282 research outputs found
Classical spin systems and the quantum stabilizer formalism: general mappings and applications
We present general mappings between classical spin systems and quantum
physics. More precisely, we show how to express partition functions and
correlation functions of arbitrary classical spin models as inner products
between quantum stabilizer states and product states, thereby generalizing
mappings for some specific models established in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 117207
(2007)]. For Ising- and Potts-type models with and without external magnetic
field, we show how the entanglement features of the corresponding stabilizer
states are related to the interaction pattern of the classical model, while the
choice of product states encodes the details of interaction. These mappings
establish a link between the fields of classical statistical mechanics and
quantum information theory, which we utilize to transfer techniques and methods
developed in one field to gain insight into the other. For example, we use
quantum information techniques to recover well known duality relations and
local symmetries of classical models in a simple way, and provide new classical
simulation methods to simulate certain types of classical spin models. We show
that in this way all inhomogeneous models of q-dimensional spins with pairwise
interaction pattern specified by a graph of bounded tree-width can be simulated
efficiently. Finally, we show relations between classical spin models and
measurement-based quantum computation.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, minor corrections, version as accepted in JM
Momentum-Resolved View of Electron-Phonon Coupling in Multilayer WSe
We investigate the interactions of photoexcited carriers with lattice
vibrations in thin films of the layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC)
WSe. Employing femtosecond electron diffraction with monocrystalline
samples and first principle density functional theory calculations, we obtain a
momentum-resolved picture of the energy-transfer from excited electrons to
phonons. The measured momentum-dependent phonon population dynamics are
compared to first principle calculations of the phonon linewidth and can be
rationalized in terms of electronic phase-space arguments. The relaxation of
excited states in the conduction band is dominated by intervalley scattering
between valleys and the emission of zone-boundary phonons.
Transiently, the momentum-dependent electron-phonon coupling leads to a
non-thermal phonon distribution, which, on longer timescales, relaxes to a
thermal distribution via electron-phonon and phonon-phonon collisions. Our
results constitute a basis for monitoring and predicting out of equilibrium
electrical and thermal transport properties for nanoscale applications of
TMDCs
First-principles modelling for time-resolved ARPES under different pump–probe conditions
First-principles methods for time-resolved angular resolved photoelectron spectroscopy play a pivotal role in providing interpretation and microscopic understanding of the complex experimental data and in exploring novel observables or observation conditions that may be achieved in future experiments. Here we describe an efficient, reliable and scalable first-principles method for tr-ARPES based on time-dependent density functional theory including propagation and surface effects usually discarded in the widely used many-body techniques based on computing the non-equilibrium spectral function and discuss its application to a variety of pump–probe conditions. We identify four conditions, depending on the length of the probe relative to the excitation in the materials on the one hand and on the overlap between pump and probe on the other hand. Within this paradigm different examples of observables of time-resolved ARPES are discussed in view of the newly developed and highly accurate time-resolved experimental spectroscopies
Strong chiral dichroism and enantiopurification in above-threshold ionization with locally chiral light
We derive here a highly selective photoelectron-based chirality-sensing technique that utilizes “locally chiral” laser pulses. We show that this approach results in strong chiral discrimination, where the standard forwards/backwards asymmetry of photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is lifted. The resulting dichroism is larger and more robust than conventional PECD (especially in the high-energy part of the spectrum), is found in all hemispheres, and is not symmetric or antisymmetric with respect to any symmetry operator. Remarkably, chiral dichroism of up to 10% survives in the angularly integrated above-threshold ionization (ATI) spectra, and chiral dichroism of up to 5% survives in the total ionization rates. We demonstrate these results through ab initio calculations in the chiral molecules bromochlorofluoromethane, limonene, fenchone, and camphor. We also explore the parameter space of the locally chiral field and show that the observed dichroism is strongly correlated to the degree of chirality of the light, validating it as a measure for chiral-interaction strengths. Our results pave the way for highly selective probing of ultrafast chirality in ATI and motivate the use of locally chiral light for enhancing ultrafast spectroscopies. Most importantly, the technique can be implemented to achieve all-optical enantiopurification of chiral samples
Floquet engineering the band structure of materials with optimal control theory
We demonstrate that the electronic structure of a material can be deformed into Floquet pseudobands with arbitrarily tailored shapes. We achieve this goal with a combination of quantum optimal control theory and Floquet engineering. The power and versatility of this framework is demonstrated here by utilizing the independent-electron tight-binding description of the π electronic system of graphene. We show several prototype examples focusing on the region around the K (Dirac) point of the Brillouin zone: creation of a gap with opposing flat valence and conduction bands, creation of a gap with opposing concave symmetric valence and conduction bands (which would correspond to a material with an effective negative electron-hole mass), and closure of the gap when departing from a modified graphene model with a nonzero field-free gap. We employ time-periodic drives with several frequency components and polarizations, in contrast to the usual monochromatic fields, and use control theory to find the amplitudes of each component that optimize the shape of the bands as desired. In addition, we use quantum control methods to find realistic switch-on pulses that bring the material into the predefined stationary Floquet band structure, i.e., into a state in which the desired Floquet modes of the target bands are fully occupied, so that they should remain stroboscopically stationary, with long lifetimes, when the weak periodic drives are started. Finally, we note that although we have focused on solid state materials, the technique that we propose could be equally used for the Floquet engineering of ultracold atoms in optical lattices and for other nonequilibrium dynamical and correlated systems
Attosecond magnetization dynamics in non-magnetic materials driven by intense femtosecond lasers
Irradiating solids with ultrashort laser pulses is known to initiate femtosecond timescale magnetization dynamics. However, sub-femtosecond spin dynamics have not yet been observed or predicted. Here, we explore ultrafast light-driven spin dynamics in a highly non-resonant strong-field regime. Through state-of-the-art ab-initio calculations, we predict that a non-magnetic material can be transiently transformed into a magnetic one via dynamical extremely nonlinear spin-flipping processes, which occur on attosecond timescales and are mediated by a combination of multi-photon and spin-orbit interactions. These are non-perturbative non-resonant analogues to the inverse Faraday effect that build up from cycle-to-cycle as electrons gain angular momentum. Remarkably, we show that even for linearly polarized driving, where one does not intuitively expect any magnetic response, the magnetization transiently oscillates as the system interacts with light. This oscillating response is enabled by transverse anomalous light-driven currents in the solid, and typically occurs on timescales of ~500 attoseconds. We further demonstrate that the speed of magnetization can be controlled by tuning the laser wavelength and intensity. An experimental set-up capable of measuring these dynamics through pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy is outlined and simulated. Our results pave the way for new regimes of ultrafast manipulation of magnetism
Pinwheel stabilization by ocular dominance segregation
We present an analytical approach for studying the coupled development of
ocular dominance and orientation preference columns. Using this approach we
demonstrate that ocular dominance segregation can induce the stabilization and
even the production of pinwheels by their crystallization in two types of
periodic lattices. Pinwheel crystallization depends on the overall dominance of
one eye over the other, a condition that is fulfilled during early cortical
development. Increasing the strength of inter-map coupling induces a transition
from pinwheel-free stripe solutions to intermediate and high pinwheel density
states.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Floquet states in dissipative open quantum systems
We theoretically investigate basic properties of nonequilibrium steady states
of periodically-driven open quantum systems based on the full solution of the
Maxwell-Bloch equation. In a resonantly driving condition, we find that the
transverse relaxation, also known as decoherence, significantly destructs the
formation of Floquet states while the longitudinal relaxation does not directly
affect it. Furthermore, by evaluating the quasienergy spectrum of the
nonequilibrium steady states, we demonstrate that the Rabi splitting can be
observed as long as the decoherence time is as short as one third of the
Rabi-cycle. Moreover, we find that Floquet states can be formed even under
significant dissipation when the decoherence time is substantially shorter than
the cycle of driving, once the driving field strength becomes strong enough. In
an off-resonant condition, we demonstrate that the Floquet states can be
realized even in weak field regimes because the system is not excited and the
decoherence mechanism is not activated. Once the field strength becomes strong
enough, the system can be excited by nonlinear processes and the decoherence
process becomes active. As a result, the Floquet states are significantly
disturbed by the environment even in the off-resonant condition. Thus, we show
here that the suppression of heating is a key condition for the realization of
Floquet states in both on and off-resonant conditions not only because it
prevents material damage but also because it contributes to preserving
coherence
A time-based Chern number in periodically-driven systems in the adiabatic limit
To define the topology of driven systems, recent works have proposed synthetic dimensions as a way to uncover the underlying parameter space of topological invariants. Using time as a synthetic dimension, together with a momentum dimension, gives access to a synthetic 2D Chern number. It is, however, still unclear how the synthetic 2D Chern number is related to the Chern number that is defined from a parametric variable that evolves with time. Here we show that in periodically driven systems in the adiabatic limit, the synthetic 2D Chern number is a multiple of the Chern number defined from the parametric variable. The synthetic 2D Chern number can thus be engineered via how the parametric variable evolves in its own space. We justify our claims by investigating Thouless pumping in two 1D tight-binding models, a three-site chain model and a two-1D-sliding-chains model. The present findings could be extended to higher dimensions and other periodically driven configurations
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