arXiv subjects

Th. Jolicoeur

Publications and source records attributed to Th. Jolicoeur.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Spontaneous Breaking of the SU(3) Flavor Symmetry in a Quantum Hall Valley Nematic

Two-dimensional quantum materials can host original electronic phases that arise from the interplay of electronic correlations, symmetry and topology. In particular, the spontaneous breaking of internal symmetry that acts simultaneously on the pseudospin and the spatial degree of freedom realizes a nematic ordering. We report evidence of a quantum Hall valley nematic phase with an underlying SU(3) order parameter space obtained by a spontaneous polarization between the threefold degenerate valley pseudospins in Pb1-xSnxSe quantum wells. In the presence of a Zeeman field, we demonstrate a further control of the nematic ordering with an explicit symmetry breaking. Evidence of both spontaneous and explicit SU(3) symmetry breaking, reminiscent of the quark flavor paradigm, is of fundamental interest to shape the many body physics in a SU(3) system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Creation and dynamics of spin fluctuations in a noisy magnetic field

We theoretically and numerically investigate the spin fluctuations induced in a thermal atomic ensemble by an external fluctuating uniaxial magnetic field, in the context of a standard spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) experiment. We show that additional spin noise is excited, which dramatically depends on the magnetic noise variance and bandwidth, as well as on the power of the probe light and its polarization direction. We develop an analytical perturbative model proving that this spin noise first emerges from the residual optical pumping in the medium, which is then converted into spin fluctuations by the magnetic noise and eventually detected using SNS. The system studied is a spin-1 system, which thus shows both Faraday rotation and ellipticity noises induced by the random magnetic fluctuations. The analytical model gives results in perfect agreement with the numerical simulations, with potential applications in future experimental characterization of stray field properties and their influence on spin dynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

DMRG study of FQHE systems in the open cylinder geometry

The study of the fractional quantum Hall liquid state of two-dimensional electrons requires a non-perturbative treatment of interactions. It is possible to perform exact diagonalizations of the Hamiltonian provided one considers only a small number of electrons in an appropriate geometry. Many insights have been obtained in the past from considering electrons moving on a sphere or on a torus. In the Landau gauge it is also natural to impose periodic boundary conditions in only one direction, the cylinder geometry. The interacting problem now looks formally like a one-dimensional problem that can be attacked by the standard DMRG algorithm. We have studied the efficiency of this algorithm to study the ground state properties of the electron liquid at lowest Landau level filling factor $ν=1/3$ when the interactions are truncated to the two most important repulsive hard-core components. Use of finite-size DMRG allows us to conclude that the ground state is a compressible two-electron bubble phase in agreement with previous Hartree-Fock calculations. We discuss the treatment of Coulomb interactions in the cylinder geometry. To regularize the long-distance behavior of the Coulomb potential, we compare two methods: using a Yukawa potential or forbidding arbitrary long distances by defining the interelectron distance as the chord distance through the cylinder. This allows us to observe the Wigner crystal state for small filling factor.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Highest weight Macdonald and Jack Polynomials

Fractional quantum Hall states of particles in the lowest Landau levels are described by multivariate polynomials. The incompressible liquid states when described on a sphere are fully invariant under the rotation group. Excited quasiparticle/quasihole states are member of multiplets under the rotation group and generically there is a nontrivial highest weight member of the multiplet from which all states can be constructed. Some of the trial states proposed in the literature belong to classical families of symmetric polynomials. In this paper we study Macdonald and Jack polynomials that are highest weight states. For Macdonald polynomials it is a (q,t)-deformation of the raising angular momentum operator that defines the highest weight condition. By specialization of the parameters we obtain a classification of the highest weight Jack polynomials. Our results are valid in the case of staircase and rectangular partition indexing the polynomials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Stability and pairing in quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Fermi mixtures

We consider a mixture of single-component bosonic and fermionic atoms in an array of coupled one-dimensional "tubes". For an attractive Bose-Fermi interaction, we show that the system exhibits phase separation instead of the usual collapse. Moreover, above a critical inter-tube hopping, all first-order instabilities disappear in both attractive and repulsive mixtures. The possibility of suppressing instabilities in this system suggests a route towards the realization of paired phases, including a superfluid of p-wave pairs unique to the coupled-tube system, and quantum critical phenomena.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

On some quantum Hall states with negative flux

Some recently observed fractional quantum Hall states are not easily explained in standard hierarchy/composite fermion schemes. This paper gives a brief introduction to some wavefunctions involving non-Abelian Read-Rezayi states with negative flux that have been proposed as candidates for these new quantum Hall fractions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Pairing in ultracold Fermi gases in the lowest Landau level

We study a rapidly rotating gas of unpolarized spin-1/2 ultracold fermions in the two-dimensional regime when all atoms reside in the lowest Landau level. Due to the presence of the spin degree of freedom both s-wave and p-wave interactions are allowed at ultralow temperatures. We investigate the phase diagram of this system as a function of the filling factor in the lowest Landau level and in terms of the ratio between s- and p-wave interaction strengths. We show that the presence of attractive interactions induces a wide regime of phase separation with formation of maximally compact droplets that are either fully polarized or composed of spin-singlets. In the regime with no phase separation, we give evidence for fractional quantum Hall states. Most notably, we find two distinct singlet states at the filling nu =2/3 for different interactions. One of these states is accounted for by the composite fermion theory while the other one is a paired state for which we identify two competing descriptions with different topological structure. This paired state may be an Abelian liquid of composite spin-singlet Bose molecules with Laughlin correlations. Alternatively, it may be a known non-Abelian paired state, indicated by good overlaps with the corresponding trial wavefunction. By fine tuning of the scattering lengths it is possible to create the non-Abelian critical Haldane-Rezayi state for nu =1/2 and the permanent state of Moore and Read for nu =1. For purely repulsive interactions, we also find evidence for a gapped Halperin state at nu=2/5.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Orbital Landau level dependence of the fractional quantum Hall effect in quasi-two dimensional electron layers: finite-thickness effects

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) in the second orbital Landau level at filling factor 5/2 remains enigmatic and motivates our work. We consider the effect of the quasi-2D nature of the experimental FQH system on a number of FQH states (fillings 1/3, 1/5, 1/2) in the lowest, second, and third Landau levels (LLL, SLL, TLL,) by calculating the overlap, as a function of quasi-2D layer thickness, between the exact ground state of a model Hamiltonian and the consensus variational wavefunctions (Laughlin wavefunction for 1/3 and 1/5 and the Moore-Read Pfaffian wavefunction for 1/2). Using large overlap as a stability, or FQHE robustness, criterion we find the FQHE does not occur in the TLL (for any thickness), is the most robust for zero thickness in the LLL for 1/3 and 1/5 and for 11/5 in the SLL, and is most robust at finite-thickness (4-5 magnetic lengths) in the SLL for the mysterious 5/2 state and the 7/3 state. No FQHE is found at 1/2 in the LLL for any thickness. We examine the orbital effects of an in-plane (parallel) magnetic field finding its application effectively reduces the thickness and could destroy the FQHE at 5/2 and 7/3, while enhancing it at 11/5 as well as for LLL FQHE states. The in-plane field effects could thus be qualitatively different in the LLL and the SLL by virtue of magneto-orbital coupling through the finite thickness effect. In the torus geometry, we show the appearance of the threefold topological degeneracy expected for the Pfaffian state which is enhanced by thickness corroborating our findings from overlap calculations. Our results have ramifications for wavefunction engineering--the possibility of creating an optimal experimental system where the 5/2 FQHE state is more likely described by the Pfaffian state with applications to topological quantum computing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Bridge between Abelian and Non-Abelian Fractional Quantum Hall States

We propose a scheme to construct the most prominent Abelian and non-Abelian fractional quantum Hall states from K-component Halperin wave functions. In order to account for a one-component quantum Hall system, these SU(K) colors are distributed over all particles by an appropriate symmetrization. Numerical calculations corroborate the picture that the proposed scheme allows for a unification of both Abelian and non-Abelian trial wave functions in the study of one-component quantum Hall systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Finite Layer Thickness Stabilizes the Pfaffian State for the 5/2 Fractional Quantum Hall Effect: Wavefunction Overlap and Topological Degeneracy

We find the finite-width, i.e., the layer thickness, of experimental quasi-two dimensional systems produces a physical environment sufficient to stabilize the Moore-Read Pfaffian state thought to describe the fractional quantum Hall effect at filling factor $ν=5/2$. This conclusion is based on exact calculations performed in the spherical and torus geometries, studying wavefunction overlap and ground state degeneracy

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Quantum detection of electronic flying qubits

We consider a model of a detector of ballistic electrons at the edge of a two-dimensional electron gas in the integer quantum Hall regime. The electron is detected by capacitive coupling to a gate which is also coupled to a passive RC circuit. Using a quantum description of this circuit, we determine the signal over noise ratio of the detector in term of the detector characteristics. The back-action of the detector on the incident wavepacket is then computed using a Feynman-Vernon influence functional approach. Using information theory, we define the appropriate notion of quantum limit for such an "on the fly" detector. We show that our particular detector can approach the quantum limit up to logarithms in the ratio of the measurement time over the RC relaxation time. We argue that such a weak logarithmic effect is of no practical significance. Finally we show that a two-electron interference experiment can be used to probe the detector induced decoherence.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

Composite fermion theory of rapidly rotating two-dimensional bosons

Ultracold neutral bosons in a rapidly rotating atomic trap have been predicted to exhibit fractional quantum Hall-like states. We describe how the composite fermion theory, used in the description of the fractional quantum Hall effect for electrons, can be applied to interacting bosons. Numerical evidence supporting the formation of composite fermions, each being the bound state of a boson and one flux quantum, is shown for filling fractions of the type nu=p/(p+1), both by spectral analysis and by direct comparison with trial wave functions. The rapidly rotating system of two-dimensional bosons thus constitutes an interesting example of "statistical transmutation," with bosons behaving like composite fermions. We also describe the difference between the electronic and the bosonic cases when p approaches infinity. Residual interactions between composite fermions are attractive in this limit, resulting in a paired composite-fermion state described by the Moore-Read wave function.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

Parafermionic states in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

We investigate possible parafermionic states in rapidly rotating ultracold bosonic atomic gases at lowest Landau level filling factor nu=k/2. We study how the system size and interactions act upon the overlap between the true ground state and a candidate Read-Rezayi state. We also consider the quasihole states which are expected to display non-Abelian statistics. We numerically evaluate the degeneracy of these states and show agreement with a formula given by E. Ardonne. We compute the overlaps between low-lying exact eigenstates and quasihole candidate wavefunctions. We discuss the validity of the parafermion description as a function of the filling factor.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Tunneling in Fractional Quantum Hall line junctions

We study the tunneling current between two counterpropagating edge modes described by chiral Luttinger liquids when the tunneling takes place along an extended region. We compute this current perturbatively by using a tunnel Hamiltonian. Our results apply to the case of a pair of different two-dimensional electron gases in the fractional quantum Hall regime separated by a barrier, e. g. electron tunneling. We also discuss the case of strong interactions between the edges, leading to nonuniversal exponents even in the case of integer quantum Hall edges. In addition to the expected nonlinearities due to the Luttinger properties of the edges, there are additional interference patterns due to the finite length of the barrier.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2004

Quantum Hall fractions in ultracold atomic vapors

Atomic vapors can be prepared and manipulated at very low densities and temperatures. When they are rotating, they can reach a quantum Hall regime in which there should be manifestations of the fractional quantum Hall effect. We discuss the appearance of the principal sequence of fractions nu =p/(p+- 1) for bosonic atoms. The termination point of this series is the paired Moore-Read Pfaffian state. Exotic states fill the gap between the paired state and the vortex lattice expected at high filling of the lowest Landau level. In fermionic vapors, the p-wave scattering typical of ultralow energy collisions leads to the hard-core model when restricted to the lowest Landau level.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2002

Quantum Hall fractions in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the Quantum Hall phases that appear in the dilute limit of rotating Bose-Einstein condensates. By exact diagonalization in a spherical geometry we obtain the ground-state and low-lying excited states of a small number of bosons as a function of the filling fraction nu, ratio of the number of bosons to the number of vortices. We show the occurrence of the Jain principal sequence of incompressible liquids for nu = 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/3, 5/4 as well as the Pfaffian state for nu =1. The collective excitations for the Jain sequence are well described by a composite-fermion scheme.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2002

Exchange couplings in the magnetic molecular cluster Mn12Ac

The magnetic properties of the molecular cluster Mn12Ac are due to the four Mn3+ ions which have spins S=3/2 and the eight Mn4+ ions with spins S=2. These spins are coupled by superexchange mechanism. We determine the four exchange couplings assuming a Heisenberg-type interaction between the ions. We use exact diagonalization of the spin Hamiltonian by a Lanczos algorithm and we adjust the couplings to reproduce the magnetization curve of Mn12Ac. We also impose the constraint of reproducing a gap of 35K between a S=10 ground state and a first excited state with S=9. We predict that there is an excited level with S=8 at 37K above the ground state, only slightly above the S=9 excited state which lies at 35K and the next excited state is a S=9 multiplet at 67K above the S=10 ground state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2002

Chiral order in spin-S XY chains

We consider the issue of chiral ordering in spin chains for an arbitrary value of the spins S. By use of bosonization according to a scheme developped by H.-J. Schulz, we obtain the phase diagram of the chain with XY exchange between nearest and next-to-nearest neighbors. We obtain a satisfactory picture including a chiral spin nematic phase which is gapless, has long-range chiral order and incommensurate spin correlations. We perform a stability analysis of this phase and point out that this analysis is in conflict with existing DMRG results that shows a difference between integer and half-integer spin case.

cond-mat.str-el↗