arXiv subjects

Ruben Verresen

Publications and source records attributed to Ruben Verresen.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Ergodicity-breaking arising from Hilbert space fragmentation in dipole-conserving Hamiltonians

We show that the combination of charge and dipole conservation---characteristic of fracton systems---leads to an extensive fragmentation of the Hilbert space, which in turn can lead to a breakdown of thermalization. As a concrete example, we investigate the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of one-dimensional spin-1 models that conserve charge (total $S^z$) and its associated dipole moment. First, we consider a minimal model including only three-site terms and find that the infinite temperature auto-correlation saturates to a finite value---showcasing non-thermal behavior. The absence of thermalization is identified as a consequence of the strong fragmentation of the Hilbert space into exponentially many invariant subspaces in the local $S^z$ basis, arising from the interplay of dipole conservation and local interactions. Second, we extend the model by including four-site terms and find that this perturbation leads to a weak fragmentation: the system still has exponentially many invariant subspaces, but they are no longer sufficient to avoid thermalization for typical initial states. More generally, for any finite range of interactions, the system still exhibits non-thermal eigenstates appearing throughout the entire spectrum. We compare our results to charge and dipole moment conserving random unitary circuit models for which we reach identical conclusions.

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arXiv2020

Topology and edge states survive quantum criticality between topological insulators

It is often thought that emergent phenomena in topological phases of matter are destroyed when tuning to a critical point. In particular, topologically protected edge states supposedly delocalize when the bulk correlation length diverges. We show that this is not true in general. Edge states of topological insulators or superconductors remain exponentially localized---despite a vanishing band gap---if the transition increases the topological index. This applies to all classes where the topological classification is larger than $Z_2$, notably including Chern insulators. Moreover, these edge states are stable to disorder, unlike in topological semi-metals. This new phenomenon is explained by generalizing band (or mass) inversion---a unifying perspective on topological insulators---to kinetic inversion. In the spirit of the bulk-boundary correspondence, we also identify topological invariants at criticality, which take half-integer values and separate topologically-distinct universality classes by a multi-critical point. This work enlarges the scope of topological protection and stability by showing that bulk energy gaps can be unnecessary. Experimental probes and stability to interactions are discussed.

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arXiv2020

Confined phases of one-dimensional spinless fermions coupled to $Z_2$ gauge theory

We investigate a quantum many-body lattice system of one-dimensional spinless fermions interacting with a dynamical $Z_2$ gauge field. The gauge field mediates long-range attraction between fermions resulting in their confinement into bosonic dimers. At strong coupling we develop an exactly solvable effective theory of such dimers with emergent constraints. Even at generic coupling and fermion density, the model can be rewritten as a local spin chain. Using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group the system is shown to form a Luttinger liquid, indicating the emergence of fractionalized excitations despite the confinement of lattice fermions. In a finite chain we observe the doubling of the period of Friedel oscillations which paves the way towards experimental detection of confinement in this system. We discuss the possibility of a Mott phase at the commensurate filling $2/3$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Asymptotic Correlations in Gapped and Critical Topological Phases of 1D Quantum Systems

Topological phases protected by symmetry can occur in gapped and---surprisingly---in critical systems. We consider non-interacting fermions in one dimension with spinless time-reversal symmetry. It is known that the phases are classified by a topological invariant $ω$ and a central charge $c$. We investigate the correlations of string operators, giving insight into the interplay between topology and criticality. In the gapped phases, these non-local string order parameters allow us to extract $ω$. Remarkably, ratios of correlation lengths are universal. In the critical phases, the scaling dimensions of these operators serve as an order parameter, encoding $ω$ and $c$. We derive exact asymptotics of these correlation functions using Toeplitz determinant theory. We include physical discussion, e.g., relating lattice operators to the conformal field theory. Moreover, we discuss the dual spin chains. Using the aforementioned universality, the topological invariant of the spin chain can be obtained from correlations of local observables.

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arXiv2019

Stable Luttinger liquids and emergent $U(1)$ symmetry in constrained quantum chains

We explore the effect of local constraints on one-dimensional bosonic and fermionic ground state phases. Motivated by recent experiments on Rydberg chains, we constrain the occupation of neighboring sites in known phases of matter. Starting from Kitaev's topological superconductor wire, we find that a soft constraint induces a stable gapless Luttinger liquid phase. While Luttinger and Fermi liquids are usually unstable to superconducting proximity effects, the constraint suppresses pair creations, allowing for an emergent $U(1)$ symmetry and gaplessness. We substantiate this intuitive picture using field theoretical and Bethe ansatz methods. In particular, in the hard constraint limit, the model is explicitly $U(1)$-symmetric and integrable. For the corresponding spin-$1/2$ chains related by a Jordan-Wigner transformation, the Luttinger liquid is stabilized by the $\mathbb Z_2$ spin flip symmetry. Longer-range constraints stabilize gapless phases even without $\mathbb Z_2$ symmetry, connecting to the seminal work by Fendley, Sengupta and Sachdev [Physical Review B 69, 075106 (2004)], clarifying how the gapless floating phase observed therein can be vastly extended.

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arXiv2018

Strong quantum interactions prevent quasiparticle decay

Quantum states of matter---such as solids, magnets and topological phases---typically exhibit collective excitations---phonons, magnons, anyons. These involve the motion of many particles in the system, yet, remarkably, act like a single emergent entity---a quasiparticle. Known to be long-lived at the lowest energies, common wisdom says that quasiparticles become unstable when they encounter the inevitable continuum of many-particle excited states at high energies. Whilst correct for weak interactions, we show that this is far from the whole story: strong interactions generically stabilise quasiparticles by pushing them out of the continuum. This general mechanism is straightforwardly illustrated in an exactly solvable model. Using state-of-the-art numerics, we find it at work also in the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ triangular lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (TLHAF) near the isotropic point---this is surprising given the common expectation of magnon decay in this paradigmatic frustrated magnet. Turning to existing experimental data, we identify the detailed phenomenology of avoided decay in the TLHAF material Ba$_3$CoSb$_2$O$_9$, and even in liquid helium---one of the earliest instances of quasiparticle decay. Our work unifies various phenomena above the universal low-energy regime in a comprehensive description. This broadens our window of understanding of many-body excitations, and provides a new perspective for controlling and stabilising quantum matter in the strongly-interacting regime.

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arXiv2018

Quantum Dynamics of the Square-Lattice Heisenberg Model

Despite nearly a century of study of the $S=1/2$ Heisenberg model on the square lattice, there is still disagreement on the nature of its high-energy excitations. By tuning toward the Heisenberg model from the exactly soluble Ising limit, we find that the strongly attractive magnon interactions of the latter naturally account for a number of spectral features of the Heisenberg model. This claim is backed up both numerically and analytically. Using the density matrix renormalization group method, we obtain the dynamical structure factor for a cylindrical geometry, allowing us to continuously connect both limits. Remarkably, a semi-quantitative description of certain observed features arises already at the lowest non-trivial order in perturbation theory around the Ising limit. Moreover, our analysis uncovers that high-energy magnons are localized on a single sublattice, which is related to the entanglement properties of the ground state.

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arXiv2018

Topology and edge modes in quantum critical chains

We show that topology can protect exponentially localized, zero energy edge modes at critical points between one-dimensional symmetry protected topological phases. This is possible even without gapped degrees of freedom in the bulk ---in contrast to recent work on edge modes in gapless chains. We present an intuitive picture for the existence of these edge modes in the case of non-interacting spinless fermions with time reversal symmetry (BDI class of the tenfold way). The stability of this phenomenon relies on a topological invariant defined in terms of a complex function, counting its zeros and poles inside the unit circle. This invariant can prevent two models described by the \emph{same} conformal field theory (CFT) from being smoothly connected. A full classification of critical phases in the non-interacting BDI class is obtained: each phase is labeled by the central charge of the CFT, $c \in \frac{1}{2}\mathbb N$, and the topological invariant, $ω\in \mathbb Z$. Moreover, $c$ is determined by the difference in the number of edge modes between the phases neighboring the transition. Numerical simulations show that the topological edge modes of critical chains can be stable in the presence of interactions and disorder.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

One-Dimensional Symmetry Protected Topological Phases and their Transitions

We present a unified perspective on symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases in one dimension and address the open question of what characterizes their phase transitions. In the first part of this work we use symmetry as a guide to map various well-known fermionic and spin SPTs to a Kitaev chain with coupling of range $α\in \mathbb Z$. This unified picture uncovers new properties of old models --such as how the cluster state is the fixed point limit of the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki state in disguise-- and elucidates the connection between fermionic and bosonic phases --with the Hubbard chain interpolating between four Kitaev chains and a spin chain in the Haldane phase. In the second part, we study the topological phase transitions between these models in the presence of interactions. This leads us to conjecture that the critical point between any SPT with $d$-dimensional edge modes and the trivial phase has a central charge $c \geq \log_2 d$. We analytically verify this for many known transitions. This agrees with the intuitive notion that the phase transition is described by a delocalized edge mode, and that the central charge of a conformal field theory is a measure of the gapless degrees of freedom.

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arXiv2017

Dynamics of the Kitaev-Heisenberg Model

We introduce a matrix-product state based method to efficiently obtain dynamical response functions for two-dimensional microscopic Hamiltonians, which we apply to different phases of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model. We find significant broad high energy features beyond spin-wave theory even in the ordered phases proximate to spin liquids. This includes the phase with zig-zag order of the type observed in $α$-RuCl$_3$, where we find high energy features like those seen in inelastic neutron scattering experiments. Our results provide an example of a natural path for proximate spin liquid features to arise at high energies above a conventionally ordered state, as the diffuse remnants of spin-wave bands intersect to yield a broad peak at the Brillouin zone center.

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