arXiv subjects

R. Chitra

Publications and source records attributed to R. Chitra.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

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↗

arXiv2020

Optimized Observable Readout from Single-shot Images of Ultracold Atoms via Machine Learning

Single-shot images are the standard readout of experiments with ultracold atoms -- the tarnished looking glass into their many-body physics. The efficient extraction of observables from single-shot images is thus crucial. Here, we demonstrate how artificial neural networks can optimize this extraction. In contrast to standard averaging approaches, machine learning allows both one- and two-particle densities to be accurately obtained from a drastically reduced number of single-shot images. Quantum fluctuations and correlations are directly harnessed to obtain physical observables for bosons in a tilted double-well potential at an unprecedented accuracy. Strikingly, machine learning also enables a reliable extraction of momentum-space observables from real-space single-shot images and vice versa. This obviates the need for a reconfiguration of the experimental setup between in-situ and time-of-flight imaging, thus potentially granting an outstanding reduction in resources.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Generalized Wigner crystallization in moiré materials

Recent experiments on the twisted transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material, $\rm WSe_2/WS_2$, have observed insulating states at fractional occupancy of the moiré bands. Such states were conceived as generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs). In this article, we investigate the problem of Wigner crystallization in the presence of an underlying (moiré) lattice. Based on the best estimates of the system parameters, we find a variety of homobilayer and heterobilayer TMDs to be excellent candidates for realizing GWCs. In particular, our analysis based on $r_{s}$ indicates that $\rm MoSe_{2}$ (among the homobilayers) and $\rm MoSe_2/WSe_2$ or $\rm MoS_2/ WS_2$ (among the heterobilayers) are the best candidates for realizing GWCs. We also establish that due to larger effective mass of the valence bands, in general, hole-crystals are easier to realize that electron-crystals as seen experimentally. For completeness, we show that satisfying the Mott criterion $n_{\rm Mott}^{1/2} a_{\ast} = 1$ requires densities nearly three orders of magnitude larger than the maximal density for GWC formation. This indicates that for the typical density of operation, HoM or HeM systems are far from the Mott insulating regime. These crystals realized on a moiré lattice, unlike the conventional Wigner crystals, are incompressible due the gap arising from pinning with the lattice. Finally, we capture this many-body gap by variationally renormalizing the dispersion of the vibration modes. We show these low-energy modes, arising from coupling of the WC with the moiré lattice, can be effectively modeled as a Sine-Gordon theory of fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Spin detection via parametric frequency conversion in a membrane resonator

Recent demonstrations of ultracoherent nanomechanical resonators introduce the prospect of new protocols for solid state sensing applications. Here, we propose to use two coupled ultracoherent resonator modes on a Si$_3$N$_4$ membrane for the detection of small nuclear spin ensembles. To this end, we employ parametric frequency conversion between nondegenerate modes. The nondegenerate modes result from coupled degenerate resonators, and the parametric conversion is mediated by periodic inversions of the nuclear spins in the presence of a magnetic scanning tip. We analyze potential noise sources and derive the achievable signal-to-noise ratio with typical experimental parameter values. Our proposal reconciles the geometric constraints of optomechanical systems with the requirements of scanning force microscopy and brings forth a new platform for spin-phonon interaction and spin imaging.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Pathway to chaos through hierarchical superfluidity in a cavity-BEC system

We explore the role of atomic correlations in a harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a dissipative cavity, where both the atoms and the cavity are blue detuned from the external pumping laser. Using a genuine many-body approach that goes beyond mean-field, we extract density distributions and many-body correlations to unveil a pathway to chaos at large pump power through a hierarchical self-organization of the atoms, where the atoms transition from a single-well optical lattice to a double-well optical lattice. Correlated states of the atoms emerge and are characterized by local superfluid correlations in phases which are globally superfluid or Mott insulating. Local superfluid-Mott transitions are precluded by a dynamical instability to chaos which occurs via quasiperiodic attractors. Our results explain the mechanism behind the dynamical instabilities observed in experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Distinguishing phases using the dynamical response of driven-dissipative light-matter systems

We present a peculiar transition triggered by infinitesimal dissipation in the interpolating Dicke-Tavis-Cummings model. The model describes a ubiquitous light-matter setting using a collection of two-level systems interacting with quantum light trapped in an optical cavity. In a previous work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 183603 (2018)], dissipation was shown to extend a normal phase (dark state) into new regions of the model's parameter space. Harnessing Keldysh's action formalism to compute the response function of the light, we show that the normal phase does not merely spread but encompasses a transition between the old and the dissipation-stabilized regimes of the normal phase. This transition, however, solely manifests in the dynamical fluctuations atop the empty cavity, through stabilization of an excited state of the closed system. Consequently, we reveal that the fluctuations flip from being particlelike to holelike across this transition. This inversion is also accompanied by the behavior of the Liouvillian eigenvalues akin to exceptional points. Our work forges the way to discovering transitions in a wide variety of driven-dissipative systems and is highly pertinent for current experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

MCTDH-X: The multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree method for indistinguishable particles software

We introduce and describe the multiconfigurational time-depenent Hartree for indistinguishable particles (MCTDH-X) software. This powerful tool allows the investigation of ground state properties and dynamics of interacting quantum many-body systems in different spatial dimensions. The MCTDH-X software is a set of programs and scripts to compute, analyze, and visualize solutions for the time-dependent and time-independent many-body Schrödinger equation for indistinguishable quantum particles. As the MCTDH-X software represents a general solver for the Schrödinger equation, it is applicable to a wide range of problems in the fields of atomic, optical, molecular physics as well as condensed matter systems. In particular, it can be used to study light-matter interactions, correlated dynamics of electrons, as well as some aspects related to quantum information and computing. The MCTDH-X software solves a set of non-linear coupled working equations based on the application of the variational principle to the Schrödinger equation. These equations are obtained by using an ansatz for the many-body wavefunction that is a time-dependent expansion in a set of time-dependent many-body basis states. The time-dependence of the basis set enables MCTDH-X to deal with quantum dynamics at a superior accuracy as compared to, for instance, exact diagonalization approaches. Herein, we give an introduction to the MCTDH-X software via an easy-to-follow tutorial with a focus on accessibility. We use the double well to illustrate the fermionization of bosonic particles, the crystallization of fermionic particles, characteristics of the superfluid and Mott-insulator quantum phases in Hubbard models, and even dynamical quantum phase transitions. Our tutorial guides the potential user to apply the MCTDH-X software also to more complex systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Rapid flipping of parametric phase states

Since the invention of the solid-state transistor, the overwhelming majority of computers followed the von Neumann architecture that strictly separates logic operations and memory. Today, there is a revived interest in alternative computation models accompanied by the necessity to develop corresponding hardware architectures. The Ising machine, for example, is a variant of the celebrated Hopfield network based on the Ising model. It can be realized with artifcial spins such as the `parametron' that arises in driven nonlinear resonators. The parametron encodes binary information in the phase state of its oscillation. It enables, in principle, logic operations without energy transfer and the corresponding speed limitations. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate flipping of parametron phase states on a timescale of an oscillation period, much faster than the ringdown time τthat is often (erroneously) deemed a fundamental limit for resonator operations. Our work establishes a new paradigm for resonator-based logic architectures.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Unifying topological phase transitions in noninteracting, interacting, and periodically driven systems

Topological phase transitions track changes in topological properties of a system and occur in real materials as well as quantum engineered systems, all of which differ greatly in terms of dimensionality, symmetries, interactions, and driving, and hence require a variety of techniques and concepts to describe their topological properties. For instance, depending on the system, topology may be accessed from single-particle Bloch wave functions, Green's functions, or many-body wave functions. We demonstrate that despite this diversity, all topological phase transitions display a universal feature: namely, a divergence of the curvature function that composes the topological invariant at the critical point. This feature can be exploited via a renormalization-group-like methodology to describe topological phase transitions. This approach serves to extend notions of correlation function, critical exponents, scaling laws and universality classes used in Landau theory to characterize topological phase transitions in a unified manner.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Generating quantum multi-criticality in topological insulators by periodic driving

We demonstrate that the prototypical two-dimensional Chern insulator hosts exotic quantum multi-criticality in the presence of an appropriate periodic driving: a linear Dirac-like transition coexists with a nodal loop-like transition caused by emerging symmetries. The existence of multiple universality classes and scaling laws can be unambiguously captured by a single renormalization group approach based on the stroboscopic Floquet Hamiltonian, regardless of whether the topological transition is associated with the anomalous edge modes or not.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Classical many-body time crystals

Discrete time crystals are a many-body state of matter where the extensive system's dynamics are slower than the forces acting on it. Nowadays, there is a growing debate regarding the specific properties required to demonstrate such a many-body state, alongside several experimental realizations. In this work, we provide a simple and pedagogical framework by which to obtain many-body time crystals using parametrically coupled resonators. In our analysis, we use classical period-doubling bifurcation theory and present a clear distinction between single-mode time-translation symmetry breaking and a situation where an extensive number of degrees of freedom undergo the transition. We experimentally demonstrate this paradigm using coupled mechanical oscillators, thus providing a clear route for time crystals realizations in real materials.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2019

A quantum transducer using a parametric driven-dissipative phase transition

We study a dissipative Kerr-resonator subject to both single- and two-photon detuned drives. Beyond a critical detuning threshold, the Kerr resonator exhibits a semiclassical first-order dissipative phase transition between two different steady-states, that are characterized by a $π$ phase switch of the cavity field. This transition is shown to persist deep into the quantum limit of low photon numbers. Remarkably, the detuning frequency at which this transition occurs depends almost-linearly on the amplitude of the single-photon drive. Based on this phase switching feature, we devise a sensitive quantum transducer that translates the observed frequency of the parametric quantum phase transition to the detected single-photon amplitude signal. The effects of noise and temperature on the corresponding sensing protocol are addressed and a realistic circuit-QED implementation is discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Superfluid--Mott insulator transition of ultracold superradiant bosons in a cavity

We investigate harmonically-trapped, laser-pumped bosons with infinite-range interactions induced by a dissipative high-finesse red-detuned optical cavity with numerical and analytical methods. We obtain multiple cavity and atomic observables as well as the full phase diagram of the system using the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree method for indistinguishable particles (MCTDH-X) approach. Besides the transition from an unorganized normal phase to a superradiant phase where atoms self-organize, we focus on an in-depth investigation of the self-organized superfluid to self-organized Mott insulator phase transition in the superradiant phase as a function of the cavity-atom coupling. The numerical results are substantiated by an analytical study of an effective Bose-Hubbard model. We numerically analyze cavity fluctuations and emergent strong correlations between atoms in the many-body state across the Mott transition via the atomic density distributions and Glauber correlation functions. Unexpectedly, the weak harmonic trap leads to features like a lattice switching between the two symmetry-broken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ configurations of the untrapped system and a reentrance of superfluidity in the Mott insulating phase. Our analytical considerations quantitatively explain the numerically observed correlation features.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Dissipation-induced anomalous multicritical phenomena

We explore the influence of dissipation on a paradigmatic driven-dissipative model where a collection of two level atoms interact with both quadratures of a quantum cavity mode. The closed system exhibits multiple phase transitions involving discrete and continuous symmetries breaking and all phases culminate in a multicritical point. In the open system, we show that infinitesimal dissipation erases the phase with broken continuous symmetry and radically alters the model's phase diagram. The multicritical point now becomes brittle and splits into two tricritical points where first- and second-order symmetry-breaking transitions meet. A quantum fluctuations analysis shows that, surprisingly, the tricritical points exhibit anomalous finite fluctuations, as opposed to standard tricritical points arising in $^3He-\text{}^4He$ mixtures. Our work has direct implications for a variety of fields, including cold atoms and ions in optical cavities, circuit-quantum electrodynamics as well as optomechanical systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Universal quantum criticality in static and Floquet-Majorana chains

The topological phase transitions in static and periodically driven Kitaev chains are investigated by means of a renormalization group (RG) approach. These transitions, across which the numbers of static or Floquet Majorana edge modes change, are accompanied by divergences of the relevant Berry connections. These divergences at certain high symmetry points in momentum space form the basis of the RG approach, through which topological phase boundaries are identified as a function of system parameters. We also introduce several aspects to characterize the quantum criticality of the topological phase transitions in both static and Floquet systems: a correlation function that measures the overlap of Majorana-Wannier functions, the decay length of the Majorana edge mode and a scaling law relating the critical exponents. These indicate a common universal critical behavior for topological phase transitions, in both static and periodically driven chains. For the latter, the RG flows additionally display intriguing features related to gap closures at non-high symmetry points due to momentarily frozen dynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

A parametric symmetry breaking transducer

Force detectors rely on resonators to transduce forces into a readable signal. Usually these resonators operate in the linear regime and their signal appears amidst a competing background comprising thermal or quantum fluctuations as well as readout noise. Here, we demonstrate that a parametric symmetry breaking transduction leads to a novel and robust nonlinear force detection in the presence of noise. The force signal is encoded in the frequency at which the system jumps between two phase states which are inherently protected against phase noise. Consequently, the transduction effectively decouples from readout noise channels. For a controlled demonstration of the method, we experiment with a macroscopic doubly-clamped string. Our method provides a promising new paradigm for high-precision force detection.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Many-body physics in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in a cavity: fragmented superradiance and polarization

We consider laser-pumped one-dimensional two-component bosons in a parabolic trap embedded in a high-finesse optical cavity. Above a threshold pump power, the photons that populate the cavity modify the effective atom trap and mediate a coupling between the two components of the Bose-Einstein condensate. We calculate the ground state of the laser-pumped system and find different stages of self-organization depending on the power of the laser. The modified potential and the laser-mediated coupling between the atomic components give rise to rich many-body physics: an increase of the pump power triggers a self-organization of the atoms while an even larger pump power causes correlations between the self-organized atoms -- the BEC becomes fragmented and the reduced density matrix acquires multiple macroscopic eigenvalues. In this fragmented superradiant state, the atoms can no longer be described as two-level systems and the mapping of the system to the Dicke model breaks down.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Superlattice switching from parametric instabilities in a driven-dissipative BEC in a cavity

We numerically obtain the full time-evolution of a parametrically-driven dissipative Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity and investigate the implications of driving for the phase diagram. Beyond the normal and superradiant phases, a third nonequilibrium phase emerges as a manybody parametric resonance. This dynamical normal phase switches between two symmetry-broken superradiant configurations. The switching implies a breakdown of the system's mapping to the Dicke model. Unlike the other phases, the dynamical normal phase shows features of nonintegrability and thermalization.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗