116 research outputs found
Quantum Monte Carlo simulations in the trimer basis:First-order transitions and thermal critical points in frustrated trilayer magnets
The phase diagrams of highly frustrated quantum spin systems can exhibit
first-order quantum phase transitions and thermal critical points even in the
absence of any long-ranged magnetic order. However, all unbiased numerical
techniques for investigating frustrated quantum magnets face significant
challenges, and for generic quantum Monte Carlo methods the challenge is the
sign problem. Here we report on a general quantum Monte Carlo approach with a
loop-update scheme that operates in any basis, and we show that, with an
appropriate choice of basis, it allows us to study a frustrated model of
coupled spin-1/2 trimers: simulations of the trilayer Heisenberg
antiferromagnet in the spin-trimer basis are sign-problem-free when the
intertrimer couplings are fully frustrated. This model features a first-order
quantum phase transition, from which a line of first-order transitions emerges
at finite temperatures and terminates in a thermal critical point. The trimer
unit cell hosts an internal degree of freedom that can be controlled to induce
an extensive entropy jump at the quantum transition, which alters the shape of
the first-order line. We explore the consequences for the thermal properties in
the vicinity of the critical point, which include profound changes in the lines
of maxima defined by the specific heat. Our findings reveal trimer quantum
magnets as fundamental systems capturing in full the complex thermal physics of
the strongly frustrated regime.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, Resubmission to SciPos
Binding of a 3He impurity to a screw dislocation in solid 4He
Using first-principle simulations for the probability density of finding a
3He atom in the vicinity of the screw dislocation in solid 4He, we determine
the binding energy to the dislocation nucleus E_B = 0.8 \pm 0.1 K and the
density of localized states at larger distances. The specific heat due to 3He
features a peak similar to the one observed in recent experiments, and our
model can also account for the observed increase in shear modulus at low
temperature. We further discuss the role of 3He in the picture of superfluid
defects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Tensor network states and geometry
Tensor network states are used to approximate ground states of local
Hamiltonians on a lattice in D spatial dimensions. Different types of tensor
network states can be seen to generate different geometries. Matrix product
states (MPS) in D=1 dimensions, as well as projected entangled pair states
(PEPS) in D>1 dimensions, reproduce the D-dimensional physical geometry of the
lattice model; in contrast, the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz
(MERA) generates a (D+1)-dimensional holographic geometry. Here we focus on
homogeneous tensor networks, where all the tensors in the network are copies of
the same tensor, and argue that certain structural properties of the resulting
many-body states are preconditioned by the geometry of the tensor network and
are therefore largely independent of the choice of variational parameters.
Indeed, the asymptotic decay of correlations in homogeneous MPS and MERA for
D=1 systems is seen to be determined by the structure of geodesics in the
physical and holographic geometries, respectively; whereas the asymptotic
scaling of entanglement entropy is seen to always obey a simple boundary law --
that is, again in the relevant geometry. This geometrical interpretation offers
a simple and unifying framework to understand the structural properties of, and
helps clarify the relation between, different tensor network states. In
addition, it has recently motivated the branching MERA, a generalization of the
MERA capable of reproducing violations of the entropic boundary law in D>1
dimensions.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figure
On the existence of supersolid helium-4 monolayer films
Extensive Monte Carlo simulations of helium-4 monolayer films adsorbed on
weak substrates have been carried out, aimed at ascertaining the possible
occurrence of a quasi-two-dimensional supersolid phase. Only crystalline films
not registered with underlying substrates are considered. Numerical results
yield strong evidence that helium-4 will not form a supersolid film on {any}
substrate strong enough to stabilize a crystalline layer. On weaker substrates,
continuous growth of a liquid film takes place
Entanglement renormalization and boundary critical phenomena
The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz is applied to the study of
boundary critical phenomena. We compute averages of local operators as a
function of the distance from the boundary and the surface contribution to the
ground state energy. Furthermore, assuming a uniform tensor structure, we show
that the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz implies an exact
relation between bulk and boundary critical exponents known to exist for
boundary critical systems.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; for a related work see arXiv:0912.164
Thin helium film on a glass substrate
We investigate by Monte Carlo simulations the structure, energetics and
superfluid properties of thin helium-four films (up to four layers) on a glass
substrate, at low temperature. The first adsorbed layer is found to be solid
and "inert", i.e., atoms are localized and do not participate to quantum
exchanges. Additional layers are liquid, with no clear layer separation above
the second one. It is found that a single helium-three impurity resides on the
outmost layer, not significantly further away from the substrate than
helium-four atoms on the same layer.Comment: Six figures, submitted for publication to the Journal of Low
Temperature Physic
The ALPS project release 1.3: open source software for strongly correlated systems
We present release 1.3 of the ALPS (Algorithms and Libraries for Physics
Simulations) project, an international open source software project to develop
libraries and application programs for the simulation of strongly correlated
quantum lattice models such as quantum magnets, lattice bosons, and strongly
correlated fermion systems. Development is centered on common XML and binary
data formats, on libraries to simplify and speed up code development, and on
full-featured simulation programs. The programs enable non-experts to start
carrying out numerical simulations by providing basic implementations of the
important algorithms for quantum lattice models: classical and quantum Monte
Carlo (QMC) using non-local updates, extended ensemble simulations, exact and
full diagonalization (ED), as well as the density matrix renormalization group
(DMRG). Changes in the new release include a DMRG program for interacting
models, support for translation symmetries in the diagonalization programs, the
ability to define custom measurement operators, and support for inhomogeneous
systems, such as lattice models with traps. The software is available from our
web server at http://alps.comp-phys.org/
Study of solid 4He in two dimensions. The issue of zero-point defects and study of confined crystal
Defects are believed to play a fundamental role in the supersolid state of
4He. We report on studies by exact Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations at
zero temperature of the properties of solid 4He in presence of many vacancies,
up to 30 in two dimensions (2D). In all studied cases the crystalline order is
stable at least as long as the concentration of vacancies is below 2.5%. In the
2D system for a small number, n_v, of vacancies such defects can be identified
in the crystalline lattice and are strongly correlated with an attractive
interaction. On the contrary when n_v~10 vacancies in the relaxed system
disappear and in their place one finds dislocations and a revival of the
Bose-Einstein condensation. Thus, should zero-point motion defects be present
in solid 4He, such defects would be dislocations and not vacancies, at least in
2D. In order to avoid using periodic boundary conditions we have studied the
exact ground state of solid 4He confined in a circular region by an external
potential. We find that defects tend to be localized in an interfacial region
of width of about 15 A. Our computation allows to put as upper bound limit to
zero--point defects the concentration 0.003 in the 2D system close to melting
density.Comment: 17 pages, accepted for publication in J. Low Temp. Phys., Special
Issue on Supersolid
Many body physics from a quantum information perspective
The quantum information approach to many body physics has been very
successful in giving new insight and novel numerical methods. In these lecture
notes we take a vertical view of the subject, starting from general concepts
and at each step delving into applications or consequences of a particular
topic. We first review some general quantum information concepts like
entanglement and entanglement measures, which leads us to entanglement area
laws. We then continue with one of the most famous examples of area-law abiding
states: matrix product states, and tensor product states in general. Of these,
we choose one example (classical superposition states) to introduce recent
developments on a novel quantum many body approach: quantum kinetic Ising
models. We conclude with a brief outlook of the field.Comment: Lectures from the Les Houches School on "Modern theories of
correlated electron systems". Improved version new references adde
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