Real-space Renormalization Group Approach Research Articles

Random Quantum Ising Model with Three-Spin Couplings.

We apply a real-space block renormalization group approach to study the critical properties of the random transverse-field Ising spin chain with multispin interactions. First, we recover the known properties of the traditional model with two-spin interactions by applying the renormalization approach for the arbitrary size of the block. For the model with three-spin couplings, we calculate the critical point and demonstrate that the phase transition is controlled by an infinite disorder fixed point. We have determined the typical correlation-length critical exponent, which seems to be different from that of the random transverse Ising chain with nearest-neighbor couplings. Thus, this model represents a new infinite disorder universality class.

Optimizing randomized potentials for inhibiting thermalization in one-dimensional systems

There is a growing interest in applying different external potentials other than the conventional uniform disorder for inhibiting thermalization and realizing the many-body localization (MBL) phase. Various types of external potentials have been explored, e.g., linear/quasiperiodic potentials and discrete disorder, but what type of potentials is the most ``effective'' for inducing MBL remains elusive. In this work, we formally introduce the problem of the optimal randomized potential from two aspects, which is to find the optimal on-site energy distribution so that (1) the required random field strength for the onset of MBL (i.e., ${W}_{c}$ in the literature) is the minimal, and (2) the thermalization occurs the slowest after the system is prepared in an out-of-equilibrium state. We choose the spinless fermionic chain to study the problem using two complementary methods. For short chains ($L<20$), we employ exact numerical approaches for (1) diagnosing MBL transitions and (2) simulating the dynamics of the entanglement entropy. For longer chains [$L\ensuremath{\sim}O(100)$], we employ a modified real-space renormalization group (RSRG) approach to trade off accuracy for simulation sizes and scaling properties. Both methods predict that random potentials with a certain degree of polarization towards binary disorder will favor the MBL more than the uniform distribution. For some studied cases, the optimal random distribution lies in between the uniform and binary disorder. We attribute that to the competition between increased on-site energy fluctuation and enhanced degeneracy near the distribution edge ($\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}W$). While precisely determining the functional form of the optimal random distribution is not feasible at present, our results could be useful for engineering more efficient potentials for realizing MBL in mesoscopic systems.

State-space renormalization group theory of nonequilibrium reaction networks: Exact solutions for hypercubic lattices in arbitrary dimensions.

Nonequilibrium reaction networks (NRNs) underlie most biological functions. Despite their diverse dynamic properties, NRNs share the signature characteristics of persistent probability fluxes and continuous energy dissipation even in the steady state. Dynamics of NRNs can be described at different coarse-grained levels. Our previous work showed that the apparent energy dissipation rate at a coarse-grained level follows an inverse power-law dependence on the scale of coarse-graining. The scaling exponent is determined by the network structure and correlation of stationary probability fluxes. However, it remains unclear whether and how the (renormalized) flux correlation varies with coarse-graining. Following Kadanoff's real space renormalization group (RG) approach for critical phenomena, we address this question by developing a state-space renormalization group theory for NRNs, which leads to an iterative RG equationfor the flux correlation function. In square and hypercubic lattices, we solve the RG equationexactly and find two types of fixed point solutions. There is a family of nontrivial fixed points where the correlation exhibits power-law decay, characterized by a power exponent that can take any value within a continuous range. There is also a trivial fixed point where the correlation vanishes beyond the nearest neighbors. The power-law fixed point is stable if and only if the power exponent is less than the lattice dimension n. Consequently, the correlation function converges to the power-law fixed point only when the correlation in the fine-grained network decays slower than r^{-n} and to the trivial fixed point otherwise. If the flux correlation in the fine-grained network contains multiple stable solutions with different exponents, the RG iteration dynamics select the fixed point solution with the smallest exponent. The analytical results are supported by numerical simulations. We also discuss a possible connection between the RG flows of flux correlation with those of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition.

The critical values of coupling strength of the non-self-dual Ising lattices under decimation transformation

In this work, the values of critical coupling strengths of the Ising lattices which are changing their lattice structure (or non-self-dual) under decimation transformations, such as the honeycomb, the triangular and the body centered cubic Ising lattices, are obtained by a modified real space renormalization group approach (RSRG). This modification is necessary to obtain a proper relation between the coupling strengths of the original and the decimated lattices. Indeed, we have achieved to obtain a proper renormalized coupling strength relation for honeycomb and triangular lattices readily, since the decimation transformation of the honeycomb lattice produces the triangular lattice or vice versa. Here, the problem of having physically untractable interactions between degrees of freedom in the renormalized Hamiltonian, which leads eventually to inevitable approximations in the treatment, except for the 1D Ising chain, has been solved with a proper approximation. Especially for the 3D Ising lattices, the physically untractable interactions appearing in the renormalized Hamiltonian make the mathematical treatment too cumbersome. As a result, there is not enough research dealing with the 3D Ising lattices using RG theory. Our approximation is based on using the simple relation [Formula: see text], which is, of course, a very relevant first-order approximation, if [Formula: see text]. With the help of this approximation, decimation transformation process produces only pairwise interactions in the renormalized Hamiltonian instead of having four spins, six spins, or even eight spin interactions which appear naturally if all the terms are kept in the renormalized Hamiltonians of the Ising lattices in 2D and higher dimensions. Without this approximation, one cannot apply analytic RG treatment feasibly to even simple cubic lattice, let alone applying it to the body centered cubic lattice. Using this modified RG approach, the values of critical coupling strengths of the honeycomb, the triangular and the body centered cubic Ising lattices are obtained analytically as 0.6470, 0.2754 and 0.1589, respectively. Apparently, these estimations are really close to the results obtained from cumbersome exact treatments which are 0.6585, 0.2747 and 0.1575 for the honeycomb, the triangular and the body centered cubic lattices.

Electronic instabilities in Penrose quasicrystals: Competition, coexistence, and collaboration of order

Quasicrystals lack translational symmetry, but can still exhibit long-range order, promoting them to candidates for unconventional physics beyond the paradigm of crystals. Here, we apply a real-space functional renormalization group approach to the prototypical quasicrystalline Penrose tiling Hubbard model treating competing electronic instabilities in an unbiased, beyond-mean-field fashion. Our work reveals a delicate interplay between charge and spin degrees of freedom in quasicrystals. Depending on the range of interactions and hopping amplitudes, we unveil a rich phase diagram including antiferromagnetic orderings, charge density waves, and subleading, superconducting pairing tendencies. For certain parameter regimes, we find a competition of phases, which is also common in crystals, but additionally encounter phases coexisting in a spatially separated fashion and ordering tendencies which mutually collaborate to enhance their strength. We therefore establish that quasicrystalline structures open up a route towards this rich ordering behavior uncommon to crystals and that an unbiased, beyond-mean-field approach is essential to describe this physics of quasicrystals correctly.6 MoreReceived 31 August 2020Revised 17 December 2020Accepted 12 May 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023180Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAntiferroelectricityCharge density wavesEdge statesElectrical propertiesMagnetic orderPhase transitionsQuasicrystalline structurePhysical Systems2-dimensional systemsQuasicrystalsTechniquesHubbard modelMean field theoryRenormalization groupSecond quantizationSymmetries in condensed matterTight-binding modelCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Topological and symmetry-enriched random quantum critical points

We study how symmetry can enrich strong-randomness quantum critical points and phases, and lead to robust topological edge modes coexisting with critical bulk fluctuations. These are the disordered analogues of gapless topological phases. Using real-space and density matrix renormalization group approaches, we analyze the boundary and bulk critical behavior of such symmetry-enriched random quantum spin chains. We uncover a new class of symmetry-enriched infinite randomness fixed points: while local bulk properties are indistinguishable from conventional random singlet phases, nonlocal observables and boundary critical behavior are controlled by a different renormalization group fixed point. We also illustrate how such new quantum critical points emerge naturally in Floquet systems.

Real-space renormalization-group treatment of the Maier-Saupe-Zwanzig model for biaxial nematic structures.

The Maier-Saupe-Zwanzig model for the nematic phase transitions in liquid crystals is investigated in a diamond hierarchical lattice. The model takes into account a parameter to describe the biaxiality of the microscopic units. Also, a suitably chosen external field is added to the Hamiltonian to allow the determination of critical parameters associated with the nematic phase transitions. Using the transfer-matrix technique, the free energy and its derivatives are obtained in terms of recursion relations between successive generations of the hierarchical lattice. In addition, a real-space renormalization-group approach is developed to obtain the critical parameters of the same model system. Results of both methods are in excellent agreement. There are indications of two continuous phase transitions. One of them corresponds to a uniaxial-isotropic transition, in the class of universality of the three-state Potts model on the diamond hierarchical lattice. The transition between the biaxial and the uniaxial phases is in the universality class of the Ising model on the same lattice.

Quantum Criticality in the 2D Quasiperiodic Potts Model.

Quantum critical points in quasiperiodic magnets can realize new universality classes, with critical properties distinct from those of clean or disordered systems. Here, we study quantum phase transitions separating ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases in the quasiperiodic q-state Potts model in 2+1D. Using a controlled real-space renormalization group approach, we find that the critical behavior is largely independent of q, and is controlled by an infinite-quasiperiodicity fixed point. The correlation length exponent is found to be ν=1, saturating a modified version of the Harris-Luck criterion.

Time-dependent real-space renormalization-group approach: application to an adiabatic random quantum Ising model

We develop a time-dependent real-space renormalization-group approach which can be applied to Hamiltonians with time-dependent random terms. To illustrate the renormalization-group analysis, we focus on the quantum Ising Hamiltonian with random site- and time-dependent (adiabatic) transverse-field and nearest-neighbour exchange couplings. We demonstrate how the method works in detail, by calculating the off-critical flows and recovering the ground state properties of the Hamiltonian such as magnetization and correlation functions. The adiabatic time allows us to traverse the parameter space, remaining near-to the ground state which is broadened if the rate of change of the Hamiltonian is finite. The quantum critical point, or points, depend on time through the time-dependence of the parameters of the Hamiltonian. We, furthermore, make connections with Kibble–Zurek dynamics and provide a scaling argument for the density of defects as we adiabatically pass through the critical point of the system.

Strong-disorder renormalization group for periodically driven systems

Quenched randomness can lead to robust non-equilibrium phases of matter in periodically driven (Floquet) systems. Analyzing transitions between such dynamical phases requires a method capable of treating the twin complexities of disorder and discrete time-translation symmetry. We introduce a real-space renormalization group approach, asymptotically exact in the strong-disorder limit, and exemplify its use on the periodically driven interacting quantum Ising model. We analyze the universal physics near the critical lines and multicritical point of this model, and demonstrate the robustness of our results to the inclusion of weak interactions.

Scaling Theory of Entanglement at the Many-Body Localization Transition.

We study the universal properties of eigenstate entanglement entropy across the transition between many-body localized (MBL) and thermal phases. We develop an improved real space renormalization group approach that enables numerical simulation of large system sizes and systematic extrapolation to the infinite system size limit. For systems smaller than the correlation length, the average entanglement follows a subthermal volume law, whose coefficient is a universal scaling function. The full distribution of entanglement follows a universal scaling form, and exhibits a bimodal structure that produces universal subleading power-law corrections to the leading volume law. For systems larger than the correlation length, the short interval entanglement exhibits a discontinuous jump at the transition from fully thermal volume law on the thermal side, to pure area law on the MBL side.

Quantum renormalization group approach to quantum coherence and multipartite entanglement in an XXZ spin chain

We investigate the performances of quantum coherence and multipartite entanglement close to the quantum critical point of a one-dimensional anisotropic spin-1/2 XXZ spin chain by employing the real-space quantum renormalization group approach. It is shown that the quantum criticality of XXZ spin chain can be revealed by the singular behaviors of the first derivatives of renormalized quantum coherence and multipartite entanglement in the thermodynamics limit. Moreover, we find the renormalized quantum coherence and multipartite entanglement obey certain universal exponential-type scaling laws in the vicinity of the quantum critical point of XXZ spin chain.

Microcrack connectivity in rocks: a real-space renormalization group approach for 3D anisotropic bond percolation

.The onset of microcrack conductivity in anisotropic rocks, which is a concern in hydraulic fracturing, was treated as a three-dimensional (3D) bond percolation problem where the bonds in the three orthogonal directions are presented with different probabilities. A real-space renormalization group (RNG) approach was expanded to calculate the critical behavior in this percolation problem, which was demonstrated to have improved accuracy for estimating critical points. A 3D phase diagram for the anisotropic percolation problem was obtained to present the relation between rock permeability and crack density, which is suitable for the needs of engineering for its accuracy and visualization.

Symmetry-respecting real-space renormalization for the quantum Ashkin-Teller model

We use a simple real-space renormalization-group approach to investigate the critical behavior of the quantum Ashkin-Teller model, a one-dimensional quantum spin chain possessing a line of criticality along which critical exponents vary continuously. This approach, which is based on exploiting the on-site symmetry of the model, has been shown to be surprisingly accurate for predicting some aspects of the critical behavior of the quantum transverse-field Ising model. Our investigation explores this approach in more generality, in a model in which the critical behavior has a richer structure but which reduces to the simpler Ising case at a special point. We demonstrate that the correlation length critical exponent as predicted from this real-space renormalization-group approach is in broad agreement with the corresponding results from conformal field theory along the line of criticality. Near the Ising special point, the error in the estimated critical exponent from this simple method is comparable to that of numerically intensive simulations based on much more sophisticated methods, although the accuracy decreases away from the decoupled Ising model point.

Theory of the Many-Body Localization Transition in One-Dimensional Systems

We formulate a theory of the many-body localization transition based on a novel real space renormalization group (RG) approach. The results of this theory are corroborated and intuitively explained with a phenomenological effective description of the critical point and of the "badly conducting" state found near the critical point on the delocalized side. The theory leads to the following sharp predictions: (i) The delocalized state established near the transition is a Griffiths phase, which exhibits sub-diffusive transport of conserved quantities and sub-ballistic spreading of entanglement. The anomalous diffusion exponent $\alpha < 1/2$ vanishes continuously at the critical point. The system does thermalize in this Griffiths phase. (ii) The many-body localization transition is controlled by a new kind of infinite randomness RG fixed point, where the broadly distributed scaling variable is closely related to the eigenstate entanglement entropy. Dynamically, the entanglement grows as $\sim\log t$ at the critical point, as it also does in the localized phase. (iii) In the vicinity of the critical point the ratio of the entanglement entropy to the thermal entropy, and its variance (and in fact all moments) are scaling functions of $L/\xi$, where $L$ is the length of the system and $\xi$ is the correlation length, which has a power-law divergence at the critical point.

Quantum criticality of hot random spin chains.

We study the infinite-temperature properties of an infinite sequence of random quantum spin chains using a real-space renormalization group approach, and demonstrate that they exhibit nonergodic behavior at strong disorder. The analysis is conveniently implemented in terms of SU(2)_{k} anyon chains that include the Ising and Potts chains as notable examples. Highly excited eigenstates of these systems exhibit properties usually associated with quantum critical ground states, leading us to dub them "quantum critical glasses." We argue that random-bond Heisenberg chains self-thermalize and that the excited-state entanglement crosses over from volume-law to logarithmic scaling at a length scale that diverges in the Heisenberg limit k→∞. The excited state fixed points are generically distinct from their ground state counterparts, and represent novel nonequilibrium critical phases of matter.

Origin of the log-periodic oscillations in the quantum dynamics of electrons in quasiperiodic systems

Recently, the occurrence of log-periodic oscillations in the quantum dynamics of electrons was reported for the one-dimensional Fibonacci quasicrystal by Lifshitz and Even-Dar Mandel. We apply a real-space renormalization group approach to show that these log-periodic oscillations are related to the underlying quasiperiodic structure of the Fibonacci quasicrystal. We find that they originate from the superposition of bonding and antibonding states associated to strongly coupled atoms in the chains, and that they show a hierarchical structure closely related to the atomic configurations.

Topologically invariant tensor renormalization group method for the Edwards-Anderson spin glasses model

Tensor renormalization group (TRG) method is a real space renormalization group approach. It has been successfully applied to both classical and quantum systems. In this paper, we study a disordered and frustrated system, the two-dimensional Edwards-Anderson model, by a new topological invariant TRG scheme. We propose an approach to calculate the local magnetizations and nearest pair correlations simultaneously. The Nishimori multicritical point predicted by the topological invariant TRG agrees well with the recent Monte Carlo results. The TRG schemes outperform the mean-field methods on the calculation of the partition function. We notice that it might obtain a negative partition function at sufficiently low temperatures. However, the negative contribution can be neglected if the system is large enough. This topological invariant TRG can also be used to study three-dimensional spin glass systems.

A renormalization group study of persistent current in a quasiperiodic ring

We propose a real-space renormalization group approach for evaluating persistent current in a multi-channel quasiperiodic Fibonacci tight-binding ring based on a Green's function formalism. Unlike the traditional methods, the present scheme provides a powerful tool for the theoretical description of persistent current with a very high degree of accuracy in large periodic and quasiperiodic rings, even in the micron scale range, which emphasizes the merit of this work.

Low-temperature hopping dynamics with energy disorder: Renormalization group approach

We formulate a real-space renormalization group (RG) approach for efficient numerical analysis of the low-temperature hopping dynamics in energy-disordered lattices. The approach explicitly relies on the time-scale separation of the trapping/escape dynamics. This time-scale separation allows to treat the hopping dynamics as a hierarchical process, RG step being a transformation between the levels of the hierarchy. We apply the proposed RG approach to analyze hopping dynamics in one- and two-dimensional lattices with varying degrees of energy disorder, and find the approach to be accurate at low temperatures and computationally much faster than the brute-force direct diagonalization. Applicability criteria of the proposed approach with respect to the time-scale separation and the maximum number of hierarchy levels are formulated. RG flows of energy distribution and pre-exponential factors of the Miller-Abrahams model are analyzed.