New Phase Of Matter Research Articles

Linear response theory for transport in non-Hermitian [formula omitted]-symmetric models

We analyzed the influence of dissipative non-Hermitian terms on electrical transport in one-dimensional non-Hermitian PT-symmetric models, which presents chiral symmetry. The combination of periodic modulation and non-Hermitian effects opens up exciting avenues for exploring new phases of matter and understanding of the role of non-Hermitian physics in topological systems. The effective Hermitian Hamiltonian has always a higher dimension than the corresponding non-Hermitian one. We analyzed the effect of periodic hopping modulation on Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain, that exhibits the non-Hermiticity in the presence of an complex staggered potential, where this dissipative non-Hermitian extension modifies the features of the topological trivial phase and the topological nontrivial phase.

Observation of Bose-Einstein condensation of dipolar molecules.

Ensembles of particles governed by quantum mechanical laws exhibit intriguing emergent behaviour. Atomic quantum gases1,2, liquid helium3,4 and electrons in quantum materials5-7 all exhibit distinct properties because of their composition and interactions. Quantum degenerate samples of ultracold dipolar molecules promise the realization of new phases of matter and new avenues for quantum simulation8 and quantum computation9. However, rapid losses10, even when reduced through collisional shielding techniques11-13, have so far prevented evaporative cooling to a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Here we report on the realization of a BEC of dipolar molecules. By strongly suppressing two- and three-body losses viaenhanced collisional shielding, we evaporatively cool sodium-caesium molecules to quantum degeneracy and cross the phase transition to aBEC. The BEC reveals itself by a bimodal distribution when the phase-space density exceeds 1. BECs with a condensate fraction of 60(10)% and a temperature of 6(2) nK are created and found to be stable with a lifetime close to 2 s. This work opens the door to the exploration of dipolar quantum matter in regimes that have been inaccessible so far, promising the creation of exotic dipolar droplets14, self-organized crystal phases15 and dipolar spin liquids in optical lattices16.

A symmetry principle for gauge theories with fractons

Fractonic phases are new phases of matter that host excitations with restricted mobility. We show that a certain class of gapless fractonic phases are realized as a result of spontaneous breaking of continuous higher-form symmetries whose conserved charges do not commute with spatial translations. We refer to such symmetries as nonuniform higher-form symmetries. These symmetries fall within the standard definition of higher-form symmetries in quantum field theory, and the corresponding symmetry generators are topological. Worldlines of particles are regarded as the charged objects of 1-form symmetries, and mobility restrictions can be implemented by introducing additional 1-form symmetries whose generators do not commute with spatial translations. These features are realized by effective field theories associated with spontaneously broken nonuniform 1-form symmetries. At low energies, the theories reduce to known higher-rank gauge theories such as scalar/vector charge gauge theories, and the gapless excitations in these theories are interpreted as Nambu-Goldstone modes for higher-form symmetries. Due to the nonuniformity of the symmetry, some of the modes acquire a gap, which is the higher-form analogue of the inverse Higgs mechanism of spacetime symmetries. The gauge theories have emergent nonuniform magnetic symmetries, and some of the magnetic monopoles become fractonic. We identify the ’t Hooft anomalies of the nonuniform higher-form symmetries and the corresponding bulk symmetry-protected topological phases. By this method, the mobility restrictions are fully determined by the choice of the commutation relations of charges with translations. This approach allows us to view existing (gapless) fracton models such as the scalar/vector charge gauge theories and their variants from a unified perspective and enables us to engineer theories with desired mobility restrictions.

Surface triggered stabilization of metastable charge-ordered phase in SrTiO3

Charge ordering (CO), characterized by a periodic modulation of electron density and lattice distortion, has been a fundamental topic in condensed matter physics, serving as a potential platform for inducing novel functional properties. The charge-ordered phase is known to occur in a doped system with high d-electron occupancy, rather than low occupancy. Here, we report the realization of the charge-ordered phase in electron-doped (100) SrTiO3 epitaxial thin films that have the lowest d-electron occupancy i.e., d1-d0. Theoretical calculation predicts the presence of a metastable CO state in the bulk state of electron-doped SrTiO3. Atomic scale analysis reveals that (100) surface distortion favors electron-lattice coupling for the charge-ordered state, and triggering the stabilization of the CO phase from a correlated metal state. This stabilization extends up to six unit cells from the top surface to the interior. Our approach offers an insight into the means of stabilizing a new phase of matter, extending CO phase to the lowest electron occupancy and encompassing a wide range of 3d transition metal oxides.

Layered materials as a platform for quantum technologies.

Layered materials are taking centre stage in the ever-increasing research effort to develop material platforms for quantum technologies. We are at the dawn of the era of layered quantum materials. Their optical, electronic, magnetic, thermal and mechanical properties make them attractive for most aspects of this global pursuit. Layered materials have already shown potential as scalable components, including quantum light sources, photon detectors and nanoscale sensors, and have enabled research of new phases of matter within the broader field of quantum simulations. In this Review we discuss opportunities and challenges faced by layered materials within the landscape of material platforms for quantum technologies. In particular, we focus on applications that rely on light-matter interfaces.

Strain and strain gradient engineering in membranes of quantum materials

Strain is powerful for discovery and manipulation of new phases of matter; however, elastic strains accessible to epitaxial films and bulk crystals are typically limited to small (<2%), uniform, and often discrete values. This Perspective highlights emerging directions for strain and strain gradient engineering in free-standing single-crystalline membranes of quantum materials. Membranes enable large (∼10%), continuously tunable strains and strain gradients via bending and rippling. Moreover, strain gradients break inversion symmetry to activate polar distortions, ferroelectricity, chiral spin textures, superconductivity, and topological states. Recent advances in membrane synthesis by remote epitaxy and sacrificial etch layers enable extreme strains in transition metal oxides, intermetallics, and Heusler compounds, expanding beyond the natively van der Waals (vdW) materials like graphene. We highlight emerging opportunities and challenges for strain and strain gradient engineering in membranes of non-vdW materials.

Spin nematics meet spin liquids: Exotic quantum phases in the spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic model with Kitaev interactions

Spin liquid crystals are magnetic analogs of liquid crystals, possessing properties of both liquids and solids, a typical example of which are spin nematics. Spin nematics share many features with spin liquids, and the interplay between them is a promising, but little explored, route to uncovering new phases of matter. Here, we address this question in the context of a spin-$1$ magnet on the honeycomb lattice, by considering a model with both biquadratic interactions, favouring spin-nematic states, and Kitaev-like interactions, supporting spin liquids. Accompanying these, where dipole and quadrupole moments compete, we find a plethora of exotic phases, including multiple-$q$ states with nonzero scalar spin chirality; a quasi-one-dimensional coplanar phase; a twisted conical phase; and a noncoplanar order state which gives way to a chiral spin liquid at finite temperature. The implication of these results for experiment is discussed.

Controlling quantum phases of electrons and excitons in moiré superlattices

Moiré lattices formed in twisted and lattice-mismatched van der Waals heterostructures have emerged as a platform to engineer the novel electronic and excitonic states at the nanoscale. This Perspective reviews the materials science of moiré heterostructures with a focus on the structural properties of the interface and its structural–property relationships. We first review the studies of the atomic relaxation and domain structures in moiré superlattices and how these structural studies provide critical insights into understanding the behaviors of quantum-confined electrons and excitons. We discuss the general frameworks to manipulate moiré structures and how such control can be harnessed for engineering new phases of matter and simulating various quantum phenomena. Finally, we discuss routes toward large-scale moiré heterostructures and give an outlook on their applications in quantum electronics and optoelectronics. Special emphasis will be placed on the challenges and opportunities of the reliable fabrication and dynamical manipulation of moiré heterostructures.

Dynamics of hot QCD matter — Current status and developments

The discovery of hot and dense quantum chromodynamics (QCD) matter, known as Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP), is an essential milestone in understanding the finite temperature QCD medium. Experimentalists around the world collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The experimentalists analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe just after the Big Bang. Recent advancements in theory, experimental techniques, and high computing facilities help us to better interpret experimental observations in heavy ion collisions. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theorists is crucial for the characterization of QGP. The motivation of this first conference, named Hot QCD Matter 2022 is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this paper, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This paper begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP. Finally, it concludes with an overview of experimental results.

Femtometreistä valovuosiin: neutronitähdet eksoottisen aineen laboratoriona

The Standard Model of particle physics describes the basic properties and interactions of all known elementary particles at an astonishingly good level, and predictions derived from it have time and again been experimentally verified. One of its parts, namely the theory of the strong nuclear interaction, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), has however proven to be computationally extremely demanding. In particular, the properties of matter described by QCD are at the moment still largely unknown in the limit of high baryon density.
 Very recently, the study of dense QCD matter has taken important steps forward owing largely to new observational data originating from a distant but very effective laboratory: neutron stars. The cores of these extremely compact stars contain the densest form of matter in our present-day Universe, and the properties of this matter are reflected on the measurable macroscopic properties of the stars themselves. In this review article, I will introduce this active field of research, placing particular emphasis on recent efforts to discover an entirely new phase of matter - cold and dense quark matter - inside the cores of the most massive neutron stars.

Topological sound in two dimensions.

Topology is the branch of mathematics studying the properties of an object that are preserved under continuous deformations. Quite remarkably, the powerful theoretical tools of topology have been applied over the past few years to study the electronic band structure of crystals. Topological band theory can explain and predict topological phase transitions in a material, and the unusual robustness of certain band structure shapes, such as Dirac cones, against small perturbations. These findings have also unveiled a new phase of matter-topological insulators-whose exotic transport properties at their boundaries are topologically protected against imperfections and disorder. The fascinating features of topological boundary states have triggered the search for their analogs in classical wave physics. Here, we focus on the peculiar features of two-dimensional topological insulators for sound and mechanical waves. Two-dimensional Dirac cones and phononic topological insulators can emerge under certain conditions in periodic acoustic metamaterials, demonstrating great potential for acoustic and mechanical systems to demonstrate, over a tabletop platform, complex fundamental phenomena driven by topological concepts. In addition, these discoveries offer a direct path toward new technologies for enhanced sound control and manipulation.

Exploring bosonic and fermionic link models on (3+1)D tubes

Quantum link models (QLMs) have attracted a lot of attention in recent times as a generalization of Wilson's lattice gauge theories (LGT), and are particularly suitable for realization on quantum simulators and computers. These models are known to host new phases of matter and act as a bridge between particle and condensed matter physics. In this article, we study the Abelian $U(1)$ lattice gauge theory in $(3+1)$-d tubes using large-scale exact diagonalization (ED). We are then able to motivate the phase diagram of the model with finite size scaling techniques (FSS), and in particular propose the existence of a Coulomb phase. Furthermore, we introduce the first models involving fermionic quantum links, which generalize the gauge degrees of freedom to be of fermionic nature. We prove that while the spectra remain identical between the bosonic and the fermionic versions of the $U(1)$-symmetric quantum link models in $(2+1)$-d, they are different in $(3+1)$-d. We discuss the prospects of realizing the magnetic field interactions as correlated hopping in quantum simulator experiments.

Fractional resonances and prethermal states in Floquet systems

In periodically driven quantum systems, resonances can induce exotic nonequilibrium behavior and new phases of matter without static analog. We report on the emergence of fractional and integer resonances in a broad class of many-body Hamiltonians with a modulated hopping with a frequency that is either a fraction or an integer of the on-site interaction. We contend that there is a fundamental difference between these resonances when interactions bring the system to a Floquet prethermal state. Second-order processes dominate the dynamics in the fractional resonance case, leading to less entanglement and more localized quantum states than in the integer resonance case dominated by first-order processes. We demonstrate the dominating emergence of fractional resonances using the Magnus expansion of the effective Hamiltonian and quantify their effects on the many-body dynamics via quantum states' von Neumann entropy and Loschmidt echo. Our findings reveal novel features of the nonequilibrium quantum many-body system, such as the coexistence of Floquet prethermalization and localization, that may allow to development of quantum memories for quantum technologies and quantum information processing.

Observation of type-III corner states induced by long-range interactions

Long-range interactions (LRIs) are ubiquitous in nature. Higher-order topological (HOT) insulator represents a new phase of matter. A critical issue is how LRI dictates the HOT phases. In this work, we discover four topologically distinct phases, i.e., HOT phase, the bound state in the continuum, Dirac semimetal (DSM) phase, and trivial insulator phase in a breathing kagome circuit with tunable LRIs. We find an emerging type-III corner state in the HOT phase, which splits from the edge state continuum and originates from the strong couplings between nodes at different edges. We experimentally detect this novel state by impedance and voltage measurements. In the DSM phase, the Dirac cone exhibits an itinerant feature with a tunable position that depends on the LRI strength. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the LRI effect on exotic topological states and pave the way for regulating interactions in topolectrical circuits.

Time crystals: the search for a new phase of matter

Pedram Roushan, from Google’s Quantum AI team in California, describes this elusive form of matter – and how it could be simulated on the company’s Sycamore quantum processor.

Coexistence of two kinds of superfluidity at finite temperatures in optical lattices

Bosonic lattice systems with extended interactions constitute a unique platform to study new phases of matter. This work presents an analysis of the Bose–Hubbard model with density-induced tunneling. The U(1) quantum rotor method in the path integral effective action formulation is used. This approach enables the discovery of a second kind of superfluidity in physical systems: pair superfluidity, thus adding to the phases of matter. It also sheds light on the properties of single-particle Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) in optical lattice systems with higher inter-particle correlations. The derived effective phase Hamiltonian includes the residue of many-body correlations, providing information about phase transitions between the normal state and single-particle and pair superfluids at finite temperatures. The thermodynamical properties of the system are investigated. The impact of density-induced tunneling on single-particle BEC is also analyzed. The density-induced term supports single-particle coherence at high densities and low temperatures, improving the single BEC critical temperature. It is also responsible for dissipative effects, which are independent of the system’s thermal properties.

Isospin competitions and valley polarized correlated insulators in twisted double bilayer graphene

New phase of matter usually emerges when a given symmetry breaks spontaneously, which can involve charge, spin, and valley degree of freedoms. Here, we report an observation of new correlated insulators evolved from spin-polarized states to valley-polarized states in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) driven by the displacement field (D). At a high field |D | > 0.7 V/nm, we observe valley polarized correlated insulators with a big Zeeman g factor of ~10, both at v = 2 in the moiré conduction band and more surprisingly at v = −2 in the moiré valence band. Moreover, we observe a valley polarized Chern insulator with C = 2 emanating at v = 2 in the electron side and a valley polarized Fermi surface around v = −2 in the hole side. Our results demonstrate a feasible way to realize isospin control and to obtain new phases of matter in TDBG by the displacement field, and might benefit other twisted or non-twisted multilayer systems.

Field-induced quantum critical point in the itinerant antiferromagnet Ti3Cu4

New phases of matter emerge at the edge of magnetic instabilities, which can occur in materials with moments that are localized, itinerant or intermediate between these extremes. In local moment systems, such as heavy fermions, the magnetism can be tuned towards a zero-temperature transition at a quantum critical point (QCP) via pressure, chemical doping, and, rarely, magnetic field. By contrast, in itinerant moment systems, QCPs are more rare, and they are induced by pressure or doping; there are no known examples of field induced transitions. This means that no universal behaviour has been established across the whole itinerant-to-local moment range—a substantial gap in our knowledge of quantum criticality. Here we report an itinerant antiferromagnet, Ti3Cu4, that can be tuned to a QCP by a small magnetic field. We see signatures of quantum criticality and the associated non-Fermi liquid behaviour in thermodynamic and transport measurements, while band structure calculations point to an orbital-selective, spin density wave ground state, a consequence of the square net structural motif in Ti3Cu4. Ti3Cu4 thus provides a platform for the comparison and generalisation of quantum critical behaviour across the whole spectrum of magnetism.

A primitive model for intercalation–conversion bifunctional battery materials

AbstractExploiting the synergy between intercalation and conversion reactions in a single battery material seems to be an emerging trend. We develop, herein, a primitive physicochemical model to understand the basic features of this new kind of battery material. The model describes intercalation and conversion reactions at the solid‐electrolyte interface, coupled with a solid‐phase diffusion process. Two cases of the electrode–electrolyte interface are considered. In the first case, the conversion reaction does not change the structure of the electrode–electrolyte interface. In the second case, the conversion reaction forms/decomposes a new phase of matter deposited on the electrode surface. The model sheds light on a few interesting aspects of the intercalation–conversion bifunctional system, including two‐stage discharging–charging behavior, interplay between intercalation and conversion reactions, and asymmetry between discharging and charging processes.

Floquet Engineering Hz-Level Rabi Spectra in Shallow Optical Lattice Clock.

Quantum metrology with ultrahigh precision usually requires atoms prepared in an ultrastable environment with well-defined quantum states. Thus, in optical lattice clock systems deep lattice potentials are used to trap ultracold atoms. However, decoherence, induced by Raman scattering and higher order light shifts, can significantly be reduced if atomic clocks are realized in shallow optical lattices. On the other hand, in such lattices, tunneling among different sites can cause additional dephasing and strongly broadening of the Rabi spectrum. Here, in our experiment, we periodically drive a shallow ^{87}Sr optical lattice clock. Counterintuitively, shaking the system can deform the wide broad spectral line into a sharp peak with 5.4Hz linewidth. With careful comparison between the theory and experiment, we demonstrate that the Rabi frequency and the Bloch bands can be tuned, simultaneously and independently. Our work not only provides a different idea for quantum metrology, such as building shallow optical lattice clock in outer space, but also paves the way for quantum simulation of new phases of matter by engineering exotic spin orbit couplings.