拓扑声子与声子霍尔效应

拓扑学与物理的结合是近几十年物理学蓬勃发展的一个新领域,它不仅活跃在量子场理论以及高能物理中,更广泛地存在于凝聚态物理体系中,包括量子(反常、自旋)霍尔效应和拓扑绝缘体(超导体)等.声子是凝聚态体系中热输运的主要载体;最近由于各种声子器件的发现,声子学得到了广泛的关注.本文介绍了声子的拓扑性质以及声子的霍尔效应现象,分别评述了在破坏时间反演对称、破坏空间反演对称、以及同时破坏时间和空间反演对称三种情况下所产生的声子霍尔效应、声子谷霍尔效应等相关物理研究进展.最后对拓扑学在其他声学体系中的应用做了简单介绍,并进一步讨论了其未来的发展方向.     

超微结构中的Landauer-Buttiker输运理论

随着超微结构或者所谓的介观结构的尺度不断缩小而逼近各种描述固体属性的特征长度(相位相干长度、弹性散射长度或者布洛赫波长)时电子波函数的量子属性在介观结构的输运现象中表现得越来越明显。近年来发展日趋完善的Landauer-Buttiker输运理论由于明确考虑了波函数相位对输运的影响,在介释介观结构中各种量子相干输运现象时获得了很大的成功。本文力图较系统地介绍Landauer-Buttiker输运理论的要点,讨论介观结构中电导的对称性、电势分布的涨落和电势电极引起的相干性等重要问题。有关计算介观结构各电极间的散射矩阵S或者透射系数的微观理论不属本文讨论范围之内。     

Universal Nature of Replica Symmetry Breaking in Quantum Systems with Gaussian Disorder

We study quantum spin systems with quenched Gaussian disorder. We prove that the variance of all physical quantities in a certain class vanishes in the infinite volume limit. We study also replica symmetry breaking phenomena, where the variance of an overlap operator in the other class does not vanish in the replica symmetric Gibbs state. On the other hand, it vanishes in a spontaneous replica symmetry breaking Gibbs state defined by applying an infinitesimal replica symmetry breaking field. We prove also that the finite variance of the overlap operator in the replica symmetric Gibbs state implies the existence of a spontaneous replica symmetry breaking.     

Collective quantum tunneling of strongly correlated electrons in commensurate mesoscopic rings

We present a new effect that is possible for strongly correlated electrons in commensurate mesoscopic rings: the collective tunneling of electrons between classically equivalent configurations, corresponding to ordered states possessing charge and spin density waves (CDW, SDW) and charge separation (CS). Within an extended Hubbard model at half filling studied by exact numerical diagonalization, we demonstrate that the ground state phase diagram comprises, besides conventional critical lines separating states characterized by different orderings (e.g. CDW, SDW, CS), critical lines separating phases with the same ordering (e.g. CDW-CDW) but with different symmetries. While the former also exist in infinite systems, the latter are specific for mesoscopic systems and directly related to a collective tunnel effect. We emphasize that, in order to construct correctly a phase diagram for mesoscopic rings, the examination of CDW, SDW and CS correlation functions alone is not sufficient, and one should also consider the symmetry of the wave function that cannot be broken. We present examples demonstrating that the jumps in relevant physical properties at the conventional and new critical lines are of comparable magnitude. These transitions could be studied experimentally e.g. by optical absorption in mesoscopic systems. Possible candidates are cyclic molecules and ring-like nanostructures of quantum dots. Received 27 November 2000     

The breaking of quantum double symmetries by defect condensation

In this paper, we study the phenomenon of Hopf or more specifically quantum double symmetry breaking. We devise a criterion for this type of symmetry breaking which is more general than the one originally proposed in F.A. Bais, B.J. Schroers, J.K. Slingerland [Broken quantum symmetry and confinement phases in planar physics, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 181601]; Hopf symmetry breaking and confinement in (2+1)-dimensional gauge theory, JHEP 05 (2003) 068], and therefore extends the number of possible breaking patterns that can be described consistently. We start by recalling why the extended symmetry notion of quantum double algebras is an optimal tool when analyzing a wide variety of two-dimensional physical systems including quantum fluids, crystals and liquid crystals. The power of this approach stems from the fact that one may characterize both ordinary and topological modes as representations of a single (generally nonabelian) Hopf symmetry. In principle a full classification of defect mediated as well as ordinary symmetry breaking patterns and subsequent confinement phenomena can be given. The formalism applies equally well to systems exhibiting global, local, internal and/or external (i.e. spatial) symmetries. The subtle differences in interpretation for the various situations are pointed out. We show that the Hopf symmetry breaking formalism reproduces the known results for ordinary (electric) condensates, and we derive formulae for defect (magnetic) condensates which also involve the phenomenon of symmetry restoration. These results are applied in two papers which will be published in parallel [C.J.M. Mathy, F.A. Bais, Nematic phases and the breaking of double symmetries, arXiv:cond-mat/0602109, 2006; F.A. Bais, C.J.M. Mathy, Defect mediated melting and the breaking of quantum double symmetries, arXiv:cond-mat/0602101, 2006].     

Quantum entanglement in the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev model and its generalizations

Entanglement is one of the most important concepts in quantum physics. We review recent progress in understanding the quantum entanglement in many-body systems using large-N solvable models: the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model and its generalizations. We present the study of entanglement entropy in the original SYK model using three different approaches: the exact diagonalization, the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, and the pathintegral representation. For coupled SYK models, the entanglement entropy shows linear growth and saturation at the thermal value. The saturation is related to replica wormholes in gravity. Finally, we consider the steady-state entanglement entropy of quantum many-body systems under repeated measurements. The traditional symmetry breaking in the enlarged replica space leads to the measurement-induced entanglement phase transition.     

用热场动力学理论研究介观电路的Wigner函数

利用热场动力学及相干热态表象理论,重构了有限温度下介观RLC电路的Wigner函数,研究了有限温度下介观RLC电路的量子涨落.借助于Weyl-Wigner理论讨论了有限温度下介观RLC电路Wigner函数的边缘分布,并进一步阐明了Wigner函数边缘分布统计平均的物理意义.结果表明:有限温度下介观RLC电路中电荷和电流的量子涨落随着温度和电阻值的增加而增加,回路中的电荷和电流之间存在着压缩效应,这种量子效应是由于系统零点振动的涨落而引起的;有限温度下介观RLC电路Wigner函数边缘分布的统计平均正好是储存在介观RLC电路中电容和电感上的能量.     

Field theory of mesoscopic fluctuations in superconductor-normal-metal systems

Thermodynamic and transport properties of mesoscopic conductors are strongly influenced by the proximity of a superconductor: an interplay between the large scale quantum coherent wave functions in the normal mesoscopic and the superconducting region, respectively, leads to unusual mechanisms of quantum interference. These manifest themselves in both the mean and the mesoscopic fluctuation behaviour of superconductor-normal-metal (SN) hybrid systems being strikingly different from those of conventional mesoscopic systems. After reviewing some established theories of SN quantum interference phenomena, we introduce a new approach to the analysis of SN mesoscopic physics. Essentially, our formalism represents a unification of the quasi-classical formalism for describing mean properties of SN systems on the one hand, with more recent field theories of mesoscopic fluctuations on the other hand. Thus, by its very construction, the new approach is capable of exploring both averaged and fluctuation properties of SN systems on the same microscopic footing. As an example, the method is applied to the study of various characteristics of the single particle spectrum of SNS structures.     

用热场动力学理论研究介观电路的Wigner函数

利用热场动力学及相干热态表象理论,重构了有限温度下介观RLC电路的Wigner函数,研究了有限温度下介观RLC电路的量子涨落.借助于Weyl-Wigner理论讨论了有限温度下介观RLC电路Wigner函数的边缘分布,并进一步阐明了Wigner函数边缘分布统计平均的物理意义.结果表明: 有限温度下介观RLC电路中电荷和电流的量子涨落随着温度和电阻值的增加而增加,回路中的电荷和电流之间存在着压缩效应,这种量子效应是由于系统零点振动的涨落而引起的; 有限温度下介观RLC电路Wigner函数边缘分布的统计平均正好是储存在介观RLC电路中电容和电感上的能量.     

Random quantum states: recent developments and applications

We review the methods and use of random quantum states with particular emphasis on recent theoretical developments and applications in various fields. The guiding principle of the review is the idea that random quantum states can be understood as classical probability distributions in the Hilbert space of the associated quantum system. We show how this central concept connects questions of physical interest that cover different fields such as quantum statistical physics, quantum chaos, mesoscopic systems of both non-interacting and interacting particles, including superconducting and spin–orbit phenomena, and stochastic Schrödinger equations describing open quantum systems.     

Structure of the Space of Ground States in Systems with Non-Amenable Symmetries

We investigate classical spin systems in d ≥  1 dimensions whose transfer operator commutes with the action of a nonamenable unitary representation of a symmetry group, here SO(1,N); these systems may alternatively be interpreted as systems of interacting quantum mechanical particles moving on hyperbolic spaces. In sharp contrast to the analogous situation with a compact symmetry group the following results are found and proven: (i) Spontaneous symmetry breaking already takes place for finite spatial volume/finitely many particles and even in dimensions d = 1,2. The tuning of a coupling/temperature parameter cannot prevent the symmetry breaking. (ii) The systems have infinitely many non-invariant and non-normalizable generalized ground states. (iii) The linear space spanned by these ground states carries a distinguished unitary representation of SO(1, N), the limit of the spherical principal series. (iv) The properties (i)–(iii) hold universally, irrespective of the details of the interaction. Membre du CNRS     

Criteria for the absence of quantum fluctuations after spontaneous symmetry breaking

The lowest-energy state of a macroscopic system in which symmetry is spontaneously broken, is a very stable wavepacket centered around a spontaneously chosen, classical direction in symmetry space. However, for a Heisenberg ferromagnet the quantum groundstate is exactly the classical groundstate, there are no quantum fluctuations. This coincides with seven exceptional properties of the ferromagnet, including spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, a reduced number of Nambu–Goldstone modes and the absence of a thin spectrum (Anderson tower of states). Recent discoveries of other non-relativistic systems with fewer Nambu–Goldstone modes suggest these specialties apply there as well. I establish precise criteria for the absence of quantum fluctuations and all the other features. In particular, it is not sufficient that the order parameter operator commutes with the Hamiltonian. It leads to a measurably larger coherence time of superpositions in small but macroscopic systems.     

Symmetry and symmetry breaking in generalized parastatistics

An analysis is made of the characteristics of internal symmetry and symmetry breaking in a quantum field theory with generalized parastatistics, defined by either double commutation relations or single commutation relations. The connection between the two statistics is clarified. We develop a formalism in which statistics is viewed as a dynamical or phase variable of quantum systems. It is shown that the types of Higgs phases possible depend upon statistics. Relationships between physical amplitudes implied by internal symmetry with normal statistics are violated in the case of generalized parastatistics.     

Nondissipative Orbital Currents in Finite Quantum Systems: A Comparative Study

The idea of nondissipative, persistent currents in mesoscopic metallic or semiconducting rings and cyclinders appears counterintuitive, because it contradicts our experience with currents in macroscopic metals. On the other hand such orbital currents are well known properties of atoms. A comparative study of nondissipative ring currents in different finite quantum systems is therefore of interest. In this paper the properties of atoms, mesoscopic metallic or semiconducting rings and cylinders and elongated molecules called carbon nanotubes are discussed and compared.     

Symmetry Breaking in Finite Volume-a Study in the O(N) Model

Spontaneous symmetry breaking plays a crucial role in quantum field theories and it occurs only for systems with infinite degrees of freedom. For a system in a large but finite volume, although the symmetry is not broken spontaneously, an adiabatic approximation can be applied to study the would-be broken symmetry. Lattice O(N) model is studied within the Hamiltonian approach. It is shown that the low-lying spectrum of the system can be explained using an adiabatic, or Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which turns out to become 1 an expansion in the inverse power of volume. In the infinite volume limit, the symmetry is broken while in the finite volume the slow rotation of the zero-momentum mode restores the symmetry and gives rise to the rotator spectrum, which has been observed in real Monte Carlo simulations.     

The quantum Kirchhoff equation and quantum current and energy spectrum of a homogeneous mesoscopic dissipation transmission line

On the basis of quantization of charge, the loop equations of quantum circuits are investigated by using the Heisenberg motion equation for a mesoscopic dissipation transmission line. On the supposition that the system has a symmetry under translation in charge space, the quantum current and the quantum energy spectrum in the mesoscopic transmission line are given by solving their eigenvalue equations. Results show that the quantum current and the quantum energy spectrum are not only related to the parameters of the transmission line, but also dependent on the quantized character of the charge obviously.     

Thin spectrum states in bulk superconductors and superconducting grains

We show how a local pairing model for superconductivity can be used to describe the symmetry breaking mechanism in exact analogy to the cases of quantum crystals and antiferromagnets. We find that there are low energy states associated with the symmetry breaking process which are not influenced by the Anderson-Higgs mechanism. The presence of these ‘thin spectrum’ states in qubits based on superconducting material leads to a maximum time for which such qubits can remain quantum coherent. We also show how the charging energy of superconducting quantum dots may give the thin spectrum states a finite energy gap, impeding the spontaneous breaking of phase symmetry.     

Reprint of : Kondo effect in a carbon nanotube with spin–orbit interaction and valley mixing: A DM-NRG study

We investigate the effects of spin–orbit interaction (SOI) and valley mixing on the transport and dynamical properties of a carbon nanotube (CNT) quantum dot in the Kondo regime. As these perturbations break the pseudo-spin symmetry in the CNT spectrum but preserve time-reversal symmetry, they induce a finite splitting $\Delta$ between formerly degenerate Kramers pairs. Correspondingly, a crossover from the SU(4) to the SU(2)-Kondo effect occurs as the strength of these symmetry breaking parameters is varied. Clear signatures of the crossover are discussed both at the level of the spectral function as well as of the conductance. In particular, we demonstrate numerically and support with scaling arguments that the Kondo temperature scales inversely with the splitting $\Delta$ in the crossover regime. In presence of a finite magnetic field, time reversal symmetry is also broken. We investigate the effects of both parallel and perpendicular fields (with respect to the tube's axis) and discuss the conditions under which Kondo revivals may be achieved.     

介观金属双环系统中的持续电流和量子能谱

基于电荷的不连续性,对处于外磁场中的介观双环系统进行量子化.假设系统在电荷表象中具有变换的对称性,通过求解电流和Hamilton算符的本征值方程,给出介观金属环互感系统中的量子电流和能谱关系;分析和研究了介观金属环中量子电流和能谱的性质.结果表明,持续电流和量子能谱不仅与外磁场、介观双环参数有关,而且还明显地依赖于电荷的量子化性质.