arXiv subjects

Stefan Teufel

Publications and source records attributed to Stefan Teufel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Justifying Kubo's formula for gapped systems at zero temperature: a brief review and some new results

We first review the problem of a rigorous justification of Kubo's formula for transport coefficients in gapped extended Hamiltonian quantum systems at zero temperature. In particular, the theoretical understanding of the quantum Hall effect rests on the validity of Kubo's formula for such systems, a connection that we review briefly as well. We then highlight an approach to linear response theory based on non-equilibrium almost-stationary states (NEASS) and on a corresponding adiabatic theorem for such systems that was recently proposed and worked out by one of us in [51] for interacting fermionic systems on finite lattices. In the second part of our paper we show how to lift the results of [51] to infinite systems by taking a thermodynamic limit.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

Time Evolution of Typical Pure States from a Macroscopic Hilbert Subspace

We consider a macroscopic quantum system with unitarily evolving pure state $ψ_t\in \mathcal{H}$ and take it for granted that different macro states correspond to mutually orthogonal, high-dimensional subspaces $\mathcal{H}_ν$ (macro spaces) of $\mathcal{H}$. Let $P_ν$ denote the projection to $\mathcal{H}_ν$. We prove two facts about the evolution of the superposition weights $\|P_νψ_t\|^2$: First, given any $T>0$, for most initial states $ψ_0$ from any particular macro space $\mathcal{H}_μ$ (possibly far from thermal equilibrium), the curve $t\mapsto \|P_νψ_t\|^2$ is approximately the same (i.e., nearly independent of $ψ_0$) on the time interval $[0,T]$. And second, for most $ψ_0$ from $\mathcal{H}_μ$ and most $t\in[0,\infty)$, $\|P_νψ_t\|^2$ is close to a value $M_{μν}$ that is independent of both $t$ and $ψ_0$. The first is an instance of the phenomenon of dynamical typicality observed by Bartsch, Gemmer, and Reimann, and the second modifies, extends, and in a way simplifies the concept, introduced by von Neumann, now known as normal typicality.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Finding spectral gaps in quasicrystals

We present an algorithm for reliably and systematically proving the existence of spectral gaps in Hamiltonians with quasicrystalline order, based on numerical calculations on finite domains. We apply this algorithm to prove that the Hofstadter model on the Ammann-Beenker tiling of the plane has spectral gaps at certain energies, and we are able to prove the existence of a spectral gap where previous numerical results were inconclusive. Our algorithm is applicable to more general systems with finite local complexity and eventually finds all gaps, circumventing an earlier no-go theorem regarding the computability of spectral gaps for general Hamiltonians.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Local stability of ground states in locally gapped and weakly interacting quantum spin systems

Based on a result by Yarotsky (J. Stat. Phys. 118, 2005), we prove that localized but otherwise arbitrary perturbations of weakly interacting quantum spin systems with uniformly gapped on-site terms change the ground state of such a system only locally, even if they close the spectral gap. We call this a strong version of the local perturbations perturb locally (LPPL) principle which is known to hold for much more general gapped systems, but only for perturbations that do not close the spectral gap of the Hamiltonian. We also extend this strong LPPL-principle to Hamiltonians that have the appropriate structure of gapped on-site terms and weak interactions only locally in some region of space. While our results are technically corollaries to a theorem of Yarotsky, we expect that the paradigm of systems with a locally gapped ground state that is completely insensitive to the form of the Hamiltonian elsewhere extends to other situations and has important physical consequences.

math-ph↗

arXiv2020

A new approach to transport coefficients in the quantum spin Hall effect

We investigate some foundational issues in the quantum theory of spin transport, in the general case when the unperturbed Hamiltonian operator $H_0$ does not commute with the spin operator in view of Rashba interactions, as in the typical models for the Quantum Spin Hall effect. A gapped periodic one-particle Hamiltonian $H_0$ is perturbed by adding a constant electric field of intensity $\varepsilon \ll 1$ in the $j$-th direction, and the linear response in terms of a $S$-current in the $i$-th direction is computed, where $S$ is a generalized spin operator. We derive a general formula for the spin conductivity that covers both the choice of the conventional and of the proper spin current operator. We investigate the independence of the spin conductivity from the choice of the fundamental cell (Unit Cell Consistency), and we isolate a subclass of discrete periodic models where the conventional and the proper $S$-conductivity agree, thus showing that the controversy about the choice of the spin current operator is immaterial as far as models in this class are concerned. As a consequence of the general theory, we obtain that whenever the spin is (almost) conserved, the spin conductivity is (approximately) equal to the spin-Chern number. The method relies on the characterization of a non-equilibrium almost-stationary state (NEASS), which well approximates the physical state of the system (in the sense of space-adiabatic perturbation theory) and allows moreover to compute the response of the adiabatic $S$-current as the trace per unit volume of the $S$-current operator times the NEASS. This technique can be applied in a general framework, which includes both discrete and continuum models.

math-ph↗

arXiv2020

Hamiltonians Without Ultraviolet Divergence for Quantum Field Theories

We propose a way of defining Hamiltonians for quantum field theories without any renormalization procedure. The resulting Hamiltonians, called IBC Hamiltonians, are mathematically well-defined (and in particular, ultraviolet finite) without an ultraviolet cut-off such as smearing out the particles over a nonzero radius; rather, the particles are assigned radius zero. These Hamiltonians agree with those obtained through renormalization whenever both are known to exist. We describe explicit examples of IBC Hamiltonians. Their definition, which is best expressed in the particle-position representation of the wave function, involves a kind of boundary condition on the wave function, which we call an interior-boundary condition (IBC). The relevant configuration space is one of a variable number of particles, and the relevant boundary consists of the configurations with two or more particles at the same location. The IBC relates the value (or derivative) of the wave function at a boundary point to the value of the wave function at an interior point (here, in a sector of configuration space corresponding to a lesser number of particles).

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Quantum waveguides with magnetic fields

We study generalised quantum waveguides in the presence of moderate and strong external magnetic fields. Applying recent results on the adiabatic limit of the connection Laplacian we show how to construct and compute effective Hamiltonians that allow, in particular, for a detailed spectral analysis of magnetic waveguide Hamiltonians. We apply our general construction to a number of explicit examples, most of which are not covered by previous results.

math-ph↗

arXiv2019

Effective non-adiabatic Hamiltonians for the quantum nuclear motion over coupled electronic states

The quantum mechanical motion of the atomic nuclei is considered over a single- or a multi-dimensional subspace of electronic states which is separated by a gap from the rest of the electronic spectrum over the relevant range of nuclear configurations. The electron-nucleus Hamiltonian is block-diagonalized up to $\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon^{n+1})$ through a unitary transformation of the electronic subspace and the corresponding $n$th-order effective Hamiltonian is derived for the quantum nuclear motion. Explicit but general formulae are given for the second- and the third-order corrections. As a special case, the second-order Hamiltonian corresponding to an isolated electronic state is recovered which contains the coordinate-dependent mass-correction terms in the nuclear kinetic energy operator. For a multi-dimensional, explicitly coupled electronic band, the second-order Hamiltonian contains the usual BO terms and non-adiabatic corrections but generalized mass-correction terms appear as well. These, earlier neglected terms, perturbatively account for the outlying (discrete and continuous) electronic states not included in the explicitly coupled electronic subspace.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2019

Interior-Boundary Conditions for Many-Body Dirac Operators and Codimension-1 Boundaries

We are dealing with boundary conditions for Dirac-type operators, i.e., first order differential operators with matrix-valued coefficients, including in particular physical many-body Dirac operators. We characterize (what we conjecture is) the general form of reflecting boundary conditions (which includes known boundary conditions such as the one of the MIT bag model) and, as our main goal, of interior-boundary conditions (IBCs). IBCs are a new approach to defining UV-regular Hamiltonians for quantum field theories without smearing particles out or discretizing space. For obtaining such Hamiltonians, the method of IBCs provides an alternative to renormalization and has been successfully used so far in non-relativistic models, where it could be applied also in cases in which no renormalization method was known. A natural next question about IBCs is how to set them up for the Dirac equation, and here we take first steps towards the answer. For quantum field theories, the relevant boundary consists of the surfaces in $n$-particle configuration space $\mathbb{R}^{3n}$ on which two particles have the same location in $\mathbb{R}^3$. While this boundary has codimension 3, we focus here on the more basic situation in which the boundary has codimension 1 in configuration space. We describe specific examples of IBCs for the Dirac equation, we prove for some of these examples that they rigorously define self-adjoint Hamiltonians, and we develop the general form of IBCs for Dirac-type operators.

math-ph↗

arXiv2019

Non-equilibrium almost-stationary states and linear response for gapped quantum systems

We prove the validity of linear response theory at zero temperature for perturbations of gapped Hamiltonians describing interacting fermions on a lattice. As an essential innovation, our result requires the spectral gap assumption only for the unperturbed Hamiltonian and applies to a large class of perturbations that close the spectral gap. Moreover, we prove formulas also for higher order response coefficients. Our justification of linear response theory is based on a novel extension of the adiabatic theorem to situations where a time-dependent perturbation closes the gap. According to the standard version of the adiabatic theorem, when the perturbation is switched on adiabatically and as long as the gap does not close, the initial ground state evolves into the ground state of the perturbed operator. The new adiabatic theorem states that for perturbations that are either slowly varying potentials or small quasi-local operators, once the perturbation closes the gap, the adiabatic evolution follows non-equilibrium almost-stationary states (NEASS) that we construct explicitly.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Derivation of the 1d Gross-Pitaevskii equation from the 3d quantum many-body dynamics of strongly confined bosons

We consider the dynamics of $N$ interacting bosons initially forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. Due to an external trapping potential, the bosons are strongly confined in two dimensions, where the transverse extension of the trap is of order $\varepsilon$. The non-negative interaction potential is scaled such that its range and its scattering length are both of order $(N/\varepsilon^2)^{-1}$, corresponding to the Gross-Pitaevskii scaling of a dilute Bose gas. We show that in the simultaneous limit $N\rightarrow\infty$ and $\varepsilon\rightarrow 0$, the dynamics preserve condensation and the time evolution is asymptotically described by a Gross-Pitaevskii equation in one dimension. The strength of the nonlinearity is given by the scattering length of the unscaled interaction, multiplied with a factor depending on the shape of the confining potential. For our analysis, we adapt a method by Pickl to the problem with dimensional reduction and rely on the derivation of the one-dimensional NLS equation for interactions with softer scaling behaviour.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Adiabatic currents for interacting electrons on a lattice

We prove an adiabatic theorem for general densities of observables that are sums of local terms in finite systems of interacting fermions, without periodicity assumptions on the Hamiltonian and with error estimates that are uniform in the size of the system. Our result provides an adiabatic expansion to all orders, in particular, also for initial data that lie in eigenspaces of degenerate eigenvalues. Our proof is based on ideas from a recent work of Bachmann et al. who proved an adiabatic theorem for interacting spin systems. As one important application of this adiabatic theorem, we provide the first rigorous derivation of the so-called linear response formula for the current density induced by an adiabatic change of the Hamiltonian of a system of interacting fermions in a ground state, with error estimates uniform in the system size. We also discuss the application to quantum Hall systems.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Bohmian Trajectories for Hamiltonians with Interior-Boundary Conditions

Recently, there has been progress in developing interior-boundary conditions (IBCs) as a technique of avoiding the problem of ultraviolet divergence in non-relativistic quantum field theories while treating space as a continuum and electrons as point particles. An IBC can be expressed in the particle-position representation of a Fock vector $ψ$ as a condition on the values of $ψ$ on the set of collision configurations, and the corresponding Hamiltonian is defined on a domain of vectors satisfying this condition. We describe here how Bohmian mechanics can be extended to this type of Hamiltonian. In fact, part of the development of IBCs was inspired by the Bohmian picture. Particle creation and annihilation correspond to jumps in configuration space; the annihilation is deterministic and occurs when two particles (of the appropriate species) meet, whereas the creation is stochastic and occurs at a rate dictated by the demand for the equivariance of the $|ψ|^2$ distribution, time reversal symmetry, and the Markov property. The process is closely related to processes known as Bell-type quantum field theories.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Particle Creation at a Point Source by Means of Interior-Boundary Conditions

We consider a way of defining quantum Hamiltonians involving particle creation and annihilation based on an interior-boundary condition (IBC) on the wave function, where the wave function is the particle-position representation of a vector in Fock space, and the IBC relates (essentially) the values of the wave function at any two configurations that differ only by the creation of a particle. Here we prove, for a model of particle creation at one or more point sources using the Laplace operator as the free Hamiltonian, that a Hamiltonian can indeed be rigorously defined in this way without the need for any ultraviolet regularization, and that it is self-adjoint. We prove further that introducing an ultraviolet cut-off (thus smearing out particles over a positive radius) and applying a certain known renormalization procedure (taking the limit of removing the cut-off while subtracting a constant that tends to infinity) yields, up to addition of a finite constant, the Hamiltonian defined by the IBC.

math-ph↗

arXiv2017

Wannier functions and Z_2 invariants in time-reversal symmetric topological insulators

We provide a constructive proof of exponentially localized Wannier functions and related Bloch frames in 1- and 2-dimensional time-reversal symmetric (TRS) topological insulators. The construction is formulated in terms of periodic TRS families of projectors (corresponding, in applications, to the eigenprojectors on an arbitrary number of relevant energy bands), and is thus model-independent. The possibility to enforce also a TRS constraint on the frame is investigated. This leads to a topological obstruction in dimension 2, related to $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological phases. We review several proposals for $\mathbb{Z}_2$ indices that distinguish these topological phases, including the ones by Fu--Kane [Phys. Rev. B 74 (2006), 195312], Prodan [Phys. Rev. B 83 (2011), 235115], Graf--Porta [Commun. Math. Phys. 324 (2013), 851] and Fiorenza--Monaco--Panati [Commun. Math. Phys., in press]. We show that all these formulations are equivalent. In particular, this allows to prove a geometric formula for the the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant of 2-dimensional TRS topological insulators, originally indicated in [Phys. Rev. B 74 (2006), 195312], which expresses it in terms of the Berry connection and the Berry curvature.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

The adiabatic limit of Schrödinger operators on fibre bundles

We consider Schrödinger operators $H=-Δ_{g_\varepsilon} + V$ on a fibre bundle $M\stackrelπ{\to}B$ with compact fibres and a metric $g_\varepsilon$ that blows up directions perpendicular to the fibres by a factor ${\varepsilon^{-1}\gg 1}$. We show that for an eigenvalue $λ$ of the fibre-wise part of $H$, satisfying a local gap condition, and every $N\in \mathbb{N}$ there exists a subspace of $L^2(M)$ that is invariant under $H$ up to errors of order $\varepsilon^{N+1}$. The dynamical and spectral features of $H$ on this subspace can be described by an effective operator on the fibre-wise $λ$-eigenspace bundle $\mathcal{E}\to B$, giving detailed asymptotics for $H$.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

The NLS limit for bosons in a quantum waveguide

We consider a system of $N$ bosons confined to a thin waveguide, i.e.\ to a region of space within an $\varepsilon$-tube around a curve in $\mathbb{R}^3$. We show that when taking simultaneously the NLS limit $N\to \infty$ and the limit of strong confinement $\varepsilon\to 0$, the time-evolution of such a system starting in a state close to a Bose-Einstein condensate is approximately captured by a non-linear Schrödinger equation in one dimension. The strength of the non-linearity in this Gross-Pitaevskii type equation depends on the shape of the cross-section of the waveguide, while the "bending" and the "twisting" of the waveguide contribute potential terms. Our analysis is based on an approach to mean-field limits developed by Pickl.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Peierls substitution for magnetic Bloch bands

We consider the Schrödinger operator in two dimensions with a periodic potential and a strong constant magnetic field perturbed by slowly varying non-periodic scalar and vector potentials, $ϕ(εx)$ and $A(εx)$, for $ε\ll 1$. For each isolated family of magnetic Bloch bands we derive an effective Hamiltonian that is unitarily equivalent to the restriction of the Schrödinger operator to a corresponding almost invariant subspace. At leading order, our effective Hamiltonian can be interpreted as the Peierls substitution Hamiltonian widely used in physics for non-magnetic Bloch bands. However, while for non-magnetic Bloch bands the corresponding result is well understood, for magnetic Bloch bands it is not clear how to even define a Peierls substitution Hamiltonian beyond a formal expression. The source of the difficulty is a topological obstruction: magnetic Bloch bundles are generically not trivializable. As a consequence, Peierls substitution Hamiltonians for magnetic Bloch bands turn out to be pseudodifferential operators acting on sections of non-trivial vector bundles over a two-torus, the reduced Brillouin zone. Part of our contribution is the construction of a suitable Weyl calculus for such pseudos. As an application of our results we construct a new family of canonical one-band Hamiltonians $H^B_{θ,q}$ for magnetic Bloch bands with Chern number $θ\in \mathbb{Z}$ that generalizes the Hofstadter model $H^B_{\rm Hof} = H^B_{0,1}$ for a single non-magnetic Bloch band. It turns out that $H^B_{θ,q}$ is isospectral to $H^{q^2B}_{\rm Hof}$ for any $θ$ and all spectra agree with the Hofstadter spectrum depicted in his famous black and white butterfly. However, the resulting Chern numbers of subbands, corresponding to Hall conductivities, depend on $θ$ and $q$, and thus the models lead to different colored butterflies.

math-ph↗