21,163 research outputs found
Entanglement renormalization
In the context of real-space renormalization group methods, we propose a
novel scheme for quantum systems defined on a D-dimensional lattice. It is
based on a coarse-graining transformation that attempts to reduce the amount of
entanglement of a block of lattice sites before truncating its Hilbert space.
Numerical simulations involving the ground state of a 1D system at criticality
show that the resulting coarse-grained site requires a Hilbert space dimension
that does not grow with successive rescaling transformations. As a result we
can address, in a quasi-exact way, tens of thousands of quantum spins with a
computational effort that scales logarithmically in the system's size. The
calculations unveil that ground state entanglement in extended quantum systems
is organized in layers corresponding to different length scales. At a quantum
critical point, each rellevant length scale makes an equivalent contribution to
the entanglement of a block with the rest of the system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, updated versio
Characterizing topological order by studying the ground states of an infinite cylinder
Given a microscopic lattice Hamiltonian for a topologically ordered phase, we
describe a tensor network approach to characterize its emergent anyon model
and, in a chiral phase, also its gapless edge theory. First, a tensor network
representation of a complete, orthonormal set of ground states on a cylinder of
infinite length and finite width is obtained through numerical optimization.
Each of these ground states is argued to have a different anyonic flux
threading through the cylinder. In a chiral phase, the entanglement spectrum of
each ground state is seen to reveal a different sector of the corresponding
gapless edge theory. A quasi-orthogonal basis on the torus is then produced by
chopping off and reconnecting the tensor network representation on the
cylinder. Elaborating on the recent proposal of [Y. Zhang et al. Phys. Rev. B
85, 235151 (2012)], a rotation on the torus yields an alternative basis of
ground states and, through the computation of overlaps between bases, the
modular matrices S and U (containing the mutual and self statistics of the
different anyon species) are extracted. As an application, we study the
hard-core boson Haldane model by using the two-dimensional density matrix
renormalization group. A thorough characterization of the universal properties
of this lattice model, both in the bulk and at the edge, unambiguously shows
that its ground space realizes the \nu=1/2 bosonic Laughlin state.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Hydrogen column density evaluations toward Capella: consequences on the interstellar deuterium abundance
The deuterium abundance evaluation in the direction of Capella has for a long
time been used as a reference for the local interstellar medium (ISM) within
our Galaxy. We show here that broad and weak HI components could be present on
the Capella line of sight, leading to a large new additional systematic
uncertainty on the N(HI) evaluation.
The D/H ratio toward Capella is found to be equal to 1.67 (+/-0.3)x10^-5 with
almost identical chi^2 for all the fits (this range includes only the
systematic error; the 2 sigma statistical one is almost negligible in
comparison). It is concluded that D/H evaluations over HI column densities
below 10^19 cm^-2 (even perhaps below 10^20 cm^-2 if demonstrated by additional
observations) may present larger uncertainties than previously anticipated. It
is mentionned that the D/O ratio might be a better tracer for DI variations in
the ISM as recently measured by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
(FUSE).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter
Entanglement renormalization in fermionic systems
We demonstrate, in the context of quadratic fermion lattice models in one and
two spatial dimensions, the potential of entanglement renormalization (ER) to
define a proper real-space renormalization group transformation. Our results
show, for the first time, the validity of the multi-scale entanglement
renormalization ansatz (MERA) to describe ground states in two dimensions, even
at a quantum critical point. They also unveil a connection between the
performance of ER and the logarithmic violations of the boundary law for
entanglement in systems with a one-dimensional Fermi surface. ER is recast in
the language of creation/annihilation operators and correlation matrices.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures Second appendix adde
Simulation of two-dimensional quantum systems using a tree tensor network that exploits the entropic area law
This work explores the use of a tree tensor network ansatz to simulate the
ground state of a local Hamiltonian on a two-dimensional lattice. By exploiting
the entropic area law, the tree tensor network ansatz seems to produce
quasi-exact results in systems with sizes well beyond the reach of exact
diagonalisation techniques. We describe an algorithm to approximate the ground
state of a local Hamiltonian on a L times L lattice with the topology of a
torus. Accurate results are obtained for L={4,6,8}, whereas approximate results
are obtained for larger lattices. As an application of the approach, we analyse
the scaling of the ground state entanglement entropy at the quantum critical
point of the model. We confirm the presence of a positive additive constant to
the area law for half a torus. We also find a logarithmic additive correction
to the entropic area law for a square block. The single copy entanglement for
half a torus reveals similar corrections to the area law with a further term
proportional to 1/L.Comment: Major rewrite, new version published in Phys. Rev. B with highly
improved numerical results for the scaling of the entropies and several new
sections. The manuscript has now 19 pages and 30 Figure
Quantum mechanical analysis of the elastic propagation of electrons in the Au/Si system: application to Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy
We present a Green's function approach based on a LCAO scheme to compute the
elastic propagation of electrons injected from a STM tip into a metallic film.
The obtained 2D current distribution in real and reciprocal space furnish a
good representation of the elastic component of Ballistic Electron Emission
Microscopy (BEEM) currents. Since this component accurately approximates the
total current in the near threshold region, this procedure allows --in contrast
to prior analyses-- to take into account effects of the metal band structure in
the modeling of these experiments. The Au band structure, and in particular its
gaps appearing in the [111] and [100] directions provides a good explanation
for the previously irreconcilable results of nanometric resolution and
similarity of BEEM spectra on both Au/Si(111) and Au/Si(100).Comment: 12 pages, 9 postscript figures, revte
Chiral spin liquid and emergent anyons in a Kagome lattice Mott insulator
Topological phases in frustrated quantum spin systems have fascinated
researchers for decades. One of the earliest proposals for such a phase was the
chiral spin liquid put forward by Kalmeyer and Laughlin in 1987 as the bosonic
analogue of the fractional quantum Hall effect. Elusive for many years, recent
times have finally seen a number of models that realize this phase. However,
these models are somewhat artificial and unlikely to be found in realistic
materials. Here, we take an important step towards the goal of finding a chiral
spin liquid in nature by examining a physically motivated model for a Mott
insulator on the Kagome lattice with broken time-reversal symmetry. We first
provide a theoretical justification for the emergent chiral spin liquid phase
in terms of a network model perspective. We then present an unambiguous
numerical identification and characterization of the universal topological
properties of the phase, including ground state degeneracy, edge physics, and
anyonic bulk excitations, by using a variety of powerful numerical probes,
including the entanglement spectrum and modular transformations.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures; partially supersedes arXiv:1303.696
Boundary quantum critical phenomena with entanglement renormalization
We extend the formalism of entanglement renormalization to the study of
boundary critical phenomena. The multi-scale entanglement renormalization
ansatz (MERA), in its scale invariant version, offers a very compact
approximation to quantum critical ground states. Here we show that, by adding a
boundary to the scale invariant MERA, an accurate approximation to the critical
ground state of an infinite chain with a boundary is obtained, from which one
can extract boundary scaling operators and their scaling dimensions. Our
construction, valid for arbitrary critical systems, produces an effective chain
with explicit separation of energy scales that relates to Wilson's RG
formulation of the Kondo problem. We test the approach by studying the quantum
critical Ising model with free and fixed boundary conditions.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, for a related work see arXiv:0912.289
Hot electron transport in Ballistic Electron Emission Spectroscopy: band structure effects and k-space currents
Using a Green's function approach, we investigate band structure effects in
the BEEM current distribution in reciprocal space. In the elastic limit, this
formalism provides a 'parameter free' solution to the BEEM problem. At low
temperatures, and for thin metallic layers, the elastic approximation is enough
to explain the experimental I(V) curves at low voltages. At higher voltages
inelastic effects are approximately taken into account by introducing an
effective RPA-electron lifetime, much in similarity with LEED theory. For thick
films, however, additional damping mechanisms are required to obtain agreement
with experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, revte
Observation of enhanced transmission for s-polarized light through a subwavelength slit
Enhanced optical transmission (EOT) through subwavelength apertures is
usually obtained for p-polarized light. The present study experimentally
investigates EOT for s-polarized light. A subwavelength slit surrounded on each
side by periodic grooves has been fabricated in a gold film and covered by a
thin dielectric layer. The excitation of s-polarized dielectric waveguide modes
inside the dielectric film strongly increases the s-polarized transmission.
Transmission measurements are compared with a coupled mode model and show good
qualitative agreement. Adding a waveguide can improve light transmission
through subwavelength apertures, as both s and p-polarization can be
efficiently transmitted.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter
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