Diagonalization- and Numerical Renormalization-Group-Based Methods for Interacting Quantum Systems

In these lecture notes, we present a pedagogical review of a number of related {\it numerically exact} approaches to quantum many-body problems. In particular, we focus on methods based on the exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix and on methods extending exact diagonalization using renormalization group ideas, i.e., Wilson's Numerical Renormalization Group (NRG) and White's Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG). These methods are standard tools for the investigation of a variety of interacting quantum systems, especially low-dimensional quantum lattice models. We also survey extensions to the methods to calculate properties such as dynamical quantities and behavior at finite temperature, and discuss generalizations of the DMRG method to a wider variety of systems, such as classical models and quantum chemical problems. Finally, we briefly review some recent developments for obtaining a more general formulation of the DMRG in the context of matrix product states as well as recent progress in calculating the time evolution of quantum systems using the DMRG and the relationship of the foundations of the method with quantum information theory.Comment: 51 pages; lecture notes on numerically exact methods. Pedagogical review appearing in the proceedings of the "IX. Training Course in the Physics of Correlated Electron Systems and High-Tc Superconductors", Vietri sul Mare (Salerno, Italy, October 2004

Time evolution of one-dimensional Quantum Many Body Systems

The level of current understanding of the physics of time-dependent strongly correlated quantum systems is far from complete, principally due to the lack of effective controlled approaches. Recently, there has been progress in the development of approaches for one-dimensional systems. We describe recent developments in the construction of numerical schemes for general (one-dimensional) Hamiltonians: in particular, schemes based on exact diagonalization techniques and on the density matrix renormalization group method (DMRG). We present preliminary results for spinless fermions with nearest-neighbor-interaction and investigate their accuracy by comparing with exact results.Comment: Contribution for the conference proceedings of the "IX. Training Course in the Physics of Correlated Electron Systems and High-Tc Superconductors" held in Vietri sul Mare (Salerno, Italy) in October 200

Time evolution of correlations in strongly interacting fermions after a quantum quench

Using the adaptive time-dependent density matrix renormalization group, we study the time evolution of density correlations of interacting spinless fermions on a one-dimensional lattice after a sudden change in the interaction strength. Over a broad range of model parameters, the correlation function exhibits a characteristic light-cone-like time evolution representative of a ballistic transport of information. Such behavior is observed both when quenching an insulator into the metallic region and also when quenching within the insulating region. However, when a metallic state beyond the quantum critical point is quenched deep into the insulating regime, no indication for ballistic transport is observed. Instead, stable domain walls in the density correlations emerge during the time evolution, consistent with the predictions of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism.Comment: Published version; minor changes, references adde

Correlations and enlarged superconducting phase of tt-J⊥J_\perp chains of ultracold molecules on optical lattices

We compute physical properties across the phase diagram of the $t$-$J_\perp$ chain with long-range dipolar interactions, which describe ultracold polar molecules on optical lattices. Our results obtained by the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) indicate that superconductivity is enhanced when the Ising component $J_z$ of the spin-spin interaction and the charge component $V$ are tuned to zero, and even further by the long-range dipolar interactions. At low densities, a substantially larger spin gap is obtained. We provide evidence that long-range interactions lead to algebraically decaying correlation functions despite the presence of a gap. Although this has recently been observed in other long-range interacting spin and fermion models, the correlations in our case have the peculiar property of having a small and continuously varying exponent. We construct simple analytic models and arguments to understand the most salient features.Comment: published version with minor modification

Topological invariants and interacting one-dimensional fermionic systems

We study one-dimensional, interacting, gapped fermionic systems described by variants of the Peierls-Hubbard model and characterize their phases via a topological invariant constructed out of their Green's functions. We demonstrate that the existence of topologically protected, zero-energy states at the boundaries of these systems can be tied to the values of their topological invariant, just like when working with the conventional, noninteracting topological insulators. We use a combination of analytical methods and the numerical density matrix renormalization group method to calculate the values of the topological invariant throughout the phase diagrams of these systems, thus deducing when topologically protected boundary states are present. We are also able to study topological states in spin systems because, deep in the Mott insulating regime, these fermionic systems reduce to spin chains. In this way, we associate the zero-energy states at the end of an antiferromagnetic spin-one Heisenberg chain with the topological invariant 2.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, Final Version as published in PR

Finite-Temperature Dynamics and Thermal Intraband Magnon Scattering in Haldane Spin-One Chains

The antiferromagnetic spin-one chain is considerably one of the most fundamental quantum many-body systems, with symmetry protected topological order in the ground state. Here, we present results for its dynamical spin structure factor at finite temperatures, based on a combination of exact numerical diagonalization, matrix-product-state calculations and quantum Monte Carlo simulations. Open finite chains exhibit a sub-gap band in the thermal spectral functions, indicative of localized edge-states. Moreover, we observe the thermal activation of a distinct low-energy continuum contribution to the spin spectral function with an enhanced spectral weight at low momenta and its upper threshold. This emerging thermal spectral feature of the Haldane spin-one chain is shown to result from intra-band magnon scattering due to the thermal population of the single-magnon branch, which features a large bandwidth-to-gap ratio. These findings are discussed with respect to possible future studies on spin-one chain compounds based on inelastic neutron scattering.Comment: 10 pages with 11 figures total (including Supplemental Material); changes in v2: new Figs. S1 and S5, Fig. S3 expanded + related discussion + many smaller modifications to match published versio

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya anisotropy and non-magnetic impurities in the s=1/2s = 1/2 kagome system ZnCu_3(OH)_6Cl_2

Motivated by recent nuclear magnetic resonance experiments on ZnCu$_3$(OH)$_6$Cl$_2$, we present an exact-diagonalization study of the combined effects of non-magnetic impurities and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions in the $s = 1/2$ kagome antiferromagnet. The local response to an applied field and correlation-matrix data reveal that the dimer freezing which occurs around each impurity for $D = 0$ persists at least up to $D/J\simeq 0.06$, where $J$ and $D$ denote respectively the exchange and DM interaction energies. The phase transition to the ($Q = 0$) semiclassical, 120$^\circ$ state favored at large $D$ takes place at $D/J\simeq 0.1$. However, the dimers next to the impurity sites remain strong up to values $D \sim J$, far above this critical point, and thus do not participate fully in the ordered state. We discuss the implications of our results for experiments on ZnCu$_3$(OH)$_6$Cl$_2$.Comment: 11 pages, submitted to PR