Nonrelativistic Fermions Research Articles

Dark kinetic heating of neutron stars from contact interactions with relativistic targets

Dark matter can capture in neutron stars from scattering off ultra-relativistic electrons. We present a method to calculate the capture rate on degenerate targets with ultra-relativistic momenta in a compact astronomical object. Our treatment accounts for the target momentum and the Fermi degeneracy of the system. We derive scaling relations for scattering with relativistic targets and confirm consistency with the non-relativistic limit and Lorentz invariance. The potential observation of kinetic heating of neutron stars has a larger discovery reach for dark matter-lepton interactions than conventional terrestrial direct detection experiments. We map this reach onto a set of bosonic and fermionic effective contact interactions between dark matter and leptons as well as nucleons. We show the results for the contact operators up to dimension 6 for spin-0 and spin-1/2 dark matter interactions with relativistic as well as non-relativistic Standard Model fermions. Highlights of this program in the case of vector mediated interactions are presented in a companion letter [1]. Our method is generalizable to dark matter scattering in any degenerate medium where the Pauli exclusion principle leads to relativistic targets with a constrained phase space for scattering.

Symmetry resolved entanglement in two-dimensional systems via dimensional reduction

We report on the calculation of the symmetry resolved entanglement entropies in two-dimensional many-body systems of free bosons and fermions by dimensional reduction. When the subsystem is translational invariant in a transverse direction, this strategy allows us to reduce the initial two-dimensional problem into decoupled one-dimensional ones in a mixed space-momentum representation. While the idea straightforwardly applies to any dimension d, here we focus on the case d = 2 and derive explicit expressions for two lattice models possessing a U(1) symmetry, i.e., free non-relativistic massless fermions and free complex (massive and massless) bosons. Although our focus is on symmetry resolved entropies, some results for the total entanglement are also new. Our derivation gives a transparent understanding of the well known different behaviours between massless bosons and fermions in d ⩾ 2: massless fermions presents logarithmic violation of the area which instead strictly hold for bosons, even massless. This is true both for the total and the symmetry resolved entropies. Interestingly, we find that the equipartition of entanglement into different symmetry sectors holds also in two dimensions at leading order in subsystem size; we identify for both systems the first term breaking it. All our findings are quantitatively tested against exact numerical calculations in lattice models for both bosons and fermions.

Convergent perturbation theory for studying phase transitions

We propose a method for constructing a perturbation theory with a finite radius of convergence for a rather wide class of quantum field models traditionally used to describe critical and near-critical behavior in problems in statistical physics. For the proposed convergent series, we use an instanton analysis to find the radius of convergence and also indicate a strategy for calculating their coefficients based on the diagrams in the standard (divergent) perturbation theory. We test the approach in the example of the standard stochastic dynamics $$ \mathrm{A} $$ -model and a matrix model of the phase transition in a system of nonrelativistic fermions, where its application allows explaining the previously observed quasiuniversal behavior of the trajectories of a first-order phase transition.

Relativistic Artificial Molecules Realized by Two Coupled Graphene Quantum Dots.

Coupled quantum dots (QDs), usually referred to as artificial molecules, are important not only in exploring fundamental physics of coupled quantum objects but also in realizing advanced QD devices. However, previous studies have been limited to artificial molecules with nonrelativistic Fermions. Here, we show that relativistic artificial molecules can be realized when two circular graphene QDs are coupled to each other. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), we observe the formation of bonding and antibonding states of the relativistic artificial molecule and directly visualize these states of the two coupled graphene QDs. The formation of the relativistic molecular states strongly alters distributions of massless Dirac Fermions confined in the graphene QDs. Moreover, our experiment demonstrates that the degeneracy of different angular-momentum states in the relativistic artificial molecule can be further lifted by external magnetic fields. Then, both the bonding and antibonding states are split into two peaks.

Bound on Lyapunov exponent in c=1 matrix model

Classical particle motions in an inverse harmonic potential show the exponential sensitivity to initial conditions, where the Lyapunov exponent lambda _L is uniquely fixed by the shape of the potential. Hence, if we naively apply the bound on the Lyapunov exponent lambda _L le 2pi T/ hbar to this system, it predicts the existence of the bound on temperature (the lowest temperature) T ge hbar lambda _L/ 2pi and the system cannot be taken to be zero temperature when hbar ne 0. This seems a puzzle because particle motions in an inverse harmonic potential should be realized without introducing any temperature but this inequality does not allow it. In this article, we study this problem in N non-relativistic free fermions in an inverse harmonic potential (c=1 matrix model). We find that thermal radiation is induced when we consider the system in a semi-classical regime even though the system is not thermal at the classical level. This is analogous to the thermal radiation of black holes, which are classically non-thermal but behave as thermal baths quantum mechanically. We also show that the temperature of the radiation in our model saturates the inequality, and thus, the system saturates the bound on the Lyapunov exponent, although the system is free and integrable. Besides, this radiation is related to acoustic Hawking radiation of the fermi fluid.

On the Lévy-Leblond–Newton equation and its symmetries: a geometric view

The Lévy-Leblond–Newton (LLN) equation for non-relativistic fermions with a gravitational self-interaction is reformulated within the framework of a Bargmann structure over a -dimensional Newton–Cartan (NC) spacetime. The Schrödinger–Newton (SN) group introduced in Duval and Lazzarini (2015 Class. Quantum Grav. 32 175006) as the maximal group of invariance of the SN equation, turns out to be also the group of conformal Bargmann automorphisms preserving the coupled Lévy-Leblond and NC gravitational field equations. Within the Bargmann geometry a generalization of the LLN equation is provided as well. The canonical projective unitary representation of the SN group on four-component spinors is also presented. In particular, when restricted to dilations, the value of the dynamical exponent is recovered as previously derived in Duval and Lazzarini (2015 Class. Quantum Grav. 32 175006) for the SN equation. Subsequently, conserved quantities associated to the (generalized) LLN equation are also exhibited.

Skyrmion–electron interaction in the separated spin-up and spin-down quantum hydrodynamics approach

Abstract The Berry gauge field associated with adiabatic quantum evolution represents a very interesting area of research, especially for the description of non-relativistic fermions coupled to a skyrmion texture. We construct a quantum hydrodynamics model that describes the electron–skyrmion interactions, with separate descriptions of spin-up and spin-down electrons as two different fluids. The quantum effects, represented by the quantum Bohm potential, are taken into account. We investigate the electron gas moving in a smooth magnetic texture, where the magnetic moments adjust to the local magnetization direction of the skyrmion, and derive the equations of motion and evolution of spin density for two fluids of electrons in the emergent gauge fields. Applying the separated spin evolution quantum hydrodynamics to the 2D electron gas, traveling on the background of the Berry gauge field in plane samples, located in an external magnetic field, we predict a wave of a new kind in the electron gas. This novel wave appears as an influence of emergent fields and quantum effects.

Specific heat and pairing of Dirac composite fermions in the half-filled Landau level

A recent proposal argues that an alternate description of the half-filled Landau level is a theory of massless Dirac fermions. We examine the possibility of pairing of these Dirac fermions by numerically solving the coupled Eliashberg equations unlike our previous calculation (Wang and Chakravarty, 2016). In addition, vertex corrections are calculated to be zero from the Ward identity. We find that pairing is possible in non-zero angular momentum channels; only differences are minor numerical shifts. As before, the pairing leads to the gapped Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian states. However, in our approximation scheme, pairing is not possible in the putative particle–hole symmetric state for ℓ=0 angular momentum. The specific heat at low temperatures of a system of massless Dirac fermions interacting with a transverse gauge field, expected to be relevant for the half-filled Landau level, is calculated. Using the Luttinger formula, it is found to be ∝TlnT in the leading low temperature limit, due to the exchange of transverse gauge bosons. The result agrees with the corresponding one in the nonrelativistic composite fermion theory of Halperin, Lee and Read of the half-filled Landau level.

Quantum quench in non-relativistic fermionic field theory: harmonic traps and 2d string theory

We investigate a class of exactly solvable quantum quench protocols with a finite quench rate in systems of one dimensional non-relativistic fermions in external harmonic oscillator or inverted harmonic oscillator potentials, with time dependent masses and frequencies. These hamiltonians arise, respectively, in harmonic traps, and the c = 1 Matrix Model description of two dimensional string theory with time dependent string coupling. We show how the dynamics is determined by a single function of time which satisfies a generalized Ermakov-Pinney equation. The quench protocols we consider asymptote to constant masses and frequencies at early times, and cross or approach a gapless potential. In a right side up harmonic oscillator potential we determine the scaling behavior of the one point function and the entanglement entropy of a subregion by obtaining analytic approximations to the exact answers. The results are consistent with Kibble-Zurek scaling for slow quenches and with perturbation calculations for fast quenches. For cis-critical quench protocols the entanglement entropy oscillates at late times around its initial value. For end-critical protocols the entanglement entropy monotonically goes to zero inversely with time, reflecting the spread of fermions over the entire line. For the inverted harmonic oscillator potential, the dual collective field description is a scalar field in a time dependent metric and dilaton background.

Spin-independent two-neutrino exchange potential with mixing and CP violation

We develop a new approach for calculating the spin-independent 2-neutrino exchange potential (2-NEP) between non-relativistic fermions which places emphasis on the neutrino vacuum state, an area of theoretical interest in recent years. The 2-NEP is a natural probe of fundamental issues of neutrino physics such as neutrino masses, flavor mixing, the number of neutrino flavors, neutrino nature (Dirac or Majorana), $CP$-violation, and the neutrino vacuum state. We explore the dependence of the 2-NEP on the mixing of neutrino mass states assuming normal and inverted mass ordering for nucleon-nucleon, nucleon-lepton, and lepton-lepton interactions, and the $CP$-violation phase in the neutrino mixing matrix.

Emergent reflection symmetry from nonrelativistic composite fermions

A recent experimental study [Pan et al., arXiv: 1902.10262] has shown that fractional quantum Hall effect gaps are essentially consistent with particle-hole symmetry in the lowest Landau level. Motivated by this result, we consider a clean two dimensional electron system (2DES) from the viewpoint of composite fermion mean-field theory. In this short note, we show that while the experiment is manifestly consistent with a Dirac composite fermion theory proposed recently by Son, it can equally well be explained within the framework of non-relativistic composite fermions, first put forward by Halperin, Lee, and Read.

Non-relativistic fermion–fermion scattering in higher derivative gravity

In this note, we examine the scattering of two identical fermions in theories where fermionic fields minimally coupled to higher derivative gravity. In particular, we consider the extension of general relativity with $R^2$ corrections or non-local terms. We expand the action of fermions around the flat space background and obtain two fermion-one graviton vertex. Then, by considering the scattering amplitude of two fermions, we calculate the non-relativistic limit and that obtain the potential for two fermion-fermion interaction which would be the usual Newtonian potential corrected with a Yukawa-like term. At the end, we briefly discuss the astronomical effects of such Yukawa-like potential by computing the gravitational pressure of a spherical star and use it for a white dwarf to obtain quantum corrections of Chandrasekhar radius.

Few-body physics on a spacetime lattice in the worldline approach

We formulate the physics of two species of non-relativistic hard-core bosons with attractive or repulsive delta function interactions on a space-time lattice in the worldline approach. We show that worm algorithms can efficiently sample the worldline configurations in any fixed particle-number sector if the chemical potential is tuned carefully. Since fermions can be treated as hard-core bosons up to a permutation sign, we apply this approach to study non-relativistic fermions. The fermion permutation sign is an observable in this approach and can be used to extract energies in each particle-number sector. In one dimension, non-relativistic fermions can only permute across boundaries, and so our approach does not suffer from sign problems in many cases, unlike the auxiliary field method. Using our approach, we discover limitations of the recently proposed complex Langevin calculations in one spatial dimension for some parameter regimes. In higher dimensions, our method suffers from the usual fermion sign problem. Here we provide evidence that it may be possible to alleviate this problem for few-body physics

Transport properties of fermions with moat spectra

We present here polarization operator of non-relativistic fermions with spin-orbit (SO) Rashba interaction. The spectrum of this fermions is moat type having minimum on a circle. Contrary to Dirac or non-relativistic fermions, Fermi sea here has a geometry of Corbino disk which reflects in a transport properties of excitation’s.

Nonrelativistic fermions with holographic interactions and the unitary Fermi gas

We present an alternative way of computing nonrelativistic single-particle spectra from holography. To this end, we introduce a mass gap in a holographic Dirac semimetal and subsequently study the nonrelativistic limit of the resulting spectral functions. We use this method to compute the momentum distributions and the equation of state of our nonrelativistic fermions, of which the latter can be used to extract all thermodynamic properties of the system. We find that our results are universal and reproduce many experimentally and theoretically known features of an ultracold Fermi gas at unitarity.

Resummation of Diagrammatic Series with Zero Convergence Radius for Strongly Correlated Fermions.

We demonstrate that a summing up series of Feynman diagrams can yield unbiased accurate results for strongly correlated fermions even when the convergence radius vanishes. We consider the unitary Fermi gas, a model of nonrelativistic fermions in three-dimensional continuous space. Diagrams are built from partially dressed or fully dressed propagators of single particles and pairs. The series is resummed by a conformal-Borel transformation that incorporates the large-order behavior and the analytic structure in the Borel plane, which are found by the instanton approach. We report highly accurate numerical results for the equation of state in the normal unpolarized regime, and reconcile experimental data with the theoretically conjectured fourth virial coefficient.

Spin polarized nonrelativistic fermions in 1+1 dimensions

We study by Monte Carlo methods the thermodynamics of a spin polarized gas of non-relativistic fermions in 1+1 dimensions. The main result of this work is that our action suffers no significant sign problem for any spin polarization in the region relevant for dilute degenerate fermi gases. This lack of sign problem allows us to study attractive spin polarized fermions non-perturbatively at spin polarizations not previously explored. For some parameters values we verify results previously obtained by methods which include an uncontrolled step like complex Langevin and/or analytical continuation from imaginary chemical potential. For others, larger values of the polarization, we deviate from these previous results.

Hall Number of Strongly Correlated Metals

An exact formula for the temperature dependent Hall number of metals is derived. It is valid for nonrelativistic fermions or bosons, with an arbitrary potential and interaction. This dc transport coefficient is proven to (remarkably) depend solely on equilibrium susceptibilities, which are more amenable to numerical algorithms than the conductivity. An application to strongly correlated phases is demonstrated by calculating the Hall sign in the vicinity of Mott phases of lattice bosons.

Resurgence analysis of 2d Yang-Mills theory on a torus

We study the large N ’t Hooft expansion of the partition function of 2d U(N) Yang-Mills theory on a torus. We compute the 1/N genus expansion of both the chiral and the full partition function of 2d Yang-Mills using the recursion relation found by Kaneko and Zagier with a slight modification. Then we study the large order behavior of this genus expansion, from which we extract the non-perturbative correction using the resurgence relation. It turns out that the genus expansion is not Borel summable and the coefficient of 1-instanton correction, the so-called Stokes parameter, is pure imaginary. We find that the non-perturbative correction obtained from the resurgence is reproduced from a certain analytic continuation of the grand partition function of a system of non-relativistic fermions on a circle. Our analytic continuation is different from that considered in hep-th/0504221.

Quantum States of a Neutral Massive Fermion with an Anomalous Magnetic Moment in an External Electric Field

The quantum dynamics of a nonrelativistic neutral massive fermion with an anomalous magnetic moment (AMM) is examined in the external electric field of an infinitely long thin homogeneously charged thread in the plane with a normal directed along the thread. The Hamiltonian of the Dirac–Pauli equation for a neutral fermion with AMM is essentially singular in the considered external field and requires a supplementary extension of the definition in order for it to be treated as a self-adjoint quantum-mechanical operator. All one-parameter self-adjoint extensions of the Hamiltonian of the Dirac–Pauli equation in the considered external field are found in the nonrelativistic approximation. The corresponding Hilbert space of squareintegrable functions, including a singularity point of the Hamiltonian, is specified for each self-adjoint extension of the Hamiltonian. The wave functions of free and bound states, as well as discrete energy levels, are determined by the self-adjoint extension method and their correspondence with similar quantities obtained by the physical regularization procedure is discussed. It is shown that energy levels of bound states are simple poles of the scattering amplitude, which should be extended in definition by introducing the self-adjoint extension parameter into it. Expressions for the scattering amplitude and cross-section, depending on the orientation of the initial-state spin of fermion, are obtained.