Finite Excitation Energy Research Articles

Helical Topological Superconducting Pairing at Finite Excitation Energies.

We propose helical topological superconductivity away from the Fermi surface in three-dimensional time-reversal-symmetric odd-parity multiband superconductors. In these systems, pairing between electrons originating from different bands is responsible for the corresponding topological phase transition. Consequently, a pair of helical topological Dirac surface states emerges at finite excitation energies. These helical Dirac surface states are tunable in energy by chemical potential and strength of band splitting. They are protected by time-reversal symmetry combined with crystalline twofold rotation symmetry. We suggest concrete materials in which this phenomenon could be observed.

Solitonic excitations in AdS2

We construct large families of supergravity solutions that are asymptotic to AdS2 and terminate with a cap that is singular in two dimensions but smooth in higher dimensions. These solutions break supersymmetry and conformal invariance. We list arguments suggesting that they correspond to finite-energy excitations in empty AdS2 that back-react on the geometry by inducing non-trivial bubbling topology. They are constructed from the novel technique associated with the Ernst formalism for AdSD × \U0001d49e solitons in supergravity [1]. The technique is applied to D = 2 in M-theory with \U0001d49e = S3 × T6. The directions of \U0001d49e degenerate smoothly as a chain of bolts which ends the spacetime in the IR and generates non-supersymmetric bubbles supported by M2-brane flux. Some specific solutions have “flat” directions where the sizes of their bubbles are totally unconstrained and can be arbitrarily tuned while the asymptotics remains fixed. The solitons should correspond to regular non-supersymmetric states of a holographically dual CFT1.

Critical behaviour of the quasi-periodic quantum Ising chain

The interplay of correlated spatial modulation and symmetry breaking leads to quantum critical phenomena intermediate between those of the clean and randomly disordered cases. By performing a detailed analytic and numerical case study of the quasi-periodically (QP) modulated transverse field Ising chain, we provide evidence for the conjectures of reference (Crowley et al 2018 Phys. Rev. Lett. 120 175702) regarding the QP-Ising universality class. In the generic case, we confirm that the logarithmic wandering coefficient w governs both the macroscopic critical exponents and the energy-dependent localisation length of the critical excitations. However, for special values of the phase difference Δ between the exchange and transverse field couplings, the QP-Ising transition has different properties. For Δ = 0, a generalised Aubry–André duality prevents the finite energy excitations from localising despite the presence of logarithmic wandering. For Δ such that the fields and couplings are related by a lattice shift, the wandering coefficient w vanishes. Nonetheless, the presence of small couplings leads to non-trivial exponents and localised excitations. Our results add to the rich menagerie of quantum Ising transitions in the presence of spatial modulation.

Dynamical topological excitations in parafermion chains

Topological excitations in many-body systems are one of the paradigmatic cornerstones of modern condensed matter physics. In particular, parafermions are elusive fractional excitations potentially emerging in fractional quantum Hall-superconductor junctions, and represent one of the major milestones in fractional quantum matter. Here, by using a combination of tensor network and kernel polynomial techniques, we demonstrate the emergence of zero modes and finite energy excitations in many-body parafermion chains. We show the appearance of zero energy modes in the many-body spectral function at the edge of a topological parafermion chain, their relation with the topological degeneracy of the system, and we compare their physics with the Majorana bound states of topological superconductors. We demonstrate the robustness of parafermion topological modes with respect to a variety of perturbations, and we show how weakly coupled parafermion chains give rise to in-gap excitations. Our results exemplify the versatility of tensor network methods for studying dynamical excitations of interacting parafermion chains, and highlight the robustness of topological modes in parafermion models.

Bethe strings in the dynamical structure factor of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg XXX chain

Recently there has been a renewed interest in the spectra and role in dynamical properties of excited states of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain in longitudinal magnetic fields associated with Bethe strings. The latter are bound states of elementary magnetic excitations described by Bethe-ansatz complex non-real rapidities. Previous studies on this problem referred to finite-size systems. Here we consider the thermodynamic limit and study it for the isotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg XXX chain in a longitudinal magnetic field. We confirm that also in that limit the most significant spectral weight contribution from Bethe strings leads to (k,ω)-plane gapped continua in the spectra of the spin dynamical structure factors S+−(k,ω) and Sxx(k,ω)=Syy(k,ω). The contribution of Bethe strings to Szz(k,ω) is found to be small at low spin densities m and to become negligible upon increasing that density above m≈0.317. For S−+(k,ω), that contribution is found to be negligible at finite magnetic field. We derive analytical expressions for the line shapes of S+−(k,ω), Sxx(k,ω)=Syy(k,ω), and Szz(k,ω) valid in the (k,ω)-plane vicinity of singularities located at and just above the gapped lower thresholds of the Bethe-string states's spectra. As a side result and in order to provide an overall physical picture that includes the relative (k,ω)-plane location of all spectra with a significant amount of spectral weight, we revisit the general problem of the line-shape of the transverse and longitudinal spin dynamical structure factors at finite magnetic field and excitation energies in the (k,ω)-plane vicinity of other singularities. This includes those located at and just above the lower thresholds of the spectra that stem from excited states described by only real Bethe-ansatz rapidities.

Nucleon momentum distribution extracted from the experimental scaling function

The connection between the scaling function, directly extracted from the analysis of electron scattering data, and the nuclear spectral function or nuclear momentum density is investigated at depth. The dependence of the scaling function on the two independent variables in the scattering process, the transfer momentum (q) and the scaling variable (y), is taken into account, and the analysis is extended to both, positive and negative y-values, i.e., below and above the center of the quasielastic peak, respectively. Analytical expressions for the derivatives of the scaling function, evaluated at the finite limits of integration dealing with the kinematically allowed region, are connected with the spectral function. Here, contributions corresponding to zero and finite excitation energies are included. The scaling function is described by the Gumbel density distribution, whereas short-range correlations are incorporated in the spectral function by using some simple models. Also different parameterizations for the nucleon momentum distribution, that are compatible with the general properties of the scaling function, have been considered.

Asymmetric fission around lead: The case of Po198

Asymmetric low-energy fission of neutron-deficient nuclei around lead is addressed with the measurement of fragment mass and total kinetic energy properties for the fissioning system $^{198}\mathrm{Po}$ produced in heavy-ion fusion. Interpretation of the measurement for such a transitional nucleus at finite excitation energy is challenging. The presence of asymmetric partitions is suggested by the observed weak dependence of the total kinetic energy on mass and by the nonmonotonic evolution of the fragment-mass distribution width with excitation energy. The interpretation is supported by microscopic model calculations as well as by the results of an advanced semiempirical code. Combined with previous experiments in the region, the present measurement contributes to establish the evolution of the fragment-mass distribution as a function of the fissioning system. The connection between the ``new'' and the ``old'' islands of asymmetric fission is discussed.

Quantum criticality in Ising chains with random hyperuniform couplings

We study quantum phase transitions in transverse-field Ising spin chains in which the couplings are random but hyperuniform, in the sense that their large-scale fluctuations are suppressed. We construct a one-parameter family of disorder models in which long-wavelength fluctuations are increasingly suppressed as a parameter $\alpha$ is tuned. For $\alpha = 0$, one recovers the familiar infinite-randomness critical point. For $0 < \alpha < 1$, we find a line of infinite-randomness critical points with continuously varying critical exponents; however, the Griffiths phases that flank the critical point at $\alpha = 0$ are absent at any $\alpha > 0$. When $\alpha > 1$, randomness is a dangerously irrelevant perturbation at the clean Ising critical point, leading to a state we call the critical Ising insulator. In this state, thermodynamics and equilibrium correlation functions behave as in the clean system. However, all finite-energy excitations are localized, thermal transport vanishes, and autocorrelation functions remain finite in the long-time limit. We characterize this line of hyperuniform critical points using a combination of perturbation theory, renormalization-group methods, and exact diagonalization.

Coupled-wire description of surface ADE topological order

Symmetry-protected and symmetry-enriched topological (SPT/SET) phases in three dimensions are quantum systems that support non-trivial two-dimensional surface states. These surface states develop finite excitation energy gaps when the relevant symmetries are broken. On the other hand, one-dimensional gapless modes can populate along interfaces that separate adjacent gapped surface domains with distinct symmetry-breaking orders. A surface strip pattern in general reduces the low-energy SPT/SET surface degrees of freedom onto a 2D array of gapless 1D channels. These channels can be coupled to one another by quasiparticle tunneling, and these inter-wire interactions collectively provide an effective description of the surface state. In this paper, we study a general class of symmetry-preserving or breaking SPT/SET surface states that admit finite excitation energy gaps and Abelian topological orders via the coupled wire construction. In particular, we focus on the prototype Abelian surface topological orders that fall under the $ADE$ classification of simply-laced Lie algebras. We also elaborate on the emergent symmetry and duality properties of the coupled wire models.

Coupled wire models of interacting Dirac nodal superconductors

Topological nodal superconductors possess gapless low energy excitations that are characterized by point or line nodal Fermi surfaces. In this work, using a coupled wire construction, we study topological nodal superconductors that have protected Dirac nodal points. In this construction, the low-energy electronic degrees of freedom are confined in a three dimensional array of wires, which emerge as pairing vortices of a microscopic superconducting system. The vortex array harbors an antiferromagnetic time-reversal and a mirror glide symmetry that protect the massless Dirac fermion in the single-body non-interacting limit. Within this model, we demonstrate exact-solvable many-body interactions that preserve the underlying symmetries and introduce a finite excitation energy gap. These gapping interactions support fractionalization and generically lead to non-trivial topological order. We also construct a special case of $N=16$ Dirac fermions where corresponding the gapping interaction leads to a trivial $E_8$ topological order that is closely related to the cancellation of the large gravitational anomaly.

Non relativistic limit of integrable QFT with fermionic excitations

The aim of this paper is to investigate the non-relativistic limit of integrable quantum field theories with fermionic fields, such as the O(N) Gross–Neveu model, the supersymmetric Sinh–Gordon and non-linear sigma models. The non-relativistic limit of these theories is implemented by a double scaling limit which consists of sending the speed of light c to infinity and rescaling at the same time the relevant coupling constant of the model in such a way to have finite energy excitations. For the general purpose of mapping the space of continuous non-relativistic integrable models, this paper completes and integrates the analysis done in Bastianello A et al (2016 J. Stat. Mech. 123104) on the non-relativistic limit of purely bosonic theories.

Boundary-induced spin-density waves in linear Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin chains withS≥1

Linear Heisenberg antiferromagnets (HAFs) are chains of spin-$S$ sites with isotropic exchange $J$ between neighbors. Open and periodic boundary conditions return the same ground state energy in the thermodynamic limit, but not the same spin $S_G$ when $S \ge 1$. The ground state of open chains of N spins has $S_G = 0$ or $S$, respectively, for even or odd N. Density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations with different algorithms for even and odd N are presented up to N = 500 for the energy and spin densities $\rho(r,N)$ of edge states in HAFs with $S = 1$, 3/2 and 2. The edge states are boundary-induced spin density waves (BI-SDWs) with $\rho(r,N)\propto(-1)^{r-1}$ for $r=1,2,\ldots N$. The SDWs are in phase when N is odd, out of phase when N is even, and have finite excitation energy $\Gamma(N)$ that decreases exponentially with N for integer $S$ and faster than 1/N for half integer $S$. The spin densities and excitation energy are quantitatively modeled for integer $S$ chains longer than $5 \xi$ spins by two parameters, the correlation length $\xi$ and the SDW amplitude, with $\xi = 6.048$ for $S = 1$ and 49.0 for $S = 2$. The BI-SDWs of $S = 3/2$ chains are not localized and are qualitatively different for even and odd N. Exchange between the ends for odd N is mediated by a delocalized effective spin in the middle that increases $|\Gamma(N)|$ and weakens the size dependence. The nonlinear sigma model (NL$\sigma$M) has been applied the HAFs, primarily to $S = 1$ with even N, to discuss spin densities and exchange between localized states at the ends as $\Gamma(N) \propto (-1)^N \exp(-N/\xi)$...

Exponents of the spectral functions and dynamical structure factor of the 1D Lieb–Liniger Bose gas

We study the (k,ω)-plane finite-energy line shape of the zero-temperature one-boson removal spectral function (ω<0), one-boson addition spectral function (ω>0), and charge dynamical structure factor (ω>0) of the 1D Lieb–Liniger Bose gas with repulsive boson interaction c>0. Our analysis of the problem focuses on the line shape at finite excitation energies in the vicinity of these functions spectrum upper (ω<0) or lower (ω>0) threshold. Specifically, we derive the exact momentum, interaction, and density dependences of the exponents controlling such a line shape in each of the N=1,2,3,… momentum subdomains k∈[(N−1)2πn,N2πn]. Here n=N/L is the boson density, N the boson number, and L the system length. In the thermodynamic limit considered in our study nearly all spectral weight of the dynamical correlation functions is for large values of n/c contained in the N=1 momentum subdomain k∈[0,2πn]. As n/c decreases a small fraction of that weight is transferred to the remaining set of N=2,3,4,… momentum subdomains, particularly to the N=2 subdomain. In the case of the momentum subdomain k∈[0,2πn], our exact results agree with those of previous studies. For that subdomain the above exponents are plotted as a function of the momentum for several n/c values. Our derivation of the line shapes of the three dynamical correlation functions relies on the use of a simplified form of the pseudofermion dynamical theory of the fermionic 1D Hubbard model suitably modified in this paper for the 1D Bose gas.

Extending the non-singular hyperscaling violating spacetimes

Lifshitz and hyperscaling violating geometries, which provide a holographic description of non-relativistic field theories, generically have a singularity in the infrared region of the geometry, where tidal forces for freely falling observers diverge, but there is a special class of hyperscaling violating geometries where this tidal force divergence does not occur. We explicitly construct a smooth extension of the spacetime in this case, and explore the structure of the spacetime. We argue that the extension involves an enlargement of the field theory Hilbert space, as in AdS2. We also consider the behaviour of finite-energy excitations of the spacetime at the horizon, arguing that they will have some divergence there.

Twist defects and projective non-Abelian braiding statistics

It has recently been realized that a general class of non-abelian defects can be created in conventional topological states by introducing extrinsic defects, such as lattice dislocations or superconductor-ferromagnet domain walls in conventional quantum Hall states or topological insulators. In this paper, we begin by placing these defects within the broader conceptual scheme of extrinsic twist defects associated with symmetries of the topological state. We explicitly study several classes of examples, including $Z_2$ and $Z_3$ twist defects, where the topological state with N twist defects can be mapped to a topological state without twist defects on a genus $g \propto N$ surface. To emphasize this connection we refer to the twist defects as genons. We develop methods to compute the projective non-abelian braiding statistics of the genons, and we find the braiding is given by adiabatic modular transformations, or Dehn twists, of the topological state on the effective genus g surface. We study the relation between this projective braiding statistics and the ordinary non-abelian braiding statistics obtained when the genons become deconfined, finite-energy excitations. We find that the braiding is generally different, in contrast to the Majorana case, which opens the possibility for fundamentally novel behavior. We find situations where the genons have quantum dimension 2 and can be used for universal topological quantum computing (TQC), while the host topological state is by itself non-universal for TQC.

Holography of AdS vacuum bubbles

We consider the fate of AdS vacua connected by tunneling events. A precise holographic dual of thin-walled Coleman-de Luccia bounces is proposed in terms of Fubini instantons in an unstable CFT. This proposal is backed by several qualitative and quantitative checks, including the precise calculation of the instanton action appearing in evaluating the decay rate. Big crunches manifest themselves as time dependent processes which reach the boundary of field space in a finite time. The infinite energy difference involved is identified on the boundary and highlights the ill-defined nature of the bulk setup. We propose a qualitative scenario in which the crunch is resolved by stabilizing the CFT, so that all attempts at crunching always end up shielded from the boundary by the formation of black hole horizons. In all these well defined bulk processes the configurations have the same asymptotics and are finite energy excitations.

Ground state properties and Coulomb dissociation of the deformed halo nucleusNe31

The recently observed large cross sections for the Coulomb dissociation of $^{31}\mathrm{Ne}$ nucleus indicate that this nucleus takes a halo structure in the ground state. We analyze these experimental data using the particle-rotor model that takes into account the rotational excitation of the core nucleus $^{30}\mathrm{Ne}$. We show that the experimental data can be well reproduced when the quadrupole deformation parameter of $^{30}\mathrm{Ne}$ is around ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{2}=0.2~0.3$, at which the ground state takes the spin and parity of ${I}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}=3/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. This state corresponds to the Nilsson level [330 1/2] in the adiabatic limit of the particle-rotor model. On the other hand, the state corresponding to the Nilsson level [321 3/2] with ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{2}~0.55$ can be excluded when the finite excitation energy of the core is taken into account, even though this configuration is a candidate for the ground state of $^{31}\mathrm{Ne}$ in the Nilsson model analysis. We discuss briefly also a possibility of the ${I}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}=1/{2}^{+}$ configuration with ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{2}~1$ and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{2}~\ensuremath{-}0.4$.

Inelastic light scattering to probe strongly correlated bosons in optical lattices

We have used inelastic light scattering to study correlated phases of an array of one-dimensional interacting Bose gases. In the linear response regime, the observed spectra are proportional to the dynamic structure factor. In particular we have investigated the superfluid to Mott insulator crossover loading the one-dimensional gases in an optical lattice and monitoring the appearance of an energy gap due to finite particle-hole excitation energy. We attribute the low frequency side of the spectra to the presence of some superfluid and normal phase fraction between the Mott insulator regions with different fillings produced in the inhomogeneous systems. In the Mott phase we also investigated excitations to higher excited bands of the optical lattice, the spectra obtained in this case being connected to the single particle spectral function. In one-dimensional systems the effect of thermal fluctuations and interactions is enhanced by the reduced dimensionality showing up in the dynamic structure factor. We measured the dynamic structure factor of an array of one-dimensional bosonic gases pointing out the effect of temperature-induced phase fluctuations in reducing the coherence length of the system.

Holography of AdS vacuum bubbles

We consider the fate of AdS vacua connected by tunneling events. A precise holographic dual of thin-walled Coleman-de Luccia bounces is proposed in terms of Fubini instantons in an unstable CFT. This proposal is backed by several qualitative and quantitative checks, including the precise calculation of the instanton action appearing in evaluating the decay rate. Big crunches manifest themselves as time dependent processes which reach the boundary of field space in a finite time. The infinite energy difference involved is identified on the boundary and highlights the ill-defined nature of the bulk setup. We propose a qualitative scenario in which the crunch is resolved by stabilizing the CFT, so that all attempts at crunching always end up shielded from the boundary by the formation of black hole horizons. In all these well defined bulk processes the configurations have the same asymptotics and are finite energy excitations.

Optical properties of TiN thin films close to the superconductor–insulator transition

We present the intrinsic optical properties over a broad spectral range of TiN thin films deposited on an Si/SiO2 substrate. We analyze the measured reflectivity spectra of the film-substrate multilayer structure within a well-establish procedure based on the Fresnel equation and extract the real part of the optical conductivity of TiN. We identify the metallic contribution as well as the finite energy excitations and disentangle the spectral weight distribution among them. The absorption spectrum of TiN bears some similarities with the electrodynamic response observed in the normal state of the high-temperature superconductors. Particularly, a mid-infrared feature in the optical conductivity is quite reminiscent of a pseudogap-like excitation.