe contrasts with the release point of the split condensates moving at another supersonic velocity. Further, an accelerated motion of the release point can be used to observe a space-like analogue of the Unruh effect. A concrete experimental realization of the quantum zipper for a BEC of trapped atoms on a atom chip is outlined. We interpret these results in the context of the general question of the Lorentz transformation of temperature, and the close analogy with the dipolar anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Polaronic model of Two Level Systems in amorphous solids

While two levels systems (TLSs) are ubiqitous in solid state systems, microscopic understanding of their nature remains an outstanding problem. Conflicting phenomenological models are used to describe TLSs in seemingly similar materials when probed with different experimental techniques. Specifically, bulk measurements in amorphous solids have been interpreted using the model of a tunneling atom or group of atoms, whereas TLSs observed in the insulating barriers of Josephson junction qubits have been understood in terms of tunneling of individual electrons. Motivated by recent experiments studying TLSs in Josephson junctions, especially the effects of elastic strain on TLS properties, we analyze interaction of the electronic TLS with phonons. We demonstrate that strong polaronic effects lead to dramatic changes in TLS properties. Our model gives a quantitative understanding of the TLS relaxation and dephasing as probed in Josephson junction qubits, while providing an alternative interpretation of bulk experiments. We demonstrate that a model of polaron dressed electronic TLS leads to estimates for the density and distribution of parameters of TLSs consistent with bulk experiments in amorphous solids. This model explains such surprising observations of recent experiments as the existence of minima in the energy of some TLSs as a function of strain and makes concrete predictions for the character of TLS dephasing near such minima. We argue that better understanding of the microscopic nature of TLSs can be used to improve properties of quantum devices, from an enhancement of relaxation time of TLSs, to creating new types of strongly interacting optomechanical systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Theory of Dyakonov-Tamm waves at the planar interface of a sculptured nematic thin film and an isotropic dielectric material

In order to ascertain conditions for surface-wave propagation guided by the planar interface of an isotropic dielectric material and a sculptured nematic thin film (SNTF) with periodic nonhomogeneity, we formulated a boundary-value problem, obtained a dispersion equation therefrom, and numerically solved it. The surface waves obtained are Dyakonov-Tamm waves. The angular domain formed by the directions of propagation of the Dyakonov--Tamm waves can be very wide (even as wide as to allow propagation in every direction in the interface plane), because of the periodic nonhomogeneity of the SNTF. A search for Dyakonov-Tamm waves is, at the present time, the most promising route to take for experimental verification of surface-wave propagation guided by the interface of two dielectric materials, at least one of which is anisotropic. That would also assist in realizing the potential of such surface waves for optical sensing of various types of analytes infiltrating one or both of the two dielectric materials.

physics.optics↗