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At least 181 records · Page 10

Quantum Spin Torque Driven Transmutation of an Antiferromagnetic Mott Insulator

The basic model of spin-transfer torque (STT) in antiferromagnetic spintronics considers the exchange of angular momentum between quantum spins of flowing electrons and noncollinear-to-them localized spins treated as classical vectors. These vectors are assumed to realize Néel order in equilibrium, ↑ ↓ ∙∙∙ ↑ ↓, and their STT-driven dynamics is described by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation. However, many experimentally employed materials (such as archetypal NiO) are strongly electron-correlated antiferromagnetic Mott insulators (AFMIs) whose localized spins form a ground state quite different from the unentangled Néel state | ↑ ↓ ∙∙∙ ↑ ↓$\rangle$. The true ground state is entangled by quantum spin fluctuations, leading to the expectation value of all localized spins being zero, so that LLG dynamics of classical vectors of fixed length rotating due to STT cannot even be initiated. Instead, a fully quantum treatment of both conduction electrons and localized spins is necessary to capture the exchange of spin angular momentum between them, denoted as quantum STT. We use a recently developed time-dependent density matrix renormalization group approach to quantum STT to predict how injection of a spin-polarized current pulse into a normal metal layer coupled to an AFMI overlayer via exchange interaction and possibly small interlayer hopping—mimicking, e.g., topological-insulator/NiO bilayer employed experimentally—will induce a nonzero expectation value of AFMI localized spins. This new nonequilibrium phase is a spatially inhomogeneous ferromagnet with a zigzag profile of localized spins. The total spin absorbed by AFMI increases with electron-electron repulsion in AFMIs, as well as when the two layers do not exchange any charge.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Correlated Dirac–Coulomb–Breit multiconfigurational self-consistent-field methods

The fully correlated frequency-independent Dirac–Coulomb–Breit Hamiltonian provides the most accurate description of electron–electron interaction before going to a genuine relativistic quantum electrodynamics theory of many-electron systems. In this work, we introduce a correlated Dirac–Coulomb–Breit multiconfigurational self-consistent-field method within the frameworks of complete active space and density matrix renormalization group. In this approach, the Dirac–Coulomb–Breit Hamiltonian is included variationally in both the mean-field and correlated electron treatment. Here, we also analyze the importance of the Breit operator in electron correlation and the rotation between the positive- and negative-orbital space in the no-virtual-pair approximation. Atomic fine-structure splittings and lanthanide contraction in diatomic fluorides are used as benchmark studies to understand the contribution from the Breit correlation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Precision study of the massive Schwinger model near quantum criticality

We perform a numerical analysis of the massive Schwinger model in the presence of a background electric field. Using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group approach, we efficiently compute the spectrum of the Schwinger model on a staggered lattice with up to 3000 qubits. As a result, we achieve a precise computation of the critical mass of the massive Schwinger model to five digits using four different “criticality criteria,” observing perfect agreement among them Additionally, we discuss the effect of a four-fermion operator deformation of the Schwinger model and compute the critical mass for various values of the deformation parameter.

Critical phenomena↗

QuTree: A tree tensor network package

Here we present QuTree, a C++ library for tree tensor network approaches. QuTree provides class structures for tensors, tensor trees, and related linear algebra functions that facilitate the fast development of tree tensor network approaches such as the multilayer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree approach or the density matrix renormalization group approach and its various extensions. We investigate the efficiency of relevant tensor and tensor network operations and show that the overhead for managing the network structure is negligible, even in cases with a million leaves and small tensors. QuTree focuses on providing simple, high-level routines while retaining easy access to the backend to facilitate novel developments. We demonstrate the capabilities of the package by computing the eigenstates of coupled harmonic oscillator Hamiltonians and performing random circuit simulations on a virtual quantum computer.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Where is the Quantum Spin Nematic?

We provide strong evidence of the spin-nematic state in a paradigmatic ferro-antiferromagnetic J 1 –J 2 model using analytical and density-matrix renormalization group methods. In zero field, the attraction of spin-flip pairs leads to a first-order transition and no nematic state, while pair repulsion at larger J 2 stabilizes the nematic phase in a narrow region near the pair-condensation field. A devil’s staircase of multipair condensates is conjectured for weak pair attraction. A suppression of the spin-flip gap by many-body effects leads to an order-of-magnitude contraction of the nematic phase compared to naïve expectations. Here, the proposed phase diagram should be broadly valid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Design Rules for Open-Shell Molecular Wires: Insights from Correlated Many-Body Transport

Open-shell π-conjugated systems have emerged as promising molecular wires that can sustain unusually high low-bias conductance over tens of nanometers. However, predictive design rules remain limited because near-degeneracy and spin polarization give rise to correlated electronic states that are not reliably captured by standard density functional theory and Landauer transport descriptions. Here, we establish physically transparent design rules for long-range, weakly length-dependent charge transport based on the interplay between bond-length alternation and electron–electron interactions. Using a fully correlated transport framework that combines density matrix renormalization group calculations with nonequilibrium Green’s function embedding, we show that weak dimerization maintains spatially extended edge states, while moderate on-site interaction stabilizes open-shell character without excessively separating transport-relevant resonances. This balance yields zero-bias transmission that is largely insensitive to molecular length, providing a route to connect chemically tunable structure to correlated transport beyond mean-field descriptions.

Charge transport↗

Plaquette valence bond state in the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ J 1 –J 2 XY model on the square lattice

Here, we studied the ground-state phase diagram of spin-1/2 J 1 –J 2 XY model on the square lattice with first-neighbor J 1 and second-neighbor J 2 antiferromagnetic interactions using both infinite density matrix renormalization group (iDMRG) and DMRG approaches. We show that a plaquette valence bond phase is realized in an intermediate region 0.50 ≤ J 2 /J 1 < 0.54 between a Néel magnetic ordered phase at J 2 /J 1 < 0.50 and a stripy magnetic ordered phase at J 2 /J 1 ≥ 0.54 . The plaquette valence bond phase is characterized by finite dimer orders in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Contrary to the spin-1/2 J 1 –J 2 Heisenberg model, we do not find numerical evidence for a quantum spin liquid phase in the J 1 –J 2 XY model.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Global quantum phase diagram and non-Abelian chiral spin liquid in a spin- 3 2 square-lattice antiferromagnet

Since strong quantum fluctuations are essential for the emergence of quantum spin liquids, there have been extensive exploration and identification of spin liquid candidates in spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ systems, while such activities are rare in higher spin systems. Here we report an example of non-Abelian chiral spin liquid emerging in a spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ Heisenberg model on a square lattice. By tuning Heisenberg exchange interaction and scalar chirality interaction, we map out a quantum phase diagram enclosing three conventional magnetic orders and a chiral spin liquid based on density-matrix renormalization group studies. The nature of the spin liquid is identified as a long-sought bosonic version of the Read-Rezayi state that supports non-Abelian Fibonacci anyonic statistics, identified by the ground state entanglement spectrum. Significantly, we establish that the non-Abelian chiral spin liquid emerges through the enlarged local degrees of freedom and enhanced quantum fluctuations near the classical phase boundaries of competing magnetic orders. Finally, our numerical discovery of an exotic quantum spin liquid in a spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ system suggests a route for discovering fractionalized quantum phases in frustrated higher spin magnetic compounds.

2-dimensional systems↗

Quantum dynamics simulations of the 2D spectroscopy for exciton polaritons

We develop an accurate and numerically efficient non-adiabatic path-integral approach to simulate the non-linear spectroscopy of exciton–polariton systems. This approach is based on the partial linearized density matrix approach to model the exciton dynamics with explicit propagation of the phonon bath environment, combined with a stochastic Lindblad dynamics approach to model the cavity loss dynamics. Through simulating both linear and polariton two-dimensional electronic spectra, we systematically investigate how light–matter coupling strength and cavity loss rate influence the optical response signal. Our results confirm the polaron decoupling effect, which is the reduced exciton–phonon coupling among polariton states due to the strong light–matter interactions. We further demonstrate that the polariton coherence time can be significantly prolonged compared to the electronic coherence outside the cavity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Examining the order-of-limits problem and lattice constant performance of the Tao–Mo functional

In their recent communication a semi-local density functional derived from the density matrix expansion of the exchange hole localised by a general coordinate transformation. We show that the order-of-limits problem present in the functional, dismissed as harmless in the original publication, causes severe errors in predicted phase transition pressures. We also show that the claim that lattice volume prediction accuracy exceeds that of existing similar functionals was based on comparison to reference data that misses anharmonic zero-point expansion and consequently overestimates accuracy. Here, by highlighting these omissions, we give a more accurate assessment of the Tao-Mo functional and show a possible direction for resolving the order-of-limits problem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Coexistence of non-Abelian chiral spin liquid and magnetic order in a spin-1 antiferromagnet

We study the ground-state properties of a spin-1 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with the first- and second-nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic couplings $J_1$ and $J_2$ and a three-spin scalar chirality term $J_\chi$. Using the density matrix renormalization group calculation, we map out a global phase diagram including various magnetic order phases and an emergent quantum spin liquid phase. The nature of the spin liquid is identified as a bosonic non-Abelian Moore-Read state from the fingerprint of the entanglement spectra and identification of a full set of topological sectors. We further unveil a stripe magnetic order coexisting with this spin liquid. Furthermore, our results not only establish a rare example of non-Abelian spin liquids in simple spin systems but also demonstrate the coexistence of fractionalized excitations and magnetic order beyond mean-field descriptions.

2-dimensional systems↗

Nonequilibrium optical response of a one-dimensional Mott insulator

We define, compute, and analyze the nonequilibrium differential optical conductivity of the one-dimensional extended Hubbard model at half-filling after applying a pump pulse, using the time-dependent density matrix renormalization group method. The melting of the Mott insulator is accompanied by a suppression of the local magnetic moment and ensuing photogeneration of doublon-holon pairs. The differential optical conductivity reveals (i) mid-gap states related to parity-forbidden optical states and (ii) strong renormalization and hybridization of the excitonic resonance and the absorption band, yielding a Fano resonance. We offer evidence and interpret such a resonance as a signature of nonequilibrium optical excitations resembling excitonic strings, (bi)excitons, and unbound doublon-holon pairs, depending on the magnitude of the intersite Coulomb repulsion. We discuss our results in the context of pump and probe spectroscopy experiments on organic Mott insulators.

1-dimensional systems↗

Anomalous Hall Crystals in Rhombohedral Multilayer Graphene. I. Interaction-Driven Chern Bands and Fractional Quantum Hall States at Zero Magnetic Field

Recent experiments on rhombohedral pentalayer graphene with a substrate-induced moiré potential have identified both Chern insulators and fractional quantum Hall states at zero magnetic field. Surprisingly, these states are observed in strong displacement fields where the effects of the moiré lattice are weak, and seem to be readily accessed without fine-tuning. To address these experimental puzzles, we study a model of interacting electrons in this geometry. Within self-consistent Hartree-Fock (SCHF) calculations, we find an isolated Chern band with small bandwidth and good quantum geometry. Exact diagonalization and density-matrix renormalization group calculations both confirm the band hosts fractional quantum Hall states without a magnetic field. Remarkably, the Chern band is stable at a wide range of angles, at four through six rhombohedral layers, at varying rhombohedral hopping parameters, and—most strikingly—survives in SCHF calculations when the moiré potential vanishes. In this limit, the state spontaneously breaks time-reversal and translation symmetry simultaneously, giving a topological crystalline state that we term the “anomalous Hall crystal.” We argue this is a general mechanism to create stable Chern bands in rhombohedral multilayer graphene, opening the door to studying the interplay between electronic topology, fractionalization, and spontaneous translation symmetry breaking.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Laser cooling limits in fields with a polarisation gradient of atoms with different recoil energies

Based on the numerical solution of the quantum kinetic equation for the atomic density matrix, which makes it possible to accurately take into account the recoil effects in the interaction of atoms with field photons, we have studied the limits of laser cooling of atoms using closed optical transitions characterised by different recoil parameters (the ratio of the recoil energy to the natural linewidth). It is shown that for optical transitions with an insufficiently small recoil parameter, the polarisation effects, which lead to the possibility of sub-Doppler laser cooling, lose their efficiency and do not ensure an attainment of the temperature below the Doppler limit. The analysis performed allows one to outline the boundaries of the sub-Doppler theory of laser cooling of atoms. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Electron-mediated entanglement of two distant macroscopic ferromagnets within a nonequilibrium spintronic device

Using the nascent concept of quantum spin-transfer torque, we demonstrate that a current pulse can be harnessed to entangle quantum localized spins of two spatially separated ferromagnets (FMs) which are initially unentangled. The envisaged setup is composed of a spin-polarizer (FM p ) and a spin-analyzer (FM a ) FM layers separated by a normal metal (NM) spacer. The injection of a current pulse into the device leads to a time-dependent superposition of many-body states characterized by a high degree of entanglement between the spin degrees of freedom of the two distant FM layers. The nonequilibrium dynamics are due to the transfer of spin angular momentum from itinerant electrons to the localized spins via a quantum spin-torque mechanism that remains active even for collinear but antiparallel arrangements of the FM p and FM a magnetizations (a situation in which the conventional spin torque is absent). We quantify the mixed-state entanglement generated between the FM layers by tracking the time evolution of the full density matrix and analyzing the build-up of the mutual logarithmic negativity over time. The effect of decoherence and dissipation in the FM layers due to coupling to bosonic baths at finite temperature, the use of multielectron current pulses, and the dependence on the number of spins are also considered in an effort to ascertain the robustness of our predictions under realistic conditions. Lastly, we propose a “current-pump–x-ray-probe” scheme, utilizing ultrafast x-ray spectroscopy, that can witness nonequilibrium and transient entanglement of the FM layers by extracting its time-dependent quantum Fisher information.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Wave function methods for canonical ensemble thermal averages in correlated many-fermion systems

We present a wave function representation for the canonical ensemble thermal density matrix by projecting the thermofield double state against the desired number of particles. Furthermore, the resulting canonical thermal state obeys an imaginary-time evolution equation. Starting with the mean-field approximation, where the canonical thermal state becomes an antisymmetrized geminal power (AGP) wave function, we explore two different schemes to add correlation: by number-projecting a correlated grand-canonical thermal state and by adding correlation to the number-projected mean-field state. As benchmark examples, we use number-projected configuration interaction and an AGP-based perturbation theory to study the hydrogen molecule in a minimal basis and the six-site Hubbard model.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Four-Spin Terms and the Origin of the Chiral Spin Liquid in Mott Insulators on the Triangular Lattice

At strong repulsion, the triangular-lattice Hubbard model is described by s=1/2 spins with nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions and exhibits conventional 120° order. Using the infinite density matrix renormalization group and exact diagonalization, we study the effect of the additional four-spin interactions naturally generated from the underlying Mott-insulator physics of electrons as the repulsion decreases. Although these interactions have historically been connected with a gapless ground state with emergent spinon Fermi surface, we find that, at physically relevant parameters, they stabilize a chiral spin liquid (CSL) of Kalmeyer-Laughlin (KL) type, clarifying observations in recent studies of the Hubbard model. Finally, we present a self-consistent solution based on a mean-field rewriting of the interaction to obtain a Hamiltonian with similarities to the parent Hamiltonian of the KL state, providing a physical understanding for the origin of the CSL.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spin-1 Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice

We study the Kitaev-Heisenberg model with spin-1 local degree of freedom on a honeycomb lattice numerically by the infinite density matrix renormalization group method on a cylinder geometry. By tuning the relative value of the Kitaev and Heisenberg exchange couplings, we obtain the phase diagram with two spin liquid phases and four symmetry-broken phases. Here, we identify that the spin liquid phases are gapless by calculating the central charge at the pure Kitaev points without the Heisenberg interactions. Comparing to its spin-1/2 counterpart, the position and number of gapless modes of the spin-1 case are quite different. Due to the approximate Z 2 local conservations, the expectation value of the Wilson loop operator measuring the flux of each plaquette stays near to 1, and the static spin-spin correlations remain short range in the entire spin liquid phases.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗