Competing orders in the generalized Hund chain model at half-filling

By using a combination of several non-perturbative techniques -- a one-dimensional field theoretical approach together with numerical simulations using density matrix renormalization group -- we present an extensive study of the phase diagram of the generalized Hund model at half-filling. This model encloses the physics of various strongly correlated one-dimensional systems, such as two-leg electronic ladders, ultracold degenerate fermionic gases carrying a large hyperfine spin 3/2, other cold gases like Ytterbium 171 or alkaline-earth condensates. A particular emphasis is laid on the possibility to enumerate and exhaust the eight possible Mott insulating phases by means of a duality approach. We exhibit a one-to-one correspondence between these phases and those of the two-leg Hubbard ladder with interchain hopping. Our results obtained from a weak coupling analysis are in remarkable quantitative agreement with our numerical results carried out at moderate coupling.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figure

Exact low temperature results for transport properties of the interacting resonant level model

Using conformal field theory and integrability ideas, we give a full characterization of the low temperature regime of the anisotropic interacting resonant level (IRLM) model. We determine the low temperature corrections to the linear conductance exactly up to the 6th order. We show that the structure displays 'Coulomb deblocking' at resonance, i.e., a strong impurity-wire capacitive coupling enhances the conductance at low temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Competing orders in one-dimensional half-filled multicomponent fermionic cold atoms: The Haldane-charge conjecture

We investigate the nature of the Mott-insulating phases of half-filled 2N-component fermionic cold atoms loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice. By means of conformal field theory techniques and large-scale DMRG calculations, we show that the phase diagram strongly depends on the parity of $N$. First, we single out charged, spin-singlet, degrees of freedom, that carry a pseudo-spin ${\cal S}=N/2$ allowing to formulate a Haldane conjecture: for attractive interactions, we establish the emergence of Haldane insulating phases when $N$ is even, whereas a metallic behavior is found when $N$ is odd. We point out that the $N=1,2$ cases do \emph{not} have the generic properties of each family. The metallic phase for $N$ odd and larger than 1 has a quasi-long range singlet pairing ordering with an interesting edge-state structure. Moreover, the properties of the Haldane insulating phases with even $N$ further depend on the parity of N/2. In this respect, within the low-energy approach, we argue that the Haldane phases with N/2 even are not topologically protected but equivalent to a topologically trivial insulating phase and thus confirm the recent conjecture put forward by Pollmann {\it et al.} [Pollmann {\it et al.}, arXiv:0909.4059 (2009)].Comment: 25 pages, 20 figure

Haldane charge conjecture in one-dimensional multicomponent fermionic cold atoms

A Haldane conjecture is revealed for spin-singlet charge modes in 2N-component fermionic cold atoms loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice. By means of a low-energy approach and DMRG calculations, we show the emergence of gapless and gapped phases depending on the parity of $N$ for attractive interactions at half-filling. The analogue of the Haldane phase of the spin-1 Heisenberg chain is stabilized for N=2 with non-local string charge correlation, and pseudo-spin 1/2 edge states. At the heart of this even-odd behavior is the existence of a spin-singlet pseudo-spin $N/2$ operator which governs the low-energy properties of the model for attractive interactions and gives rise to the Haldane physics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Reward circuitry is perturbed in the absence of the serotonin transporter

The serotonin transporter (SERT) modulates the entire serotonergic system in the brain and influences both the dopaminergic and norepinephrinergic systems. These three systems are intimately involved in normal physiological functioning of the brain and implicated in numerous pathological conditions. Here we use high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy to elucidate the effects of disruption of the serotonin transporter in an animal model system: the SERT knock-out mouse. Employing manganese-enhanced MRI, we injected Mn^(2+) into the prefrontal cortex and obtained 3D MR images at specific time points in cohorts of SERT and normal mice. Statistical analysis of co-registered datasets demonstrated that active circuitry originating in the prefrontal cortex in the SERT knock-out is dramatically altered, with a bias towards more posterior areas (substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and Raphé nuclei) directly involved in the reward circuit. Injection site and tracing were confirmed with traditional track tracers by optical microscopy. In contrast, metabolite levels were essentially normal in the SERT knock-out by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy and little or no anatomical differences between SERT knock-out and normal mice were detected by MRI. These findings point to modulation of the limbic cortical–ventral striatopallidal by disruption of SERT function. Thus, molecular disruptions of SERT that produce behavioral changes also alter the functional anatomy of the reward circuitry in which all the monoamine systems are involved

Confinement and Superfluidity in one-dimensional Degenerate Fermionic Cold Atoms

The physical properties of arbitrary half-integer spins $F = N - 1/2$ fermionic cold atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice are investigated by means of a low-energy approach. Two different superfluid phases are found for $F \ge 3/2$ depending on whether a discrete symmetry is spontaneously broken or not: an unconfined BCS pairing phase and a confined molecular superfluid instability made of $2N$ fermions. We propose an experimental distinction between these phases for a gas trapped in an annular geometry. The confined-unconfined transition is shown to belong to the $Z_N$ generalized Ising universality class. We discuss on the possible Mott phases at $1/2N$ filling.Comment: 4 pages, revised versio

Shot noise in the self-dual Interacting Resonant Level Model

By using two independent and complementary approaches, we compute exactly the shot noise in an out-of-equilibrium interacting impurity model, the Interacting Resonant Level model at its self-dual point. An analytical approach based on the Thermodynamical Bethe Ansatz allows to obtain the density matrix in the presence of a bias voltage, which in turn allows for the computation of any observable. A time-dependent Density Matrix Renormalization Group technique, that has proven to yield the correct result for a free model (the Resonant Level Model) is shown to be in perfect agreement with the former method.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Dynamical Symmetry Enlargement Versus Spin-Charge Decoupling in the One-Dimensional SU(4) Hubbard Model

We investigate dynamical symmetry enlargement in the half-filled SU(4) Hubbard chain using non-perturbative renormalization group and Quantum Monte Carlo techniques. A spectral gap is shown to open for arbitrary Coulombic repulsion $U$. At weak coupling, $U \lesssim 3t$, a SO(8) symmetry between charge and spin-orbital excitations is found to be dynamically enlarged at low energy. At strong coupling, $U \gtrsim 6t$, the charge degrees of freedom dynamically decouple and the resulting effective theory in the spin-orbital sector is that of the SO(6) antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model. Both regimes exhibit spin-Peierls order. However, although spin-orbital excitations are $incoherent$ in the SO(6) regime they are $coherent$ in the SO(8) one. The cross-over between these regimes is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Heat transport of clean spin-ladders coupled to phonons: Umklapp scattering and drag

We study the low-temperature heat transport in clean two-leg spin ladder compounds coupled to three-dimensional phonons. We argue that the very large heat conductivities observed in such systems can be traced back to the existence of approximate symmetries and corresponding weakly violated conservation laws of the effective (gapful) low--energy model, namely pseudo-momenta. Depending on the ratios of spin gaps and Debye energy and on the temperature, the magnetic contribution to the heat conductivity can be positive or negative, and exhibit an activated or anti-activated behavior. In most regimes, the magnetic heat conductivity is dominated by the spin-phonon drag: the excitations of the two subsystems have almost the same drift velocity, and this allows for an estimate of the ratio of the magnetic and phononic contributions to the heat conductivity.Comment: revised version, 8 pages, 3 figures, added appendi

Trionic and quartetting phases in one-dimensional multicomponent ultracold fermions

We investigate the possible formation of a molecular condensate, which might be, for instance, the analogue of the alpha condensate of nuclear physics, in the context of multicomponent cold atoms fermionic systems. A simple paradigmatic model of N-component fermions with contact interactions loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice is studied by means of low-energy and numerical approaches. For attractive interaction, a quasi-long-range molecular superfluid phase, formed from bound-states made of N fermions, emerges at low density. We show that trionic and quartetting phases, respectively for N=3,4, extend in a large domain of the phase diagram and are robust against small symmetry-breaking perturbations.Comment: Contribution to the SOTANCP 2008 worksho