Nonperturbative Quantum Research Articles

QCD evolution of entanglement entropy

Abstract Entanglement entropy has emerged as a novel tool for probing nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phenomena, such as color confinement in protons. While recent studies have demonstrated its significant capability in describing hadron production in deep inelastic scatterings, the QCD evolution of entanglement entropy remains unexplored. In this work, we investigate the differential rapidity-dependent entanglement entropy within the proton and its connection to final-state hadrons, aiming to elucidate its QCD evolution. Our analysis reveals a strong agreement between the rapidity dependence of von Neumann entropy, obtained from QCD evolution equations, and the corresponding experimental data on hadron entropy. These findings provide compelling evidence for the emergence of a maximally entangled state, offering new insights into the nonperturbative structure of protons.

Nonuniversality of heavy quark hadronization in elementary high-energy collisions

It has been traditionally hypothesized that the heavy quark (charm c and bottom b) fragmentation is universal across different collision systems, based on the notion that hadronization as a soft process should occur at the characteristic nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) scale, ΛQCD. However, this universality hypothesis has recently been challenged by the observation that the c- and b-baryon production relative to their meson counterparts in minimum bias proton-proton (pp) collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energies is significantly enhanced as compared to the electron-positron (e+e−) collisions. The conception of nonuniversality is unambiguously reinforced by the latest measurement of the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of the b-baryon–to–meson yield ratio, Λb/B, by the LHCb experiment in s=13TeVpp collisions at the LHC, evolving continuously from the saturation value in minimum bias pp collisions toward the small value in e+e− collisions as the system size gradually reduces. We address the multiplicity dependence of b-baryon production in the canonical statistical hadronization model with input b-hadron spectrum augmented with many hitherto unobserved states from quark model predictions. We demonstrate that the decreasing trend of the Λb/B toward low multiplicities can be quantitatively understood from the canonical suppression on the yield of Λb, as caused by the requirement of strict conservation of baryon number in sufficiently small systems. We have therefore proposed a plausible scenario for understanding the origin of the nonuniversality of heavy quark fragmentation in elementary collisions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Unimodular quadratic gravity and the cosmological constant

Unimodular gravity addresses the old cosmological constant (CC) problem, explaining why such constant is not at least as large as the largest particle mass scale, but classically it is indistinguishable from ordinary gravity. Conversely, quantum physics may give us a way to distinguish the two theories. Thus, here the unimodular constraint is imposed on a non-perturbative and background-independent quantum version of quadratic gravity, which was recently formulated. It is shown that unimodularity does lead to different predictions for some inflationary quantum observables. Unimodular gravity per se does not solve the new CC problem (why the CC has the observed value?) even in this realization. To address this issue a multiverse made by different eras in a single big bang is considered and the observed scale of dark energy is explained anthropically.

Tutorial on nonperturbative cavity quantum electrodynamics: is the Jaynes–Cummings model still relevant?

In this tutorial review, we briefly discuss the role that the Jaynes–Cummings model occupies in present-day research in cavity quantum electrodynamics with a particular focus on the so-called ultrastrong-coupling regime. We start by critically analyzing the various approximations required to distill such a simple model from standard quantum electrodynamics. We then discuss how many of those approximations can be, and often have been, broken in recent experiments. The consequence of these failures has been the need to abandon the Jaynes–Cummings model for more complex models. In this, the quantum Rabi model has the most prominent role, and we will rapidly survey its rich and peculiar phenomenology. We conclude the paper by showing how the Jaynes–Cummings model still plays a crucial role even in nonperturbative light–matter coupling regimes.

A non-perturbative and background-independent formulation of quadratic gravity

A non-perturbative and background-independent quantum formulation of quadratic gravity is provided. A canonical quantization procedure introduced in previous works, named after Dirac and Pauli, is here applied to quadratic gravity to obtain, as required by consistency, a well-defined Euclidean path integral. The theory is unitary: all probabilities are non negative and they sum up to one. We obtain path-integral expressions for the transition amplitudes, Green's functions and generic matrix elements of time-ordered products of the metric. As a byproduct, similar results are also obtained for a scalar-field four-derivative interacting model. In this way, among other things, previous perturbative and background-dependent calculations are justified. The (quantum) quadratic gravity effective action, whose field equations determine the vacuum expectation value of the metric in the presence of a generic energy-momentum tensor, is constructed. The classical limit of the effective action turns out to be equivalent to the starting classical action of quadratic gravity, whose runaway rates were previously shown to be slow enough to be compatible with observations. Finally, the constructed non-perturbative and background-independent quantum quadratic gravity is applied to quantum cosmology to obtain a path-integral expression for the wave function of the universe, which satisfies a sort of Wheeler-DeWitt equation. This application allows us to understand at the quantum level why our universe is nearly homogeneous and isotropic.

Managing temperature in open quantum systems strongly coupled with structured environments.

In non-perturbative non-Markovian open quantum systems, reaching either low temperatures with the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) or high temperatures with the Thermalized Time Evolving Density Operator with Orthogonal Polynomials Algorithm (T-TEDOPA) formalism in Hilbert space remains challenging. We compare different ways of modeling the environment. Sampling the Fourier transform of the bath correlation function, also called temperature dependent spectral density, proves to be very effective. T-TEDOPA [Tamascelli et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 090402 (2019)] uses a linear chain of oscillators with positive and negative frequencies, while HEOM is based on the complex poles of an optimized rational decomposition of the temperature dependent spectral density [Xu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 230601 (2022)]. Resorting to the poles of the temperature independent spectral density and of the Bose function separately is an alternative when the problem due to the huge number of Bose poles at low temperatures is circumvented. Two examples illustrate the effectiveness of the HEOM and T-TEDOPA approaches: a benchmark pure dephasing case and a two-bath model simulating the dynamics of excited electronic states coupled through a conical intersection. We show the efficiency of T-TEDOPA to simulate dynamics at a finite temperature by using either continuous spectral densities or only all the intramolecular oscillators of a linear vibronic model calibrated from abinitio data of a phenylene ethynylene dimer.

Simulating CDT quantum gravity

We provide a hands-on introduction to Monte Carlo simulations in nonperturbative lattice quantum gravity, formulated in terms of Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT). We describe explicitly the implementation of Monte Carlo moves and the associated detailed-balance equations in two and three spacetime dimensions. We discuss how to optimize data storage and retrieval, which are nontrivial due to the dynamical nature of the lattices, and how to reconstruct the full geometry from selected stored data. Various aspects of the simulation, including tuning, thermalization and the measurement of observables are also treated. An associated open-source C++ implementation code is freely available online.

Resolving Phase Transition Properties of Dense Matter through Tidal-excited g-mode from Inspiralling Neutron Stars

The investigation of the phase state of dense matter is hindered by complications of first-principle nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics. By performing the first consistent general-relativistic calculations of tidal-excited g-mode of neutron stars with a first-order strong interaction phase transition in the high-density core, we demonstrate that the gravitational-wave signal during binary neutron star inspiral probes their innermost hadron-quark transition and provides potent constraints from present and future gravitational-wave detectors.

Chemical freeze-out parameters via a functional renormalization group approach

We study the freeze-out parameters in a QCD-assisted effective theory that accurately captures the quantum and in-medium effects of QCD at low energies. The functional renormalization group approach is implemented in our work to incorporate the nonperturbative quantum, thermal, and density fluctuations. By analyzing the calculated baryon number susceptibility ratios χ2B/χ1B and χ3B/χ2B, we determine the chemical freeze-out temperatures and baryon chemical potentials in cases of hard thermal or dense loop improved μ-dependent gluon potential and μ-independent gluon potential. We calculate the χ4B/χ2B(κσ2) and χ6B/χ2B along the freeze-out line for both cases. It is found that κσ2 exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior in a low collision energy region and approaches one for lower collision energy. χ6B/χ2B shows a similar complicated behavior in our calculation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Energy correlators on tracks: resummation and non-perturbative effects

Energy correlators measured inside high-energy jets at hadron colliders have recently been demonstrated to provide a new window into both perturbative and non-perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics. A number of the most interesting features of these correlators, namely their universal scaling behavior and the ability to image the confinement transition, require precise angular resolution, necessitating the use of tracking information in experimental measurements. Theoretically, tracking information can be incorporated into the energy correlators using track functions, which are non-perturbative functions describing the fragmentation of quarks and gluons into charged hadrons. In this paper, we apply our recently developed track function formalism to energy correlators, and study in detail the interplay of track functions with perturbative resummation and non-perturbative power corrections. We provide resummed results for the energy correlators at collinear next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy and compare with parton shower Monte Carlo simulations. For the two-point correlator the use of tracking has a minimal effect throughout the entire distribution, but it has a significant effect for higher point correlators. Our results are crucial for the theoretical interpretation of recent experimental measurements of the energy-energy correlators.

Watching the Interplay between Photoinduced Ultrafast Charge Dynamics and Nuclear Vibrations.

Here is presented the ultrafast hole-electron dynamics of photoinduced metal to ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) states in a Ru(II) complex, [Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2]4- (dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine), a photoactive molecule employed in dye sensitized solar cells. Via cutting-edge computational techniques, a tailored computational protocol is here presented and developed to provide a detailed analysis of the electronic manifold coupled with nuclear vibrations to better understand the nonradiative pathways and the resulting overall dye performances in light-harvesting processes (electron injection). Thus, the effects of different vibrational modes were investigated on both the electronic levels and charge transfer dynamics through a theoretical-computational approach. First, the linear response time-dependent density functional (LR-TDDFT) formalism was employed to characterize excitation energies and spacing among electronic levels (the electronic layouts). Then, to understand the ultrafast (femtosecond) charge dynamics on the molecular scale, we relied on the nonperturbative mean-field quantum electronic dynamics via real-time (RT-) TDDFT. Three vibrational modes were selected, representative for collective nuclear movements that can have a significant influence on the electronic structure: two involving NCS- ligands and one involving dcbpy ligands. As main results, we observed that such MLCT states, under vibrational distortions, are strongly affected and a faster interligand electron transfer mechanism is observed along with an increasing MLCT character of the adiabatic electronic states approaching closer in energy due to the vibrations. Such findings can help both in providing a molecular picture of multidimensional vibro-electronic spectroscopic techniques, used to characterize ultrafast coherent and noncoherent dynamics of complex systems, and to improve dye performances with particular attention to the study of energy or charge transport processes and vibronic couplings.

High-Quality Axions in a Class of Chiral U(1) Gauge Theories.

We show that there are many candidates for the quintessence and/or the QCD axions in a class of chiral U(1) gauge theories. Their qualities are high enough to serve as the dark energy and/or to solve the strong CP problem. Interestingly, the high quality of axion is guaranteed by the gauged U(1) and Z_{2N} symmetries and hence free from the nonperturbative quantum gravity corrections. Furthermore, our mechanism can be easily applied to the Fuzzy dark matter axion scenarios.

A review of the low-energy K−-nucleus/nuclei interactions with light nuclei AMADEUS investigations

The AMADEUS Collaboration conducts research aimed to experimentally investigate the low-energy K− hadronic interactions with light nuclei like hydrogen, helium, and carbon, in order to provide new constraints to the antikaon-nucleon strong interaction studies in the non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics regime. K− nuclear absorption, both at-rest and in-flight, are explored using the unique low-momentum and monochromatic kaon beam from the DAΦNE collider interacting with the KLOE detector components, a detector characterized by high acceptance and excellent position and momentum resolutions. This paper presents an overview of the AMADEUS results.

Light ray fluctuation and lattice refinement of simplicial quantum gravity

In several approaches of non-perturbative quantum gravity, a major outstanding problem is to obtain results valid at the infinite lattice refinement limit. Working with Lorentzian simplicial quantum gravity, we compute light ray fluctuation probabilities in 3D and 4D across different lattices. In a simplified refined box model with the Einstein–Hilbert action, numerical results show that lattice refinement does not simply suppress or simply enhance light ray fluctuations, but actually drives very wide and very narrow light probability distributions towards intermediate ones. A comparison across lattices and across couplings reveals numerical hints at a lattice refinement fixed point associated with a universality class of couplings. The results fit the intuition that quantum spacetime fluctuations reflected by light ray fluctuations start wild microscopically and become mild macroscopically. The refined box model is limited by the assumption of a rigid frame at all scales. The present results suggest further studies around the zero-coupling limit to relax the simplifying assumptions of the model.

Preface: CSQCDIX

The 9th international workshop Compact Stars in the QCD phase diagram was held, during August 1-5 2022, in Banff (Alberta, Canada) entitled “Compact Stars in the QCD phase diagram IX (CSQCD IX): From RHIC to Astrophysics, Probing the Quark-Gluon Plasma”. This series of meetings started in 2001 in Copenhagen (Denmark), and then continued in 2009 in Beijing (China), 2012 in Guaruja (Brazil), 2014 in Prerow (Germany), 2016 in l’Aquila (Italy), 2017 in Dubna (Russia), 2018 in New York (NY, USA), and 2020 at ICTS (India; on line).The CSQCD workshops aim to bring together physicists working on strongly interacting dense matter with astrophysicists working on Compact Stars and related astrophysical phenomena such as supernovae, gamma ray bursts and pulsars. A profound theoretical description of these astrophysical phenomena necessarily involves the equation of state and transport properties of QCD matter that are derived from non-perturbative quantum field theories, many-body physics of strongly interacting matter and phenomenological investigations. CSQCD IX focussed on recent explorations of the quark-gluon phase using colliders (e.g. RHIC and LHC) and on the renewed interest in neutron and quark matter in astrophysics, particularly in the gravitational wave era.The science sessions focused on nuclear matter at high baryon density, on probing neutron-star matter in the laboratory, and on explorations of characterization of the critical endpoint in the nuclear matter phase diagram. The phases and the equation of state was discussed (in memory of Stefan Schramm) as well as transport phenomena in compact stars. Recent results constraining the nuclear symmetry energy from experiments, theory and observations and implications for compact stars were also presented. For the first time in the CSQCD series, talks highlighted the importance of gravitational waves as: (i) a tool to probe compact stars and QCD phase transitions; (ii) as probes of reacting interfaces in the core of neutron stars. Also featured were recent data from NICER and implications on neutron stars as well as neutron star mergers as materials science.The present volume of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series represents selected contributions from the participants of the CSQCD IX workshop. Each submitted contribution has been peer reviewed and the Editors are very grateful to the referees for their careful support.The Editors of the CSQCD IX Proceedings:Rachid Ouyed (University of Calgary, Canada)Denis Leahy (University of Calgary, Canada)Nico Koning (University of Calgary, Canada)Tobias Fischer (University of Wroclaw, Poland)Sumiyoshi Kohsuke (National Institute of Technology, Numazu College, Japan)Massimo Mannarelli (National Laboratories of Gran Sasso, Italy)Fridolin Weber (San Diego State University, USA)Calgary, 1st of May 2023

Partition Function for a Volume of Space.

We consider the quantum gravity partition function that counts the dimension of the Hilbert space of a spatial region with topology of a ball and fixed proper volume, and evaluate it in the leading order saddle point approximation. The result is the exponential of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy associated with the area of the saddle ball boundary, and is reliable within effective field theory provided the mild curvature singularity at the ball boundary is regulated by higher curvature terms. This generalizes the classic Gibbons-Hawking computation of the de Sitter entropy for the case of positive cosmological constant and unconstrained volume, and hence exhibits the holographic nature of nonperturbative quantum gravity in generic finite volumes of space.

Measuring the homogeneity of the quantum universe

There are not many tools to quantitatively monitor the emergence of classical geometric features from a quantum spacetime, whose microscopic structure may be a highly quantum-fluctuating ``spacetime foam''. To improve this situation, we introduce new quantum observables that allow us to measure the absolute and relative homogeneity of geometric properties of a nonperturbative quantum universe, as function of a chosen averaging scale. This opens a new way to compare results obtained in full quantum gravity to descriptions of the early Universe that assume homogeneity and isotropy at the outset. Our construction is purely geometric and does not depend on a background metric. We illustrate the viability of the quantum homogeneity measures by a nontrivial application to two-dimensional Lorentzian quantum gravity formulated in terms of a path integral over causal dynamical triangulations, and find some evidence of quantum inhomogeneity.

Tachyonic production of dark relics: a non-perturbative quantum study

We study production of dark relics during reheating after the end of inflation in a system consisting of a non-minimally coupled spectator scalar field and the inflaton. We derive a set of renormalized quantum transport equations for the one-point function and the two-point function of the spectator field and solve them numerically. We find that our system can embody both tachyonic and parametric instabilities. The former is an expected result due to the non-minimal coupling, but the latter displays new features driven by a novel interplay of the two-point function with the Ricci scalar. We find that when the parametric instability driven by the two-point function takes place, it dominates the total particle production. The quantitative results are also found to be highly sensitive to the model parameters.

Nonperturbative quantum correction to the Reissner-Nordström spacetime with running Newton’s constant

We study the consequences of the running Newton's constant on several key aspects of spherically symmetric charged black holes by performing a renormalization group improvement of the classical Reissner-Nordstr\"om metric within the framework of the Einstein-Hilbert truncation in quantum Einstein gravity. In particular, we determine that the event horizon surfaces are stable except for the extremal case and we corroborate the appearance of a new extremality condition at the Planck scale that contributes to hints about the possible existence of a final stage after the black hole evaporation process. We find explicit expressions for the area and surface gravity of the event horizon and we show the existence of an exact form $dS$ with the surface gravity as integrating factor, in contrast to a previous no-go result for axially symmetric spacetimes with null charge. As a consequence, we are able to derive a formula for the state function $S$ as the sum of the area of the classical event horizon plus a quantum correction linear in $\ensuremath{\hbar}$ and logarithmic in the classical area, in accordance with other approaches. We finally calculate an explicit formula for the Komar mass at the event horizon, and we compare it with the total mass at infinity for a wide domain of values of the black hole parameters $M$, $Q$ and $\overline{w}$, showing a loss of mass which can be interpreted as a consequence of the antiscreening effect of the gravitational field between the event horizon and infinity.

Quantum Curves, Resurgence and Exact WKB

We study the non-perturbative quantum geometry of the open and closed topological string on the resolved conifold and its mirror. Our tools are finite difference equations in the open and closed string moduli and the resurgence analysis of their formal power series solutions. In the closed setting, we derive new finite difference equations for the refined partition function as well as its Nekrasov-Shatashvili (NS) limit. We write down a distinguished analytic solution for the refined difference equation that reproduces the expected non-perturbative content of the refined topological string. We compare this solution to the Borel analysis of the free energy in the NS limit. We find that the singularities of the Borel transform lie on infinitely many rays in the Borel plane and that the Stokes jumps across these rays encode the associated Donaldson-Thomas invariants of the underlying Calabi-Yau geometry. In the open setting, the finite difference equation corresponds to a canonical quantization of the mirror curve. We analyze this difference equation using Borel analysis and exact WKB techniques and identify the 5d BPS states in the corresponding exponential spectral networks. We furthermore relate the resurgence analysis in the open and closed setting. This guides us to a five-dimensional extension of the Nekrasov-Rosly-Shatashvili proposal, in which the NS free energy is computed as a generating function of q-difference opers in terms of a special set of spectral coordinates. Finally, we examine two spectral problems describing the corresponding quantum integrable system.