arXiv subjects

R. Chitra

Publications and source records attributed to R. Chitra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Generalized Coherent State Framework for Many-Body Density of States

We develop a general framework to calculate the many-body density of states (DOS) of isolated and interacting quantum systems. Based on the generalized coherent state formalism and the Simon-Lieb bounds for a quantum partition function, our method provides a general method of calculation for the DOS in high-dimensional irreducible sectors. This framework further provides rigorous bounds for the ground state energy in each sector and enables the calculation of microcanonical observables across the entire spectrum. Using the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model as a test bed, we validate our framework by successfully identifying quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) across spin sectors. Unlike existing model-specific numerical or analytical techniques, our formalism relies on general underlying symmetries, making it broadly applicable. Applying our method to the ferromagnetic transverse field Ising chain with power law interactions, we demonstrate that its highest-spin-sector DOS is qualitatively identical to that of LMG-type Hamiltonians. Our work establishes a versatile and computationally efficient bridge between algebraic structure and many-body thermodynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Emulation of Self-Consistent Non-Hermitian Quantum Formalisms

Standard quantum mechanics predicts the non-conservation of state norms and probability when the fundamental requirement of the Hermiticity of the Hamiltonian is relaxed. Biorthogonal quantum mechanics, or the more general metric formalism, provides a rigorous formulation of non-Hermitian quantum mechanics wherein norms and probabilities are conserved. The key feature is that the Hilbert space is endowed with a non-trivial dynamical metric. Beyond theoretical considerations, the physical implementation of the metric formalism remains unaddressed. In this work, we propose novel operator dilation schemes, which show that the self-consistent non-Hermitian quantum mechanics can be accessed in physical platforms via an embedding in closed Hermitian systems. Using digital quantum simulators, we present a proof of principle and the first experimental evidence for the dynamical metric engendered by non-Hermiticity in a qubit. Our work ushers in a new paradigm in the quantum simulation of non-Hermitian systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Tunable intertwining via collective excitations

The intertwining of multiple order parameters is a widespread phenomenon in equilibrium condensed matter systems, yet its exploration is often hindered by the complexity of real materials. Here, we present a controlled study of intertwined orders in a minimal and versatile driven-dissipative quantum-engineered platform. We consider a Bose-Einstein condensate at the intersection of two optical cavities, realizing two competing copies of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry-breaking superradiant phase transition characterized by density wave orders. Using periodic drives that exploit dynamical symmetry reduction, we show that collective excitations can be harnessed to stabilize a variety of novel intertwined orders. Going beyond the conventional phenomenology involving Landau orders, we show the emergence of a larger class of out-of-equilibrium intertwined phases, including intertwining of purely time-crystalline orders, as well as between Landau and time crystal orders. These results should be observable in state of the art experimental setups.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Pauli crystal superradiance

Pauli crystals are unique geometric structures of non-interacting fermions, resembling crystals, that emerge solely from Fermi statistics and confinement. Unlike genuine quantum crystals that arise from interparticle interactions, Pauli crystals do not break translation symmetry but nonetheless exhibit nontrivial many-body correlations. In this Letter, we explore Pauli crystal formation in a cavity-fermion setup. We analytically show that when coupled to a cavity, degeneracy in Pauli crystals can trigger zero-threshold transitions to superradiance. This superradiance is accompanied by the emergence of a genuine quantum crystalline state, wherein the atomic density is periodically modulated. We substantiate our findings using state-of-the-art numerical simulations. The combined interplay between statistics, confinement geometry and interactions mediated by light thus facilitates a novel pathway to quantum crystallization.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Observables in non-Hermitian systems: A methodological comparison

Despite acute interest in the dynamics of non-Hermitian systems, there is a lack of consensus in the mathematical formulation of non-Hermitian quantum mechanics in the community. Different methodologies are used in the literature to study non-Hermitian dynamics. This ranges from consistent frameworks like biorthogonal quantum mechanics and metric approach characterized by modified inner products, to normalization by time-dependent norms inspired by open quantum systems. In this work, we systematically explore the similarities and differences among these various methods. Utilizing illustrative models with exact solutions, we demonstrate that these methods produce not only quantitatively different results but also distinct physical interpretations. For dissipative systems where non-Hermiticity arises as an approximation, we find that simply dividing by the norm in the $\mathcal{PT}$-broken regime closely aligns with the full master equation solutions. In contrast, for quantum systems where non-Hermiticity can be engineered exactly, incorporating metric dynamics is crucial for the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics, necessitating the generalizations of similarity transformations and unitarity to non-Hermitian systems. This study lays the groundwork for further exploration of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, potentially leveraging generalized transformations for novel physical phenomena.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Proliferation of unstable states and their impact on stochastic out-of-equilibrium dynamics

Networks of nonlinear parametric resonators are promising candidates as Ising machines for annealing and optimization. These many-body out-of-equilibrium systems host complex phase diagrams of coexisting stationary states. The plethora of states manifest via a series of bifurcations, including bifurcations that proliferate purely unstable solutions, which we term ``ghost bifurcations''. Here, we demonstrate that the latter take a fundamental role in the stochastic dynamics of the system in the presence of noise. Specifically, they determine the switching paths and the switching rates between stable solutions. We demonstrate experimentally the impact of ghost bifurcations on the noise-activated switching dynamics in a network of two coupled parametric resonators.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2023

Decoding the drive-bath interplay: A guideline to enhance superconductivity

Driven-dissipative physics lie at the core of quantum optics. However, the full interplay between a driven quantum many-body system and its environment remains relatively unexplored in the solid state realm. In this work, we inspect this interplay beyond the commonly employed stroboscopic Hamiltonian picture based on the specific example of a driven superconductor. Using the Shirley-Floquet and Keldysh formalisms as well as a generalization of the notion of superconducting fitness to the driven case, we show how a drive which anti-commutes with the superconducting gap operator generically induces an unusual particle-hole structure in the spectral functions from the perspective of the thermal bath. Concomitant with a driving frequency which is near resonant with the intrinsic cutoff frequency of the underlying interaction, this spectral structure can be harnessed to enhance the superconducting transition temperature. Our work paves the way for further studies for driven-dissipative engineering of exotic phases of matter in solid-state systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Quantum Metric Unveils Defect Freezing in Non-Hermitian Systems

Non-Hermiticity in quantum Hamiltonians leads to nonunitary time evolution and possibly complex energy eigenvalues, which can lead to a rich phenomenology with no Hermitian counterpart. In this work, we study the dynamics of an exactly solvable non-Hermitian system, hosting both $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric and $\mathcal{PT}$-broken modes subject to a linear quench. Employing a fully consistent framework, in which the Hilbert space is endowed with a nontrivial dynamical metric, we analyze the dynamics of the generated defects. In contrast to Hermitian systems, our study reveals that PT -broken time evolution leads to defect freezing and hence the violation of adiabaticity. This physics necessitates the so-called metric framework, as it is missed by the oft used approach of normalizing quantities by the time-dependent norm of the state. Our results are relevant for a wide class of experimental systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Quench dynamics and scaling laws in topological nodal loop semimetals

We employ quench dynamics as an effective tool to probe different universality classes of topological phase transitions. Specifically, we study a model encompassing both Dirac-like and nodal loop criticalities. Examining the Kibble-Zurek scaling of topological defect density, we discover that the scaling exponent is reduced in the presence of extended nodal loop gap closures. For a quench through a multicritical point, we also unveil a path-dependent crossover between two sets of critical exponents. Bloch state tomography finally reveals additional differences in the defect trajectories for sudden quenches. While the Dirac transition permits a static trajectory under specific initial conditions, we find that the underlying nodal loop leads to complex time-dependent trajectories in general. In the presence of a nodal loop, we find, generically, a mismatch between the momentum modes where topological defects are generated and where dynamical quantum phase transitions occur. We also find notable exceptions where this correspondence breaks down completely.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Probing Chern number by opacity and topological phase transition by a nonlocal Chern marker

In 2D semiconductors and insulators, the Chern number of the valence band Bloch state is an important quantity that has been linked to various material properties, such as the topological order. We elaborate that the opacity of 2D materials to circularly polarized light over a wide range of frequencies, measured in units of the fine structure constant, can be used to extract a spectral function that frequency-integrates to the Chern number, offering a simple optical experiment to measure it. This method is subsequently generalized to finite temperature and locally on every lattice site by a linear response theory, which helps to extract the Chern marker that maps the Chern number to lattice sites. The long range response in our theory corresponds to a Chern correlator that acts like the internal fluctuation of the Chern marker, and is found to be enhanced in the topologically nontrivial phase. Finally, from the Fourier transform of the valence band Berry curvature, a nonlocal Chern marker is further introduced, whose decay length diverges at topological phase transitions and therefore serves as a faithful indicator of the transitions, and moreover can be interpreted as a Wannier state correlation function. The concepts discussed in this work explore multi-faceted aspects of topology and should help address the impact of system inhomogeneities.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

The role of fluctuations in quantum and classical time crystals

Discrete time crystals (DTCs) are a many-body state of matter whose dynamics are slower than the forces acting on it. The same is true for classical systems with period-doubling bifurcations. Hence, the question naturally arises what differentiates classical from quantum DTCs. Here, we analyze a variant of the Bose-Hubbard model, which describes a plethora of physical phenomena and has both a classical and a quantum time-crystalline limit. We study the role of fluctuations on the stability of the system and find no distinction between quantum and classical DTCs. This allows us to probe the fluctuations in an experiment using two strongly coupled parametric resonators subject to classical noise.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Dissipation-engineered family of nearly dark states in many-body cavity-atom systems

Three-level atomic systems coupled to light have the capacity to host dark states. We study a system of V-shaped three-level atoms coherently coupled to the two quadratures of a dissipative cavity. The interplay between the atomic level structure and dissipation makes the phase diagram of the open system drastically different from the closed one. In particular, it leads to the stabilization of a continuous family of dark and nearly dark excited many-body states with inverted atomic populations as the steady states. The multistability of these states can be probed via their distinct fluctuations and excitation spectra, as well as the system's Liouvillian dynamics which are highly sensitive to ramp protocols. Our model can be implemented experimentally by encoding the two higher-energy modes in orthogonal density-modulated states in a bosonic quantum gas. This implementation offers prospects for potential applications like the realization of quantum optical random walks and microscopy with subwavelength spatial resolution.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Observing dynamical currents in a non-Hermitian momentum lattice

We report on the experimental realization and detection of dynamical currents in a spin-textured lattice in momentum space. Collective tunneling is implemented via cavity-assisted Raman scattering of photons by a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate into an optical cavity. The photon field inducing the tunneling processes is subject to cavity dissipation, resulting in effective directional dynamics in a non-Hermitian setting. We observe that the individual tunneling events are superradiant in nature and locally resolve them in the lattice by performing real-time, frequency-resolved measurements of the leaking cavity field. The results can be extended to a regime exhibiting a cascade of currents and simultaneous coherences between multiple lattice sites, where numerical simulations provide further understanding of the dynamics. Our observations showcase dynamical tunneling in momentum-space lattices and provide prospects to realize dynamical gauge fields in driven-dissipative settings.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Fermionization via cavity-assisted infinite-range interactions

We study a one-dimensional array of bosons with infinite-range interactions mediated by a laser-driven dissipative optical cavity. The cavity-mediated infinite-range interactions open up a new pathway to fermionization, hitherto only known for dipolar bosons due to their long-range interactions. In parameter ranges attainable in state-of-the-art experiments, we systematically compare observables for bosons and fermions with infinite-range interactions. At large enough laser pump power, many observables, including density distributions in real and momentum space, correlation functions, eigenvalues of the one-body density matrix, and superradiance order parameter, become identical for bosons and fermions. We map out the emergence of this cavity-induced fermionization as a function of pump power and contact interactions. We discover that cavity-mediated interactions can compensate a reduction by several orders of magnitude in the strength of the contact interactions needed to trigger fermionization.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Mott transition in a cavity-boson system: A quantitative comparison between theory and experiment

The competition between short-range and cavity-mediated infinite-range interactions in a cavity-boson system leads to the existence of a superfluid phase and a Mott-insulator phase within the self-organized regime. In this work, we quantitatively compare the steady-state phase boundaries of this transition measured in experiments and simulated using the Multiconfigurational Time-Dependent Hartree Method for Indistinguishable Particles. To make the problem computationally feasible, we represent the full system by the exact many-body wave function of a two-dimensional four-well potential. We argue that the validity of this representation comes from the nature of both the cavity-atomic system and the Bose-Hubbard physics. Additionally we show that the chosen representation only induces small systematic errors, and that the experimentally measured and theoretically predicted phase boundaries agree reasonably. We thus demonstrate a new approach for the quantitative numerical determination of the superfluid--Mott-insulator phase boundary.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

A supervised learning algorithm for interacting topological insulators based on local curvature

Topological order in solid state systems is often calculated from the integration of an appropriate curvature function over the entire Brillouin zone. At topological phase transitions where the single particle spectral gap closes, the curvature function diverges and changes sign at certain high symmetry points in the Brillouin zone. These generic properties suggest the introduction of a supervised machine learning scheme that uses only the curvature function at the high symmetry points as input data. We apply this scheme to a variety of interacting topological insulators in different dimensions and symmetry classes, and demonstrate that an artificial neural network trained with the noninteracting data can accurately predict all topological phases in the interacting cases with very little numerical effort. Intriguingly, the method uncovers a ubiquitous interaction-induced topological quantum multicriticality in the examples studied.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Ising machines with strong bilinear coupling

Networks of coupled parametric resonators (parametrons) hold promise for parallel computing architectures. En route to realizing complex networks, we report an experimental and theoretical analysis of two coupled parametrons. In contrast to previous studies, we explore the case of strong bilinear coupling between the parametrons, as well as the role of detuning. We show that the system can still operate as an Ising machine in this regime, even though careful calibration is necessary to ensure that the correct solution space is available. Apart from the formation of split normal modes, new states of mixed symmetry are generated. Furthermore, we predict that systems with $N>2$ parametrons will undergo multiple phase transitions before arriving at a regime that can be equivalent to the Ising problem.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Cross-dimensional universality classes in static and periodically driven Kitaev models

The Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice is a paradigmatic system known to host a wealth of nontrivial topological phases and Majorana edge modes. In the static case, the Majorana edge modes are nondispersive. When the system is periodically driven in time, such edge modes can disperse and become chiral. We obtain the full phase diagram of the driven model as a function of the coupling and the driving period. We characterize the quantum criticality of the different topological phase transitions in both the static and driven model via the notions of Majorana-Wannier state correlation functions and momentum-dependent fidelity susceptibilities. We show that the system hosts cross-dimensional universality classes: although the static Kitaev model is defined on a 2D honeycomb lattice, its criticality falls into the universality class of 1D linear Dirac models. For the periodically driven Kitaev model, besides the universality class of prototype 2D linear Dirac models, an additional 1D nodal loop type of criticality exists owing to emergent time-reversal and mirror symmetries, indicating the possibility of engineering multiple universality classes by periodic driving. The manipulation of time-reversal symmetry allows the periodic driving to control the chirality of the Majorana edge states.

cond-mat.str-el↗