Free Fermion System Research Articles

Free-fermion descriptions of parafermion chains and string-net models

Topological phases of matter remain a focus of interest due to their unique properties: fractionalization, ground-state degeneracy, and exotic excitations. While some of these properties can occur in systems of free fermions, their emergence is generally associated with interactions between particles. Here, we quantify the role of interactions in general classes of topological states of matter in one and two spatial dimensions, including parafermion chains and string-net models. Surprisingly, we find that certain topological states can be exactly described by free fermions, while others saturate the maximum possible distance from their optimal free-fermion description [C. J. Turner et al., Nat. Commun. 8, 14926 (2017)]. Our work opens the door to understanding the complexity of topological models by establishing new types of fermionization procedures to describe their low-energy physics, thus making them amenable to experimental realizations.

The noncommutative index theorem and the periodic table for disordered topological insulators and superconductors

We study a wide class of topological free-fermion systems on a hypercubic lattice in spatial dimensions d ≥ 1. When the Fermi level lies in a spectral gap or a mobility gap, the topological properties, e.g., the integral quantization of the topological invariant, are protected by certain symmetries of the Hamiltonian against disorder. This generic feature is characterized by a generalized index theorem which is a noncommutative analog of the Atiyah-Singer index theorem. The noncommutative index defined in terms of a pair of projections gives a precise formula for the topological invariant in each symmetry class in any dimension (d ≥ 1). Under the assumption on the nonvanishing spectral or mobility gap, we prove that the index formula reproduces Bott periodicity and all of the possible values of topological invariants in the classification table of topological insulators and superconductors. We also prove that the indices are robust against perturbations that do not break the symmetry of the unperturbed Hamiltonian.

Nonequilibrium Steady State Generated by a Moving Defect: The Supersonic Threshold.

We consider the dynamics of a system of free fermions on a 1D lattice in the presence of a defect moving at constant velocity. The defect has the form of a localized time-dependent variation of the chemical potential and induces at long times a nonequilibrium steady state (NESS), which spreads around the defect. We present a general formulation that allows recasting the time-dependent protocol in a scattering problem on a static potential. We obtain a complete characterization of the NESS. In particular, we show a strong dependence on the defect velocity and the existence of a sharp threshold when such velocity exceeds the speed of sound. Beyond this value, the NESS is not produced and, remarkably, the defect travels without significantly perturbing the system. We present an exact solution for a δ-like defect traveling with an arbitrary velocity and we develop a semiclassical approximation that provides accurate results for smooth defects.

Machine learning spatial geometry from entanglement features

Motivated by the close relations of the renormalization group with both the holography duality and the deep learning, we propose that the holographic geometry can emerge from deep learning the entanglement feature of a quantum many-body state. We develop a concrete algorithm, call the entanglement feature learning (EFL), based on the random tensor network (RTN) model for the tensor network holography. We show that each RTN can be mapped to a Boltzmann machine, trained by the entanglement entropies over all subregions of a given quantum many-body state. The goal is to construct the optimal RTN that best reproduce the entanglement feature. The RTN geometry can then be interpreted as the emergent holographic geometry. We demonstrate the EFL algorithm on 1D free fermion system and observe the emergence of the hyperbolic geometry (AdS$_3$ spatial geometry) as we tune the fermion system towards the gapless critical point (CFT$_2$ point).

Higher-order generalized hydrodynamics in one dimension: The noninteracting test

We derive a Moyal dynamical equation that describes exact time evolution in generic (inhomogeneous) noninteracting spin-chain models. Assuming quasistationarity, we develop a hydrodynamic theory. The question at hand is whether some large-time corrections are captured by higher-order hydrodynamics. We consider in particular the dynamics after that two chains, prepared in different conditions, are joined together. In these situations a light cone, separating regions with macroscopically different properties, emerges from the junction. In free fermionic systems some observables close to the light cone follow a universal behavior, known as Tracy-Widom scaling. Universality means weak dependence on the system's details, so this is the perfect setting where hydrodynamics could emerge. For the transverse-field Ising chain and the XX model, we show that hydrodynamics captures the scaling behavior close to the light cone. On the other hand, our numerical analysis suggests that hydrodynamics fails in more general models, whenever a condition is not satisfied.

Full counting statistics of the subsystem energy for free fermions and quantum spin chains

We calculate the full counting statistics (FCS) of a subsystem energy in free fermionic systems by means of the Grassmann variables. We demonstrate that the generating function of these systems can be written as a determinant formula with respect to the Hamiltonian couplings and by employing the Bell's polynomials, we derive exact formulas for the subsystem energy moments. In addition, we discuss the same quantities in the quantum XY spin chain, and we demonstrate that at the critical regimes the fluctuations of the energy moments decay like a power-law as we expect from the conformal field theory arguments, while in non-critical regimes, the decay is exponential. Furthermore, we discuss the full counting statistics of subsystem energy in the quantum XX chain.

The Absence of the Selfaveraging Property of the Entanglement Entropy of Disordered Free Fermions in One Dimension

We consider the macroscopic system of free lattice fermions in one dimensions assuming that the one-body Hamiltonian of the system is the one dimensional discrete Schr\"odinger operator with independent identically distributed random potential. We show that the variance of the entanglement entropy of the segment $[-M,M]$ of the system is bounded away from zero as $% M\rightarrow \infty $. This manifests the absence of the selfaveraging property of the entanglement entropy in our model, meaning that in the one-dimensional case the complete description of the entanglement entropy is provided by its whole probability distribution. This also may be contrasted the case of dimension two or more, where the variance of the entanglement entropy per unit surface area vanishes as $M\rightarrow \infty $ \cite{El-Co:17}, thereby guaranteing the representativity of its mean for large $M$ in the multidimensional case.

Periodic table for Floquet topological insulators

Dynamical phases with novel topological properties are known to arise in driven systems of free fermions. In this paper, we obtain a `periodic table' to describe the phases of such time-dependent systems, generalizing the periodic table for static topological insulators. Using K-theory, we systematically classify Floquet topological insulators from the ten Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry classes across all dimensions. We find that the static classification scheme described by a group $G$ becomes $G\times G$ in the time-dependent case, and interpret the two factors as arising from the bipartite decomposition of the unitary time-evolution operator. Topologically protected edge modes may arise at the boundary between two Floquet systems, and we provide a mapping between the number of such edge modes and the topological invariant of the bulk.

Entanglement Hamiltonians for Chiral Fermions with Zero Modes.

In this Letter, we study the effect of topological zero modes on entanglement Hamiltonians and the entropy of free chiral fermions in (1+1)D. We show how Riemann-Hilbert solutions combined with finite rank perturbation theory allow us to obtain exact expressions for entanglement Hamiltonians. In the absence of the zero mode, the resulting entanglement Hamiltonians consist of local and bilocal terms. In the periodic sector, the presence of a zero mode leads to an additional nonlocal contribution to the entanglement Hamiltonian. We derive an exact expression for this term and for the resulting change in the entanglement entropy.

A duality principle for the multi-block entanglement entropy of free fermion systems

The analysis of the entanglement entropy of a subsystem of a one-dimensional quantum system is a powerful tool for unravelling its critical nature. For instance, the scaling behaviour of the entanglement entropy determines the central charge of the associated Virasoro algebra. For a free fermion system, the entanglement entropy depends essentially on two sets, namely the set A of sites of the subsystem considered and the set K of excited momentum modes. In this work we make use of a general duality principle establishing the invariance of the entanglement entropy under exchange of the sets A and K to tackle complex problems by studying their dual counterparts. The duality principle is also a key ingredient in the formulation of a novel conjecture for the asymptotic behavior of the entanglement entropy of a free fermion system in the general case in which both sets A and K consist of an arbitrary number of blocks. We have verified that this conjecture reproduces the numerical results with excellent precision for all the configurations analyzed. We have also applied the conjecture to deduce several asymptotic formulas for the mutual and r-partite information generalizing the known ones for the single block case.

Functional integral method in quantum field theory of Dirac fermions in graphene

The purpose of this work is to elaborate the functional integral method in quantum field theory of Dirac fermions in the Dirac fermion gas of a graphene single layer at vanishing absolute temperature. The starting point to be assumed as the fundamental principle of the theory is the explicit expression of the action functional of this system. The efficient mathematical tool to be used in the study is the generating functional containing the Grassmann parameters anticommuting with the Dirac fermion field operators.The analytical expression of the generating functional of free Dirac fermion system is exactly derived and efficiently used in the study of 2n-point Green functions of free Dirac fermions. Then the celebrated Hubbard–Stratonovich transformation is applied to rewrite the functional integral of the interacting system of Dirac fermions in a new form expressing in terms of a scalar Hermitian quantum field describing the collective excitations in the interacting Dirac fermion gas and related to the graphene plasmons.

Pauli structures arising from confined particles interacting via a statistical potential

There have been suggestions that the Pauli exclusion principle alone can lead a non-interacting (free) system of identical fermions to form crystalline structures dubbed Pauli crystals. Single-shot imaging experiments for the case of ultra-cold systems of free spin-polarized fermionic atoms in a two-dimensional harmonic trap appear to show geometric arrangements that cannot be characterized as Wigner crystals. This work explores this idea and considers a well-known approach that enables one to treat a quantum system of free fermions as a system of classical particles interacting with a statistical interaction potential. The model under consideration, though classical in nature, incorporates the quantum statistics by endowing the classical particles with an effective interaction potential. The reasonable expectation is that possible Pauli crystal features seen in experiments may manifest in this model that captures the correct quantum statistics as a first order correction. We use the Monte Carlo simulated annealing method to obtain the most stable configurations of finite two-dimensional systems of confined particles that interact with an appropriate statistical repulsion potential. We consider both an isotropic harmonic and a hard-wall confinement potential. Despite minor differences, the most stable configurations observed in our model correspond to the reported Pauli crystals in single-shot imaging experiments of free spin-polarized fermions in a harmonic trap. The crystalline configurations observed appear to be different from the expected classical Wigner crystal structures that would emerge should the confined classical particles had interacted with a pair-wise Coulomb repulsion.

Bilayer Graphene as a Platform for Bosonic Symmetry-Protected Topological States.

Bosonic symmetry protected topological (BSPT) states, the bosonic analogue of topological insulators, have attracted enormous theoretical interest in the last few years. Although BSPT states have been classified by various approaches, there is so far no successful experimental realization of any BSPT state in two or higher dimensions. In this paper, we propose that a two-dimensional BSPT state with U(1)×U(1) symmetry can be realized in bilayer graphene in a magnetic field. Here the two U(1) symmetries represent total spin S^{z} and total charge conservation, respectively. The Coulomb interaction plays a central role in this proposal-it gaps out all the fermions at the boundary, so that only bosonic charge and spin degrees of freedom are gapless and protected at the edge. Based on the above conclusion, we propose that the bulk quantum phase transition between the BSPT and trivial phase, which can be driven by applying both magnetic and electric fields, can become a "bosonic phase transition" with interactions. That is, only bosonic modes close their gap at the transition, which is fundamentally different from all the well-known topological insulator to trivial insulator transitions that occur for free fermion systems. We discuss various experimental consequences of this proposal.

Reduction of Z classification of a two-dimensional weak topological insulator: Real-space dynamical mean-field theory study

One of the remarkable interaction effects on topological insulators is the reduction of topological classification in free-fermion systems. We address this issue in a bilayer honeycomb lattice model by taking into account temperature effects on the reduction. Our analysis, based on the real-space dynamical mean field theory, elucidates the following results. (i) Even when the reduction occurs, the winding number defined by the Green's function can take a nontrivial value at zero temperature. (ii) The winding number taking the nontrivial value becomes consistent with the absence of gapless edge modes due to Mott behaviors emerging only at the edges. (iii) Temperature effects can restore the gapless edge modes, provided that the energy scale of interactions is smaller than the bulk gap. In addition, we observe the topological edge Mott behavior only in some finite temperature region.

Entanglement entropy after selective measurements in quantum chains

We study bipartite post measurement entanglement entropy after selective measurements in quantum chains. We first study the quantity for the critical systems that can be described by conformal field theories. We find a connection between post measurement entanglement entropy and the Casimir energy of floating objects. Then we provide formulas for the post measurement entanglement entropy for open and finite temperature systems. We also comment on the Affleck-Ludwig boundary entropy in the context of the post measurement entanglement entropy. Finally, we also provide some formulas regarding modular hamiltonians and entanglement spectrum in the after measurement systems. After through discussion regarding CFT systems we also provide some predictions regarding massive field theories. We then discuss a generic method to calculate the post measurement entanglement entropy in the free fermion systems. Using the method we study the post measurement entanglement entropy in the XY spin chain. We check numerically the CFT and the massive field theory results in the transverse field Ising chain and the XX model. In particular, we study the post meaurement entanglement entropy in the infinite, periodic and open critical transverse field Ising chain and the critical XX model. The effect of the temperature and the gap is also discussed in these models.

Long-time asymptotic state of periodically driven open quantum systems

We investigate a long time asymptotic state of periodically driven open quantum systems analytically. The model we consider in this paper is a free fermionic system coupled to an energy and particle reservoir. We clarify some generic properties of the system which are independent of the details of the reservoir in the high frequency regime of the external driving. When the frequency of the external driving is much larger than the energy cutoff of the system-reservoir coupling, the low-energy properties of the system are equivalent to those of the Gibbs distribution of a Floquet effective Hamiltonian. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of finite dissipation on the system, and elucidate that we cannot suppress excitations by merely increasing the system-reservoir coupling because the excitations are created through the reservoir by the external driving when the frequency is smaller than the energy cutoff of the system-reservoir coupling.

Entangled cloning of stabilizer codes and free fermions

Though the no-cloning theorem [Wooters and Zurek, Nature (London) 299, 802 (1982)] prohibits exact replication of arbitrary quantum states, there are many instances in quantum information processing and entanglement measurement in which a weaker form of cloning may be useful. Here, I provide a construction for generating an ``entangled clone'' for a particular but rather expansive and rich class of states. Given a stabilizer code or free fermion Hamiltonian, this construction generates an exact entangled clone of the original ground state, in the sense that the entanglement between the original and the exact copy can be tuned to be arbitrarily small but finite, or large, and the relation between the original and the copy can also be modified to some extent. For example, this Rapid Communication focuses on generating time-reversed copies of stabilizer codes and particle-hole transformed ground states of free fermion systems, although untransformed clones can also be generated. The protocol leverages entanglement to simulate a transformed copy of the Hamiltonian without having to physically implement it and can potentially be realized in superconducting qubits or ultracold atomic systems.

Quantum centipedes: collective dynamics of interacting quantum walkers

We consider the quantum centipede made of N fermionic quantum walkers on the one-dimensional lattice interacting by means of the simplest of all hard-bound constraints: the distance between two consecutive fermions is either one or two lattice spacings. This composite quantum walker spreads ballistically, just as the simple quantum walk. However, because of the interactions between the internal degrees of freedom, the distribution of its center-of-mass velocity displays numerous ballistic fronts in the long-time limit, corresponding to singularities in the empirical velocity distribution. The spectrum of the centipede and the corresponding group velocities are analyzed by direct means for the first few values of N. Some analytical results are obtained for arbitrary N by exploiting an exact mapping of the problem onto a free-fermion system. We thus derive the maximal velocity describing the ballistic spreading of the two extremal fronts of the centipede wavefunction, including its non-trivial value in the large-N limit.

Topological invariants for interacting topological insulators. II. Breakdown of single-particle Green's function formalism

Topological phase transitions in free fermion systems can be characterized by closing of single-particle gap and change in topological invariants. However, in the presence of electronic interactions, topological phase transitions are more complicated. In paper I of this series (arXiv:1510.07816), we have developed an efficient scheme to evaluate the topological invariants based on Green's function formalism. Here, in paper II, we demonstrate four interaction-drive topological phase transitions (TPTs) in two-dimensional (2D) interacting topological insulators (TIs) via large-scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations, based on the scheme of evaluating topological invariants presented in paper I. Across these transitions, the defining symmetries of the TIs have been neither explicitly nor spontaneously broken. In the first two models, the topological invariants calculated from Green's function formalism succeed in characterizing interaction-driven TPTs. However, in the second two models, we find single-particle gap does not close and the topological invariants constructed from single-particle Green's function acquire no change across the TPTs. Unexpected breakdown of the Green's function formalism in constructing topological invariants is thus discovered. We thence classify the TPTs in interacting TIs into two categories: those have noninteracting correspondence can be characterized successfully by the topological invariants constructed from Green's functions, while for the others that do not have noninteracting correspondence, the Green's function formalism experiences a breakdown but more interesting and exciting phenomena, such as emergent collective critical modes at the transition, arise. Discussion on the success and breakdown of topological invariants constructed from the Green's function formalism in the context of symmetry protected topological (SPT) states is presented.

Entanglement negativity in free-fermion systems: An overlap matrix approach

In this paper, we calculate the entanglement negativity in free-fermion systems by use of the overlap matrices. For a tripartite system, if the ground state can be factored into triples of modes, we show that the partially transposed reduced density matrix can be factorized and the entanglement negativity has a simple form. However, the factorability of the ground state in a tripartite system does not hold in general. In this situation, the partially transposed reduced density matrix can be expressed in terms of the Kronecker product of matrices. We explicitly compute the entanglement negativity for the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, the integer Quantum Hall state, and a homogeneous one-dimensional chain. We find that the entanglement negativity for the integer quantum Hall states shows an area law behavior. For the entanglement negativity of two adjacent intervals in a homogeneous one-dimensional gas, we find agreement with the conformal field theory. Our method provides a numerically feasible way to study the entanglement negativity in free-fermion systems.