560 research outputs found
Topological Defects on the Lattice I: The Ising model
In this paper and its sequel, we construct topologically invariant defects in
two-dimensional classical lattice models and quantum spin chains. We show how
defect lines commute with the transfer matrix/Hamiltonian when they obey the
defect commutation relations, cousins of the Yang-Baxter equation. These
relations and their solutions can be extended to allow defect lines to branch
and fuse, again with properties depending only on topology. In this part I, we
focus on the simplest example, the Ising model. We define lattice spin-flip and
duality defects and their branching, and prove they are topological. One useful
consequence is a simple implementation of Kramers-Wannier duality on the torus
and higher genus surfaces by using the fusion of duality defects. We use these
topological defects to do simple calculations that yield exact properties of
the conformal field theory describing the continuum limit. For example, the
shift in momentum quantization with duality-twisted boundary conditions yields
the conformal spin 1/16 of the chiral spin field. Even more strikingly, we
derive the modular transformation matrices explicitly and exactly.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figure
Truth, context and the reference of statements
The overall project of this MPhil thesis is to defend a version of the view
that is often called contextualism in philosophy of language, namely the
version of the view that I take Charles Travis to hold. His view is that the
meaning a sentence is insufficient for deciding on questions about truth and
falsity, and that in arriving at the truth-conditions of an utterance the
occasion on which the utterance is made always plays a determining role. In
order to defend this view, I focus on a particular sort of example â which I
refer to as a âTravis caseâ â and that Travis uses to support his view. Travis
cases, as I present Travis as conceiving of them, are supposed to show that
the truth-values of utterances made by using the same sentence can differ,
although the meaning of constituent expressions is the same and the
sentence is used to speak about the same state of things in the world. I
consider two alternative ways of analysing the example, from which
Travisâs view does not receive support, and I give arguments as to why
these analyses are problematic. By doing this, I aim both to give reasons as
to why Travis cases support Travisâs view and to highlight in what respects
his view differs from the views that are assumed in the alternative analyses
Thought without Illusion
This thesis targets the part of Gareth Evansâs and John McDowellâs view of singular thought which involves the claim that there can be illusions of thought. Singular thought is, according to Evans and McDowell, an object-dependent thought-content; such thought-content could not be entertained unless the object it is about exists. Nevertheless, in a case of perceptual hallucination, where a subject mistakenly takes it that there is an object in front of him or her, Evans and McDowell think that it can seem to a subject exactly as though he or she is having an object-dependent thought, although the subject is in fact not thinking at all due to the absence of any object to think about. The thesis argues for a rejection of this idea of illusions of object-dependent thought. It is further argued that the idea of illusions of thought can be eliminated from Evansâs and McDowellâs view without abandoning their fundamental insight about how singular thought-content is object-dependent. Following specifically McDowellâs development of the view, it is suggested that singular thought is about the world in virtue of how things cognitively appear to the subject. It is suggested that in an alleged case of illusion of thought, the subject has an object-dependent thought about an object whose existence in part is due to the mindâs directedness in that very episode of singular thinking. Furthermore, Evansâs and McDowellâs respective views of acquaintance are criticised, and an idea about acquaintance as awareness of a wider range of objects than just perceivable objects is put forward. In general, the thesis outlines a revised version of Evansâs and McDowellâs view, a version according to which singular thought, although externalistically individuated, is transparent to the thinker
Thermal fluctuations on the freeze-out surface of heavy-ion collisions and their impact on particle correlations
Particle momentum distributions originating from a quark-gluon plasma asproduced in high-energy nuclear collisions can be influenced by thermalfluctuations in fluid dynamic fields. We study this effect by generalizing thecommonly used kinetic freeze-out prescription by allowing for smallfluctuations around an average in fluid velocity, chemical potentials andtemperature. This leads to the appearance of specific two-body momentumcorrelations. Combining a blast-wave parametrization of the kinetic freeze-outsurface with the thermal correlation functions of an ideal resonance gas, weperform an exploratory study of angular net-charge correlations induced bythermal fluctuations around vanishing chemical potential. We note a diffusionof the near-side peak around induced by variances ofdifferent chemical potentials, which could be investigated experimentally.<br
Study of Genotype X Environment Interaction in Alfalfa Forage Yield
The response of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) forage yield to eight Alberta test sites was studied for the 1990 and 1991 production years. Cluster analysis was used to group locations and cultivars. Analyses of variances indicated genotype x environment (location) interaction for the first cut yield, the total yield and the difference between first and second cut yields. The Brooks, Bow Island (irrigation), Bow Island (dryland) and Provost locations always clustered together indicating that three of these four test sites may be eliminated without sacrificing reliability
Measurement Quantum Cellular Automata and Anomalies in Floquet Codes
We investigate the evolution of quantum information under Pauli measurement
circuits. We focus on the case of one- and two-dimensional systems, which are
relevant to the recently introduced Floquet topological codes. We define local
reversibility in context of measurement circuits, which allows us to treat
finite depth measurement circuits on a similar footing to finite depth unitary
circuits. In contrast to the unitary case, a finite depth locally reversible
measurement circuit can implement a translation in one dimension. A locally
reversible measurement circuit in two dimensions may also induce a flow of
logical information along the boundary. We introduce "measurement quantum
cellular automata" which unifies these ideas and define an index in one
dimension to characterize the flow of logical operators. We find a
bulk invariant for two-dimensional Floquet topological codes
which indicates an obstruction to having a trivial boundary. We prove that the
Hastings-Haah honeycomb code belongs to a class with such obstruction, which
means that any boundary must have either nonlocal dynamics, period doubled, or
admits anomalous boundary flow of quantum information.Comment: v2 changes: clarified the definition of "locally reversible
measurement cycle" (LRMC), and added more examples of boundary circuits for
the HH cod
Electrical probes of the non-Abelian spin liquid in Kitaev materials
Recent thermal-conductivity measurements evidence a magnetic-field-induced
non-Abelian spin liquid phase in the Kitaev material
-. Although the platform is a good Mott insulator,
we propose experiments that electrically probe the spin liquid's hallmark
chiral Majorana edge state and bulk anyons, including their exotic exchange
statistics. We specifically introduce circuits that exploit interfaces between
electrically active systems and Kitaev materials to `perfectly' convert
electrons from the former into emergent fermions in the latter---thereby
enabling variations of transport probes invented for topological
superconductors and fractional quantum Hall states. Along the way we resolve
puzzles in the literature concerning interacting Majorana fermions, and also
develop an anyon-interferometry framework that incorporates nontrivial
energy-partitioning effects. Our results illuminate a partial pathway towards
topological quantum computation with Kitaev materials.Comment: 35 pages, 17 figure
Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials
Recent thermal-conductivity measurements evidence a magnetic-field-induced non-Abelian spin-liquid phase in the Kitaev material αâRuClâ. Although the platform is a good Mott insulator, we propose experiments that electrically probe the spin liquidâs hallmark chiral Majorana edge state and bulk anyons, including their exotic exchange statistics. We specifically introduce circuits that exploit interfaces between electrically active systems and Kitaev materials to âperfectlyâ convert electrons from the former into emergent fermions in the latterâthereby enabling variations of transport probes invented for topological superconductors and fractional quantum-Hall states. Along the way, we resolve puzzles in the literature concerning interacting Majorana fermions, and also develop an anyon-interferometry framework that incorporates nontrivial energy-partitioning effects. Our results illuminate a partial pathway toward topological quantum computation with Kitaev materials
Time-domain anyon interferometry in Kitaev honeycomb spin liquids and beyond
Motivated by recent experiments on the Kitaev honeycomb magnet α-RuClâ, we introduce time-domain probes of the edge and quasiparticle content of non-Abelian spin liquids. Our scheme exploits ancillary quantum spins that communicate via time-dependent tunneling of energy into and out of the spin liquid's chiral Majorana edge state. We show that the ancillary-spin dynamics reveals the edge-state velocity and, in suitable geometries, detects individual non-Abelian anyons and emergent fermions via a time-domain counterpart of quantum-Hall anyon interferometry. We anticipate applications to a wide variety of topological phases in solid-state and cold-atoms settings
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