arXiv subjects

N. Read

Publications and source records attributed to N. Read.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Short-range Ising spin glasses: the metastate interpretation of replica symmetry breaking

Parisi's formal replica-symmetry--breaking (RSB) scheme for mean-field spin glasses has long been interpreted in terms of many pure states organized ultrametrically. However, the early version of this interpretation, as applied to the short-range Edwards-Anderson model, runs into problems because as shown by Newman and Stein (NS) it does not allow for chaotic size dependence, and predicts non-self-averaging that cannot occur. NS proposed the concept of the metastate (a probability distribution over infinite-size Gibbs states in a given sample that captures the effects of chaotic size dependence) and a non-standard interpretation of the RSB results in which the metastate is non-trivial and is responsible for what was called non-self-averaging. Here we use the effective field theory of RSB, in conjunction with the rigorous definitions of pure states and the metastate in infinite-size systems, to show that the non-standard picture follows directly from the RSB mean-field theory. In addition, the metastate-averaged state possesses power-law correlations throughout the low temperature phase; the corresponding exponent $ζ$ takes the value $4$ according to the field theory in high dimensions $d$, and describes the effective fractal dimension of clusters of spins. Further, the logarithm of the number of pure states in the decomposition of the metastate-averaged state that can be distinguished if only correlations in a window of size $W$ can be observed is of order $W^{d-ζ}$. These results extend the non-standard picture quantitatively; we show that arguments against this scenario are inconclusive.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

Comment on "Elementary formula for the Hall conductivity of interacting systems"

In a recent paper by Neupert, Santos, Chamon, and Mudry [Phys. Rev. B 86, 165133 (2012)] it is claimed that there is an elementary formula for the Hall conductivity of fractional Chern insulators. We show that the proposed formula cannot generally be correct, and we suggest one possible source of the error. Our reasoning can be generalized to show no quantity (such as Hall conductivity) expected to be constant throughout an entire phase of matter can possibly be given as the expectation of any time independent short ranged operator.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Logarithmic Conformal Field Theory: a Lattice Approach

Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories (LCFT) play a key role, for instance, in the description of critical geometrical problems (percolation, self avoiding walks, etc.), or of critical points in several classes of disordered systems (transition between plateaus in the integer and spin quantum Hall effects). Much progress in their understanding has been obtained by studying algebraic features of their lattice regularizations. For reasons which are not entirely understood, the non semi-simple associative algebras underlying these lattice models - such as the Temperley-Lieb algebra or the blob algebra - indeed exhibit, in finite size, properties that are in full correspondence with those of their continuum limits. This applies to the structure of indecomposable modules, but also to fusion rules, and provides an `experimental' way of measuring couplings, such as the `number b' quantifying the logarithmic coupling of the stress energy tensor with its partner. Most results obtained so far have concerned boundary LCFTs, and the associated indecomposability in the chiral sector. While the bulk case is considerably more involved (mixing in general left and right moving sectors), progress has also been made in this direction recently, uncovering fascinating structures. This article provides a short general review of our work in this area.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Entanglement subspaces, trial wavefunctions, and special Hamiltonians in the fractional quantum Hall effect

We consider spaces of trial wavefunctions for ground states and edge excitations in the fractional quantum Hall effect that can be obtained in various ways. In one way, functions are obtained by analyzing the entanglement of the ground state wavefunction, partitioned into two parts. In another, functions are defined by the way in which they vanish as several coordinates approach the same value, or by a projection-operator Hamiltonian that enforces those conditions. In a third way, functions are given by conformal blocks from a conformal field theory (CFT). These different spaces of functions are closely related. The use of CFT methods permits an algebraic formulation to be given for all of them. In some cases, we can prove that there is a ground state, a Hamiltonian, and a CFT such that, for any number of particles, all of these spaces are the same. For such cases, this resolves several questions and conjectures: it gives a finite-size bulk-edge correspondence, and we can use the analysis of functions to construct a projection-operator Hamiltonian that produces those functions as zero-energy states. For a model related to the N=1 superconformal algebra, the corresponding Hamiltonian imposes vanishing properties involving only three particles; for this we determine all the wavefunctions explicitly. We do the same for a sequence of models involving the M(3,p) Virasoro minimal models that has been considered previously, using results from the literature. We exhibit the Hamiltonians for the first few cases of these. The techniques we introduce can be applied in numerous examples other than those considered here.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Continuum limit and symmetries of the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain

This paper is the first in a series devoted to the study of logarithmic conformal field theories (LCFT) in the bulk. Building on earlier work in the boundary case, our general strategy consists in analyzing the algebraic properties of lattice regularizations (quantum spin chains) of these theories. In the boundary case, a crucial step was the identification of the space of states as a bimodule over the Temperley Lieb (TL) algebra and the quantum group U_q sl(2). The extension of this analysis in the bulk case involves considerable difficulties, since the U_q sl(2) symmetry is partly lost, while the TL algebra is replaced by a much richer version (the Jones Temperley Lieb - JTL - algebra). Even the simplest case of the gl(1|1) spin chain - corresponding to the c=-2 symplectic fermions theory in the continuum limit - presents very rich aspects, which we will discuss in several papers. In this first work, we focus on the symmetries of the spin chain, that is, the centralizer of the JTL algebra in the alternating tensor product of the gl(1|1) fundamental representation and its dual. We prove that this centralizer is only a subalgebra of U_q sl(2) at q=i that we dub U_q^{odd} sl(2). We then begin the analysis of the continuum limit of the JTL algebra: using general arguments about the regularization of the stress energy-tensor, we identify families of JTL elements going over to the Virasoro generators L_n, \bar{L}_n in the continuum limit. We then discuss the SU(2) symmetry of the (continuum limit) symplectic fermions theory from the lattice and JTL point of view. The analysis of the spin chain as a bimodule over U_q^{odd} sl(2) and JTL is discussed in the second paper of this series.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Bimodule structure in the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain

This paper is second in a series devoted to the study of periodic super-spin chains. In our first paper at 2011, we have studied the symmetry algebra of the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain. In technical terms, this spin chain is built out of the alternating product of the gl(1|1) fundamental representation and its dual. The local energy densities - the nearest neighbor Heisenberg-like couplings - provide a representation of the Jones Temperley Lieb (JTL) algebra. The symmetry algebra is then the centralizer of JTL, and turns out to be smaller than for the open chain, since it is now only a subalgebra of U_q sl(2) at q=i, dubbed U_q^{odd} sl(2). A crucial step in our associative algebraic approach to bulk logarithmic conformal field theory (LCFT) is then the analysis of the spin chain as a bimodule over U_q^{odd} sl(2) and JTL. While our ultimate goal is to use this bimodule to deduce properties of the LCFT in the continuum limit, its derivation is sufficiently involved to be the sole subject of this paper. We describe representation theory of the centralizer and then use it to find a decomposition of the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain over JTL for any even number N of tensorands and ultimately a corresponding bimodule structure. Applications of our results to the analysis of the bulk LCFT will then be discussed in the third part of this series.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Kubo formulas for viscosity: Hall viscosity, Ward identities, and the relation with conductivity

We derive from first principles the Kubo formulas for the stress-stress response function at zero wavevector that can be used to define the full complex frequency-dependent viscosity tensor, both with and without a uniform magnetic field. The formulas in the existing literature are frequently incomplete, incorrect, or lack a derivation; in particular, Hall viscosity is overlooked. Our approach begins from the response to a uniform external strain field, which is an active time-dependent coordinate transformation in d space dimensions. These transformations form the group GL(d,R) of invertible matrices, and the infinitesimal generators are called strain generators. These enable us to express the Kubo formula in different ways, related by Ward identities; some of these make contact with the adiabatic transport approach. For Galilean-invariant systems, we derive a relation between the stress response tensor and the conductivity tensor that is valid at all frequencies and in both the presence and absence of a magnetic field. In the presence of a magnetic field and at low frequency, this yields a relation between the Hall viscosity, the q^2 part of the Hall conductivity, the inverse compressibility (suitably defined), and the diverging part of the shear viscosity (if any); this relation generalizes a result found recently. We show that the correct value of the Hall viscosity at zero frequency can be obtained (at least in the absence of low-frequency bulk and shear viscosity) by assuming that there is an orbital spin per particle that couples to a perturbing electromagnetic field as a magnetization per particle. We study several examples as checks on our formulation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Edge state inner products and real-space entanglement spectrum of trial quantum Hall states

We consider the trial wavefunctions for the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect (FQHE) that are given by conformal blocks, and construct their associated edge excited states in full generality. The inner products between these edge states are computed in the thermodynamic limit, assuming generalized screening (i.e. short-range correlations only) inside the quantum Hall droplet, and using the language of boundary conformal field theory (boundary CFT). These inner products take universal values in this limit: they are equal to the corresponding inner products in the bulk 2d chiral CFT which underlies the trial wavefunction. This is a bulk/edge correspondence; it shows the equality between equal-time correlators along the edge and the correlators of the bulk CFT up to a Wick rotation. This approach is then used to analyze the entanglement spectrum (ES) of the ground state obtained with a bipartition A\cupB in real-space. Starting from our universal result for inner products in the thermodynamic limit, we tackle corrections to scaling using standard field-theoretic and renormalization group arguments. We prove that generalized screening implies that the entanglement Hamiltonian H_E = - log ρ_A is isospectral to an operator that is local along the cut between A and B. We also show that a similar analysis can be carried out for particle partition. We discuss the close analogy between the formalism of trial wavefunctions given by conformal blocks and Tensor Product States, for which results analogous to ours have appeared recently. Finally, the edge theory and entanglement spectrum of px + ipy paired superfluids are treated in a similar fashion in the appendix.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Real-space entanglement spectrum of quantum Hall systems

We study the real-space entanglement spectrum for fractional quantum Hall systems, which maintains locality along the spatial cut, and provide evidence that it possesses a scaling property. We also consider the closely-related particle entanglement spectrum, and carry out the Schmidt decomposition of the Laughlin state analytically at large size.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Entanglement spectra of complex paired superfluids

We study the entanglement in various fully-gapped complex paired states of fermions in two dimensions, focusing on the entanglement spectrum (ES), and using the BCS form of the ground state wavefunction on a cylinder. Certain forms of the pairing functions allow a simple and explicit exact solution for the ES. In the weak-pairing phase of l-wave paired spinless fermions (l odd), the universal low-lying part of the ES consists of |l| chiral Majorana fermion modes [or 2|l| (l even) for spin-singlet states]. For |l|>1, the pseudo-energies of the modes are split in general, but for all l there is a zero--pseudo-energy mode at zero wavevector if the number of modes is odd. This ES agrees with the perturbed conformal field theory of the edge excitations. For more general BCS states, we show how the entanglement gap diverges as a model pairing function is approached.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Hall viscosity, orbital spin, and geometry: paired superfluids and quantum Hall systems

The Hall viscosity, a non-dissipative transport coefficient analogous to Hall conductivity, is considered for quantum fluids in gapped or topological phases. The relation to mean orbital spin per particle discovered in previous work by one of us is elucidated with the help of examples, using the geometry of shear transformations and rotations. For non-interacting particles in a magnetic field, there are several ways to derive the result (even at non-zero temperature), including standard linear response theory. Arguments for the quantization, and the robustness of Hall viscosity to small changes in the Hamiltonian that preserve rotational invariance, are given. Numerical calculations of adiabatic transport are performed to check the predictions for quantum Hall systems, with excellent agreement for trial states. The coefficient of k^4 in the static structure factor is also considered, and shown to be exactly related to the orbital spin and robust to perturbations in rotation invariant systems also.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Condensation of fractional excitons, non-Abelian states in double-layer quantum Hall systems and Z_4 parafermions

In this paper, we study a method to obtain non-Abelian FQH state through double-layer FQH states and fractional exciton condensation. In particular, we find that starting with the (330) double-layer state and then increasing the interlayer tunneling strength, we may obtain a single-layer non-Abelian FQH state S(330). We show that the S(330) state is actually the Z_4 parafermion Read-Rezayi state. We also calculate the edge excitation of the S(330) state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Theory of minimum spanning trees I: Mean-field theory and strongly disordered spin-glass model

The minimum spanning tree (MST) is a combinatorial optimization problem: given a connected graph with a real weight ("cost") on each edge, find the spanning tree that minimizes the sum of the total cost of the occupied edges. We consider the random MST, in which the edge costs are (quenched) independent random variables. There is a strongly-disordered spin-glass model due to Newman and Stein [Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2286 (1994)], which maps precisely onto the random MST. We study scaling properties of random MSTs using a relation between Kruskal's greedy algorithm for finding the MST, and bond percolation. We solve the random MST problem on the Bethe lattice (BL) with appropriate wired boundary conditions and calculate the fractal dimension D=6 of the connected components. Viewed as a mean-field theory, the result implies that on a lattice in Euclidean space of dimension d, there are of order W^{d-D} large connected components of the random MST inside a window of size W, and that d = d_c = D = 6 is a critical dimension. This differs from the value 8 suggested by Newman and Stein. We also critique the original argument for 8, and provide an improved scaling argument that again yields d_c=6. The result implies that the strongly-disordered spin-glass model has many ground states for d>6, and only of order one below six. The results for MSTs also apply on the Poisson-weighted infinite tree, which is a mean-field approach to the continuum model of MSTs in Euclidean space, and is a limit of the BL. In a companion paper we develop an epsilon=6-d expansion for the random MST on critical percolation clusters.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Theory of minimum spanning trees II: exact graphical methods and perturbation expansion at the percolation threshold

Continuing the program begun by the authors in a previous paper, we develop an exact low-density expansion for the random minimum spanning tree (MST) on a finite graph, and use it to develop a continuum perturbation expansion for the MST on critical percolation clusters in space dimension d. The perturbation expansion is proved to be renormalizable in d=6 dimensions. We consider the fractal dimension D_p of paths on the latter MST; our previous results lead us to predict that D_p=2 for d>d_c=6. Using a renormalization-group approach, we confirm the result for d>6, and calculate D_p to first order in ε=6-d for d\leq 6 using the connection with critical percolation, with the result D_p = 2 - ε/7 + O(ε^2).

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2009

Universality classes of dense polymers and conformal sigma models

In the usual statistical model of a dense polymer (a single space-filling loop on a lattice) in two dimensions the loop does not cross itself. We modify this by including intersections in which {\em three} lines can cross at the same point, with some statistical weight w per crossing. We show that our model describes a line of critical theories with continuously-varying exponents depending on w, described by a conformally-invariant non-linear sigma model with varying coupling constant g_σ^2 >0. For the boundary critical behavior, or the model defined in a strip, we propose an exact formula for the \ell-leg exponents, h_\ell=g_σ^2 \ell(\ell-2)/8, which is shown numerically to hold very well.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Conformal invariance of chiral edge theories

The low-energy effective quantum field theory of the edge excitations of a fully-gapped bulk topological phase corresponding to a local interaction Hamiltonian must be local and unitary. Here it is shown that whenever all the edge excitations propagate in the same direction with the same velocity, it is a conformal field theory. In particular, this is the case in the quantum Hall effect for model "special Hamiltonians", for which the ground state, quasihole, and edge excitations can be found exactly as zero-energy eigenstates, provided the spectrum in the interior of the system is fully gapped. In addition, other conserved quantities in the bulk, such as particle number and spin, lead to affine Lie algebra symmetries in the edge theory. Applying the arguments to some trial wavefunctions related to non-unitary conformal field theories, it is argued that the Gaffnian state and an infinite number of others cannot describe a gapped topological phase because the numbers of edge excitations do not match any unitary conformal field theory.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Non-Abelian adiabatic statistics and Hall viscosity in quantum Hall states and p_x+ip_y paired superfluids

Many trial wavefunctions for fractional quantum Hall states in a single Landau level are given by functions called conformal blocks, taken from some conformal field theory. Also, wavefunctions for certain paired states of fermions in two dimensions, such as p_x+ip_y states, reduce to such a form at long distances. Here we investigate the adiabatic transport of such many-particle trial wavefunctions using methods from two-dimensional field theory. One context for this is to calculate the statistics of widely-separated quasiholes, which has been predicted to be non-Abelian in a variety of cases. The Berry phase or matrix (holonomy) resulting from adiabatic transport around a closed loop in parameter space is the same as the effect of analytic continuation around the same loop with the particle coordinates held fixed (monodromy), provided the trial functions are orthonormal and holomorphic in the parameters so that the Berry vector potential (or connection) vanishes. We show that this is the case (up to a simple area term) for paired states (including the Moore-Read quantum Hall state), and present general conditions for it to hold for other trial states (such as the Read-Rezayi series). We argue that trial states based on a non-unitary conformal field theory do not describe a gapped topological phase, at least in many cases. By considering adiabatic variation of the aspect ratio of the torus, we calculate the Hall viscosity, a non-dissipative viscosity coefficient analogous to Hall conductivity, for paired states, Laughlin states, and more general quantum Hall states. Hall viscosity is an invariant within a topological phase, and is generally proportional to the "conformal spin density" in the ground state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Quasiparticle spin from adiabatic transport in quantum Hall trial wavefunctions

Quasiparticle spin (in the spacetime sense) couples to curvature of space. Here this fact is used to calculate the spin of quasiholes in trial quantum Hall states by adiabatically dragging them around on a sphere, for trial states given by conformal blocks in some conformal field theory. The spin is found to agree with the conformal weight of the corresponding field. The result completes a recent argument that constructions using blocks from non-unitary theories that contain negative quantum dimensions produce contradictions that prevent them from describing topological (gapped) phases of matter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗