Multi-triplet bound states and finite-temperature dynamics in highly frustrated quantum spin ladders

Low-dimensional quantum magnets at finite temperatures present a complex interplay of quantum and thermal fluctuation effects in a restricted phase space. While some information about dynamical response functions is available from theoretical studies of the one-triplet dispersion in unfrustrated chains and ladders, little is known about the finite-temperature dynamics of frustrated systems. Experimentally, inelastic neutron scattering studies of the highly frustrated two-dimensional material SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ show an almost complete destruction of the one-triplet excitation band at a temperature only 1/3 of its gap energy, accompanied by strong scattering intensities for apparent multi-triplet excitations. We investigate these questions in the frustrated spin ladder and present numerical results from exact diagonalization for the dynamical structure factor as a function of temperature. We find anomalously rapid transfer of spectral weight out of the one-triplet band and into both broad and sharp spectral features at a wide range of energies, including below the zero-temperature gap of this excitation. These features are multi-triplet bound states, which develop particularly strongly near the quantum phase transition, fall to particularly low energies there, and persist to all the way to infinite temperature. Our results offer valuable insight into the physics of finite-temperature spectral functions in SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ and many other highly frustrated spin systems.Comment: 22 pages, 19 figures; published version: many small modification

Efficient Quantum Monte Carlo simulations of highly frustrated magnets: the frustrated spin-1/2 ladder

Quantum Monte Carlo simulations provide one of the more powerful and versatile numerical approaches to condensed matter systems. However, their application to frustrated quantum spin models, in all relevant temperature regimes, is hamstrung by the infamous "sign problem." Here we exploit the fact that the sign problem is basis-dependent. Recent studies have shown that passing to a dimer (two-site) basis eliminates the sign problem completely for a fully frustrated spin model on the two-leg ladder. We generalize this result to all partially frustrated two-leg spin-1/2 ladders, meaning those where the diagonal and leg couplings take any antiferromagnetic values. We find that, although the sign problem does reappear, it remains remarkably mild throughout the entire phase diagram. We explain this result and apply it to perform efficient quantum Monte Carlo simulations of frustrated ladders, obtaining accurate results for thermodynamic quantities such as the magnetic specific heat and susceptibility of ladders up to L=200 rungs (400 spins 1/2) and down to very low temperatures.Comment: 26 pages including 12 figures; this version: minor modifications in sections 3.3 and 4.

Discrete modelling of capillary mechanisms in multi-phase granular media

A numerical study of multi-phase granular materials based upon micro-mechanical modelling is proposed. Discrete element simulations are used to investigate capillary induced effects on the friction properties of a granular assembly in the pendular regime. Capillary forces are described at the local scale through the Young-Laplace equation and are superimposed to the standard dry particle interaction usually well simulated through an elastic-plastic relationship. Both effects of the pressure difference between liquid and gas phases and of the surface tension at the interface are integrated into the interaction model. Hydraulic hysteresis is accounted for based on the possible mechanism of formation and breakage of capillary menisci at contacts. In order to upscale the interparticular model, triaxial loading paths are simulated on a granular assembly and the results interpreted through the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The micro-mechanical approach is validated with a capillary cohesion induced at the macroscopic scale. It is shown that interparticular menisci contribute to the soil resistance by increasing normal forces at contacts. In addition, more than the capillary pressure level or the degree of saturation, our findings highlight the importance of the density number of liquid bonds on the overall behaviour of the material

Hybrid Entrepreneurship

In contrast to previous efforts to model the individual’s movement from wage work into entrepreneurship, we consider that individuals might transition incrementally by retaining their wage job while entering into self-employment. We show that these hybrid entrepreneurs represent a significant share of all entrepreneurial activity. Theoretical arguments are proposed to suggest why hybrid entrants are distinct from self-employment entrants, and why hybrid entry may facilitate subsequent entry into full self-employment. We demonstrate that there are significant theoretical and empirical consequences for this group and our understanding of self-employment entry and labor market dynamics. Using matched employee-employer data over eight years, we test the model on a population of Swedish wage earners in the knowledge-intensive sector.Hybrid entrepreneurship; Self-employment; Labour market dynamics; Transition determinants; Employee-employer data

Optimal Hardy-Littlewood type inequalities for polynomials and multilinear operators

In this paper we obtain quite general and definitive forms for Hardy-Littlewood type inequalities. Moreover, when restricted to the original particular cases, our approach provides much simpler and straightforward proofs and we are able to show that in most cases the exponents involved are optimal. The technique we used is a combination of probabilistic tools and of an interpolative approach; this former technique is also employed in this paper to improve the constants for vector-valued Bohnenblust--Hille type inequalities.Comment: 16 page

Stochastic perturbation of sweeping process and a convergence result for an associated numerical scheme

Here we present well-posedness results for first order stochastic differential inclusions, more precisely for sweeping process with a stochastic perturbation. These results are provided in combining both deterministic sweeping process theory and methods concerning the reflection of a Brownian motion. In addition, we prove convergence results for a Euler scheme, discretizing theses stochastic differential inclusions.Comment: 30 page

Lifshitz tails for alloy type models in a constant magnetic field

In this note, we study Lifshitz tails for a 2D Landau Hamiltonian perturbed by a random alloy-type potential constructed with single site potentials decaying at least at a Gaussian speed. We prove that, if the Landau level stays preserved as a band edge for the perturbed Hamiltonian, at the Landau levels, the integrated density of states has a Lifshitz behavior of the type $e^{-\log^2|E-2bq|}$

Zero-Temperature Properties of the Quantum Dimer Model on the Triangular Lattice

Using exact diagonalizations and Green's function Monte Carlo simulations, we have studied the zero-temperature properties of the quantum dimer model on the triangular lattice on clusters with up to 588 sites. A detailed comparison of the properties in different topological sectors as a function of the cluster size and for different cluster shapes has allowed us to identify different phases, to show explicitly the presence of topological degeneracy in a phase close to the Rokhsar-Kivelson point, and to understand finite-size effects inside this phase. The nature of the various phases has been further investigated by calculating dimer-dimer correlation functions. The present results confirm and complement the phase diagram proposed by Moessner and Sondhi on the basis of finite-temperature simulations [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 86}, 1881 (2001)].Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure

Characterization of the Sequential Product on Quantum Effects

We present a characterization of the standard sequential product of quantum effects. The characterization is in term of algebraic, continuity and duality conditions that can be physically motivated.Comment: 11 pages. Accepted for publication in the Journal of Mathematical Physic

Spectral analysis of the background in ground-based, long-slit spectroscopy

This paper examines the variations, because of atmospheric extinction, of broad-band visible spectra, obtained from long-slit spectroscopy, in the vicinity of some stars, nebulae, and one faint galaxy.Comment: 12 figure