Dynamics of doublon-holon pairs in Hubbard two-leg ladders

The dynamics of holon-doublon pairs is studied in Hubbard two-leg ladders using the time-dependent Density Matrix Renormalization Group method. We find that the geometry of the two-leg ladder, that is qualitatively different from a one-dimensional chain due to the presence of a spin-gap, strongly affects the propagation of a doublon-holon pair. Two distinct regimes are identified. For weak inter-leg coupling, the results are qualitatively similar to the case of the propagation previously reported in Hubbard chains, with only a renormalization of parameters. More interesting is the case of strong inter-leg coupling where substantial differences arise, particularly regarding the double occupancy and properties of the excitations such as the doublon speed. Our results suggest a connection between the presence of a spin gap and qualitative changes in the doublon speed, indicating a weak coupling between the doublon to magnetic excitations.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Published versio

Transport signatures of Kondo physics and quantum criticality in graphene with magnetic impurities

Localized magnetic moments have been predicted to develop in graphene samples with vacancies or adsorbates. The interplay between such magnetic impurities and graphene's Dirac quasiparticles leads to remarkable many-body phenomena, which have so far proved elusive to experimental efforts. In this article, we study the thermodynamic, spectral and transport signatures of quantum criticality and Kondo physics of a dilute ensemble of atomic impurities in graphene. We consider vacancies and adatoms that either break or preserve graphene's $C_{3v}$ and inversion symmetries. In a neutral graphene sample, all cases display symmetry-dependent quantum criticality, leading to enhanced impurity scattering for asymmetric impurities, in a manner analogous to bound-state formation by nonmagnetic resonant scatterers. Kondo correlations emerge only in the presence of a back gate, with estimated Kondo temperatures well within the experimentally accessible domain for all impurity types. For symmetry-breaking impurities at charge neutrality, quantum criticality is signaled by $T^{-2}$ resistivity scaling, leading to full insulating behavior at low temperatures, while low-temperature resistivity plateaus appear both in the non-critical and Kondo regimes. By contrast, the resitivity contribution from symmetric vacancies and hollow-site adsorbates vanishes at charge neutrality and for arbitrary back gate voltages, respectively. This implies that local probing methods are required for the detection of both Kondo and quantum critical signatures in these symmetry-preserving cases.Comment: Final published version, with corrected figures, improved notation, and added references. 12 pages, including 8 figures and one appendi

Tunable pseudogap Kondo effect and quantum phase transitions in Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

We study two quantum dots embedded in the arms of an Aharonov-Bohm ring threaded by a magnetic flux. The system can be described by an effective one-impurity Anderson model with an energy- and flux-dependent density of states. For specific values of the flux, this density of states vanishes at the Fermi energy, yielding a controlled realization of the pseudogap Kondo effect. The conductance and transmission phase shifts reflect a nontrivial interplay between wave interference and interactions, providing clear signatures of quantum phase transitions between Kondo and non-Kondo ground states.Comment: Published versio