arXiv subjects

Michal Macek

Publications and source records attributed to Michal Macek.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing excited-state quantum phase transitions with trapped cold ions

We propose concrete protocols to realize quantum criticality due to excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) experimentally in presumably the simplest and most resilient system involving a single trapped ion oscillating in a radio-frequency Paul trap. We identify a specific class of excited states of the Extended Rabi Model (ERM) Hamiltonian, which occur between two critical ESQPT energies of the model in its (anti)Jaynes-Cummings superradiant phase. Properties of these states motivate the definition of several ESQPT witness observables. We study their critical scaling behaviors as well as various distinct state evolutions by driving the system across the quantum criticalities by changing the qubit-phonon coupling strength linearly in time at different finite rates. A mapping of the theoretical control parameters of the ERM to the experimental parameters of a trapped ion setup is provided, and simulations are performed for values referencing existing state-of-the-art setups, addressing both unitary state evolutions as well as relevant open-system corrections.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Assessing non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq effects of convection in cryogenic helium

The present study investigates the non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq (NOB) effects which arise due to the temperature dependence of material properties in cryogenic helium experiments of turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection. They are manifest as a difference of the measured mean temperature at the center of the closed cell, $T_c$, from the arithmetic mean temperature obtained from the prescribed fixed and uniform temperatures at the top and bottom copper plates of the apparatus, $T_m = (T_{bot} +T_{top})=2$. Therefore, the material properties such as specific heat at constant pressure, dynamic viscosity, thermal conductivity, the isobaric expansivity, and the mass density are expanded into power series with respect to temperature up to the quadratic order with coeffcients obtained from the software package HEPAK. A subsequent nonlinear regression that uses deep convolutional networks delivers a dependence of the strength of non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq effects in the pressure-temperature parameter plane. Strength of the NOB effects is evaluated via the deviation of the mean temperature profile $ξ_{NOB} = T_m - T_c$ from the top/bottom-symmetric Oberbeck-Boussinesq case $ξ_{NOB} = 0$. Training data for the regression task are obtained from 236 individual long-term laboratory measurements at different Rayleigh numbers which span 8 orders of magnitude.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Excited-state quantum phase transitions

We review the effects of excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) in interacting many-body systems with finite numbers of collective degrees of freedom. We classify typical ESQPT signatures in the spectra of energy eigenstates with respect to the underlying classical dynamics and outline a variety of quantum systems in which they occur. We describe thermodynamic and dynamic consequences of ESQPTs, like those in microcanonical thermodynamics, quantum quench dynamics, and in the response to nearly adiabatic or periodic driving. We hint at some generalizations of the ESQPT concept in periodic lattices and in resonant tunneling systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Excited-state quantum phase transitions in systems with two degrees of freedom: III. Interacting boson systems

The series of articles [Ann. Phys. 345, 73 (2014) and 356, 57 (2015)] devoted to excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) in systems with $f=2$ degrees of freedom is continued by studying the interacting boson model of nuclear collective dynamics as an example of a truly many-body system. The intrinsic Hamiltonian formalism with angular momentum fixed to $L=0$ is used to produce a generic first-order ground-state quantum phase transition with an adjustable energy barrier between the competing equilibrium configurations. The associated ESQPTs are shown to result from various classical stationary points of the model Hamiltonian, whose analysis is more complex than in previous cases because of (i) a non-trivial decomposition to kinetic and potential energy terms and (ii) the boundedness of the associated classical phase space. Finite-size effects resulting from a partial separability of both degrees of freedom are analyzed. The features studied here are inherent in a great majority of interacting boson systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Excited-State Quantum Phase Transitions in Bosonic Lattice Systems

Concentrating on bosonic lattice systems, we ask whether and how Excited State Quantum Phase Transition (ESQPT) singularities occur in condensed matter systems with ground state QPTs. We study in particular the spectral singularities above the ground-state phase diagram of the boson Hubbard model. As a general prerequisite, we point out the analogy between ESQPTs and van Hove singularities (vHss).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Order, Chaos and (Quasi-) Dynamical Symmetries across 1st-order Quantum Phase Transitions in Nuclei

First order quantum phase transition (QPT) between spherical and axially deformed nuclei shows coexisting, but well-separated regions of regular and chaotic dynamics. We employ a Hamiltonian of the Arima-Iachello Interacting Boson Model (IBM) with an arbitrarily high potential barrier separating the phases. Classical and quantum analyses reveal markedly distinct behavior of the two phases: Deformed phase is completely regular, while the spherical phase shows highly chaotic dynamics, similar to the Hénon-Heiles system. Rotational bands with quasi-SU(3) characteristics built upon the regular vibrational spectrum of beta- and gamma-vibrations are observed in the deformed phase up to very high excitation energies.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2019

Strong suppression of near-field radiative heat transfer by superconductivity in NbN

Near-field (NF) radiative heat transfer (RHT) over vacuum space between closely spaced bodies can exceed the Planck far-field (FF) values by orders of magnitude. Strong effect of superconductivity on NF RHT between plane-parallel thin-film surfaces of niobium (Nb) was recently discovered and discussed in a short paper [Králík et al., Phys. Rev. B 95, 060503 (2017)]. We present here an extensive set of experimental results on NF as well as FF RHT for geometrically identical samples made of niobium nitride (NbN), including a detailed discussion of the experimental setup and errors. The results with NbN show more precise agreement with theory than the original experiments with Nb. We observed a steep decrease of the heat flux at the transition to superconductivity when the colder sample (absorber) passed from normal to superconducting (SC) state ($T_c \approx 15.2$ K), corresponding to up to an 8-fold contrast between the normal and SC states. This differs dramatically from the situation in the FF regime, where only a weak effect of superconductivity was observed. Surprisingly, the contrast remains sizeable even at high temperatures of the hot sample (radiator) with the characteristic energy of radiation far above the SC energy gap. We explain the maximum of contrast in heat flux between the normal and SC states, found at a distance about ten times shorter than the crossover distance between NF and FF heat flux, being $d \approx 1000/T$ [$μ$m]. We analyze in detail the roles of transversal electric (TE) and magnetic (TM) modes in the steep decrease of heat flux below the SC critical temperature and the subsequent flux saturation at low temperatures. Interestingly, we expose experimentally for the first time the effect of destructive interference of FF thermal radiation in the vacuum gap, which was observable at temperatures below the absorber superconducting transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Van Hove Singularities and Excited-State Quantum Phase Transitions in Graphene-like Microwave Billiards

We discuss solutions of an algebraic model of the hexagonal lattice vibrations, which point out interesting localization properties of the eigenstates at van Hove singularities (vHs), whose energies correspond to Excited-State Quantum Phase Transitions (ESQPT). We show that these states form stripes oriented parallel to the zig-zag direction of the lattice, similar to the well-known edge states found at the Dirac point, however the vHs-stripes appear in the bulk. We interpret the states as lines of cell-tilting vibrations, and inspect their stability in the large lattice-size limit. The model can be experimentally realized by superconducting 2D microwave resonators containing triangular lattices of metallic cylinders, which simulate finite-sized graphene flakes. Thus we can assume that the effects discussed here could be experimentally observed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Peres lattices in nuclear structure

A method by Peres is used to draw spectra of the interacting boson model as lattices in the plane of energy versus an arbitrary observable average (or variance). Ordered (disordered) lattices are signatures of regularity (chaos) in both quantum and classical dynamics. The method is also apt to disclose exact or approximate dynamical symmetry.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2005

Evolution of spectral properties along the O(6)-U(5) transition in the interacting boson model. II. Classical trajectories

This article continues our previous study of level dynamics in the [O(6)-U(5)]$\supset$O(5) transition of the interacting boson model [nucl-th/0504016] using the semiclassical theory of spectral fluctuations. We find classical monodromy, related to a singular bundle of orbits with infinite period at energy E=0, and bifurcations of numerous periodic orbits for E>0. The spectrum of allowed ratios of periods associated with beta- and gamma-vibrations exhibits an abrupt change around zero energy. These findings explain anomalous bunching of quantum states in the E$\approx$0 region, which is responsible for the redistribution of levels between O(6) and U(5) multiplets.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2005

Evolution of spectral properties along the O(6)-U(5) transition in the interacting boson model. I. Level dynamics

We investigate the evolution of quantal spectra and the corresponding wave functions along the [O(6)-U(5)]$\supset$O(5) transition of the interacting boson model. The model is integrable in this regime and its ground state passes through a second-order structural phase transition. We show that the whole spectrum as a function of the Hamiltonian control parameter, as well as structures of all excited states, exhibit rather organized and correlated behaviors, that provide deeper insight into the nature of this transitional path.

nucl-th↗