Classical to quantum mapping for an unconventional phase transition in a three-dimensional classical dimer model

We study the transition between a Coulomb phase and a dimer crystal observed in numerical simulations of the three-dimensional classical dimer model, by mapping it to a quantum model of bosons in two dimensions. The quantum phase transition that results, from a superfluid to a Mott insulator at fractional filling, belongs to a class that cannot be described within the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm. Using a second mapping, to a dual model of vortices, we show that the long-wavelength physics near the transition is described by a U(1) gauge theory with SU(2) matter fields.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures; v2: added appendi

Statistical properties of eigenvectors in non-Hermitian Gaussian random matrix ensembles

Statistical properties of eigenvectors in non-Hermitian random matrix ensembles are discussed, with an emphasis on correlations between left and right eigenvectors. Two approaches are described. One is an exact calculation for Ginibre's ensemble, in which each matrix element is an independent, identically distributed Gaussian complex random variable. The other is a simpler calculation using $N^{-1}$ as an expansion parameter, where $N$ is the rank of the random matrix: this is applied to Girko's ensemble. Consequences of eigenvector correlations which may be of physical importance in applications are also discussed. It is shown that eigenvalues are much more sensitive to perturbations than in the corresponding Hermitian random matrix ensembles. It is also shown that, in problems with time-evolution governed by a non- Hermitian random matrix, transients are controlled by eigenvector correlations

Caustic formation in expanding condensates of cold atoms

We study the evolution of density in an expanding Bose-Einstein condensate that initially has a spatially varying phase, concentrating on behaviour when these phase variations are large. In this regime large density fluctuations develop during expansion. Maxima have a characteristic density that diverges with the amplitude of phase variations and their formation is analogous to that of caustics in geometrical optics. We analyse in detail caustic formation in a quasi-one dimensional condensate, which before expansion is subject to a periodic or random optical potential, and we discuss the equivalent problem for a quasi-two dimensional system. We also examine the influence of many-body correlations in the initial state on caustic formation for a Bose gas expanding from a strictly one-dimensional trap. In addition, we study a similar arrangement for non-interacting fermions, showing that Fermi surface discontinuities in the momentum distribution give rise in that case to sharp peaks in the spatial derivative of the density. We discuss recent experiments and argue that fringes reported in time of flight images by Chen and co-workers [Phys. Rev. A 77, 033632 (2008)] are an example of caustic formation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Published versio

Magnetism in Rare Earth Quasicrystals: RKKY Interactions and Ordering

We study magnetism in simple models for rare earth quasicrystals by means of a two-step theoretical approach. First, we compute RKKY interactions from a tight-binding Hamiltonian defined on a two-dimensional quasiperiodic tiling. Second, we examine the statistical mechanics of Ising spins coupled via these interactions using Monte Carlo simulations. We find the emergence of strongly coupled spin clusters with significantly weaker inter-cluster coupling, and a transition to a low-temperature phase that has long-range order evidenced by a finite domain wall tension.Comment: restructuring of paper and update of numerical results, 5 pages, 4 figure

Three-dimensional disordered conductors in a strong magnetic field: surface states and quantum Hall plateaus

We study localization in layered, three-dimensional conductors in strong magnetic fields. We demonstrate the existence of three phases - insulator, metal and quantized Hall conductor - in the two-dimensional parameter space obtained by varying the Fermi energy and the interlayer coupling strength. Transport in the quantized Hall conductor occurs via extended surface states. These surface states constitute a subsystem at a novel critical point, which we describe using a new, directed network model.Comment: 4 pages (PostScript) replaced due to compression error, slightly shortened version to appear in PR

Critical Conductance of a Mesoscopic System: Interplay of the Spectral and Eigenfunction Correlations at the Metal-Insulator Transition

We study the system-size dependence of the averaged critical conductance $g(L)$ at the Anderson transition. We have: (i) related the correction $\delta g(L)=g(\infty)-g(L)\propto L^{-y}$ to the spectral correlations; (ii) expressed $\delta g(L)$ in terms of the quantum return probability; (iii) argued that $y=\eta$ -- the critical exponent of eigenfunction correlations. Experimental implications are discussed.Comment: minor changes, to be published in PR

Multiparticle interference in electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers

We study theoretically electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers built from integer quantum Hall edge states, showing that the results of recent experiments can be understood in terms of multiparticle interference effects. These experiments probe the visibility of Aharonov-Bohm (AB) oscillations in differential conductance as an interferometer is driven out of equilibrium by an applied bias, finding a lobe pattern in visibility as a function of voltage. We calculate the dependence on voltage of the visibility and the phase of AB oscillations at zero temperature, taking into account long range interactions between electrons in the same edge for interferometers operating at a filling fraction $\nu=1$. We obtain an exact solution via bosonization for models in which electrons interact only when they are inside the interferometer. This solution is non-perturbative in the tunneling probabilities at quantum point contacts. The results match observations in considerable detail provided the transparency of the incoming contact is close to one-half: the variation in visibility with bias voltage consists of a series of lobes of decreasing amplitude, and the phase of the AB-fringes is practically constant inside the lobes but jumps by $\pi$ at the minima of the visibility. We discuss in addition the consequences of approximations made in other recent treatments of this problem. We also formulate perturbation theory in the interaction strength and use this to study the importance of interactions that are not internal to the interferometer.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, final version as publishe

Models for the integer quantum Hall effect: the network model, the Dirac equation, and a tight-binding Hamiltonian

We consider models for the plateau transition in the integer quantum Hall effect. Starting from the network model, we construct a mapping to the Dirac Hamiltonian in two dimensions. In the general case, the Dirac Hamiltonian has randomness in the mass, the scalar potential, and the vector potential. Separately, we show that the network model can also be associated with a nearest neighbour, tight-binding Hamiltonian.Comment: Revtex, 15 pages, 7 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.