131 research outputs found
Computational Difficulty of Global Variations in the Density Matrix Renormalization Group
The density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) approach is arguably the most
successful method to numerically find ground states of quantum spin chains. It
amounts to iteratively locally optimizing matrix-product states, aiming at
better and better approximating the true ground state. To date, both a proof of
convergence to the globally best approximation and an assessment of its
complexity are lacking. Here we establish a result on the computational
complexity of an approximation with matrix-product states: The surprising
result is that when one globally optimizes over several sites of local
Hamiltonians, avoiding local optima, one encounters in the worst case a
computationally difficult NP-hard problem (hard even in approximation). The
proof exploits a novel way of relating it to binary quadratic programming. We
discuss intriguing ramifications on the difficulty of describing quantum
many-body systems.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, RevTeX, final versio
Resonant Tunneling in a Dissipative Environment
We measure tunneling through a single quantum level in a carbon nanotube
quantum dot connected to resistive metal leads. For the electrons tunneling
to/from the nanotube, the leads serve as a dissipative environment, which
suppresses the tunneling rate. In the regime of sequential tunneling, the
height of the single-electron conductance peaks increases as the temperature is
lowered, although it scales more weekly than the conventional 1/T. In the
resonant tunneling regime (temperature smaller than the level width), the peak
width approaches saturation, while the peak height starts to decrease. Overall,
the peak height shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence. We associate this
unusual behavior with the transition from the sequential to the resonant
tunneling through a single quantum level in a dissipative environment.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Phase Transition in a Resonant Level Coupled to Interacting Leads
An interacting one-dimensional electron system, the Luttinger liquid, is
distinct from the "conventional" Fermi liquids formed by interacting electrons
in two and three dimensions. Some of its most spectacular properties are
revealed in the process of electron tunneling: as a function of the applied
bias or temperature the tunneling current demonstrates a non-trivial power-law
suppression. Here, we create a system which emulates tunneling in a Luttinger
liquid, by controlling the interaction of the tunneling electron with its
environment. We further replace a single tunneling barrier with a
double-barrier resonant level structure and investigate resonant tunneling
between Luttinger liquids. For the first time, we observe perfect transparency
of the resonant level embedded in the interacting environment, while the width
of the resonance tends to zero. We argue that this unique behavior results from
many-body physics of interacting electrons and signals the presence of a
quantum phase transition (QPT). In our samples many parameters, including the
interaction strength, can be precisely controlled; thus, we have created an
attractive model system for studying quantum critical phenomena in general. Our
work therefore has broadly reaching implications for understanding QPTs in more
complex systems, such as cold atoms and strongly correlated bulk materials.Comment: 11 pages total (main text + supplementary
2-periodic magnetic interference in ballistic graphene Josephson junctions
We investigate supercurrent interference patterns measured as a function of
magnetic field in ballistic graphene Josephson junctions. At high doping, the
expected -periodic "Fraunhofer" pattern is observed, indicating a
uniform current distribution. Close to the Dirac point, we find anomalous
interference patterns with an apparent 2 periodicity, similar to that
predicted for topological Andreev bound states carrying a charge of instead
of . This feature persists with increasing temperature, ruling out a
non-sinusoidal current-phase relationship. It also persists in junctions in
which sharp vacuum edges are eliminated. Our results indicate that the observed
behavior may originate from an intrinsic property of ballistic graphene
Josephson junctions, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.Comment: Main text+ supplementar
Evolutionary Games with Affine Fitness Functions: Applications to Cancer
We analyze the dynamics of evolutionary games in which fitness is defined as
an affine function of the expected payoff and a constant contribution. The
resulting inhomogeneous replicator equation has an homogeneous equivalent with
modified payoffs. The affine terms also influence the stochastic dynamics of a
two-strategy Moran model of a finite population. We then apply the affine
fitness function in a model for tumor-normal cell interactions to determine
which are the most successful tumor strategies. In order to analyze the
dynamics of concurrent strategies within a tumor population, we extend the
model to a three-strategy game involving distinct tumor cell types as well as
normal cells. In this model, interaction with normal cells, in combination with
an increased constant fitness, is the most effective way of establishing a
population of tumor cells in normal tissue.Comment: The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13235-011-0029-
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