17,159 research outputs found
Conductance of a spin-1 quantum dot: the two-stage Kondo effect
We discuss the physics of a of a spin-1 quantum dot, coupled to two metallic
leads and develop a simple model for the temperature dependence of its
conductance. Such quantum dots are described by a two-channel Kondo model with
asymmetric coupling constants and the spin screening of the dot by the leads is
expected to proceed via a two-stage process. When the Kondo temperatures of
each channel are widely separated, on cooling, the dot passes through a broad
cross-over regime dominated by underscreened Kondo physics. A singular, or
non-fermi liquid correction to the conductance develops in this regime. At the
lowest temperatures, destructive interference between resonant scattering in
both channels leads to the eventual suppression of the conductance of the dot.
We develop a model to describe the growth, and ultimate suppression of the
conductance in the two channel Kondo model as it is screened successively by
its two channels. Our model is based upon large-N approximation in which the
localized spin degrees of freedom are described using the Schwinger boson
formalism.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
On Electrostatic Positron Acceleration In The Accretion Flow Onto Neutron Stars
As first shown by Shvartsman (1970), a neutron star accreting close to the
Eddington limit must acquire a positive charge in order for electrons and
protons to move at the same speed. The resulting electrostatic field may
contribute to accelerating positrons produced near the star surface in
conjunction with the radiative force. We reconsider the balance between energy
gains and losses, including inverse Compton (IC), bremsstrahlung and
non--radiative scatterings. It is found that, even accounting for IC losses
only, the maximum positron energy never exceeds keV. The
electrostatic field alone may produce energies keV at most. We
also show that Coulomb collisions and annihilation with accreting electrons
severely limit the number of positrons that escape to infinity.Comment: 9 pages plus 3 postscript figures, to be published in Ap
Quasi-exactly solvable quartic: real algebraic spectral locus
We describe the real quasi-exactly solvable spectral locus of the
PT-symmetric quartic using the Nevanlinna parametrization.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figure
Extracting Lyapunov exponents from the echo dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates on a lattice
We propose theoretically an experimentally realizable method to demonstrate
the Lyapunov instability and to extract the value of the largest Lyapunov
exponent for a chaotic many-particle interacting system. The proposal focuses
specifically on a lattice of coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in the classical
regime describable by the discrete Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We suggest to use
imperfect time-reversal of system's dynamics known as Loschmidt echo, which can
be realized experimentally by reversing the sign of the Hamiltonian of the
system. The routine involves tracking and then subtracting the noise of
virtually any observable quantity before and after the time-reversal. We
support the theoretical analysis by direct numerical simulations demonstrating
that the largest Lyapunov exponent can indeed be extracted from the Loschmidt
echo routine. We also discuss possible values of experimental parameters
required for implementing this proposal
Building Blocks of Topological Quantum Chemistry: Elementary Band Representations
The link between chemical orbitals described by local degrees of freedom and
band theory, which is defined in momentum space, was proposed by Zak several
decades ago for spinless systems with and without time-reversal in his theory
of "elementary" band representations. In Nature 547, 298-305 (2017), we
introduced the generalization of this theory to the experimentally relevant
situation of spin-orbit coupled systems with time-reversal symmetry and proved
that all bands that do not transform as band representations are topological.
Here, we give the full details of this construction. We prove that elementary
band representations are either connected as bands in the Brillouin zone and
are described by localized Wannier orbitals respecting the symmetries of the
lattice (including time-reversal when applicable), or, if disconnected,
describe topological insulators. We then show how to generate a band
representation from a particular Wyckoff position and determine which Wyckoff
positions generate elementary band representations for all space groups. This
theory applies to spinful and spinless systems, in all dimensions, with and
without time reversal. We introduce a homotopic notion of equivalence and show
that it results in a finer classification of topological phases than approaches
based only on the symmetry of wavefunctions at special points in the Brillouin
zone. Utilizing a mapping of the band connectivity into a graph theory problem,
which we introduced in Nature 547, 298-305 (2017), we show in companion papers
which Wyckoff positions can generate disconnected elementary band
representations, furnishing a natural avenue for a systematic materials search.Comment: 15+9 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor corrections; v3: updated references
(published version
Constraints on the small-scale power spectrum of density fluctuations from high-redshift gamma-ray bursts
Cosmological models that include suppression of the power spectrum of density
fluctuations on small scales exhibit an exponential reduction of high-redshift,
non-linear structures, including a reduction in the rate of gamma ray bursts
(GRBs). Here we quantify the constraints that the detection of distant GRBs
would place on structure formation models with reduced small-scale power. We
compute the number of GRBs that could be detectable by the Swift satellite at
high redshifts (z > 6), assuming that the GRBs trace the cosmic star formation
history, which itself traces the formation of non-linear structures. We
calibrate simple models of the intrinsic luminosity function of the bursts to
the number and flux distribution of GRBs observed by the Burst And Transient
Source Experiment (BATSE). We find that a discovery of high-z GRBs would imply
strong constraints on models with reduced small-scale power. For example, a
single GRB at z > 10, or 10 GRBs at z > 5, discovered by Swift during its
scheduled two-year mission, would rule out an exponential suppression of the
power spectrum on scales below R_c=0.09 Mpc (exemplified by warm dark matter
models with a particle mass of m_x=2 keV). Models with a less sharp suppression
of small-scale power, such as those with a red tilt or a running scalar index,
n_s, are more difficult to constrain, because they are more degenerate with an
increase in the power spectrum normalization, sigma_8, and with models in which
star-formation is allowed in low-mass minihalos. We find that a tilt of \delta
n_s ~ 0.1 is difficult to detect; however, an observed rate of 1 GRB/yr at z >
12 would yield an upper limit on the running of the spectral index, alpha =
d(n_s)/d(ln k) > -0.05.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; Minor changes to match version published in Ap
Graph Theory Data for Topological Quantum Chemistry
Topological phases of noninteracting particles are distinguished by global
properties of their band structure and eigenfunctions in momentum space. On the
other hand, group theory as conventionally applied to solid-state physics
focuses only on properties which are local (at high symmetry points, lines, and
planes) in the Brillouin zone. To bridge this gap, we have previously [B.
Bradlyn et al., Nature 547, 298--305 (2017)] mapped the problem of constructing
global band structures out of local data to a graph construction problem. In
this paper, we provide the explicit data and formulate the necessary algorithms
to produce all topologically distinct graphs. Furthermore, we show how to apply
these algorithms to certain "elementary" band structures highlighted in the
aforementioned reference, and so identified and tabulated all orbital types and
lattices that can give rise to topologically disconnected band structures.
Finally, we show how to use the newly developed BANDREP program on the Bilbao
Crystallographic Server to access the results of our computation.Comment: v1: 29 Pages, 13 Figures. Explains how to access the data presented
in arXiv:1703.02050 v2: Accepted version. References updated, figures
improve
Topological quantum chemistry
The past decade's apparent success in predicting and experimentally
discovering distinct classes of topological insulators (TIs) and semimetals
masks a fundamental shortcoming: out of 200,000 stoichiometric compounds extant
in material databases, only several hundred of them are topologically
nontrivial. Are TIs that esoteric, or does this reflect a fundamental problem
with the current piecemeal approach to finding them? To address this, we
propose a new and complete electronic band theory that highlights the link
between topology and local chemical bonding, and combines this with the
conventional band theory of electrons. Topological Quantum Chemistry is a
description of the universal global properties of all possible band structures
and materials, comprised of a graph theoretical description of momentum space
and a dual group theoretical description in real space. We classify the
possible band structures for all 230 crystal symmetry groups that arise from
local atomic orbitals, and show which are topologically nontrivial. We show how
our topological band theory sheds new light on known TIs, and demonstrate the
power of our method to predict a plethora of new TIs.Comment: v1: 8 pages + 40 pages supplemenetary material. Previously submitted
v2: ~ Published version. 11 pages + 79 pages supplementary material.
Descriptions of the data used in this paper can be found in arXiv:1706.08529
and arXiv:1706.09272. All data can be accessed via the Bilbao
Crystallographic Server (http://cryst.ehu.es). Two additional papers
elaborating on the general theory currently in pre
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