Spectral Gaps of Quantum Hall Systems with Interactions

A two-dimensional quantum Hall system without disorder for a wide class of interactions including any two-body interaction with finite range is studied by using the Lieb–Schultz–Mattis method [Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) 16:407 (1961)]. The model is defined on an infinitely long strip with a fixed, large width, and the Hilbert space is restricted to the lowest (n _max+1) Landau levels with a large integer n _max. We prove that, for a noninteger filling of the Landau levels, either (i) there is a symmetry breaking at zero temperature or (ii) there is only one infinite-volume ground state with a gapless excitation. We also prove the following two theorems: (a) If a pure infinite-volume ground state has a nonzero excitation gap for a noninteger filling , then a translational symmetry breaking occurs at zero temperature. (b) Suppose that there is no non-translationally invariant infinite-volume ground state. Then, if a pure infinite-volume ground state has a nonzero excitation gap, the filling factor must be equal to a rational number. Here the ground state is allowed to have a periodic structure which is a consequence of the translational symmetry breaking. We also discuss the relation between our results and the quantized Hall conductance, and phenomenologically explain why odd denominators of filling fractions giving the quantized Hall conductance are favored exclusively.     

Disordered ground states for classical discrete-state problems in one dimension

It is known that one-dimensional lattice problems with a discrete, finite set of states per site generically have periodic ground states (GSs). We consider slightly less generic cases, in which the Hamiltonian is constrained by either spin (S) or spatial (I) inversion symmetry (or both). We show that such constraints give rise to the possibility ofdisordered GSs over a finite fraction of the coupling-parameter space—that is, without invoking any nongeneric fine tuning of coupling constants, beyond that arising from symmetry. We find that such disordered GSs can arise for many values of the number of statesk at each site and the ranger of the interaction. The Ising (k=2) case is the least prone to disorder:I symmetry allows for disordered GSs (without fine tuning) only forr5, whileS symmetry never gives rise to disordered GSs.     

Random surfaces with two-sided constraints: An application of the theory of dominant ground states

We consider some models of classical statistical mechanics which admit an investigation by means of the theory of dominant ground states. Our models are related to the Gibbs ensemble for the multidimensional SOS model with symmetric constraints _x m/2. The main result is that for ₀, where ₀ does not depend onm, the structure of thermodynamic phases in the model is determined by dominant ground states: for an evenm a Gibbs state is unique and for an oddm the number of space-periodic pure Gibbs states is two.     

On the equivalence of boundary conditions

We show that ifb andb are two boundary conditions (b.c.) for general spin systems on ^d such that the difference in the energies of a spin configuration in ^d is uniformly bounded, |H _,b ()–H _,b()|C < , then any infinite-volume Gibbs states and obtained with these b.c. have the same measure-zero sets. This implies that the decompositions of and into extremal Gibbs states are equivalent (mutually absolutely continuous). In particular, if is extremal,=. Application of this observation yields in an easy way (among other things) (a) the uniqueness of the Gibbs states for one-dimensional systems with forces that are not too long-range; (b) the fact that various b.c. that are natural candidates for producing non-translation-invariant Gibbs states cannot lead to such an extremal Gibbs state in two dimensions.Supported in part by NSF Grant PHY 78–15920 and by the Swiss National Foundation For Scientific Research.     

Ground-state structure in a highly disordered spin-glass model

We propose a new Ising spin-glass model on Z ^d of Edwards-Anderson type, but with highly disordered coupling magnitudes, in which a greedy algorithm for producing ground states is exact. We find that the procedure for determining (infinite-volume) ground states for this model can be related to invasion percolation with the number of ground states identified as 2 ^N , whereN=N(d) is the number of distinct global components in the invasion forest. We prove thatN(d)= if the invasion connectivity function is square summable. We argue that the critical dimension separatingN=1 andN= isd _c=8. WhenN(d)=, we consider free or periodic boundary conditions on cubes of side lengthL and show that frustration leads to chaoticL dependence withall pairs of ground states occurring as subsequence limits. We briefly discuss applications of our results to random walk problems on rugged landscapes.     

On the characterization of the stationary state of a class of dynamical semigroups

We consider a representation of the entropy production for a completely positive, trace-preserving dynamical semigroup satisfying detailed balance with respect to its faithful stationary state denned on aW*-algebra(): it is expressed as a positive Hermitian form on(), which is analogous to the quantum correlation functions used in the Kubo theory. By considering this Hermitian form as a variation function of a vector in(), an exact characterization of the stationary states of semigroups in a certain class is obtained. On this basis, the problem of characterizing the stationary states discussed by Spohn and Lebowitz for manyreservoir open systems is solved without the restriction to situations near thermal equilibrium.     

Random infinite-volume Gibbs states for the Curie-Weiss random field Ising model

An approach to the definition of infinite-volume Gibbs states for the (quenched) random-field Ising model is considered in the case of a Curie-Weiss ferromagnet. It turns out that these states are random quasi-free measures. They are random convex linear combinations of the free product-measures shifted by the corresponding effective mean fields. The conditional self-averaging property of the magnetization related to this randomness is also discussed.This paper is dedicated to Robert A. Minlos on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Absence of symmetry breaking for systems of rotors with random interactions

We prove that Gibbs states for the Hamiltonian , with thes _x varying on theN-dimensional unit sphere, obtained with nonrandom boundary conditions (in a suitable sense), are almost surely rotationally invariant if withJ _xy i.i.d. bounded random variables with zero average, 1 in one dimension, and 2 in two dimensions.     

Atomic versus ionized states in many-particle systems and the spectra of reduced density matrices: A model study

We study the spectrum of appropriate reduced density matrices for a model consisting of one quantum particle (electron) in a classical fluid (of protons) at thermal equilibrium. The quantum and classical particles interact by a shortrange, attractive potential such that the quantum particle can form atomic bound states with a single classical particle. We consider two models for the classical component: an ideal gas and the cell model of a fluid. We find that when the system is at low density the spectrum of the electron-proton pair density matrix has, in addition to a continuous part, a discrete part that is associated with atomic bound states. In the high-density limit the discrete eigenvalues disappear in the case of the cell model, indicating the existence of pressure ionization or a Mott effect according to a general criterion for characterizing bound and ionized electron-proton pairs in a plasma proposed recently by M. Girardeau. For the ideal gas model, on the other hand, eigenvalues remain even at high density.     

Restored symmetries,quark puzzle,and the Pomeron as a Josephson current

A special type of symmetry is studied, wherein manifest invariance is restored by direct integration over a set of spontaneously broken ground states. In addition to invariant states and multiplets these symmetry realizations are shown to lead, in general, to clustering effects and quantum supercurrents. A systematic exploration of these symmetry realizations is proposed, mostly in physical situations where it has so far been believed that the only consequences of the symmetry are invariant states and multiplets. An application of these ideas to the quark system yields a possible explanation for the unobservability of free quarks and an interpretation of the Pomeron as a generalized Josephson current. Furthermore, the narrowing gap mechanism suggests an explanation for the behavior of thee ⁺ e ^– hadrons cross section and a speculation on an approaching phase transition in hadronic production and the observation of free quarks.     

Absence of asymptotic-time symmetry breaking in zero-bias spin-boson model with partial relaxation

The symmetric spin-boson model without external field is treated for any type of coupling to the boson bath and any initial bath density matrix. With initially fully aligned spin (_z (0)= =1), the proof is given that a partial relaxation (_z (+) t1<) implies that there is no asymptotic-time (up-and-down) symmetry breaking (i.e. that _z (+)=0). For the problem of a particle (interacting with free bosons) in a symmetric double well without spatial symmetry breaking before the infinite time limit, this means that att + the particle distribution becomes symmetric (irrespective of the full initial asymmetry) unless the particle fully remains (att + ) in Ihe starting well.     

Isospin Symmetry Breaking Effects on the Properties of Asymmetrical Nuclear Matter and β-Stable Matter

We have studied the influences of isospin symmetry breaking of nucleon–nucleon interaction on the various properties of asymmetrical nuclear matter and -stable matter. For asymmetrical nuclear matter, it is found that by including this isospin symmetry breaking, the changes of bulk properties increase by increasing both density and asymmetry parameter. However, these effects on the total energy and equation of state of -stable matter are ignorable. For asymmetrical nuclear matter, the validity of the empirical parabolic law in the isospin symmetry breaking case is shown. It is observed that the isospin symmetry breaking of nucleon–nucleon interaction affects the -equilibrium conditions in -stable matter.     

Higgs fields,curved space,and hadron structure

We show that in completely unified Yang-Mills-Einstein-Higgs-type gauge theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking there exists the possibility that hadrons can be visualized as microuniverses where the large curvature within a region of about 0.7×10^–13 cm arises from a large negative value of the VEV of the Hamiltonian. The low-lying collective excitations of the system have Hooke group symmetry and can be described as multiquasiparticle systems with oscillator-like energy spectra. The lowest states span reducible representations ofSU(3) and correspondence with the naive nonrelativistic quark model can be established. Confinement and absence of nonzero triality excitations can be explained in a natural way.     

Traces,Dispersions of States and Hidden Variables

No Heading The interplay between the tracial property and minimality of dispersions of states on projections of von Neumann algebras and C^*-algebras is investigated. Let be a state on a C^*-algebra A with the projection structure P(A). The dispersion () is defined as () = sup{(p) – (p)² | p P(A)}. It is proved that () 2/9 whenever is a state on a real rank zero C^*-algebra with no nonzero abelian representation. New characterization of traces in terms of dispersions is proved: A state on a von Neumann algebra without abelian and Type I₂ direct summands is a trace if and only if has the minimal dispersion on all 3x3 matrix substructures. A similar characterization of semifinite normal traces on von Neumann algebras is obtained. The connection between unitary invariance of states and minimal dispersion property on C^*-algebras is studied. Besides providing a new characterization of trace in terms of physically relevant properties, the existing results on hidden variables in W^*- and C^*-formalism of quantum mechanics are strengthen.     

Finitely correlated states on quantum spin chains

We study a construction that yields a class of translation invariant states on quantum spin chains, characterized by the property that the correlations across any bond can be modeled on a finite-dimensional vector space. These states can be considered as generalized valence bond states, and they are dense in the set of all translation invariant states. We develop a complete theory of the ergodic decomposition of such states, including the decomposition into periodic Néel ordered states. The ergodic components have exponential decay of correlations. All states considered can be obtained as local functions of states of a special kind, so-called purely generated states, which are shown to be ground states for suitably chosen finite range VBS interactions. We show that all these generalized VBS models have a spectral gap. Our theory does not require symmetry of the state with respect to a local gauge group. In particular we illustrate our results with a one-parameter family of examples which are not isotropic except for one special case. This isotropic model coincides with the one-dimensional antiferromagnet, recently studied by Affleck, Kennedy, Lieb, and Tasaki.     

One-dimensional harmonic lattice caricature of hydrodynamics

We derive the hydrodynamic (Euler) approximation for the harmonic time evolution of infinite classical oscillator system on one-dimensional lattice ¹ It is known that equilibrium (i.e., time-invariant attractive) states for this model are translationally invariant Gaussian ones, with the mean 0, which satisfy some linear relations involving the interaction quadratic form. The natural parameter characterizing equilibrium states is the spectral density matrix function (SDMF)F(), [– , ). Time evolution of a space profile of local equilibrium parameters is described by a space-time SDMFF(t;x, ) t, xR ¹. The hydrodynamic equation forF(t; x, ) which we derive in this paper means that the normal mode profiles indexed by are moving according to linear laws and are mutually independent. The procedure of deriving the hydrodynamic equation is the following: We fix an initial SDMF profileF(x, ) and a familyP ,>0 of mean 0 states which satisfy the two conditions imposed on the covariance of spins at various lattice points: (a) the covariance at points close to the value ^–1 x in the stateP is approximately described by the SDMFF(x, ); (b) The covariance (on large distances) decreases with distance quickly enough and uniformly in. Given nonzerotR ¹, we consider the states P _–1 ,>0, describing the system at the time moments ^–1 t during its harmonic time evolution. We check that the covariance at lattice points close to ^–1 x in the state P _–1 is approximately described by a SDMFF(t;x, ) and establish the connection betweenF(t; x, ) andF(x,).     

Coherent quantum oscillation trajectories

We discuss coherent oscillations in the quantum potential view of quantum mechanics, giving examples for both a superposition of position states, and a superposition of momentum states.     

On the possible temperatures of a dynamical system

A simpleC*-algebra and a continuous one-parameter automorphism group are constructed such that the set of inverse temperatures at which there exist equilibrium states (i.e., KMS states, or, for =±, ground or ceiling states) is an arbitrary closed subset of IR{±}.With partial support of the National Science Foundation     

Approximate ground state in a model with spontaneous symmetry breakdown

The spontaneous symmetry breakdown is treated by means of a variational approach. Use is made of coherent states of Glauber and of pairing states of BCS-type as the translationally invariant vacuum states for the discussion of the real scalar field ⁴ withm ₀ ² 0. The first type of trial states reproduces the usual approach to spontaneous symmetry breakdown (-) in the tree approximation (which is possible only form ₀ ² <0), while the second type of trial states offers the possibility of spontaneous symmetry breakdown even form ₀ ² =0.