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Oliver Matte

Publications and source records attributed to Oliver Matte.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Two-sided bounds on the point-wise spatial decay of ground states in the renormalized Nelson model with confining potentials

We study the renormalized Nelson model for a scalar matter particle in a continuous confining potential interacting with a possibly massless quantized radiation field. When the radiation field is massless we impose a mild infrared regularization ensuring that the Nelson Hamiltonian has a non-degenerate ground state in all considered cases. Employing Feynman-Kac representations, we derive lower bounds on the point-wise spatial decay of the partial Fock space norms of ground state eigenvectors. Here the exponential rate function governing the decay is given by the Agmon distance familiar from the analysis of Schr\"{o}dinger operators. For a large class of confining potentials, our lower bounds on the decay of ground state eigenvectors match asymptotically with the upper bounds implied by previous work of the present authors.

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Feynman-Kac formulas for semigroups generated by multi-polaron Hamiltonians in magnetic fields and on general domains

We prove Feynman-Kac formulas for the semigroups generated by selfadjoint operators in a class containing Fr\"ohlich Hamiltonians known from solid state physics. The latter model multi-polarons, i.e., a fixed number of quantum mechanical electrons moving in a polarizable crystal and interacting with the quantized phonon field generated by the crystal's vibrational modes. Both the electrons and phonons can be confined to suitable open subsets of Euclidean space. We also include possibly very singular magnetic vector potentials and electrostatic potentials. Our Feynman-Kac formulas comprise Fock space operator-valued multiplicative functionals and can be applied to every vector in the underlying Hilbert space. In comparison to the renormalized Nelson model, for which analogous Feynman-Kac formulas are known, the analysis of the creation and annihilation terms in the multiplicative functionals requires novel ideas to overcome difficulties caused by the phonon dispersion relation being constant. Getting these terms under control and generalizing other construction steps so as to cover confined systems are the main achievements of this article.

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Feynman-Kac formula for fiber Hamiltonians in the relativistic Nelson model in two spatial dimensions

In this proceeding we consider a translation invariant Nelson type model in two spatial dimensions modeling a scalar relativistic particle in interaction with a massive radiation field. As is well-known, the corresponding Hamiltonian can be defined with the help of an energy renormalization. First, we review a Feynman-Kac formula for the semigroup generated by this Hamiltonian proven by the authors in a recent preprint (where several matter particles and exterior potentials are treated as well). After that, we employ a few technical key relations and estimates obtained in our preprint to present an otherwise self-contained derivation of new Feynman-Kac formulas for the fiber Hamiltonians attached to fixed total momenta of the translation invariant system. We conclude by inferring an alternative derivation of the Feynman-Kac formula for the full translation invariant Hamiltonian.

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Feynman-Kac formula and asymptotic behavior of the minimal energy for the relativistic Nelson model in two spatial dimensions

We consider the renormalized relativistic Nelson model in two spatial dimensions for a finite number of spinless, relativistic quantum mechanical matter particles in interaction with a massive scalar quantized radiation field. We find a Feynman-Kac formula for the corresponding semigroup and discuss some implications such as ergodicity and weighted $L^p$ to $L^q$ bounds, for external potentials that are Kato decomposable in the suitable relativistic sense. Furthermore, our analysis entails upper and lower bounds on the minimal energy for all values of the involved physical parameters when the Pauli principle for the matter particles is ignored. In the translation invariant case (no external potential) these bounds permit to compute the leading asymptotics of the minimal energy in the three regimes where the number of matter particles goes to infinity, the coupling constant for the matter-radiation interaction goes to infinity and the boson mass goes to zero.

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Feynman-Kac formulas for Dirichlet-Pauli-Fierz operators with singular coefficients

We derive Feynman-Kac formulas for Dirichlet realizations of Pauli-Fierz operators generating the dynamics of nonrelativistic quantum mechanical matter particles, which are minimally coupled to both classical and quantized radiation fields and confined to an arbitrary open subset of the Euclidean space. Thanks to a suitable interpretation of the involved Stratonovich integrals, we are able to retain familiar formulas for the Feynman-Kac integrands merely assuming local square-integrability of the classical vector potential and the coupling function in the quantized vector potential. Allowing for fairly general coupling functions becomes relevant when the matter-radiation system is confined to cavities with inward pointing boundary singularities.

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Ground states and associated path measures in the renormalized Nelson model

We prove the existence, uniqueness, and strict positivity of ground states of the possibly massless renormalized Nelson operator under an infrared regularity condition and for Kato decomposable electrostatic potentials fulfilling a binding condition. If the infrared regularity condition is violated, then we show non-existence of ground states of the massless renormalized Nelson operator with an arbitrary Kato decomposable potential. Furthermore, we prove the existence, uniqueness, and strict positivity of ground states of the massless renormalized Nelson operator in a non-Fock representation where the infrared condition is unnecessary. Exponential and superexponential estimates on the pointwise spatial decay and the decay with respect to the boson number for elements of spectral subspaces below localization thresholds are provided. Moreover, some continuity properties of ground state eigenvectors are discussed. Byproducts of our analysis are a hypercontractivity bound for the semigroup and a new remark on Nelson's operator theoretic renormalization procedure. Finally, we construct path measures associated with ground states of the renormalized Nelson operator. Their analysis entails improved boson number decay estimates for ground state eigenvectors, as well as upper and lower bounds on the Gaussian localization with respect to the field variables in the ground state. As our results on uniqueness, positivity, and path measures exploit the ergodicity of the semigroup, we restrict our attention to one matter particle. All results are non-perturbative.

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Pauli-Fierz type operators with singular electromagnetic potentials on general domains

We consider Dirichlet realizations of Pauli-Fierz type operators generating the dynamics of non-relativistic matter particles which are confined to an arbitrary open subset of the Euclidean position space and coupled to quantized radiation fields. We find sufficient conditions under which their domains and a natural class of operator cores are determined by the domains and operator cores of the corresponding Dirichlet-Schr\"{o}dinger operators and the radiation field energy. Our results also extend previous ones dealing with the entire Euclidean space, since the involved electrostatic potentials might be unbounded at infinity with local singularities that can only be controlled in a quadratic form sense, and since locally square-integrable classical vector potentials are covered as well. We further discuss Neumann realizations of Pauli-Fierz type operators on Lipschitz domains.

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Feynman-Kac formulas for the ultra-violet renormalized Nelson model

We derive Feynman-Kac formulas for the ultra-violet renormalized Nelson Hamiltonian with a Kato decomposable external potential and for corresponding fiber Hamiltonians in the translation invariant case. We simultaneously treat massive and massless bosons. Furthermore, we present a non-perturbative construction of a renormalized Nelson Hamiltonian in the non-Fock representation defined as the generator of a corresponding Feynman-Kac semi-group. Our novel analysis of the vacuum expectation of the Feynman-Kac integrands shows that, if the external potential and the Pauli-principle are dropped, then the spectrum of the $N$-particle renormalized Nelson Hamiltonian is bounded from below by some negative universal constant times $g^4N^3$, for all values of the coupling constant $g$. A variational argument also yields an upper bound of the same form for large $g^2N$. We further verify that the semi-groups generated by the ultra-violet renormalized Nelson Hamiltonian and its non-Fock version are positivity improving with respect to a natural self-dual cone, if the Pauli principle is ignored. In another application we discuss continuity properties of elements in the range of the semi-group of the renormalized Nelson Hamiltonian.

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Continuity properties of the semi-group and its integral kernel in non-relativistic QED

Employing recent results on stochastic differential equations associated with the standard model of non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics by B. G\"uneysu, J.S. M{\o}ller, and the present author, we study the continuity of the corresponding semi-group between weighted vector-valued L^p-spaces, continuity properties of elements in the range of the semi-group, and the pointwise continuity of an operator-valued semi-group kernel. We further discuss the continuous dependence of the semi-group and its integral kernel on model parameters. All these results are obtained for Kato decomposable electrostatic potentials and the actual assumptions on the model are general enough to cover the Nelson model as well. As a corollary we obtain some new pointwise exponential decay and continuity results on elements of low-energetic spectral subspaces of atoms or molecules that also take spin into account. In a simpler situation where spin is neglected we explain how to verify the joint continuity of positive ground state eigenvectors with respect to spatial coordinates and model parameters. There are no smallness assumptions imposed on any model parameter.

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Stochastic differential equations for models of non-relativistic matter interacting with quantized radiation fields

We discuss Hilbert space-valued stochastic differential equations associated with the heat semi-groups of the standard model of non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics and of corresponding fiber Hamiltonians for translation invariant systems. In particular, we prove the existence of a stochastic flow satisfying the strong Markov property and the Feller property. To this end we employ an explicit solution ansatz. In the matrix-valued case, i.e., if the electron spin is taken into account, it is given by a series of operator-valued time-ordered integrals, whose integrands are factorized into annihilation, preservation, creation, and scalar parts. The Feynman-Kac formula implied by these results is new in the matrix-valued case. Furthermore, we discuss stochastic differential equations and Feynman-Kac representations for an operator-valued integral kernel of the semi-group. As a byproduct we obtain analogous results for Nelson's model.

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On enhanced binding and related effects in the non- and semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz models

We prove enhanced binding and increase of binding energies in the non- and semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz models, for arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant and the ultra-violet cut-off, and discuss the resulting improvement of exponential localization of ground state eigenvectors. For the semi-relativistic model we also discuss the increase of the renormalized electron mass and determine the linear leading order term in the asymptotics of the self-energy, as the ultra-violet cut-off goes to infinity.

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Hydrogen-like atoms in relativistic QED

In this review we consider two different models of a hydrogenic atom in a quantized electromagnetic field that treat the electron relativistically. The first one is a no-pair model in the free picture, the second one is given by the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian. For both models we discuss the semi-boundedness of the Hamiltonian, the strict positivity of the ionization energy, and the exponential localization in position space of spectral subspaces corresponding to energies below the ionization threshold. Moreover, we prove the existence of degenerate ground state eigenvalues at the bottom of the spectrum of the Hamiltonian in both models. All these results hold true, for arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant and the ultra-violet cut-off, and for a general class of electrostatic potentials including the Coulomb potential with nuclear charges less than (sometimes including) the critical charges without radiation field. Apart from a detailed discussion of diamagnetic inequalities in QED (which are applied to study the semi-boundedness) all results stem from earlier articles written by the authors. While a few proofs are merely sketched, we streamline earlier proofs or present alternative arguments at many places.

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The mass shell in the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz model

We consider the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz model for a single free electron interacting with the quantized radiation field. Employing a variant of Pizzo's iterative analytic perturbation theory we construct a sequence of ground state eigenprojections of infra-red cutoff, dressing transformed fiber Hamiltonians and prove its convergence, as the cutoff goes to zero. Its limit is the ground state eigenprojection of a certain Hamiltonian unitarily equivalent to a renormalized fiber Hamiltonian acting in a coherent state representation space. The ground state energy is an exactly two-fold degenerate eigenvalue of the renormalized Hamiltonian, while it is not an eigenvalue of the original fiber Hamiltonian unless the total momentum is zero. These results hold true, for total momenta inside a ball about zero of arbitrary radius p>0, provided that the coupling constant is sufficiently small depending on p and the ultra-violet cutoff. Along the way we prove twice continuous differentiability and strict convexity of the ground state energy as a function of the total momentum inside that ball.

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Ground states of semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz and no-pair Hamiltonians in QED at critical Coulomb coupling

We consider the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian and a no-pair model of a hydrogen-like atom interacting with a quantized photon field at the respective critical values of the Coulomb coupling constant. For arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant and the ultra-violet cutoff, we prove the existence of normalizable ground states of the atomic system in both models. This complements earlier results on the existence of ground states in (semi-)relativistic models of quantum electrodynamics at sub-critical coupling by E. Stockmeyer and the present authors. Technically, the main new achievement is an improved estimate on the spatial exponential localization of low-lying spectral subspaces yielding uniform bounds at large Coulomb coupling constants. In the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz model our exponential decay rate given in terms of the binding energy reduces to the one known from the electronic model when the radiation field is turned off. In particular, an increase of the binding energy due to the radiation field is shown to improve the localization of ground states.

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Semi-classical Green kernel asymptotics for the Dirac operator

We consider a semi-classical Dirac operator in arbitrary spatial dimensions with a smooth potential whose partial derivatives of any order are bounded by suitable constants. We prove that the distribution kernel of the inverse operator evaluated at two distinct points fulfilling a certain hypothesis can be represented as the product of an exponentially decaying factor involving an associated Agmon distance and some amplitude admitting a complete asymptotic expansion in powers of the semi-classical parameter. Moreover, we find an explicit formula for the leading term in that expansion.

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Existence of ground states of hydrogen-like atoms in relativistic QED II: The no-pair operator

We consider a hydrogen-like atom in a quantized electromagnetic field which is modeled by means of a no-pair operator acting in the positive spectral subspace of the free Dirac operator minimally coupled to the quantized vector potential. We prove that the infimum of the spectrum of the no-pair operator is an evenly degenerate eigenvalue. In particular, we show that the bottom of its spectrum is strictly less than its ionization threshold. These results hold true, for arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant and the ultra-violet cut-off and for all Coulomb coupling constants less than the critical one of the Brown-Ravenhall model. For Coulomb coupling constants larger than the critical one, we show that the quadratic form of the no-pair operator is unbounded below. Along the way we discuss the domains and operator cores of the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz and no-pair operators, for Coulomb coupling constants less than or equal to the critical ones.

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On higher order estimates in quantum electrodynamics

We propose a new method to derive certain higher order estimates in quantum electrodynamics. Our method is particularly convenient in the application to the non-local semi-relativistic models of quantum electrodynamics as it avoids the use of iterated commutator expansions. We re-derive higher order estimates obtained earlier by Fr\"ohlich, Griesemer, and Schlein and prove new estimates for a non-local molecular no-pair operator.

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Existence of ground states of hydrogen-like atoms in relativistic QED I: The semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz operator

We consider a hydrogen-like atom in a quantized electromagnetic field which is modeled by means of the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz operator and prove that the infimum of the spectrum of the latter operator is an eigenvalue. In particular, we verify that the bottom of its spectrum is strictly less than its ionization threshold. These results hold true for arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant and the ultra-violet cut-off as long as the Coulomb coupling constant (i.e. the product of the fine-structure constant and the nuclear charge) is less than 2/\pi.

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