arXiv subjects

Steven H. Simon

Publications and source records attributed to Steven H. Simon.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Global Phase Diagram of the Normal State of Twisted Bilayer Graphene

We investigate the full doping and strain-dependent phase diagram of the normal state of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). Using comprehensive Hartree-Fock calculations, we show that at temperatures where superconductivity is absent the global phase structure can be understood based on the competition and coexistence between three types of intertwined orders: a fully symmetric phase, spatially uniform flavor-symmetry-breaking states, and an incommensurate Kekulé spiral (IKS) order. For small strain, the IKS phase, recently proposed as a candidate order at all non-zero integer fillings of the moiré unit cell, is found to be ubiquitous for non-integer doping as well. We demonstrate that the corresponding electronic compressibility and Fermi surface structure are consistent with the 'cascade' physics and Landau fans observed experimentally. This suggests a unified picture of the phase diagram of TBG in terms of IKS order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

The Superconductivity of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ Under $c$-Axis Uniaxial Stress

Applying in-plane uniaxial pressure to strongly correlated low-dimensional systems has been shown to tune the electronic structure dramatically. For example, the unconventional superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ can be tuned through a single Van Hove singularity which results in a strong enhancement of both $T_\text{c}$ and $H_\text{c2}$. Out-of-plane ($c$ axis) uniaxial pressure is expected to tune the quasi-two-dimensional structure even more strongly, causing it to approach two Van Hove singularities simultaneously. Here we achieve a record value of $3.2$ GPa compression along the $c$ axis of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. Although the rise in $H_\text{c2}$ shows that we are indeed approaching the van Hove points, $T_\text{c}$ is suppressed, a result that contradicts expectations based on simple two-dimensional models. As a first attempt to take the third dimension into account, we present three-dimensional calculations in the weak interaction limit, and discuss the extent to which they are consistent with observation. Our experimental results highlight the importance of out-of-plane effects in low-dimensional systems in general and provide new constraints on theories of the pairing interaction in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Skyrmions in twisted bilayer graphene: stability, pairing, and crystallization

We study the excitations that emerge upon doping the translationally-invariant correlated insulating states in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene at various integer filling factors $ν$. We identify parameter regimes where these are associated with skyrmion textures in the spin or pseudospin degrees of freedom, and explore both short-distance pairing effects and the formation of long-range ordered skyrmion crystals. We perform a comprehensive analysis of the pseudospin skyrmions that emerge upon doping insulators at even $ν$, delineating the regime in parameter space where these are the lowest-energy charged excitations by means of self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations on the interacting Bistritzer-MacDonald model. We explicitly demonstrate the purely electron-mediated pairing of skyrmions, a key ingredient behind a recent proposal of skyrmion superconductivity. Building upon this, we construct hopping models to extract the effective masses of paired skyrmions, and discuss our findings and their implications for skyrmion superconductivity in relation to experiments, focusing on the dome-shaped dependence of the transition temperature on the twist angle. We also investigate the properties of spin skyrmions about the quantized anomalous Hall insulator at $ν=+3$. In both cases, we demonstrate the formation of robust spin/pseudospin skyrmion crystals upon doping to a finite density away from integer filling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Kekulé spiral order at all nonzero integer fillings in twisted bilayer graphene

We study magic angle graphene in the presence of both strain and particle-hole symmetry breaking due to non-local inter-layer tunneling. We perform a self-consistent Hartree-Fock study that incorporates these effects alongside realistic interaction and substrate potentials, and explore a comprehensive set of competing orders including those that break translational symmetry at arbitrary wavevectors. We find that at all non-zero integer fillings very small strains, comparable to those measured in scanning tunneling experiments, stabilize a fundamentally new type of time-reversal symmetric and spatially non-uniform order. This order, which we dub the 'incommensurate Kekulé spiral' (IKS) order, spontaneously breaks both the emergent valley-charge conservation and moiré translation symmetries, but preserves a modified translation symmetry $\hat{T}'$ -- which simultaneously shifts the spatial coordinates and rotates the $U(1)$ angle which characterizes the spontaneous inter-valley coherence. We discuss the phenomenological and microscopic properties of this order. We argue that our findings are consistent with all experimental observations reported so far, suggesting a unified explanation of the global phase diagram in terms of the IKS order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Domain wall competition in the Chern insulating regime of twisted bilayer graphene

We consider magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) at filling $ν=+3$, where experiments have observed a robust quantized anomalous Hall effect. This has been attributed to the formation of a valley- and spin-polarized Chern insulating ground state that spontaneously breaks time-reversal symmetry, and is stabilized by a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrate. We identify three different types of domain wall, and study their properties and energetic selection mechanisms via theoretical arguments and Hartree-Fock calculations adapted to deal with inhomogeneous moiré systems. We comment on the implications of these results for transport and scanning probe experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Entanglement Action for the Real-Space Entanglement Spectra of Composite Fermion Wave Functions

We argue and numerically substantiate that the real-space entanglement spectrum (RSES) of composite fermion quantum Hall states is given by the spectrum of a local boundary perturbation of a $(1+1)$d conformal field theory (CFT), which describes an effective edge dynamics along the real-space cut. The cut-and-glue approach suggests that the low-lying RSES is equivalent to the low-lying modes of some effective edge action. The general structure of this action is deduced by mapping to a boundary critical problem, generalizing work of Dubail, Read, and Rezayi [PRB 85, 11531 (2012)]. Using trial wave functions we numerically test our model of the RSES for the $ν= 2/3$ bosonic composite fermion state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

A microscopic Ginzburg--Landau theory and singlet ordering in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$

The long-standing quest to determine the superconducting order of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ (SRO) has received renewed attention after recent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Knight shift experiments have cast doubt on the possibility of spin-triplet pairing in the superconducting state. As a putative solution, encompassing a body of experiments conducted over the years, a $d+ig$-wave order parameter caused by an accidental near-degeneracy has been suggested [S. A. Kivelson et al., npj Quantum Materials $\bf{5}$, 43 (2020)]. Here we develop a general Ginzburg--Landau theory for multiband superconductors. We apply the theory to SRO and predict the relative size of the order parameter components. The heat capacity jump expected at the onset of the second order parameter component is found to be above the current threshold deduced by the experimental absence of a second jump. Our results tightly restrict theories of $d+ig$ order, and other candidates caused by a near-degeneracy, in SRO. We discuss possible solutions to the problem.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

$s$-wave paired composite-fermion electron-hole trial state for quantum Hall bilayers with $ν=1$

We introduce a new variational wavefunction for a quantum Hall bilayer at total filling $ν= 1$, which is based on $s$-wave BCS pairing between composite-fermion electrons in one layer and composite-fermion holes in the other. We compute the overlap of the optimized trial function with the ground state from exact diagonalization calculations of up to 14 electrons in a spherical geometry, and we find excellent agreement over the entire range of values of the ratio between the layer separation and the magnetic length. The trial wavefunction naturally allows for charge imbalance between the layers and provides important insights into how the physics at large interlayer separations crosses over to that at small separations in a fashion analogous to the BEC-BCS crossover.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Exciton band topology in spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall insulators: applications to twisted bilayer graphene

We uncover topological features of neutral particle-hole pair excitations of correlated quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators whose approximately flat conduction and valence bands have equal and opposite non-zero Chern number. Using an exactly solvable model we show that the underlying band topology affects both the center-of-mass and relative motion of particle-hole bound states. This leads to the formation of topological exciton bands whose features are robust to nonuniformity of both the dispersion and the Berry curvature. We apply these ideas to recently-reported broken-symmetry spontaneous QAH insulators in substrate aligned magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Thirty Years of Composite Fermions and Beyond

This chapter appears in "Fractional Quantum Hall Effects: New Development," edited by B. I. Halperin and J. K. Jain (World Scientific, 2020). The chapter begins with a primer on composite fermions, and then reviews three directions that have recently been pursued. It reports on theoretical calculations making detailed quantitative predictions for two sets of phenomena, namely spin polarization transitions and the phase diagram of the crystal. This is followed by the Kohn-Sham density functional theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect. The chapter concludes with recent applications of the parton theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect to certain delicate states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Contrasting lattice geometry dependent versus independent quantities: ramifications for Berry curvature, energy gaps, and dynamics

In the tight-binding description of electronic, photonic, or cold atomic dynamics in a periodic lattice potential, particle motion is described in terms of hopping amplitudes and potentials on an abstract network of discrete sites corresponding to physical orbitals in the lattice. The physical attributes of the orbitals, including their locations in three-dimensional space, are independent pieces of information. In this paper we identify a notion of geometry-independence: any physical quantity or observable that depends only on the tight-binding parameters (and not on the explicit information about the orbital geometry) is said to be "geometry-independent." The band structure itself, and for example the Chern numbers of the bands in a two-dimensional system, are geometry-independent, while the Bloch-band Berry curvature is geometry-dependent. Careful identification of geometry-dependent versus independent quantities can be used as a novel principle for constraining a variety of results. By extending the notion of geometry-independence to certain classes of interacting systems, where the many-body energy gap is evidently geometry-independent, we shed new light on a hypothesized relation between many-body energy gaps of fractional Chern insulators and the uniformity of Bloch band Berry curvature in the Brillouin zone. We furthermore explore the geometry-dependence of semiclassical wave packet dynamics, and use this principle to show how two different types of Hall response measurements may give markedly different results due to the fact that one is geometry-dependent, while the other is geometry-independent. Similar considerations apply for anomalous thermal Hall response, in both electronic and spin systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Transport properties of multilayer graphene

We apply the semi-classical quantum Boltzmann formalism for the computation of transport properties to multilayer graphene. We compute the electrical conductivity as well as the thermal conductivity and thermopower for Bernal-stacked multilayers with an even number of layers. We show that the window for hydrodynamic transport in multilayer graphene is similar to the case of bilayer graphene. We introduce a simple hydrodynamic model which we dub the multi-fluid model and which can be used to reproduce the results for the electrical conductivity and thermopower from the quantum Boltzmann equation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Excitonic fractional quantum Hall hierarchy in Moiré heterostructures

We consider fractional quantum Hall states in systems where two flat Chern number $C=\pm 1$ bands are labeled by an approximately conserved 'valley' index and interchanged by time reversal symmetry. At filling factor $ν=1$ this setting admits an unusual hierarchy of correlated phases of excitons, neutral particle-hole pair excitations of a fully valley-polarized `orbital ferromagnet' parent state where all electrons occupy a single valley. Excitons experience an effective magnetic field due to the Chern numbers of the underlying bands. This obstructs their condensation in favor of a variety of crystalline orders and gapped and gapless liquid states. All these have the same quantized charge Hall response and are electrically incompressible, but differ in their edge structure, orbital magnetization, and hence valley and thermal responses. We explore the relevance of this scenario for Moiré heterostructures of bilayer graphene on a hexagonal boron nitride substrate.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Signatures of the Many-body Localized Regime in Two Dimensions

Lessons from Anderson localization highlight the importance of dimensionality of real space for localization due to disorder. More recently, studies of many-body localization have focussed on the phenomenon in one dimension using techniques of exact diagonalization and tensor networks. On the other hand, experiments in two dimensions have provided concrete results going beyond the previously numerically accessible limits while posing several challenging questions. We present the first large-scale numerical examination of a disordered Bose-Hubbard model in two dimensions realized in cold atoms, which shows entanglement based signatures of many-body localization. By generalizing a low-depth quantum circuit to two dimensions we approximate eigenstates in the experimental parameter regimes for large systems, which is beyond the scope of exact diagonalization. A careful analysis of the eigenstate entanglement structure provides an indication of the putative phase transition marked by a peak in the fluctuations of entanglement entropy in a parameter range consistent with experiments.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2020

Behavior of l-bits near the many-body localization transition

Eigenstates of fully many-body localized (FMBL) systems are described by quasilocal operators $τ_i^z$ (l-bits), which are conserved exactly under Hamiltonian time evolution. The algebra of the operators $τ_i^z$ and $τ_i^x$ associated with l-bits ($\boldsymbolτ_i$) completely defines the eigenstates and the matrix elements of local operators between eigenstates at all energies. We develop a non-perturbative construction of the full set of l-bit algebras in the many-body localized phase for the canonical model of MBL. Our algorithm to construct the Pauli-algebra of l-bits combines exact diagonalization and a tensor network algorithm developed for efficient diagonalization of large FMBL Hamiltonians. The distribution of localization lengths of the l-bits is evaluated in the MBL phase and used to characterize the MBL-to-thermal transition.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2020

Approximating observables on eigenstates of large many-body localized systems

Eigenstates of fully many-body localized (FMBL) systems can be organized into spin algebras based on quasilocal operators called l-bits. These spin algebras define quasilocal l-bit measurement ($τ^z_i$) and l-bit flip ($τ^x_i$) operators. For a disordered Heisenberg spin chain in the MBL regime we approximate l-bit flip operators by finding them exactly on small windows of systems and extending them onto the whole system by exploiting their quasilocal nature. We subsequently use these operators to represent approximate eigenstates. We then describe a method to calculate products of local observables on these eigenstates for systems of size $L$ in $O(L^2)$ time. This algorithm is used to compute the error of the approximate eigenstates.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2019

Superconducting order of $\mathrm{Sr}_2\mathrm{RuO}_4$ from a three-dimensional microscopic model

We compute and compare even- and odd-parity superconducting order parameters of strontium ruthenate ($\mathrm{Sr}_2\mathrm{RuO}_4$) in the limit of weak interactions, resulting from a fully microscopic three-dimensional model including spin-orbit coupling. We find that odd-parity helical and even-parity $d$-wave order are favored for smaller and larger values of the Hund's coupling parameter $J$, respectively. Both orders are found compatible with specific heat data and the recently-reported nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Knight shift drop [A. Pustogow et al. Nature 574, 72 (2019)]. The chiral $p$-wave order, numerically very competitive with helical order, sharply conflicts with the NMR experiment.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Driven quantum dot coupled to a fractional quantum Hall edge

We study a model of a quantum dot coupled to a quantum Hall edge of the Laughlin state, taking into account short-range interactions between the dot and the edge. This system has been studied experimentally in electron quantum optics in the context of single particle sources. We consider driving the dot out of equilibrium by a time-dependent bias voltage. We calculate the resulting current on the edge by applying the Kubo formula to the bosonized Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian of this system can also be mapped to the spin-boson model and in this picture, the current can be perturbatively calculated using the non-interacting blip approximation (NIBA). We show that both methods of solution are in fact equivalent. We present numerics demonstrating that the perturbative approaches capture the essential physics at early times, although they fail to capture the charge quantization (or lack thereof) in the current pulses integrated over long times.

cond-mat.str-el↗