arXiv subjects

William Witczak-Krempa

Publications and source records attributed to William Witczak-Krempa.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Dirac quantum criticality and the web of dualities

We grow the web of dualities for conformal field theories (CFTs) in 2+1 spacetime dimensions to include quantum critical transitions of Dirac fermions. Our construction uses the seed duality, equating a free Dirac fermion with a complex boson coupled to a Chern-Simons gauge field, to express various Gross-Neveu-Yukawa (GNY) critical points of N fermions in terms of the same number of complex bosons and partner gauge fields. In some instances, monopole operators appear explicitly in the dual action, such as for the superconducting transition of a single Dirac fermion, which is a CFT with emergent supersymmetry. We match phase diagrams, symmetries and their anomalies. By further gauging certain symmetries, we derive offspring dualities. For example, starting with the duality for the regular GNY transition of 2 Dirac fermions, we arrive at the duality between a Neel-to-VBS deconfined quantum critical point and a gauged-Gross-Neveu transition. Finally, we use a large-N expansion for monopole operators, and compare with known scaling dimensions in the simplest single-flavour GNY transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Full-counting statistics of corner charge fluctuations

Outcomes of measurements are characterized by an infinite family of generalized uncertainties, or cumulants, which provide information beyond the mean and variance of the observable. Here, we investigate the cumulants of a conserved charge in a subregion with corners. We derive nonperturbative relations for the area law, and more interestingly, the angle dependence, showing how it is determined by geometric moments of the correlation function. These hold for translation invariant systems under great generality, including strongly interacting ones. We test our findings by using two-dimensional topological quantum Hall states of bosons and fermions at both integer and fractional fillings. We find that the odd cumulants' shape dependence differs from the even ones. For instance, the third cumulant shows nearly universal behavior for integer and fractional Laughlin Hall states in the lowest Landau level. Furthermore, we examine the relation between even cumulants and the Rényi entanglement entropy, where we use new results for the fractional state at filling 1/3 to compare these quantities in the strongly interacting regime. We discuss the implications of these findings for other systems, including gapless Dirac fermions, and more general conformal field theories.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Phonons behave like Electrons in the Thermal Hall Effect of the Cuprates

The thermal Hall effect, which arises when heat flows transverse to an applied thermal gradient, has become an important observable in the study of quantum materials. Recent experiments found a large thermal Hall conductivity $κ_{xy}$ in many high-temperature cuprate superconductors, including deep inside the Mott insulator, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we uncover a surprising linear temperature dependence for the inverse thermal Hall resistivity, $1/ρ_H=-κ_{xx}^2/κ_{xy}$, in the Mott insulating cuprates $\mathrm{La_2CuO_4}$ and $\mathrm{Sr_2CuO_2Cl_2}$. We also find this linear scaling in the pseudogap state of Nd-LSCO in the out-of-plane direction, highlighting the importance of phonons. On the electron-doped side, the linear inverse thermal Hall signal emerges in NCCO and PCCO at various dopings, including in the strange metal. Although such dependence arises in the simple Drude model for itinerant electrons, its origin is unclear in strongly correlated Mott insulating or pseudogap states. We perform a Boltzmann analysis for phonons that incorporates skew-scattering, and we are able to identify regimes where a linear $T$ inverse Hall resistivity appears. Finally, we suggest future experiments that would further our fundamental understanding of heat transport in the cuprates, and other quantum materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Evidence for 3d bosonization from monopole operators

We give evidence for 3d bosonization in Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) by computing monopole operator scaling dimensions in 2+1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED3) with Chern-Simons level $k$ and $N$ complex bosons in a large $N,k$ expansion. We first consider the $k=0$ case, where we show that scaling dimensions previously computed to subleading order in $1/N$ can be extrapolated to $N=1$ and matched to $O(2)$ Wilson-Fisher CFT scaling dimensions with around 5\% error, which is evidence for particle-vortex duality. We then generalize the subleading calculation to large $N,k$ and fixed $k/N$, extrapolate to $N=k=1$, and consider monopole operators that are conjectured to be dual to non-degenerate scalar operators in a theory of a single Dirac fermion. We find matches typically with 1\% error or less, which is strong evidence of this so-called `seed' duality that implies a web of 3d bosonization dualities among CFTs.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Entanglement and separability in continuum Rokhsar-Kivelson states

We study a vast family of continuum Rokhsar-Kivelson (RK) states, which have their groundstate encoded by a local quantum field theory. These describe certain quantum magnets, and are also important in quantum information. We prove the separability of the reduced density matrix of two disconnected subsystems, implying the absence of entanglement between the two subsystems -- a stronger statement than the vanishing of logarithmic negativity. As a particular instance, we investigate the case where the groundstate is described by a relativistic boson, which is relevant for certain magnets or Lifshitz critical points with dynamical exponent $z=2$, and we propose nontrivial deformations that preserve their RK structure. Specializing to 1D systems, we study a deformation that maps the groundstate to the quantum harmonic oscillator, leading to a gap for the boson. We study the resulting correlation functions, and find that cluster decomposition is restored. We analytically compute the $c$-function for the entanglement entropy along a renormalization group flow for the wavefunction, which is found to be strictly decreasing as in CFTs. Finally, we comment on the relations to certain stoquastic quantum spin chains. We show that the Motzkin and Fredkin chains possess unusual entanglement properties not properly captured by previous studies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Relating bulk to boundary entanglement

Quantum many-body systems have a rich structure in the presence of boundaries. We study the groundstates of conformal field theories (CFTs) and Lifshitz field theories in the presence of a boundary through the lens of the entanglement entropy. For a family of theories in general dimensions, we relate the universal terms in the entanglement entropy of the bulk theory with the corresponding terms for the theory with a boundary. This relation imposes a condition on certain boundary central charges. For example, in $2+1$ dimensions, we show that the corner-induced logarithmic terms of free CFTs and certain Lifshitz theories are simply related to those that arise when the corner touches the boundary. We test our findings on the lattice, including a numerical implementation of Neumann boundary conditions. We also propose an ansatz, the boundary Extensive Mutual Information model, for a CFT with a boundary whose entanglement entropy is purely geometrical. This model shows the same bulk-boundary connection as Dirac fermions and certain supersymmetric CFTs that have a holographic dual. Finally, we discuss how our results can be generalized to all dimensions as well as to massive quantum field theories.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Entanglement of skeletal regions

The entanglement entropy (EE) encodes key properties of quantum many-body systems. It is usually calculated for subregions of finite volume (or area in 2d). In this work, we study the EE of skeletal regions that have \textit{no} volume, such as a line in 2d. We show that skeletal entanglement displays new behavior compared to its bulk counterpart, and leads to distinct universal quantities. We provide non-perturbative bounds for the skeletal area-law coefficient of a large family of quantum states. We then explore skeletal scaling for the toric code, conformal bosons and Dirac fermions, Lifshitz critical points, and Fermi liquids. We discover signatures including skeletal topological EE, novel corner terms, and strict area-law scaling for metals. These findings suggest that skeletal entropy serves as a measure for the range of entanglement. We discuss the possibility of a continuum description involving the fusion of defect operators. Finally, we outline open questions relating to other systems, and measures such as the logarithmic negativity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Emergent tracer dynamics in constrained quantum systems

We show how the tracer motion of tagged, distinguishable particles can effectively describe transport in various homogeneous quantum many-body systems with constraints. We consider systems of spinful particles on a one-dimensional lattice subjected to constrained spin interactions, such that some or even all multipole moments of the effective spin pattern formed by the particles are conserved. On the one hand, when all moments - and thus the entire spin pattern - are conserved, dynamical spin correlations reduce to tracer motion identically, generically yielding a subdiffusive dynamical exponent $z=4$. This provides a common framework to understand the dynamics of several constrained lattice models, including models with XNOR or $tJ_z$ - constraints. We consider random unitary circuit dynamics with such a conserved spin pattern and use the tracer picture to obtain exact expressions for their late-time dynamical correlations. Our results can also be extended to integrable quantum many-body systems that feature a conserved spin pattern but whose dynamics is insensitive to the pattern, which includes for example the folded XXZ spin chain. On the other hand, when only a finite number of moments of the pattern are conserved, the dynamics is described by a convolution of the internal hydrodynamics of the spin pattern with a tracer distribution function. As a consequence, we find that the tracer universality is robust in generic systems if at least the quadrupole moment of the pattern remains conserved. In cases where only total magnetization and dipole moment of the pattern are constant, we uncover an intriguing coexistence of two processes with equal dynamical exponent but different scaling functions, which we relate to phase coexistence at a first order transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Anomalous dimensions of monopole operators at the transitions between Dirac and topological spin liquids

Monopole operators are studied in a large family of quantum critical points between Dirac and topological quantum spin liquids (QSLs): chiral and Z$_{2}$ QSLs. These quantum phase transitions are described by conformal field theories (CFTs): quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions with 2N flavors of two-component massless Dirac fermions and a four-fermion interaction. For the transition to a chiral spin liquid, it is the Gross-Neveu interaction (QED$_{3}$-GN), while for the transitions to Z$_{2}$ QSLs it is a superconducting pairing term with general spin/valley structure (generalized QED$_{3}$-Z$_{2}$GN). Using the state-operator correspondence, we obtain monopole scaling dimensions to sub-leading order in 1/N. For monopoles with a minimal topological charge q=1/2, the scaling dimension is 2N*0.26510 at leading-order, with the quantum correction being 0.118911(7) for the chiral spin liquid, and 0.102846(9) for the simplest Z$_{2}$ case (the expression is also given for a general pairing term). Although these two anomalous dimensions are nearly equal, the underlying quantum fluctuations possess distinct origins. The analogous result in QED$_{3}$ is also obtained and we find a sub-leading contribution of -0.038138(5), which differs slightly from the value first obtained in the literature. The scaling dimension of a QED$_{3}$-GN monopole with minimal charge is very close to the scaling dimensions of other operators predicted to be equal by a conjectured duality between QED$_{3}$-GN with 2N=2 flavors and the CP$^{1}$ model. Additionally, non-minimally charged monopoles on both sides of the duality have similar scaling dimensions. By studying the large-q asymptotics of the scaling dimensions in QED$_{3}$, QED$_{3}$-GN, and QED$_{3}$-Z$_{2}$GN we verify that the constant O(q$^{0}$) coefficient precisely matches the universal non-perturbative prediction for CFTs with a global U(1) symmetry.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Excitations and ergodicity of critical quantum spin chains from non-equilibrium classical dynamics

We study a quantum spin-1/2 chain that is dual to the canonical problem of non-equilibrium Kawasaki dynamics of a classical Ising chain coupled to a thermal bath. The Hamiltonian is obtained for the general disordered case with non-uniform Ising couplings. The quantum spin chain (dubbed Ising-Kawasaki) is stoquastic, and depends on the Ising couplings normalized by the bath's temperature. We give its exact ground states. Proceeding with uniform couplings, we study the one- and two-magnon excitations. Solutions for the latter are derived via a Bethe Ansatz scheme. In the antiferromagnetic regime, the two-magnon branch states show intricate behavior, especially regarding their hybridization with the continuum. We find that that the gapless chain hosts multiple dynamics at low energy as seen through the presence of multiple dynamical critical exponents. Finally, we analyze the full energy level spacing distribution as a function of the Ising coupling. We conclude that the system is non-integrable for generic parameters, or equivalently, that the corresponding non-equilibrium classical dynamics are ergodic.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

Possible quantum nematic in a colossal magnetoresistance material

EuB6 has for a long time captured the attention of the physics community, as it shows a ferromagnetic phase transition leading to a insulator the metal transition together with colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). EuB6 has a very low carrier density, which is known to drastically change the interaction between the localized Eu moments and the conduction electrons. One of early triumphs of the quantum theory in condensed matter was the presence of Fermi surface, which is intimately linked to the symmetry of the underlying crystal lattice. This symmetry can be probed by angle resolved magnetoresistance (AMRO) measurements. Here, we present angle resolved magnetoresistance (AMRO) measurements that show a that in EuB6 this symmetry is broken, possibly indicating the presence of a quantum nematic phase. We identify the region in the temperature-magnetic field phase diagram where the magnetoresistance shows two-fold oscillations instead of the expected fourfold pattern. Quantum nematic phases are analogous to classical liquid crystals. Like liquid crystals, which break the rotational symmetry of space, their quantum analogs break the point-group symmetry of the crystal due to strong electron-electron interactions, as in quantum Hall states, Sr3Ru2O7, and high temperature superconductors. This is the same region where magnetic polarons were previously observed, suggesting that they drive the nematicity in EuB6. This is also the region of the phase diagram where EuB6 shows a colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). This novel interplay between magnetic and electronic properties could thus be harnessed for spintronic applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Fractionalized conductivity and emergent self-duality near topological phase transitions

The experimental discovery of the fractional Hall conductivity in two-dimensional electron gases revealed new types of quantum particles, called anyons, which are beyond bosons and fermions as they possess fractionalized exchange statistics. These anyons are usually studied deep inside an insulating topological phase. It is natural to ask whether such fractionalization can be detected more broadly, say near a phase transition from a conventional to a topological phase. To answer this question, we study a strongly correlated quantum phase transition between a topological state, called a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ quantum spin liquid, and a conventional superfluid using large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations. Our results show that the universal conductivity at the quantum critical point becomes a simple fraction of its value at the conventional insulator-to-superfluid transition. Moreover, a dynamically self-dual optical conductivity emerges at low temperatures above the transition point, indicating the presence of the elusive vison particles. Our study opens the door for the experimental detection of anyons in a broader regime, and has ramifications in the study of quantum materials, programmable quantum simulators, and ultra-cold atomic gases. In the latter case, we discuss the feasibility of measurements in optical lattices using current techniques.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Modeling multiorbital effects in Sr2IrO4 under strain and a Zeeman field

We present a comprehensive study of a three-orbital lattice model suitable for the layered iridate Sr2IrO4. Our analysis includes various on-site interactions (including Hubbard and Hund's) as well as compressive strain, and a Zeeman magnetic field. We use a self-consistent mean field approach with multiple order parameters to characterize the resulting phases. While in some parameter regimes the compound is well described by an effective J=1/2 model, in other regimes the full multiorbital description is needed. As a function of the compressive strain, we uncover two quantum phase transitions: first a continuous metal-insulator transition, and subsequently a first order magnetic melting of the antiferromagnetic order. Crucially, bands of both J=1/2 and J=3/2 nature play important roles in these transitions. Our results qualitatively agree with experiments of Sr2IrO4 under strain induced by a substrate, and motivate the study of higher strains.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Cornering the universal shape of fluctuations

Understanding the fluctuations of observables is one of the main goals in science, be it theoretical or experimental, quantum or classical. We investigate such fluctuations when only a subregion of the full system can be observed, focusing on geometries with sharp corners. We report that the dependence on the opening angle is super-universal: up to a numerical prefactor, this function does not depend on anything, provided the system under study is uniform, isotropic, and correlations do not decay too slowly. The prefactor contains important physical information: we show in particular that it gives access to the long-wavelength limit of the structure factor. We illustrate our findings with several examples, including fractional quantum Hall states, scale invariant quantum critical theories, and metals. Finally, we discuss connections with quantum entanglement, extensions to three dimensions, as well as experiments to probe the geometry of fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Monopole hierarchy in transitions out of a Dirac spin liquid

Quantum spin liquids host novel emergent excitations, such as monopoles of an emergent gauge field. Here, we study the hierarchy of monopole operators that emerges at quantum critical points (QCPs) between a two-dimensional Dirac spin liquid and various ordered phases. This is described by a confinement transition of quantum electrodynamics in two spatial dimensions (QED3 Gross-Neveu theories). Focusing on a spin ordering transition, we get the scaling dimension of monopoles at leading order in a large-N expansion, where 2N is the number of Dirac fermions, as a function of the monopole's total magnetic spin. Monopoles with a maximal spin have the smallest scaling dimension while monopoles with a vanishing magnetic spin have the largest one, the same as in pure QED3. The organization of monopoles in multiplets of the QCP's symmetry group SU(2) x SU(N) is shown for general N.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Impurities in 3D quadratic band-touching Luttinger semimetals : Friedel and RKKY oscillations

We investigate the response of 3D Luttinger semimetals to localized charge and spin impurities as a function of doping. The strong spin-orbit coupling of these materials strongly influences the Friedel oscillations and RKKY interactions. This can be seen at short distances with an $1/r^4$ divergence of the responses, and anisotropic behavior. Certain of the spin-orbital signatures are robust to temperature, even if the charge and spin oscillations are smeared out, and give an unusual diamagnetic Pauli susceptibility. We compare our results to the experimental literature on the bismuth-based half-Heuslers such as YPtBi and on the pyrochlore iridate Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Geometric entanglement in integer quantum Hall states

We study the quantum entanglement structure of integer quantum Hall states via the reduced density matrix of spatial subregions. In particular, we examine the eigenstates, spectrum and entanglement entropy (EE) of the density matrix for various ground and excited states, with or without mass anisotropy. We focus on an important class of regions that contain sharp corners or cusps, leading to a geometric angle-dependent contribution to the EE. We unravel surprising relations by comparing this corner term at different fillings. We further find that the corner term, when properly normalized, has nearly the same angle dependence as numerous conformal field theories (CFTs) in two spatial dimensions, which hints at a broader structure. In fact, the Hall corner term is found to obey bounds that were previously obtained for CFTs. In addition, the low-lying entanglement spectrum and the corresponding eigenfunctions reveal "excitations" localized near corners. Finally, we present an outlook for fractional quantum Hall states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Superconductivity from Coulomb repulsion in three-dimensional quadratic band touching Luttinger semimetals

We study superconductivity driven by screened Coulomb repulsion in three-dimensional Luttinger semimetals with a quadratic band touching and strong spin-orbit coupling. In these semimetals, the Cooper pairs are formed by spin-3/2 fermions with non-trivial wavefunctions. We numerically solve the linear Eliashberg equation to obtain the critical temperature of a singlet s-wave gap function as a function of doping, with account of spin-orbit and self-energy corrections. In order to understand the underlying mechanism of superconductivity, we compute the sensitivity of the critical temperature to changes in the dielectric function $ε(iΩ_n,q)$. We relate our results to the plasmon and Kohn-Luttinger mechanisms. Finally, we discuss the validity of our approach and compare our results to the litterature. We find good agreement with some bismuth-based half-Heuslers, such as YPtBi, and speculate on superconductivity in the iridate Pr2Ir2O7.

cond-mat.supr-con↗