Memory effects in the two-level model for glasses

We study an ensemble of two-level systems interacting with a thermal bath. This is a well-known model for glasses. The origin of memory effects in this model is a quasistationary but nonequilibrium state of a single two-level system, which is realized due to a finite-rate cooling and slow thermally activated relaxation. We show that single-particle memory effects, such as negativity of the specific heat under reheating, vanish for a sufficiently disordered ensemble. In contrast, a disordered ensemble displays a collective memory effect [similar to the Kovacs effect], where nonequilibrium features of the ensemble are monitored via a macroscopic observable. An experimental realization of the effect can be used to further assess the consistency of the model.     

Statistical mechanics of quenched inhomogeneous systems with random disorder

We propose a method to treat quenched disordered systems within the frame of an inhomogeneous ensemble of configurations. To describe a definite configuration, we make use of occupation numbers. By choosing an appropriate representation of these occupation numbers, we are able to deal with an inhomogeneous ensemble by elementary techniques as for instance used for uncorrelated occupation numbers in the frame of a translation invariant ensemble.     

Electrons in disordered systems. Scaling near the mobility edge

Renormalization group arguments are applied to an ensemble of disordered electronic systems (without electron-electron interaction). The renormalization group procedure consists of a sequence of transformations of the length and the energy scales, and of orthogonal transformations of the electronic states. Homogeneity and power laws are obtained for various one and two-particle correlations and for the low-temperature conductivity in the vicinity of the mobility edge. Two types of fixed point ensembles are proposed, a homogeneous ensemble which is roughly approximated by a cell model, and an inhomogeneous ensemble.     

Perturbation expansions for quantum many-body systems

A systematic method for developing high-order, zero-temperature perturbation expansions for quantum many-body systems is presented. The models discussed explicitly are spin models with a variety of interactions, in one and two dimensions. The wide applicability of the method is illustrated by expansions around Hamiltonians with ordered and disordered ground states, namely Ising and dimerized models. Computer implementation of this method is discussed in great detail. Some previously unpublished series are tabulated.     

Quantum Quenches with Random Matrix Hamiltonians and Disordered Potentials

We numerically investigate statistical ensembles for the occupations of eigenstates of an isolated quantum system emerging as a result of quantum quenches. The systems investigated are sparse random matrix Hamiltonians and disordered lattices. In the former case, the quench consists of sudden switching‐on the off‐diagonal elements of the Hamiltonian. In the latter case, it is sudden switching‐on of the hopping between adjacent lattice sites. The quench‐induced ensembles are compared with the so‐called “quantum micro‐canonical” (QMC) ensemble describing quantum superpositions with fixed energy expectation values. Our main finding is that quantum quenches with sparse random matrices having one special diagonal element lead to the condensation phenomenon predicted for the QMC ensemble. Away from the QMC condensation regime, the overall agreement with the QMC predictions is only qualitative for both random matrices and disordered lattices but with some cases of a very good quantitative agreement. In the case of disordered lattices, the QMC ensemble can be used to estimate the probability of finding a particle in a localized or delocalized eigenstate.     

Frequency dependent conductivity for asymmetric hopping in one dimension

The frequency dependent conductivity for one dimensional disordered classical systems is considered in the presence of an external static electric field which acts as a bias for the hopping rates. In the high frequency limit one obtains an expansion in inverse frequencies for the conductivity, whereas for low frequencies an expansion in the inverse moments of the distribution of the random transition rates is derived. The lowest order contributions of these expansions are explicitely evaluated and compared with recent calculations by Derrida and Orbach. The method is restricted to systems with nonsingular distributions of the transfer rates.     

Decay of a thermofield-double state in chaotic quantum systems

Scrambling in interacting quantum systems out of equilibrium is particularly effective in the chaotic regime. Under time evolution, initially localized information is said to be scrambled as it spreads throughout the entire system. This spreading can be analyzed with the spectral form factor, which is defined in terms of the analytic continuation of the partition function. The latter is equivalent to the survival probability of a thermofield double state under unitary dynamics. Using random matrices from the Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE) as Hamiltonians for the time evolution, we obtain exact analytical expressions at finite N for the survival probability. Numerical simulations of the survival probability with matrices taken from the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble (GOE) are also provided. The GOE is more suitable for our comparison with numerical results obtained with a disordered spin chain with local interactions. Common features between the random matrix and the realistic disordered model in the chaotic regime are identified. The differences that emerge as the spin model approaches a many-body localized phase are also discussed.     

Entanglement entropy in a one-dimensional disordered interacting system: the role of localization

The properties of the entanglement entropy (EE) in one-dimensional disordered interacting systems are studied. Anderson localization leaves a clear signature on the average EE, as it saturates on the length scale exceeding the localization length. This is verified by numerically calculating the EE for an ensemble of disordered realizations using the density matrix renormalization group method. A heuristic expression describing the dependence of the EE on the localization length, which takes into account finite-size effects, is proposed. This is used to extract the localization length as a function of the interaction strength. The localization length dependence on the interaction fits nicely with the expectations.     

Statistical analysis of spectra of single impurity molecules and dynamics of disordered solids: I. Distributions of linewidths,moments, and cumulants

A review of recent results of studying the low-temperature dynamics of a disordered solid-state medium that were obtained by the method of single molecule spectroscopy (SMS) is presented. The studies were carried out with the use of the new approach of the statistical analysis of a large number of spectra of single molecules embedded into a medium under study as a microscopic spectral probe. The measurements were performed in the range 2–7 K. The use of SMS allowed us to avoid the information losses connected with the averaging over an ensemble of impurity molecules that is inherent in conventional spectral methods. For the example of the system studied (amorphous polyisobutylene doped with molecules of tetra-tert-butylterrylene), it was shown experimentally that, at low temperatures, the spectra of single impurity molecules in disordered media obey the Levy statistics. New microscopic information on the interaction of two-level systems and quasi-local low-frequency vibrational modes of the matrix with impurity molecules in a disordered medium was obtained.     

Does the Realistic Interpretation of a Mathematical Superposition of States Imply a Mixture?

Contrary to conventional view, it is shown that, for an ensemble of either single-particle systems or multi-particle systems, the realistic interpretation of a mathematical superposition of states that mathematically describes the ensemble does not imply that the ensemble is a mixture. Therefore it cannot be argued, as is conventionally done, that the realistic interpretation is wrong on the basis that some predictions derived from the mixture are different from the corresponding predictions derived from the mathematical superposition of states.     

The lamellar-disorder interface: one-dimensional modulated profiles

We study interfacial behavior of a lamellar (stripe) phase coexisting with a disordered phase. Systematic analytical expansions are obtained for the interfacial profile in the vicinity of a tricritical point. They are characterized by a wide interfacial region involving a large number of lamellae. Our analytical results apply to systems with one dimensional symmetry in true thermodynamical equilibrium and are of relevance to metastable interfaces between lamellar and disordered phases in two and three dimensions. In addition, good agreement is found with numerical minimization schemes of the full free energy functional having the same one dimensional symmetry. The interfacial energy for the lamellar to disordered transition is obtained in accord with mean field scaling laws of tricritical points. Received: 28 March 1997 / Revised: 6 February 1998 / Accepted: 16 February 1998     

Nonlinear transport equations in statistical mechanics

A simple projection operator method is developed for computing nonequilibrium ensemble averages for systems that are close to a state of local equilibrium. The formalism used here is a straight-forward generalization of the Mori-Zwanzig techniques used in linear response theory and it avoids many of the technical difficulties associated with time-dependent projection operators. The method is used here to derive gradient expansions for nonequibrium average values about their values in local equilibrium. This is used to derive the nonlinear hydrodynamic equations for a pure fluid, to Burnett order.     

Multifractal wavelet filter of natural images

Natural images are characterized by the multiscaling properties of their contrast gradient, in addition to their power spectrum. In this Letter we show that those properties uniquely define an intrinsic wavelet and present a suitable technique to obtain it from an ensemble of images. Once this wavelet is known, images can be represented as expansions in the associated wavelet basis. The resulting code has the remarkable properties that it separates independent features at different resolution level, reducing the redundancy, and remains essentially unchanged under changes in the power spectrum. The possible generalization of this representation to other systems is discussed.     

Effects of spin interactions in disordered electronic systems: Loop expansions and exact relations among local gauge invariant models

Spindependent ensembles for disordered electronic systems are examined in the region of extended states. We derive relations between spindependent and previously studied spinless ensembles. We prove that these relations are valid in all orders of a graph theory, on the basis of which we propose them to be exact. These exact relations and supplementary two loop order calculations in 2+ dimensions are used to reveal the existence of universality classes for the critical behaviour at the mobility edges. The mobility edge behaviour of a spindependent ensemble with real (random) hopping agrees with that of the spinless phase invariant ensemble except for a crossover to the real matrix ensemble in the limit of vanishing spinflip amplitudes. Anomalous properties in the band center are also discussed. We derive a transformation which maps arbitrary correlation functions of a complex spindependent ensemble into those of the real matrix ensemble. This relation implies the absence of a mobility edge for the complex spindependent ensemble within the validity region of the theory.     

Theoretical analysis of ARUPS of a Si(100) surface at room temperature

ARUPS spectra of a Si(100) surface with disorder perpendicular to the dimer row are studied by the tight-binding method for the ensemble of surface buckled dimers. We assume order along the row. Results of ARUPS experiment on the surface at room temperature agree qualitatively with calculated results for disordered structure in which the distance to the next buckled dimer along the row and the height of the buckled dimer change alternately along the row. Peaks of two branches observed in a recent experiment at room temperature appear distinctly in calculated results as long as the short range order among the rows is not weak. The intensity of the two branches is very small compared to the other for conventional structure of the surface.     

Structure Model of a One-Dimensional Disordered System with Short-Range Order

An ensemble of disordered linear chains is described by a probability density distribution without making use of the laws of thermodynamical equilibrium statistics. Short-range order is present in the system, because the position of an arbitrary particle depends on the location of the nearest neighbours. The nearest neighbour distance statistics is assumed to be of the Gaussian type. All correlation functions are calculated for finite and infinite systems. The superposition approximation is found to hold rigorously. The pair correlation is of fundamental importance for the system. The radial pair distribution function is investigated thoroughly. The configurational entropy of the system is calculated and discussed.     

Entropy of jammed matter

We investigate the nature of randomness in disordered packings of frictional spheres. We calculate the entropy of 3D packings through the force and volume ensemble of jammed matter, a mesoscopic ensemble and numerical simulations using volume fluctuation analysis and graph theoretical methods. Equations of state are obtained relating entropy, volume fraction and compactivity characterizing the different states of jammed matter. At the mesoscopic level the entropy vanishes at random close packing, while the microscopic states contribute to a finite entropy. The entropy of the jammed system reveals that the random loose packings are more disordered than random close packings, allowing for an unambiguous interpretation of both limits.     

Energy minimization and ac demagnetization in a nanomagnet array

We study ac demagnetization in frustrated arrays of single-domain ferromagnetic islands, exhaustively resolving every (Ising-like) magnetic degree of freedom in the systems. Although the net moment of the arrays is brought near zero by a protocol with sufficiently small step size, the final magnetostatic energy of the demagnetized array continues to decrease for finer-stepped protocols and does not extrapolate to the ground-state energy. The resulting complex disordered magnetic state can be described by a maximum-entropy ensemble constrained to satisfy just nearest-neighbor correlations.