arXiv subjects

Richard Schmidt

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Schmidt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Mass-gap functional determinant approach for mobile Fermi polarons

We extend the functional determinant approach (FDA), previously restricted to static impurities, to the case of finite-mass impurities by using the mass-gap description of Fermi polarons [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 193401 (2025)]. The quadratic structure of the mass-gap model enables the exact evaluation of many-body spectra and Ramsey dynamics for mobile impurities. We show that this mass-gap FDA smoothly interpolates between the Fermi-edge singularity for infinitely heavy impurities and the emergence of quasiparticle weight for finite impurity mass. Our results demonstrate that the mass-gap FDA provides a transparent and computationally efficient framework to describe the quantum dynamics of mobile impurities.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Simulation of Semiconductor Excitons in Ultracold Dipolar Fermi Gases

Inspired by the progress on the study of exciton physics in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors, we investigate the formation of analogs of excitons in cold atomic systems. To this end, we consider single-component fermions comprised of ultracold ground-state molecules or dipolar atoms in a hexagonal optical lattice. An energy offset between triangular sublattices opens up a band gap with degeneracies at the K/K' points as in TMDs. We predict the existence of cold atomic excitons and show that cold atoms allow us to study excitons from the weak-coupling regime, where effective mass models apply, to the strong-interaction regime, described by flat-band models. We demonstrate how these excitons can be observed using lattice modulation spectroscopy, and how their wave functions can be mapped out using quantum gas microscopy. Firmly establishing the idea of quantum simulation of semiconductor physics, this work lays the foundation for simulating complex electronic states such as trions, polarons and excitonic insulators.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Emergent Fermi polarons in Dirac materials

We investigate band-structure effects on the absorption spectra of quantum impurities in Dirac materials. We uncover the formation of novel quasiparticles -- Dirac-Fermi polarons -- emerging from the dressing of impurities by excitations near the Dirac point. These quasiparticles are remarkably robust, persisting for both attractive and repulsive interactions, and across the full range of electron and hole doping. We show that their spectroscopic signature is a generic feature of Dirac materials, accessible with established techniques in both solid-state and ultracold atomic platforms. Our results establish polaron spectroscopy as a powerful probe of Dirac points at energies far from the Fermi surface, providing direct access to band-structure effects beyond conventional approaches.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Polaronic hybridization of atoms, dimers and trimers in a Bose-Einstein condensate

The Bose polaron problem of an impurity immersed in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) has been predicted to feature strong correlations arising from bound states of multiple bosons with the impurity. While direct experimental evidence has so far remained elusive, here we observe clear signatures of three-body correlations in Bose polarons. We perform radiofrequency spectroscopy on $^{40}$K impurities in a BEC of $^{23}$Na and identify polaronic hybrid states that can be understood as superpositions of the bare atom, a NaK dimer and a Na$_2$K trimer, coupled through coherent particle exchange with the condensate. We show that the main spectroscopic features are captured by a simple three-level model without free parameters. Our work shows how a condensate environment can coherently hybridize bound states of different composition and mass, reminiscent of quark-flavor mixing described by the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix in particle physics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

TESS detection of periodic brightness variations during the rise of classical nova PGIR22akgylf

Classical novae are transient events powered by thermonuclear burning in a layer of hydrogen-rich material accreted by a white dwarf from its binary companion. Most classical novae reach optical maximum within ~1 d, but a rare few rise far more slowly. We probe the envelope structure and ejection mechanism of the slowly-rising nova PGIR22akgylf with TESS photometry spanning 3 to 16 d after the nova discovery, supplemented by ground-based observations that cover its full ~133 d ascent to maximum. We detect a 0.1802 +/-0.0012 d periodic brightness modulation with a peak-to-peak amplitude of ~0.02 mag, identified with PGIR22akgylf via temporal and spatial coincidence. The period is stable over the two weeks of TESS coverage, suggesting an orbital origin. Whether this period corresponds to the full or half orbital period, it implies a dwarf donor companion. At the time of the TESS observations the nova was >~6 mag above quiescence (but still 4 mag below peak), so its light should be dominated by the expanding photosphere. We interpret the periodic signal as arising from the binary orbital motion distorting the nova envelope while its size remains comparable to the binary separation. This interpretation points to common-envelope interaction as a contributor to shell ejection in PGIR22akgylf and demonstrates that the slow-rise phenomenon is not exclusive to thermonuclear eruptions in symbiotic binaries, where the large orbital separation of the giant companion inhibits such interaction.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Contact Processes on a Topological Lattice

Contact processes play an important role in classical non-equilibrium dynamics, describing the spreading of diseases, the dynamics of earthquakes and forest fires, and the distribution of information through the internet. Here we show that their quantum counterpart, where the spreading occurs through coherent couplings, displays even richer dynamics and offers new means of control. A quantum contact process on a topologically non-trivial lattice can be confined to a protected subspace corresponding to either a single site or a fully excited lattice. Furthermore, excitation spreading can be controlled to occur in quantized steps and on demand when employing topological pumps. We show that the many-body dynamics of excited domains can be mapped to an effective single-particle model, which also determines the topological properties. Throughout this work, we consider a specific type of contact process corresponding to coherent Rydberg facilitation in a tweezer array of trapped atoms in a one-dimensional lattice.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Enhancing superconductivity using thermal bosons

We investigate how the strong coupling of a superconductor to thermal bosons can enhance its superconducting critical temperature. To tackle this problem, we use a renormalization group approach that allows us to describe the competition between density fluctuations and the build-up of boson-induced attraction between fermions. Capturing the mutual influence of bosonic and fermionic sectors, the self-consistent renormalization group framework predicts a robust increase of the critical temperature across a wide range of interactions. We find a nontrivial dependence of the critical temperature on the boson mass and we establish a phase diagram for enhanced superconductivity driven by bosons being either in the condensed or thermal state. We outline possible experimental realizations in cold atomic systems and discuss implementations using electron-exciton mixtures in van der Waals material heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Wigner polarons reveal Wigner crystal dynamics in a monolayer semiconductor

Wigner crystals, lattices made purely of electrons, are a quintessential paradigm of studying correlation-driven quantum phase transitions. Despite decades of research, the internal dynamics of Wigner crystals has remained extremely challenging to access, with most experiments probing only static order or collective motion. Here, we establish monolayer WSe2 as a new materials platform to host zero-field Wigner crystals and then demonstrate that exciton spectroscopy provides a direct means to probe both static and dynamic properties of these electron lattices. We uncover striking optical resonances that we identify as Wigner polarons, quasiparticles formed when the electron lattice is locally distorted by exciton-Wigner crystal coupling. We further achieve all-optical control of spins in the Wigner crystal, directly probing valley-dependent Wigner polaron scattering well above the magnetic ordering temperature and in the absence of any external magnetic field. Finally, we demonstrate optical melting of the Wigner crystal and observe intriguingly different responses of the umklapp (static) and Wigner polaron (dynamic) resonances to optical excitation. Our results open up exciting new avenues for elucidating electron dynamics and achieving ultrafast optical control of interaction-driven quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated electron systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Theory of exciton polarons in 2D Wigner crystals

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide a platform for realizing Wigner crystals and enable their detection via exciton spectroscopy. We develop a microscopic theoretical model for excitons interacting with the localized electrons of the Wigner crystal, including their vibrational motion. In addition to the previously observed exciton-Umklapp feature, the theory reproduces and explains the higher-band attractive-polaron resonances recently reported experimentally. Our model further uncovers that the appearance of two equal-strength and parallel attractive polarons, as commonly observed in WSe$_2$ and WS$_2$, is a signature of strong correlations in the electronic system. Altogether, our results demonstrate that accounting for electronic interactions is essential to reproduce and interpret the exciton-polaron spectra of TMDs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Probing Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing and quasiparticle formation in ultracold gases by Rydberg atom spectroscopy

Locally probing pairing in fermionic superfluids, ranging from micro- to macroscopic scales, has been a long-standing challenge. Here, we investigate a new approach that uses Rydberg impurities as a spectroscopic sensor of the surrounding strongly correlated state of ultracold paired fermions. The extended wavefunction of the Rydberg electron induces a finite-range potential that can bind atoms from the BCS medium, forming molecular states. As a consequence, the optical absorption spectrum of the impurity encodes key many-body properties. Using the functional determinant approach, we provide a direct measure of the superfluid gap through frequency shifts of dimer and trimer peaks. The spectra also reveal whether the Cooper pairs are broken or trapped intact. For static Rydberg atoms, we relate this signature of pairing to the suppression of the orthogonality catastrophe due to the superconducting gap resulting in the formation of well-defined polaron quasiparticles. Our work establishes Rydberg atom spectroscopy as a powerful local probe of strongly correlated matter.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Mass-gap description of heavy impurities in Fermi gases

We present a unified theory that connects the quasiparticle picture of Fermi polarons for mobile impurities to the Anderson orthogonality catastrophe for static impurities. By operator reordering of the underlying many-body Hamiltonian, we obtain a modified fermionic dispersion relation that features a recoil-induced energy gap, which we call the `mass gap'. We show that the resulting mean-field Hamiltonian exhibits an in-gap state for finite impurity mass, which takes a key role in Fermi polaron and molecule formation. We identify the mass gap as the microscopic origin of the quasiparticle weight of Fermi polarons and derive a power-law scaling of the weight with the impurity-to-fermion mass ratio. The associated in-gap state is shown to give rise to the emergence of the polaron-to-molecule transition away from the limiting case of the Anderson orthogonality catastrophe in which the transition is absent.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Polarons in atomic gases and two-dimensional semiconductors

In this work we provide a comprehensive review of theoretical and experimental studies of the properties of polarons formed by mobile impurities strongly interacting with quantum many-body systems. We present a unified perspective on the universal concepts and theoretical techniques used to characterize polarons in two distinct platforms, ultracold atomic gases and atomically-thin transition metal dichalcogenides, which are linked by many deep parallels. We review polarons in both fermionic and bosonic environments, highlighting their similarities and differences including the intricate interplay between few- and many-body physics. Various kinds of polarons with long-range interactions or in magnetic backgrounds are discussed, and the theoretical and experimental progress towards understanding interactions between polarons is described. We outline how polaron physics, regarded as the low density limit of quantum mixtures, provides fundamental insights regarding the phase diagram of complex condensed matter systems. Furthermore, we describe how polarons may serve as quantum sensors of many-body physics in complex environments. Our work highlights the open problems, identifies new research directions and provides a comprehensive framework for this rapidly evolving research field.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Subleading logarithmic behavior in the parquet formalism

The Fermi-edge singularity in x-ray absorption spectra of metals is a paradigmatic case of a logarithmically divergent perturbation series. Prior work has thoroughly analyzed the leading logarithmic terms. Here, we investigate the perturbation theory beyond leading logarithms and formulate self-consistent equations to incorporate all leading and next-to-leading logarithmic terms. This parquet solution of the Fermi-edge singularity goes beyond the previous first-order parquet solution and sheds new light on the parquet formalism regarding logarithmic behavior. We present numerical results in the Matsubara formalism and discuss the characteristic power laws. We also show that, within the single-boson exchange framework, multi-boson exchange diagrams are needed already at the leading logarithmic level.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Optical and soft X-ray light-curve analysis during the 2022 eruption of U Scorpii: structural changes in the accretion disk

We present our optical photometric observations of the 2022 eruption of the recurrent nova U Scorpii (U Sco) using 49,152 data points over 70 d following the optical peak. We have also analyzed its soft X-ray (0.3--1 keV) light curve by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. During the 2022 eruption, the optical plateau stage started 13.8--15.0 d and ended 23.8--25.0 d after the optical peak. The soft X-ray stage started 14.6--15.3 d and ended 38.7--39.5 d after the optical peak. Both stages started later and had shorter durations, and the soft X-ray light curve peaked earlier and was less luminous compared to those during the U Sco 2010 eruption. These points suggest that there were differences in the envelope mass between the different cycles of the nova eruption. Furthermore, we have analyzed the optical eclipses during the 2022 eruption. The primary eclipse was first observed 10.4--11.6 d after the optical peak, earlier than the beginning of the optical plateau stage. This sequence of events can be explained by the receding ejecta photosphere associated with the expanding nova ejecta. We have determined the ingress and egress phases of the primary eclipses and estimated the outer radius of the optical light source centered at the white dwarf (WD). During the optical plateau stage, the source radius remained $\sim$1.2 times larger than the Roche volume radius of the primary WD, being close to the L1 point. When the optical plateau stage ended, the source radius drastically shrank to the tidal truncation radius within a few orbital periods. This previously unresolved phenomenon can be interpreted as a structural change in U Sco where the temporarily expanded accretion disk due to the nova wind returned to a steady state.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Momentum-dependent quasiparticle properties of the Fermi polaron from the functional renormalization group

We study theoretically the lifetimes of attractive and repulsive Fermi polarons, as well as the molecule at finite momentum in three dimensions. To this end, we develop a new technique that allows for the computation of Green's functions in the whole complex frequency plane using exact analytical continuation within the functional renormalization group. The improved numerical stability and reduced computational cost of this method yield access to previously inaccessible momentum-dependent quasiparticle properties of low-lying excited states. While conventional approaches like the non-selfconsistent $T$-matrix approximation method cannot determine these lifetimes, we are able to find the momentum-dependent lifetime at different interaction strengths of both the attractive and repulsive polaron as well as the molecule. At weak coupling our results confirm predictions made from effective Fermi liquid theory regarding the decay of the attractive polaron, and we demonstrate that Fermi liquid-like behavior extends far into the strong-coupling regime where attractive polaron and molecule exhibit a $p^4$ momentum scaling in their decay widths. Our results offer an intriguing insight into the momentum-dependent quasiparticle properties of the Fermi polaron problem, which can be measured using techniques such as Raman transfer and Ramsey interferometry.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

TESS photometry of the nova eruption in V606 Vul: asymmetric photosphere and multiple ejections?

Lightcurves of many classical novae deviate from the canonical "fast rise - smooth decline" pattern and display complex variability behavior. We present the first TESS-space-photometry-based investigation of this phenomenon. We use Sector 41 full-frame images to extract a lightcurve of the slow Galactic nova V606 Vul that erupted nine days prior to the start of the TESS observations. The lightcurve covers the first of two major peaks of V606 Vul that was reached 19 days after the start of the eruption. The nova reached its brightest visual magnitude V=9.9 in its second peak 64 days after the eruption onset, following the completion of Sector 41 observations. To increase the confidence level of the extracted lightcurve, we performed the analysis using four different codes implementing the aperture photometry (Lightkurve, VaST) and image subtraction (TESSreduce, tequila_shots) and find good agreement between them. We performed ground-based photometric and spectroscopic monitoring to complement the TESS data. The TESS lightcurve reveals two features: periodic variations (0.12771 d, 0.01 mag average peak-to-peak amplitude) that disappeared when the source was within 1 mag of peak optical brightness and a series of isolated mini-flares (with peak-to-peak amplitudes of up to 0.5 mag) appearing at seemingly random times. We interpret the periodic variations as the result of azimuthal asymmetry of the photosphere engulfing the nova-hosting binary that was distorted by and rotating with the binary. Whereas we use spectra to associate the two major peaks in the nova lightcurve with distinct episodes of mass ejection, the origin of mini-flares remains elusive.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Superconductivity induced by strong electron-exciton coupling in doped atomically thin semiconductor heterostructures

We study a mechanism to induce superconductivity in atomically thin semiconductors where excitons mediate an effective attraction between electrons. Our model includes interaction effects beyond the paradigm of phonon-mediated superconductivity and connects to the well-established limits of Bose and Fermi polarons. By accounting for the strong-coupling physics of trions, we find that the effective electron-exciton interaction develops a strong frequency and momentum dependence accompanied by the system undergoing an emerging BCS-BEC crossover from weakly bound $s$-wave Cooper pairs to a superfluid of bipolarons. Even at strong-coupling the bipolarons remain relatively light, resulting in critical temperatures of up to 10\% of the Fermi temperature. This renders heterostructures of two-dimensional materials a promising candidate to realize superconductivity at high critical temperatures set by electron doping and trion binding energies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Feshbach Resonances in Exciton-Charge-Carrier Scattering in Semiconductor Bilayers

Feshbach resonances play a vital role in the success of cold atoms investigating strongly-correlated physics. The recent observation of their solid-state analog in the scattering of holes and intralayer excitons in transition metal dichalcogenides [Schwartz et al., Science 374, 336 (2021)] holds compelling promise for bringing fully controllable interactions to the field of semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate how tunneling-induced layer hybridization can lead to the emergence of two distinct classes of Feshbach resonances in atomically thin semiconductors. Based on microscopic scattering theory we show that these two types of Feshbach resonances allow to tune interactions between electrons and both short-lived intralayer, as well as long-lived interlayer excitons. We predict the exciton-electron scattering phase shift from first principles and show that the exciton-electron coupling is fully tunable from strong to vanishing interactions. The tunability of interactions opens the avenue to explore Bose-Fermi mixtures in solid-state systems in regimes that were previously only accessible in cold atom experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗