Michael Knap

Collective Quantum Dynamics

Technical University of Munich

TUM School of Natural Sciences and Institute for Advanced Study

James-Franck-Str. 1

85748 Garching

michael.knap[at]ph.tum.de

Research Website

Description

Research focus: ultracold quantum gases, strongly correlated quantum matter, quantum dynamics, many-body localization

Collective Quantum Dynamics

The research in our group focuses on condensed matter theory and clusters around a variety of questions on non-equilibrium dynamics in ultracold quantum gases, trapped ions, superconducting qubits, and correlated quantum materials. Interactions and correlations in such systems often manifest in striking and novel properties, which emerge from the collective behavior of the quantum particles. Our group develops both analytical and numerical techniques to elucidate the effects of strong interactions. An important factor of our research is also its immediate relevance for experiments, which leads to a close collaboration with various experimental groups.

Correlated quantum systems out of equilibrium

Recent conceptional and technical progress makes it possible to prepare and explore strongly-correlated non-equilibrium quantum states of matter. The tremendous level of control and favorable time scales achieved in experiments with synthetic quantum matter, such as ultracold atoms, trapped ions, or superconducting qubits renders these systems as ideal candidates to explore non-equilibrium quantum dynamics. Furthermore, very powerful experimental techniques have been developed to study dynamic processes in condensed matter systems as well. These techniques are based on pump-probe spectroscopy on time scales reaching down to sub-femtoseconds. Such technology therefore makes it possible to manipulate and control material properties.

We develop both analytical and numerical techniques to explore the far-from-equilibrium quantum dynamics of these systems. The techniques range from non-equilibrium field theories to exact numerical calculations based on matrix product states. We study fundamental questions including thermalization in closed quantum systems, emergent phenomena in periodically driven Floquet systems, dynamic phase transitions, intertwined order far-from-equilibrium, and the competition between coherence and dissipation.

Selected Publications

  • Floquet prethermalization and regimes of heating in a periodically driven, interacting quantum system. Simon A. Weidinger, Michael Knap, Sci. Rep. 7, 45382 (2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep45382
  • Scrambling and thermalization in a diffusive quantum many-body system. A. Bohrdt, C. B. Mendl, M. Endres, M. Knap. [arXiv:1612.02434]
  • Ultrafast many-body interferometry of impurities coupled to a Fermi sea. M. Cetina, M. Jag, R. S. Lous, I. Fritsche, J. T. M. Walraven, R. Grimm, J. Levinsen, M. M. Parish, R. Schmidt, M. Knap, E. Demler, Science 354, 96 (2016). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf5134
  • Far-from-equilibrium field theory of many-body quantum spin systems: Prethermalization and relaxation of spin spiral states in three dimensions. Mehrtash Babadi, Eugene Demler, Michael Knap, Phys. Rev. X 5, 041005 (2015). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041005


Disordered many-body systems

Disorder has a drastic influence on transport properties. In the presence of a random potential a system of interacting electrons can become insulating; a phenomenon known as many-body localization. However, even beyond the vanishing transport such systems have very intriguing properties. For example, many-body localization describes an exotic phase of matter, which is robust to small changes in the microscopic Hamiltonian. Moreover, fundamental concepts of thermodynamics break down in the many-body localized phase. We study how these particular properties can be characterized by interferometric techniques, explore distinct experimental signatures of disordered systems, and analyze the transition from the localized to the delocalized phase.

Selected Publications

  • Periodically Driving a Many-Body Localized Quantum System. Pranjal Bordia, Henrik Lüschen, Ulrich Schneider, Michael Knap, Immanuel Bloch Nature Phys. AOP (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nphys4020
  • Noise-induced subdiffusion in strongly localized quantum systems. Sarang Gopalakrishnan, K. Ranjibul Islam, Michael Knap. [arXiv:1609.04818]
  • Anomalous diffusion and Griffiths effects near the many-body localization transition. Kartiek Agarwal, Sarang Gopalakrishnan, Michael Knap, Markus Mueller, Eugene Demler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 160401 (2015). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.160401

Publications

Probing magnetism in moiré heterostructures with quantum twisting microscopes

F. Pichler, W. Kadow, C. Kuhlenkamp, M. Knap

Physical Review B 110 (4), 45116 (2024).

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Spin-ordered states close to metal-insulator transitions are poorly understood theoretically and challenging to probe in experiments. Here, we propose that the quantum twisting microscope, which provides direct access to the energy-momentum resolved spectrum of single-particle and collective excitations, can be used as a novel tool to distinguish between different types of magnetic order. To this end, we calculate the single-particle spectral function and the dynamical spin-structure factor for both a ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic generalized Wigner crystal formed in fractionally filled moiré superlattices of transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures. We demonstrate that magnetic order can be clearly identified in these response functions. Furthermore, we explore signatures of quantum phase transitions in the quantum twisting microscope response. We focus on the specific case of triangular moiré lattices at half filling that have been proposed to host a topological phase transition between a chiral spin liquid and a 120 degrees ordered state. Our work demonstrates the potential for quantum twisting microscopes to characterize quantum magnetism in moiré heterostructures.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.110.045116

Realizing Altermagnetism in Fermi-Hubbard Models with Ultracold Atoms

P. Das, V. Leeb, J. Knolle, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 132 (26), 263402 (2024).

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Altermagnetism represents a type of collinear magnetism, that is in some aspects distinct from ferromagnetism and from conventional antiferromagnetism. In contrast to the latter, sublattices of opposite spin are related by spatial rotations and not only by translations and inversions. As a result, altermagnets have spin-split bands leading to unique experimental signatures. Here, we show theoretically how a d-wave altermagnetic phase can be realized with ultracold fermionic atoms in optical lattices. We propose an altermagnetic Hubbard model with anisotropic next-nearest neighbor hopping and obtain the Hartree-Fock phase diagram. The altermagnetic phase separates in a metallic and an insulating phase and is robust over a large parameter regime. We show that one of the defining characteristics of altermagnetism, the anisotropic spin transport, can be probed with trap-expansion experiments.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.263402

Dynamical spectral response of fractonic quantum matter

P. Zechmann, J. Boesl, J. Feldmeier, M. Knap

Physical Review B 109 (12), 125137 (2024).

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Quantum many -body systems with fractonic excitations can realize fascinating phases of matter. Here, we study the low -energy excitations of a constrained Bose -Hubbard model in one dimension, which conserves the center of mass or, equivalently, the dipole moment in addition to the particle number. This model is known to realize fractonic phases, including a dipole Mott insulator, a dipole Luttinger liquid, and a metastable dipole supersolid. We use tensor network methods to compute spectral functions from the dynamical response of the system and verify predictions from low -energy field theories of the corresponding ground -state phases. We demonstrate the existence of gapped excitations compatible with strong coupling results in a dipole Mott insulator, linear sound modes characteristic of a Luttinger liquid of dipoles, and soft quadratic modes at both zero and finite momenta in a supersolid state with charge density wave order and phase coherence at noninteger filling.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.125137

Finite-temperature entanglement negativity of fermionic symmetry-protected topological phases and quantum critical points in one dimension

W. Choi, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physical Review B 109 (11), 115132 (2024).

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We study the logarithmic entanglement negativity of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases and quantum critical points (QCPs) of one-dimensional noninteracting fermions at finite temperatures. In particular, we consider a free fermion model that realizes not only quantum phase transitions between gapped phases but also an exotic topological phase transition between quantum critical states in the form of the fermionic Lifshitz transition. The bipartite entanglement negativity between adjacent fermion blocks reveals the crossover boundary of the quantum critical fan near the QCP between two gapped phases. Along the critical phase boundary between the gapped phases, the sudden decrease in the entanglement negativity signals the fermionic Lifshitz transition responsible for the change in the topological nature of the QCPs. In addition, the tripartite entanglement negativity between spatially separated fermion blocks counts the number of topologically protected boundary modes for both SPT phases and topologically nontrivial QCPs at zero temperature. However, the long-distance entanglement between the boundary modes vanishes at finite temperatures due to the instability of SPTs, the phases themselves.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.115132

Unconventional spin transport in strongly correlated kagome systems

M. Kawano, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review B 109 (12), L121111 (2024).

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Recent progress in material design enables the study of correlated, low-temperature phases and associated anomalous transport in two-dimensional kagome systems. Here, we show that unconventional spin transport can arise in such systems even at elevated temperatures due to emergent dynamical constraints. To demonstrate this effect, we consider a strong-coupling limit of an extended Hubbard model on the kagome lattice with a density of 2/3. We numerically investigate the charge and spin transport by a cellular automaton circuit, allowing us to perform simulations on large systems to long times while preserving the essential conservation laws. The charge dynamics reflects the constraints and can be understood by a Gaussian field theory of a scalar height field. Moreover, the system exhibits a hidden spin conservation law with a dynamic sublattice structure, which enables additional slow relaxation pathways for spin excitations. These features can be directly tested by measuring the dynamic spin structure factor with neutron scattering.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.L121111

Single-hole spectra of Kitaev spin liquids: from dynamical Nagaoka ferromagnetism to spin-hole fractionalization

W. Kadow, H. K. Jin, J. Knolle, M. Knap

Npj Quantum Materials 9 (1), 32 (2024).

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The dynamical response of a quantum spin liquid upon injecting a hole is a pertinent open question. In experiments, the hole spectral function, measured momentum-resolved in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) or locally in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), can be used to identify spin liquid materials. In this study, we employ tensor network methods to simulate the time evolution of a single hole doped into the Kitaev spin-liquid ground state. Focusing on the gapped spin liquid phase, we reveal two fundamentally different scenarios. For ferromagnetic spin couplings, the spin liquid is highly susceptible to hole doping: a Nagaoka ferromagnet forms dynamically around the doped hole, even at weak coupling. By contrast, in the case of antiferromagnetic spin couplings, the hole spectrum demonstrates an intricate interplay between charge, spin, and flux degrees of freedom, best described by a parton mean-field ansatz of fractionalized holons and spinons. Moreover, we find a good agreement of our numerical results to the analytically solvable case of slow holes. Our results demonstrate that dynamical hole spectral functions provide rich information on the structure of fractionalized quantum spin liquids.

DOI: 10.1038/s41535-024-00641-7

Deconfined quantum criticality in the long-range, anisotropic Heisenberg chain

A. Romen, S. Birnkammer, M. Knap

Scipost Physics Core 7 (1), 8 (2024).

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Deconfined quantum criticality describes continuous phase transitions that are not captured by the Landau-Ginzburg paradigm. Here, we investigate deconfined quantum critical points in the long-range, anisotropic Heisenberg chain. With matrix product state simulations, we show that the model undergoes a continuous phase transition from a valence bond solid to an antiferromagnet. We extract the critical exponents of the transition and connect them to an effective field theory obtained from bosonization techniques. We show that beyond stabilizing the valance bond order, the long-range interactions are irrelevant and the transition is well described by a double frequency sine -Gordon model. We propose how to realize and probe deconfined quantum criticality in our model with trapped -ion quantum simulators.

DOI: 10.21468/SciPostPhysCore.7.1.008

Observation of Magnon Bound States in the Long-Range, Anisotropic Heisenberg Model

F. Kranzl, S. Birnkammer, M. K. Joshi, A. Bastianello, R. Blatt, M. Knap, C. F. Roos

Physical Review X 13 (3), 31017 (2023).

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Over the recent years, coherent, time-periodic modulation has been established as a versatile tool for realizing novel Hamiltonians. Using this approach, known as Floquet engineering, we experimentally realize a long-ranged, anisotropic Heisenberg model with tunable interactions in a trapped ion quantum simulator. We demonstrate that the spectrum of the model contains not only single-magnon excitations, but also composite magnon bound states. For long-range interactions with the experimentally realized power-law exponent, the group velocity of magnons is unbounded. Nonetheless, for sufficiently strong interactions, we observe bound states of these unconventional magnons which possess a nondiverging group velocity. By measuring the configurational mutual information between two disjoint intervals, we demonstrate the implications of bound-state formation on the entanglement dynamics of the system. Our observations provide key insights into the peculiar role of composite excitations in the nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.13.031017

Preparing and Analyzing Solitons in the Sine-Gordon Model with Quantum Gas Microscopes

E. Wybo, A. Bastianello, M. Aidelsburger, I. Bloch, M. Knap

Prx Quantum 4 (3), 30308 (2023).

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The sine-Gordon model emerges as a low-energy theory in a plethora of quantum many-body systems. Here, we theoretically investigate tunnel-coupled Bose-Hubbard chains with strong repulsive interactions as a realization of the sine-Gordon model deep in the quantum regime. We propose protocols for quantum gas microscopes of ultracold atoms to prepare and analyze solitons, which are the fundamental topological excitations of the emergent sine-Gordon theory. With numerical simulations based on matrix product states, we characterize the preparation and detection protocols and discuss the experimental requirements.

DOI: 10.1103/PRXQuantum.4.030308

Fractionalized Prethermalization in a Driven Quantum Spin Liquid

H. K. Jin, J. Knolle, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 130 (22), 226701 (2023).

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Quantum spin liquids subject to a periodic drive can display fascinating nonequilibrium heating behavior because of their emergent fractionalized quasiparticles. Here, we investigate a driven Kitaev honeycomb model and examine the dynamics of emergent Majorana matter and Z2 flux excitations. We uncover a distinct two-step heating profile-dubbed fractionalized prethermalization-and a quasistationary state with vastly different temperatures for the matter and the flux sectors. We argue that this peculiar prethermalization behavior is a consequence of fractionalization. Furthermore, we discuss an exper-imentally feasible protocol for preparing a zero-flux initial state of the Kiteav honeycomb model with a low energy density, which can be used to observe fractionalized prethermalization in quantum information processing platforms.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.226701

Model-Independent Learning of Quantum Phases of Matter with Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks

Y. J. Liu, A. Smith, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physical Review Letters 130 (22), 220603 (2023).

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Quantum convolutional neural networks (QCNNs) have been introduced as classifiers for gapped quantum phases of matter. Here, we propose a model-independent protocol for training QCNNs to discover order parameters that are unchanged under phase-preserving perturbations. We initiate the training sequence with the fixed-point wave functions of the quantum phase and add translation-invariant noise that respects the symmetries of the system to mask the fixed-point structure on short length scales. We illustrate this approach by training the QCNN on phases protected by time-reversal symmetry in one dimension, and test it on several time-reversal symmetric models exhibiting trivial, symmetry-breaking, and symmetryprotected topological order. The QCNN discovers a set of order parameters that identifies all three phases and accurately predicts the location of the phase boundary. The proposed protocol paves the way toward hardware-efficient training of quantum phase classifiers on a programmable quantum processor.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.220603

Isometric tensor network representations of two-dimensional thermal states

W. Kadow, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review B 107 (20), 205106 (2023).

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Tensor networks provide a useful tool to describe low-dimensional complex many-body systems. Finding efficient algorithms to use these methods for finite-temperature simulations in two dimensions is a continuing challenge. Here, we use the class of recently introduced isometric tensor network states, which can also be directly realized with unitary gates on a quantum computer. We utilize a purification ansatz to efficiently represent thermal states of the transverse field Ising model. By performing an imaginary-time evolution starting from infinite temperature, we find that this approach offers a different way with low computational complexity to represent states at finite temperatures.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.205106

Fractonic Luttinger liquids and supersolids in a constrained Bose-Hubbard model

P. Zechmann, E. Altman, M. Knap, J. Feldmeier

Physical Review B 107 (19), 195131 (2023).

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"Quantum many-body systems with fracton constraints are widely conjectured to exhibit unconventional low -energy phases of matter. In this paper, we demonstrate the existence of a variety of such exotic quantum phases in the ground states of a dipole-moment conserving Bose-Hubbard model in one dimension. For integer boson fillings, we perform a mapping of the system to a model of microscopic local dipoles, which are composites of fractons. We apply a combination of low-energy field theory and large-scale tensor network simulations to demonstrate the emergence of a dipole Luttinger liquid phase. At noninteger fillings our numerical approach shows an intriguing compressible state described by a quantum Lifshitz model in which charge density-wave order coexists with dipole long-range order and superfluidity-a ""dipole supersolid"". While this supersolid state may eventually be unstable against lattice effects in the thermodynamic limit, its numerical robustness is remarkable. We discuss potential experimental implications of our results."

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.195131

Probing finite-temperature observables in quantum simulators of spin systems with short-time dynamics

A. Schuckert, A. Bohrdt, E. Crane, M. Knap

Physical Review B 107 (14), L140410 (2023).

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Preparing finite-temperature states in quantum simulators of spin systems, such as trapped ions or Rydberg atoms in optical tweezers, is challenging due to their almost perfect isolation from the environment. Here, we show how finite-temperature observables can be obtained with an algorithm motivated from the Jarzynski equality and equivalent to the one in Lu et al., PRX Quantum 2, 020321 (2021). It consists of classical importance sampling of initial states and a measurement of the Loschmidt echo with a quantum simulator. We use the method as a quantum-inspired classical algorithm and simulate the protocol with matrix product states to analyze the requirements on a quantum simulator. This way, we show that a finite-temperature phase transition in the long-range transverse-field Ising model can be characterized in trapped ion quantum simulators. We propose a concrete measurement protocol for the Loschmidt echo and discuss the influence of measurement noise, dephasing, as well as state preparation and measurement errors. We argue that the algorithm is robust against those imperfections under realistic conditions.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.L140410

Prethermalization in one-dimensional quantum many-body systems with confinement

S. Birnkammer, A. Bastianello, M. Knap

Nature Communications 13 (1), 7663 (2022).

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Unconventional nonequilibrium phases with restricted correlation spreading and slow entanglement growth have been proposed to emerge in systems with confined excitations, calling their thermalization dynamics into question. Here, we show that in confined systems the thermalization dynamics after a quantum quench instead exhibits multiple stages with well separated time scales. As an example, we consider the confined Ising spin chain, in which domain walls in the ordered phase form bound states reminiscent of mesons. The system first relaxes towards a prethermal state, described by a Gibbs ensemble with conserved meson number. The prethermal state arises from rare events in which mesons are created in close vicinity, leading to an avalanche of scattering events. Only at much later times a true thermal equilibrium is achieved in which the meson number conservation is violated by a mechanism akin to the Schwinger effect. The discussed prethermalization dynamics is directly relevant to generic one-dimensional, many-body systems with confined excitations. Some quantum spin models provide a condensed-matter realization of confinement, and previous work has shown that confinement affects the way they thermalize. Here the authors demonstrate for a many-body model with confinement that thermalization dynamics occurs in multiple stages, starting with a prethermal state.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35301-6

Hole spectral function of a chiral spin liquid in the triangular lattice Hubbard model

W. Kadow, L. Vanderstraeten, M. Knap

Physical Review B 106 (9), 94417 (2022).

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Quantum spin liquids are fascinating phases of matter, hosting fractionalized spin excitations and unconventional long-range quantum entanglement. These exotic properties, however, also render their experimental characterization challenging, and finding ways to diagnose quantum spin liquids is therefore a pertinent challenge. Here, we numerically compute the spectral function of a single hole doped into the half-filled Hubbard model on the triangular lattice using techniques based on matrix product states. At half-filling the system has been proposed to realize a chiral spin liquid at intermediate interaction strength, surrounded by a magnetically ordered phase at strong interactions and a superconducting/metallic phase at weak interactions. We find that the spectra of these phases exhibit distinct signatures. By developing appropriate parton mean-field descriptions, we gain insight into the relevant low-energy features. While the magnetic phase is characterized by a dressed hole moving through the ordered spin background, we find indications of spinon dynamics in the chiral spin liquid. Our results suggest that the hole spectral function, as measured by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, provides a useful tool to characterize quantum spin liquids.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.094417

Emergent tracer dynamics in constrained quantum systems

J. Feldmeier, W. Witczak-Krempa, M. Knap

Physical Review B 106 (9), 94303 (2022).

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We show how the tracer motion of tagged, distinguishable particles can effectively describe transport in various homogeneous quantum many-body systems with constraints. We consider systems of spinful particles on a one-dimensional lattice subjected to constrained spin interactions, such that some or even all multipole moments of the effective spin pattern formed by the particles are conserved. On the one hand, when all moments-and thus the entire spin pattern-are conserved, dynamical spin correlations reduce to tracer motion identically, generically yielding a subdiffusive dynamical exponent z = 4. This provides a common framework to understand the dynamics of several constrained lattice models, including models with XNOR or tJz constraints. We consider random unitary circuit dynamics with such a conserved spin pattern and use the tracer picture to obtain asymptotically exact expressions for their late-time dynamical correlations. Our results can also be extended to integrable quantum many-body systems that feature a conserved spin pattern but whose dynamics is insensitive to the pattern, which includes for example the folded XXZ spin chain. On the other hand, when only a finite number of moments of the pattern are conserved, the dynamics is described by a convolution of the internal hydrodynamics of the spin pattern with a tracer distribution function. As a consequence, we find that the tracer universality is robust in generic systems if at least three multipole moments of the spin pattern (its total charge, dipole moment and quadrupole moment) remain conserved. In cases where only total magnetization and dipole moment of the pattern are constant, we uncover an intriguing coexistence of two processes with an equal dynamical exponent but different scaling functions, which we relate to phase coexistence at a first-order transition.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.094303

Quantum sine-Gordon dynamics in coupled spin chains

E. Wybo, M. Knap, A. Bastianello

Physical Review B 106 (7), 75102 (2022).

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The sine-Gordon field theory emerges as the low-energy description in a wealth of quantum many-body systems. Recent efforts have been directed towards realizing quantum simulators of the model, by interfering two weakly coupled one-dimensional cold atomic gases. The weak interactions within the atomic clouds provide a sine-Gordon realization in the semiclassical regime. Furthermore, the intricate microscopic dynamics prevents a quantitative understanding of the effective sine-Gordon validity realm. In this work, we focus on a spin-ladder realization and observe the emergent sine-Gordon dynamics deep in the quantum regime. We use matrix-product state techniques to numerically characterize the low-energy sector of the system and compare it with the exact field-theory predictions. From this comparison, we obtain quantitative boundaries for the validity of the sine-Gordon description. We provide encompassing evidence for the emergent field theory by probing its rich spectrum and by observing the signatures of integrable dynamics in scattering events.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.075102

Many-body parametric resonances in the driven sine-Gordon model

I. Lovas, R. Citro, E. Demler, T. Giamarchi, M. Knap, E. Orignac

Physical Review B 106 (7), 75426 (2022).

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We study a quantum many-body variant of the parametric oscillator by investigating the driven sine-Gordon model with a modulated tunnel coupling via a semiclassical truncated Wigner approximation (TWA). We first analyze the parametric resonant regime for driving protocols that retain our model gapped, and compare the TWA to a time-dependent Gaussian variational ansatz (TGVA). We then turn to a drive which closes the gap, resulting in an enhanced energy absorption. While the TGVA approach breaks down in this regime, we can apply TWA to explore the dynamics of the mode-resolved energy density and the higher-order correlations between modes in the prethermal heating regime. For weak driving amplitude, we find an exponentially fast energy absorption in the main resonant mode, while the heating of all remaining modes is almost perfectly suppressed on short timescales. At later times, the highly excited main resonance provides effective resonant driving terms for its higher harmonics through the nonlinearities in the Hamiltonian, and gives rise to an exponentially fast heating in these particular modes. We capture the strong correlations induced by these resonant processes by evaluating higher-order connected correlation functions. Our results can be experimentally probed in ultracold-atomic settings, with parallel one-dimensional quasicondensates in the presence of a modulated tunnel coupling.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.075426

Probing Transport and Slow Relaxation in the Mass-Imbalanced Fermi-Hubbard Model

N. D. Oppong, G. Pasqualetti, O. Bettermann, P. Zechmann, M. Knap, I. Bloch, S. Folling

Physical Review X 12 (3), 31026 (2022).

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Constraints in the dynamics of quantum many-body systems can dramatically alter transport properties and relaxation timescales even in the absence of static disorder. Here, we report on the observation of such constrained dynamics arising from the distinct mobility of two species in the one-dimensional mass-imbalanced Fermi-Hubbard model, realized with ultracold ytterbium atoms in a state-dependent optical lattice. By displacing the trap potential and monitoring the subsequent dynamical response of the system, we identify suppressed transport and slow relaxation with a strong dependence on the mass imbalance and interspecies interaction strength, consistent with eventual thermalization for long times. Our observations demonstrate the potential for quantum simulators to provide insights into unconventional relaxation dynamics arising from constraints.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.12.031026

Tunable transport in the mass-imbalanced Fermi-Hubbard model

P. Zechmann, A. Bastianello, M. Knap

Physical Review B 106 (7), 75115 (2022).

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The late-time dynamics of quantum many-body systems is organized in distinct dynamical universality classes, characterized by their conservation laws and thus by their emergent hydrodynamic transport. Here, we study transport in the one-dimensional Hubbard model with different masses of the two fermionic species. To this end, we develop a quantum Boltzmann approach valid in the limit of weak interactions. We explore the crossover from ballistic to diffusive transport, whose timescale strongly depends on the mass ratio of the two species. For timescales accessible with matrix product operators, we find excellent agreement between these numerically exact results and the quantum Boltzmann equation, even for intermediate interactions. We investigate two scenarios which have been recently studied with ultracold-atom experiments. First, in the presence of a tilt, the quantum Boltzmann equation predicts that transport is significantly slowed down and becomes subdiffusive, consistent with previous studies. Second, we study transport probed by displacing a harmonic confinement potential and find good quantitative agreement with recent experimental data [N. D. Oppong et al., arXiv:2011.12411]. Our results demonstrate that the quantum Boltzmann equation is a useful tool to study complex nonequilibrium states in inhomogeneous potentials, as often probed with synthetic quantum systems.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.075115

Tunable Feshbach Resonances and Their Spectral Signatures in Bilayer Semiconductors

C. Kuhlenkamp, M. Knap, M. Wagner, R. Schmidt, A. Imamoglu

Physical Review Letters 129 (3), 37401 (2022).

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Feshbach resonances provide an invaluable tool in atomic physics, enabling precise control of interactionsand the preparation of complex quantum phases of matter. Here, we theoretically analyze a solid-state analogof a Feshbach resonance in two dimensional semiconductor heterostructures. In the presence of interlayerelectron tunneling, the scattering of excitons and electrons occupying different layers can be resonantlyenhanced by tuning an applied electric field. The emergence of an interlayer Feshbach molecule modifies theoptical excitation spectrum, and can be understood in terms of Fermi polaron formation. We discuss potentialimplications for the realization of correlated Bose-Fermi mixtures in bilayer semiconductors.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.037401

Characterizing topological excitations of a long-range Heisenberg model with trapped ions

S. Birnkammer, A. Bohrdt, F. Grusdt, M. Knap

Physical Review B 105 (24), L241103 (2022).

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Realizing and characterizing interacting topological phases in synthetic quantum systems is a formidable challenge. Here, we propose a Floquet protocol to realize the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model with power -law decaying interactions. Based on analytical and numerical arguments, we show that this model features a quantum phase transition from a liquid to a valence bond solid that spontaneously breaks lattice translational symmetry and is reminiscent of the Majumdar-Ghosh state. The different phases can be probed dynamically by measuring the evolution of a fully dimerized state. We moreover introduce an interferometric protocol to characterize the topological excitations and the bulk topological invariants of the interacting many-body system.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.105.L241103

Optical Signatures of Periodic Magnetization: The Moire Zeeman Effect

A. G. Salvador, C. Kuhlenkamp, L. Ciorciaro, M. Knap, A. Imamoglu

Physical Review Letters 128 (23), 237401 (2022).

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Detecting magnetic order at the nanoscale is of central interest for the study of quantum magnetism in general, and the emerging field of moire magnets in particular. Here, we analyze the exciton band structure that arises from a periodic modulation of the valley Zeeman effect. Despite long-range electron-hole exchange interactions, we find a sizable splitting in the energy of the bright circularly polarized exciton Umklapp resonances, which serves as a direct optical probe of magnetic order. We first analyze quantum moire magnets realized by periodic ordering of electron spins in Mott-Wigner states of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers or twisted bilayers: we show that spin valley-dependent exciton-electron interactions allow for probing the spin-valley order of electrons and demonstrate that it is possible to observe unique signatures of ferromagnetic order in a triangular lattice and both ferromagnetic and Neel order in a honeycomb lattice. We then focus on semiclassical moire magnets realized in twisted bilayers of ferromagnetic materials: we propose a detection scheme for moire magnetism that is based on interlayer exchange coupling between spins in a moire magnet and excitons in a transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.237401

Coupled hydrodynamics in dipole-conserving quantum systems

A. G. Burchards, J. Feldmeier, A. Schuckert, M. Knap

Physical Review B 105 (20), 205127 (2022).

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We investigate the coupled dynamics of charge and energy in interacting lattice models with dipole conservation. We formulate a generic hydrodynamic theory for this combination of fractonic constraints and numerically verify its applicability to the late-time dynamics of a specific bosonic quantum system by developing a microscopic nonequilibrium quantum field theory. Employing a self-consistent 1/N approximation in the number of field components, we extract all entries of a generalized diffusion matrix and determine their dependence on microscopic model parameters. We discuss the relation of our results to experiments in ultracold atom quantum simulators.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.105.205127

Observing emergent hydrodynamics in a long-range quantum magnet

M. K. Joshi, F. Kranzl, A. Schuckert, I. Lovas, C. Maier, R. Blatt, M. Knap, C. F. Roos

Science 376 (6594), 720-+ (2022).

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Identifying universal properties of nonequilibrium quantum states is a major challenge in modern physics. A fascinating prediction is that classical hydrodynamics emerges universally in the evolution of any interacting quantum system. We experimentally probed the quantum dynamics of 51 individually controlled ions, realizing a long-range interacting spin chain. By measuring space-time-resolved correlation functions in an infinite temperature state, we observed a whole family of hydrodynamic universality classes, ranging from normal diffusion to anomalous superdiffusion, that are described by Levy flights. We extracted the transport coefficients of the hydrodynamic theory, reflecting the microscopic properties of the system. Our observations demonstrate the potential for engineered quantum systems to provide key insights into universal properties of nonequilibrium states of quantum matter.

DOI: 10.1126/science.abk2400

Dynamics of Negativity of a Wannier-Stark Many-Body Localized System Coupled to a Bath

E. Wybo, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physica Status Solidi B-Basic Solid State Physics 259 (5), 2100161 (2022).

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"An interacting system subjected to a strong linear potential can host a many-body localized (MBL) phase when being slightly perturbed. This so-called Wannier-Stark or ""tilted-field"" MBL phase inherits many properties from the well-investigated disordered MBL phase, and provides an alternative route to experimentally engineer interacting localized systems without quenched disorder. Herein, the dynamics of entanglement in a Wannier-Stark MBL system coupled to a dephasing environment is investigated. As an accessible entanglement proxy, the third Renyi negativity R 3 is used, which reduces to the third Renyi entropy in case the system is isolated from the environment. This measure captures the characteristic logarithmic growth of interacting localized phases in the intermediate-time regime, where the effects of the coupling to the environment are not yet dominating the dynamics. Thus, it forms a tool to distinguish Wannier-Stark MBL from noninteracting Wannier-Stark localization up to intermediate time-scales, and to quantify quantum correlations in mixed-state dynamics."

DOI: 10.1002/pssb.202100161

Direct measurement of nonlocal interactions in the many-body localized phase

B. Chiaro, C. Neill, A. Bohrdt, M. Filippone, F. Arute, K. Arya, R. Babbush, D. Bacon, J. Bardin, R. Barends, S. Boixo, D. Buell, B. Burkett, Y. Chen, Z. Chen, R. Collins, A. Dunsworth, E. Farhi, A. Fowler, B. Foxen, C. Gidney, M. Giustina, M. Harrigan, T. Huang, S. Isakov, E. Jeffrey, Z. Jiang, D. Kafri, K. Kechedzhi, J. Kelly, P. Klimov, A. Korotkov, F. Kostritsa, D. Landhuis, E. Lucero, J. McClean, X. Mi, A. Megrant, M. Mohseni, J. Mutus, M. McEwen, O. Naaman, M. Neeley, M. Niu, A. Petukhov, C. Quintana, N. Rubin, D. Sank, K. Satzinger, T. White, Z. Yao, P. Yeh, A. Zalcman, V. Smelyanskiy, H. Neven, S. Gopalakrishnan, D. Abanin, M. Knap, J. Martinis, P. Roushan

Physical Review Research 4 (1), 13148 (2022).

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The interplay of interactions and strong disorder can lead to an exotic quantum many-body localized (MBL) phase of matter. Beyond the absence of transport, the MBL phase has distinctive signatures, such as slow dephasing and logarithmic entanglement growth,. they commonly result in slow and subtle modifications of the dynamics, rendering their measurement challenging. Here, we experimentally characterize these properties of the MBL phase in a system of coupled superconducting qubits. By implementing phase sensitive techniques, we map out the structure of local integrals of motion in the MBL phase. Tomographic reconstruction of single and two-qubit density matrices allows us to determine the spatial and temporal entanglement growth between the localized sites. In addition, we study the preservation of entanglement in the MBL phase. The interferometric protocols implemented here detect affirmative quantum correlations and exclude artifacts due to the imperfect isolation of the system. By measuring elusive MBL quantities, our work highlights the advantages of phase sensitive measurements in studying novel phases of matter.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.013148

Transverse instability and universal decay of spin spiral order in the Heisenberg model

J. F. Rodriguez-Nieva, A. Schuckert, D. Sels, M. Knap, E. Demler

Physical Review B 105 (6), L060302 (2022).

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We analyze the intrinsic stability of spin spiral states in the two-dimensional Heisenberg model isolated from its environment. Our analysis reveals that the SU(2) symmetric point hosts a dynamic instability that is enabled by the existence of energetically favorable transverse deformations-both in real and spin space-of the spiral order. The instability is universal in the sense that it applies to systems with any spin number, spiral wave vector, and spiral amplitude. Unlike the Landau or modulational instabilities which require impurities or periodic potential modulation of an optical lattice, quantum fluctuations alone are sufficient to trigger the transverse instability. We analytically find the most unstable mode and its growth rate, and compare our analysis with phase-space methods. By adding an easy-plane exchange coupling that reduces the Hamiltonian symmetry from SU(2) to U(1), the stability boundary is shown to continuously interpolate between the modulational instability and the transverse instability. This suggests that the transverse instability is an intrinsic mechanism that hinders long-range phase coherence even in the presence of exchange anisotropy.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.105.L060302

Characterizing fractional topological phases of lattice bosons near the first Mott lobe

J. Boesl, R. Dilip, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review B 105 (7), 75135 (2022).

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The Bose-Hubbard model subjected to an effective magnetic field hosts a plethora of phases with different topological orders when tuning the chemical potential. Using the density matrix renormalization group method, we identify several gapped phases near the first Mott lobe at strong interactions. They are connected by a particle-hole symmetry to a variety of quantum Hall states stabilized at low fillings. We characterize phases of both particle and hole type and identify signatures compatible with Laughlin, Moore-Read, and bosonic integer quantum Hall states by calculating the quantized Hall conductance and by extracting the topological entanglement entropy. Furthermore, we analyze the entanglement spectrum of Laughlin states of bosonic particles and holes for a range of interaction strengths, as well as the entanglement spectrum of a Moore-Read state. These results further corroborate the existence of topological states at high fillings, close to the first Mott lobe, as hole analogs of the respective low-filling states.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.105.075135

Realizing topologically ordered states on a quantum processor

K. J. Satzinger, Y. J. Liu, A. Smith, C. Knapp, M. Newman, C. Jones, Z. Chen, C. Quintana, X. Mi, A. Dunsworth, C. Gidney, I. Aleiner, F. Arute, K. Arya, J. Atalaya, R. Babbush, J. C. Bardin, R. Barends, J. Basso, A. Bengtsson, A. Bilmes, M. Broughton, B. B. Buckley, D. A. Buell, B. Burkett, N. Bushnell, B. Chiaro, R. Collins, W. Courtney, S. Demura, A. R. Derk, D. Eppens, C. Erickson, L. Faoro, E. Farhi, A. G. Fowler, B. Foxen, M. Giustina, A. Greene, J. A. Gross, M. P. Harrigan, S. D. Harrington, J. Hilton, S. Hong, T. Huang, W. J. Huggins, L. B. Ioffe, S. V. Isakov, E. Jeffrey, Z. Jiang, D. Kafri, K. Kechedzhi, T. Khattar, S. Kim, P. V. Klimov, A. N. Korotkov, F. Kostritsa, D. Landhuis, P. Laptev, A. Locharla, E. Lucero, O. Martin, J. R. McClean, M. McEwen, K. C. Miao, M. Mohseni, S. Montazeri, W. Mruczkiewicz, J. Mutus, O. Naaman, M. Neeley, C. Neill, M. Y. Niu, T. E. O'Brien, A. Opremcak, B. Pato, A. Petukhov, N. C. Rubin, D. Sank, V. Shvarts, D. Strain, M. Szalay, B. Villalonga, T. C. White, Z. Yao, P. Yeh, J. Yoo, A. Zalcman, H. Neven, S. Boixo, A. Megrant, Y. Chen, J. Kelly, V. Smelyanskiy, A. Kitaev, M. Knap, F. Pollmann, P. Roushan

Science 374 (6572), 1237-+ (2021).

Show Abstract

The discovery of topological order has revised the understanding of quantum matter and provided the theoretical foundation for many quantum error-correcting codes. Realizing topologically ordered states has proven to be challenging in both condensed matter and synthetic quantum systems. We prepared the ground state of the toric code Hamiltonian using an efficient quantum circuit on a superconducting quantum processor. We measured a topological entanglement entropy near the expected value of -ln2 and simulated anyon interferometry to extract the braiding statistics of the emergent excitations. Furthermore, we investigated key aspects of the surface code, including logical state injection and the decay of the nonlocal order parameter. Our results demonstrate the potential for quantum processors to provide insights into topological quantum matter and quantum error correction.

DOI: 10.1126/science.abi8378

Critically Slow Operator Dynamics in Constrained Many-Body Systems

J. Feldmeier, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 127 (23), 235301 (2021).

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The far-from-equilibrium dynamics of generic interacting quantum systems is characterized by a handful of universal guiding principles, among them the ballistic spreading of initially local operators. Here, we show that in certain constrained many-body systems the structure of conservation laws can cause a drastic modification of this universal behavior. As an example, we study operator growth characterized by out-oftime-order correlations (OTOCs) in a dipole-conserving fracton chain. We identify a critical point with subballistically moving OTOC front, that separates a ballistic from a dynamically frozen phase. This critical point is tied to an underlying localization transition and we use its associated scaling properties to derive an effective description of the moving operator front via a biased random walk with long waiting times. We support our arguments numerically using classically simulable automaton circuits.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.235301

Analyzing Nonequilibrium Quantum States through Snapshots with Artificial Neural Networks

A. Bohrdt, S. Kim, A. Lukin, M. Rispoli, R. Schittko, M. Knap, M. Greiner, J. Leonard

Physical Review Letters 127 (15), 150504 (2021).

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Current quantum simulation experiments are starting to explore nonequilibrium many-body dynamics in previously inaccessible regimes in terms of system sizes and timescales. Therefore, the question emerges as to which observables are best suited to study the dynamics in such quantum many-body systems. Using machine learning techniques, we investigate the dynamics and, in particular, the thermalization behavior of an interacting quantum system that undergoes a nonequilibrium phase transition from an ergodic to a many-body localized phase. We employ supervised and unsupervised training methods to distinguish nonequilibrium from equilibrium data, using the network performance as a probe for the thermalization behavior of the system. We test our methods with experimental snapshots of ultracold atoms taken with a quantum gas microscope. Our results provide a path to analyze highly entangled large-scale quantum states for system sizes where numerical calculations of conventional observables become challenging.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.150504

Electrically tunable Feshbach resonances in twisted bilayer semiconductors

I. Schwartz, Y. Shimazaki, C. Kuhlenkamp, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, M. Kroner, A. Imamoglu

Science 374 (6565), 336-+ (2021).

Show Abstract

Moire superlattices in transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers provide a platform for exploring strong correlations with optical spectroscopy. Despite the observation of rich Mott-Wigner physics stemming from an interplay between the periodic potential and Coulomb interactions, the absence of tunnel coupling-induced hybridization of electronic states has ensured a classical layer degree of freedom. We investigated a MoSe2 homobilayer structure where interlayer coherent tunneling allows for electric field-controlled manipulation and measurement of the ground-state hole-layer pseudospin. We observed an electrically tunable two-dimensional Feshbach resonance in exciton-hole scattering, which allowed us to control the strength of interactions between excitons and holes located in different layers. Our results may enable the realization of degenerate Bose-Fermi mixtures with tunable interactions.

DOI: 10.1126/science.abj3831

Correlator convolutional neural networks as an interpretable architecture for image-like quantum matter data

C. Miles, A. Bohrdt, R. H. Wu, C. Chiu, M. Q. Xu, G. Ji, M. Greiner, K. Q. Weinberger, E. Demler, E. A. Kim

Nature Communications 12 (1), 3905 (2021).

Show Abstract

Image-like data from quantum systems promises to offer greater insight into the physics of correlated quantum matter. However, the traditional framework of condensed matter physics lacks principled approaches for analyzing such data. Machine learning models are a powerful theoretical tool for analyzing image-like data including many-body snapshots from quantum simulators. Recently, they have successfully distinguished between simulated snapshots that are indistinguishable from one and two point correlation functions. Thus far, the complexity of these models has inhibited new physical insights from such approaches. Here, we develop a set of nonlinearities for use in a neural network architecture that discovers features in the data which are directly interpretable in terms of physical observables. Applied to simulated snapshots produced by two candidate theories approximating the doped Fermi-Hubbard model, we uncover that the key distinguishing features are fourth-order spin-charge correlators. Our approach lends itself well to the construction of simple, versatile, end-to-end interpretable architectures, thus paving the way for new physical insights from machine learning studies of experimental and numerical data. Physical principles underlying machine learning analysis of quantum gas microscopy data are not well understood. Here the authors develop a neural network based approach to classify image data in terms of multi-site correlation functions and reveal the role of fourth-order correlations in the Fermi-Hubbard model.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23952-w

Optical Signatures of Periodic Charge Distribution in a Mott-like Correlated Insulator State

Y. Shimazaki, C. Kuhlenkamp, I. Schwartz, T. Smolenski, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, M. Kroner, R. Schmidt, M. Knap, A. Imamoglu

Physical Review X 11 (2), 21027 (2021).

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The elementary optical excitations in two-dimensional semiconductors hosting itinerant electrons are attractive and repulsive polarons-excitons that are dynamically screened by electrons. Exciton polarons have hitherto been studied in translationally invariant degenerate Fermi systems. Here, we show that periodic distribution of electrons breaks the excitonic translational invariance and leads to a direct optical signature in the exciton-polaron spectrum. Specifically, we demonstrate that new optical resonances appear due to spatially modulated interactions between excitons and electrons in an incompressible Mott-like correlated state. Our observations demonstrate that resonant optical spectroscopy provides an invaluable tool for studying strongly correlated states, such as Wigner crystals and density waves, where exciton-electron interactions are modified by the emergence of charge order.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.11.021027

Adiabatic formation of bound states in the one-dimensional Bose gas

R. Koch, A. Bastianello, J. S. Caux

Physical Review B 103 (16), 165121 (2021).

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We consider the one-dimensional interacting Bose gas in the presence of time-dependent and spatially inhomogeneous contact interactions. Within its attractive phase, the gas allows for bound states of an arbitrary number of particles, which are eventually populated if the system is dynamically driven from the repulsive to the attractive regime. Building on the framework of generalized hydrodynamics, we analytically determine the formation of bound states in the limit of adiabatic changes in the interactions. Our results are valid for arbitrary initial thermal states and, more generally, generalized Gibbs ensembles.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.103.165121

Emergent fracton dynamics in a nonplanar dimer model

J. Feldmeier, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review B 103 (9), 94303 (2021).

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"We study the late time relaxation dynamics of a pure U(1) lattice gauge theory in the form of a dimer model on a bilayer geometry. To this end, we first develop a proper notion of hydrodynamic transport in such a system by constructing a global conservation law that can be attributed to the presence of topological solitons. The correlation functions of local objects charged under this conservation law can then be used to study the universal properties of the dynamics at late times, applicable to both quantum and classical systems. Performing the time evolution via classically simulable automata circuits unveils a rich phenomenology of the system's nonequilibrium properties: For a large class of relevant initial states, local charges are effectively restricted to move along one-dimensional ""tubes"" within the quasi-two-dimensional system, displaying fracton-like mobility constraints. The timescale on which these tubes are stable diverges with increasing systems size, yielding a novel mechanism for nonergodic behavior in the thermodynamic limit. We further explore the role of geometry by studying the system in a quasi-one-dimensional limit, where the Hilbert space is strongly fragmented due to the emergence of an extensive number of conserved quantities. This provides an instance of a recently introduced concept of ""statistically localized integrals of motion,"" whose universal anomalous hydrodynamics we determine by a mapping to a problem of classical tracer diffusion. We conclude by discussing how our approach might generalize to study transport in other lattice gauge theories."

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.103.094303

Anomalous Diffusion in Dipole- and Higher-Moment-Conserving Systems

J. Feldmeier, P. Sala, G. De Tomasi, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 125 (24), 245303 (2020).

Show Abstract

The presence of global conserved quantities in interacting systems generically leads to diffusive transport at late times. Here, we show that systems conserving the dipole moment of an associated global charge, or even higher-moment generalizations thereof, escape this scenario, displaying subdiffusive decay instead. Modeling the time evolution as cellular automata for specific cases of dipole- and quadrupole conservation, we numerically find distinct anomalous exponents of the late time relaxation. We explain these findings by analytically constructing a general hydrodynamic model that results in a series of exponents depending on the number of conserved moments, yielding an accurate description of the scaling form of charge correlation functions. We analyze the spatial profile of the correlations and discuss potential experimentally relevant signatures of higher-moment conservation.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.245303

Probing eigenstate thermalization in quantum simulators via fluctuation-dissipation relations

A. Schuckert, M. Knap

Physical Review Research 2 (4), 43315 (2020).

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The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) offers a universal mechanism for the approach to equilibrium of closed quantum many-body systems. So far, however, experimental studies have focused on the relaxation dynamics of observables as described by the diagonal part of ETH, whose verification requires substantial numerical input. This leaves many of the general assumptions of ETH untested. Here, we propose a theory-independent route to probe the full ETH in quantum simulators by observing the emergence of fluctuation-dissipation relations, which directly probe the off-diagonal part of ETH. We discuss and propose protocols to independently measure fluctuations and dissipations as well as higher order time-ordered correlation functions. We first show how the emergence of fluctuation-dissipation relations from a nonequilibrium initial state can be observed for the two-dimensional (2D) Bose-Hubbard model in superconducting qubits or quantum gas microscopes. Then we focus on the long-range transverse field Ising model (LTFI), which can be realized with trapped ions. The LTFI exhibits rich thermalization phenomena: For strong transverse fields, we observe prethermalization to an effective magnetization-conserving Hamiltonian in the fluctuation-dissipation relations. For weak transverse fields, confined excitations lead to nonthermal features, resulting in a violation of the fluctuation-dissipation relations up to long times. Moreover, in an integrable region of the LTFI, thermalization to a generalized Gibbs ensemble occurs and the fluctuation-dissipation relations enable an experimental diagonalization of the Hamiltonian. Our work presents a theory-independent way to characterize thermalization in quantum simulators and paves the way to quantum simulate condensed matter pump-probe experiments.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.043315

Dynamical formation of a magnetic polaron in a two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet

A. Bohrdt, F. Grusdt, M. Knap

New Journal of Physics 22 (12), 123023 (2020).

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Tremendous recent progress in the quantum simulation of the Hubbard model paves the way to controllably study doped antiferromagnetic Mott insulators. Motivated by these experimental advancements, we numerically study the real-time dynamics of a single hole created in an antiferromagnet on a square lattice, as described by the t-J model. Initially, the hole spreads ballistically with a velocity proportional to the hopping matrix element. At intermediate to long times, the dimensionality as well as the spin background determine the hole dynamics. A hole created in the ground state of a two dimensional (2D) quantum antiferromagnet propagates again ballistically at long times but with a velocity proportional to the spin exchange coupling, showing the formation of a magnetic polaron. We provide an intuitive explanation of this dynamics in terms of a parton construction, which leads to a good quantitative agreement with the numerical tensor network state simulations. In the limit of infinite temperature and no spin exchange couplings, the dynamics can be approximated by a quantum random walk on a Bethe lattice with coordination number z x303,. 4 Adding Ising interactions corresponds to an effective disordered potential, which can dramatically slow down the hole propagation, consistent with subdiffusive dynamics. The study of the hole dynamics paves the way for understanding the microscopic constituents of this strongly correlated quantum state.

DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/abcfee

Local probes for charge-neutral edge states in two-dimensional quantum magnets

J. Feldmeier, W. Natori, M. Knap, J. Knolle

Physical Review B 102 (13), 134423 (2020).

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The bulk-boundary correspondence is a defining feature of topological states of matter. However, for quantum magnets in two dimensions such as spin liquids or topological magnon insulators, a direct observation of topological surface states has proven challenging because of the charge-neutral character of the excitations. Here we propose spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy as a spin-sensitive local probe to provide direct information about charge-neutral topological edge states. We show how their signatures, imprinted in the local structure factor, can be extracted by specifically employing the strengths of existing technologies. As our main example, we determine the dynamical spin correlations of the Kitaev honeycomb model with open boundaries. We show that by contrasting conductance measurements of bulk and edge locations, one can extract direct signatures of the existence of fractionalized excitations and nontrivial topology. The broad applicability of this approach is corroborated by a second example of a kagome topological magnon insulator.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.102.134423

Entanglement dynamics of a many-body localized system coupled to a bath

E. Wybo, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physical Review B 102 (6), 64303 (2020).

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The combination of strong disorder and interactions in closed quantum systems can lead to many-body localization (MBL). However, this quantum phase is not stable when the system is coupled to a thermal environment. We investigate how MBL is destroyed in systems that are weakly coupled to a dephasive Markovian environment by focusing on their entanglement dynamics. We numerically study the third Renyi negativity R-3, a recently proposed entanglement proxy based on the negativity that captures the unbounded logarithmic growth in the closed case and that can be computed efficiently with tensor networks. We also show that the decay of R-3 follows a stretched exponential law, similarly to the imbalance, with, however, a smaller stretching exponent.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.102.064304

Lattice modulation spectroscopy of one-dimensional quantum gases: Universal scaling of the absorbed energy

R. Citro, E. Demler, T. Giamarchi, M. Knap, E. Orignac

Physical Review Research 2 (3), 33187 (2020).

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Lattice modulation spectroscopy is a powerful tool for probing low-energy excitations of interacting many-body systems. By means of bosonization we analyze the absorbed power in a one-dimensional interacting quantum gas of bosons or fermions, subjected to a periodic drive of the optical lattice. For these Tomonaga-Luttinger liquids we find a universal omega(3) scaling of the absorbed power, which at very low-frequency turns into an omega(2) scaling when scattering processes at the boundary of the system are taken into account. We confirm this behavior numerically by simulations based on time-dependent matrix product states. Furthermore, in the presence of impurities, the theory predicts an omega(2) bulk scaling. While typical response functions of Tomonaga-Luttinger liquids are characterized by exponents that depend on the interaction strength, modulation spectroscopy of cold atoms leads to a universal power-law exponent of the absorbed power. Our findings can be readily demonstrated in ultracold atoms in optical lattices with current experimental technology.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.033187

Parton theory of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy spectra in antiferromagnetic Mott insulators

A. Bohrdt, E. Demler, F. Pollmann, M. Knap, F. Grusdt

Physical Review B 102 (3), 35139 (2020).

Show Abstract

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has revealed peculiar properties of mobile dopants in correlated antiferromagnets (AFMs). But, describing them theoretically, even in simplified toy models, remains a challenge. Here, we study ARPES spectra of a single mobile hole in the t-J model. Recent progress in the microscopic description of mobile dopants allows us to use a geometric decoupling of spin and charge fluctuations at strong couplings, from which we conjecture a one-to-one relation of the one-dopant spectral function and the spectrum of a constituting spinon in the undoped parent AFM. We thoroughly test this hypothesis for a single hole doped into a two-dimensional Heisenberg AFM by comparing our semianalytical predictions to previous quantum Monte Carlo results and our large-scale time-dependent matrix product state calculations of the spectral function. Our conclusion is supported by a microscopic trial wave function describing spinon-chargon bound states, which captures the momentum and t/J dependence of the quasiparticle residue. From our conjecture we speculate that ARPES measurements in the pseudogap phase of cuprates may directly reveal the Dirac-fermion nature of the constituting spinons. Specifically, we demonstrate that our trial wave function provides a microscopic explanation for the sudden drop of spectral weight around the nodal point associated with the formation of Fermi arcs, assuming that additional frustration suppresses long-range AFM ordering. We benchmark our results by studying the crossover from two to one dimension, where spinons and chargons are confined and deconfined, respectively.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.102.035139

Theory of quantum work in metallic grains

I. Lovas, A. Grabarits, M. Kormos, G. Zarand

Physical Review Research 2 (2), 23224 (2020).

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We generalize Anderson's orthogonality determinant formula to describe the statistics of work performed on generic disordered, noninteracting fermionic nanograins during quantum quenches. The energy absorbed increases linearly with time, while its variance exhibits a superdiffusive behavior due to Pauli's exclusion principle. The probability of adiabatic evolution decays as a stretched exponential. In slowly driven systems, work statistics exhibit universal features and can be understood in terms of fermion diffusion in energy space, generated by Landau-Zener transitions. This diffusion is very well captured by a Markovian symmetrical exclusion process, with the diffusion constant identified as the energy absorption rate. The energy absorption rate shows an anomalous frequency dependence at small energies, reflecting the symmetry class of the underlying Hamiltonian. Our predictions can be experimentally verified by calorimetric measurements performed on nanoscale circuits.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.023224

Statistical localization: From strong fragmentation to strong edge modes

T. Rakovszky, P. Sala, R. Verresen, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physical Review B 101 (12), 125126 (2020).

Show Abstract

"Certain disorder-free Hamiltonians can be nonergodic due to a strong fragmentation of the Hilbert space into disconnected sectors. Here, we characterize such systems by introducing the notion of ""statistically localized integrals of motion"" (SLIOM), whose eigenvalues label the connected components of the Hilbert space. SLIOMs are not spatially localized in the operator sense, but appear localized to subextensive regions when their expectation value is taken in typical states with a finite density of particles. We illustrate this general concept on several Hamiltonians, both with and without dipole conservation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that there exist perturbations which destroy these integrals of motion in the bulk of the system while keeping them on the boundary. This results in statistically localized strong zero modes, leading to infinitely long-lived edge magnetizations along with a thermalizing bulk, constituting the first example of such strong edge modes in a nonintegrable model. We also show that in a particular example, these edge modes lead to the appearance of topological string order in a certain subset of highly excited eigenstates. Some of our suggested models can be realized in Rydberg quantum simulators."

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.125126

Periodically Driven Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev Models

C. Kuhlenkamp, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 124 (10), 106401 (2020).

Show Abstract

Periodically driven quantum matter can realize exotic dynamical phases. In order to understand how ubiquitous and robust these phases are, it is pertinent to investigate the heating dynamics of generic interacting quantum systems. Here we study the thermalization in a periodically driven generalized Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, which realizes a crossover from a heavy Fermi liquid (FL) to a nonFermi liquid (NFL) at a tunable energy scale. Developing an exact field theoretic approach, we determine two distinct regimes in the heating dynamics. While the NFL heats exponentially and thermalizes rapidly, we report that the presence of quasiparticles in the heavy FL obstructs heating and thermalization over comparatively long timescales. Prethermal high-frequency dynamics and possible experimental realizations of nonequilibrium SYK physics are discussed as well.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.106401

Ergodicity Breaking Arising from Hilbert Space Fragmentation in Dipole-Conserving Hamiltonians

P. Sala, T. Rakovszky, R. Verresen, M. Knap, F. Pollmann

Physical Review X 10 (1), 11047 (2020).

Show Abstract

We show that the combination of charge and dipole conservation-characteristic of fracton systems-leads to an extensive fragmentation of the Hilbert space, which, in turn, can lead to a breakdown of thermalization. As a concrete example, we investigate the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of one-dimensional spin-1 models that conserve charge (total S-z) and its associated dipole moment. First, we consider a minimal model including only three-site terms and find that the infinite temperature autocorrelation saturates to a finite value-showcasing nonthermal behavior. The absence of thermalization is identified as a consequence of the strong fragmentation of the Hilbert space into exponentially many invariant subspaces in the local S-z basis, arising from the interplay of dipole conservation and local interactions. Second, we extend the model by including four-site terms and find that this perturbation leads to a weak fragmentation: The system still has exponentially many invariant subspaces, but they are no longer sufficient to avoid thermalization for typical initial states. More generally, for any finite range of interactions, the system still exhibits nonthermal eigenstates appearing throughout the entire spectrum. We compare our results to charge and dipole moment-conserving random unitary circuit models for which we reach identical conclusions.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011047

Evaluation of time-dependent correlators after a local quench in iPEPS: hole motion in the t - J model

C. Hubig, A. Bohrdt, M. Knap, F. Grusdt, J. I. Cirac

Scipost Physics 8 (2), 21 (2020).

Show Abstract

Infinite projected entangled pair states (iPEPS) provide a convenient variational description of infinite, translationally-invariant two-dimensional quantum states. However, the simulation of local excitations is not directly possible due to the translationally-invariant ansatz. Furthermore, as iPEPS are either identical or orthogonal, expectation values between different states as required during the evaluation of non-equal-time correlators are ill-defined. Here, we show that by introducing auxiliary states on each site, it becomes possible to simulate both local excitations and evaluate non-equal-time correlators in an iPEPS setting under real-time evolution. We showcase the method by simulating the t - J model after a single hole has been placed in the half-filled antiferromagnetic background and evaluating both return probabilities and spin correlation functions, as accessible in quantum gas microscopes.

DOI: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.8.2.021

Nonlocal emergent hydrodynamics in a long-range quantum spin system

A. Schuckert, I. Lovas, M. Knap

Physical Review B 101 (2), 20416 (2020).

Show Abstract

Generic short-range interacting quantum systems with a conserved quantity exhibit universal diffusive transport at late times. We employ nonequilibrium quantum field theory and semiclassical phase-space simulations to show how this universality is replaced by a more general transport process in a long-range XY spin chain at infinite temperature with couplings decaying algebraically with distance as r(-alpha). While diffusion is recovered for alpha > 1.5, longer-ranged couplings with 0.5 < alpha <= 1.5 give rise to effective classical Levy flights, a random walk with step sizes drawn from a distribution with algebraic tails. We find that the space-time-dependent spin density profiles are self-similar, with scaling functions given by the stable symmetric distributions. As a consequence, for 0.5 < alpha <= 1.5, autocorrelations show hydrodynamic tails decaying in time as t(-1/(2 alpha-1)) and linear-response theory breaks down. Our findings can be readily verified with current trapped ion experiments.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.020416

Classifying snapshots of the doped Hubbard model with machine learning

A. Bohrdt, C. S. Chiu, G. Jig, M. Q. Xu, D. Greif, M. Greiner, E. Demler, F. Grusdt, M. Knap

Nature Physics 15 (9), 921-924 (2019).

Show Abstract

Quantum gas microscopes for ultracold atoms can provide high-resolution real-space snapshots of complex many-body systems. We implement machine learning to analyse and classify such snapshots of ultracold atoms. Specifically, we compare the data from an experimental realization of the two-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model to two theoretical approaches: a doped quantum spin liquid state of resonating valence bond type(1,2), and the geometric string theory(3,4), describing a state with hidden spin order. This technique considers all available information without a potential bias towards one particular theory by the choice of an observable and can therefore select the theory that is more predictive in general. Up to intermediate doping values, our algorithm tends to classify experimental snapshots as geometric-string-like, as compared to the doped spin liquid. Our results demonstrate the potential for machine learning in processing the wealth of data obtained through quantum gas microscopy for new physical insights.

DOI: 10.1038/s41567-019-0565-x

Many-body chaos near a thermal phase transition

A. Schuckert, M. Knap

Scipost Physics 7 (2), 22 (2019).

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We study many-body chaos in a (2 + 1) D relativistic scalar field theory at high temperatures in the classical statistical approximation, which captures the quantum critical regime and the thermal phase transition from an ordered to a disordered phase. We evaluate out-of-time ordered correlation functions (OTOCs) and find that the associated Lyapunov exponent increases linearly with temperature in the quantum critical regime, and approaches the non-interacting limit algebraically in terms of a fluctuation parameter. OTOCs spread ballistically in all regimes, also at the thermal phase transition, where the butterfly velocity is maximal. Our work contributes to the understanding of the relation between quantum and classical many-body chaos and our method can be applied to other field theories dominated by classical modes at long wavelengths. Copyright A. Schuckert and M. Knap This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Published by the SciPost Foundation.

DOI: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.7.2.022

String patterns in the doped Hubbard model

C. S. Chiu, G. Ji, A. Bohrdt, M. Q. Xu, M. Knap, E. Demler, F. Grusdt, M. Greiner, D. Greif

Science 365 (6450), 251-+ (2019).

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Understanding strongly correlated quantum many-body states is one of the most difficult challenges in modern physics. For example, there remain fundamental open questions on the phase diagram of the Hubbard model, which describes strongly correlated electrons in solids. In this work, we realize the Hubbard Hamiltonian and search for specific patterns within the individual images of many realizations of strongly correlated ultracold fermions in an optical lattice. Upon doping a cold-atom antiferromagnet, we find consistency with geometric strings, entities that may explain the relationship between hole motion and spin order, in both pattern-based and conventional observables. Our results demonstrate the potential for pattern recognition to provide key insights into cold-atom quantum many-body systems.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aav3587

Emergent Glassy Dynamics in a Quantum Dimer Model

J. Feldmeier, F. Pollmann, M. Knap

Physical Review Letters 123 (4), 40601 (2019).

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We consider the quench dynamics of a two-dimensional quantum dimer model and determine the role of its kinematic constraints. We interpret the nonequilibrium dynamics in terms of the underlying equilibrium phase transitions consisting of a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition between a columnar ordered valence bond solid (VBS) and a valence bond liquid (VBL), as well as a first-order transition between a staggered VBS and the VBL. We find that quenches from a columnar VBS are ergodic and both order parameters and spatial correlations quickly relax to their thermal equilibrium. By contrast, the staggered side of the first-order transition does not display thermalization on numerically accessible timescales. Based on the model's kinematic constraints, we uncover a mechanism of relaxation that rests on emergent, highly detuned multidefect processes in a staggered background, which gives rise to slow, glassy dynamics at low temperatures even in the thermodynamic limit.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.040601

Site-selectively generated photon emitters in monolayer MoS2 via local helium ion irradiation

J. Klein, M. Lorke, M. Florian, F. Sigger, L. Sigl, S. Rey, J. Wierzbowski, J. Cerne, K. Müller, E. Mitterreiter, P. Zimmermann, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, U. Wurstbauer, M. Kaniber, M. Knap, R. Schmidt, J. J. Finley, A. W. Holleitner

Nature Communications 10, 2755 (2019).

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Quantum light sources in solid-state systems are of major interest as a basic ingredient for integrated quantum photonic technologies. The ability to tailor quantum emitters via site-selective defect engineering is essential for realizing scalable architectures. However, a major difficulty is that defects need to be controllably positioned within the material. Here, we overcome this challenge by controllably irradiating monolayer MoS2 using a sub-nm focused helium ion beam to deterministically create defects. Subsequent encapsulation of the ion exposed MoS2 flake with high-quality hBN reveals spectrally narrow emission lines that produce photons in the visible spectral range. Based on ab-initio calculations we interpret these emission lines as stemming from the recombination of highly localized electron-hole complexes at defect states generated by the local helium ion exposure. Our approach to deterministically write optically active defect states in a single transition metal dichalcogenide layer provides a platform for realizing exotic many-body systems, including coupled single-photon sources and interacting exciton lattices that may allow the exploration of Hubbard physics.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10632-z

Atomtronics with a spin: Statistics of spin transport and nonequilibrium orthogonality catastrophe in cold quantum gases

J. S. You, R. Schmidt, D. A. Ivanov, M. Knap, E. Demler

Physical Review B 99 (21), 214505 (2019).

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We propose to investigate the full counting statistics of nonequilibrium spin transport with an ultracold atomic quantum gas. The setup makes use of the spin control available in atomic systems to generate spin transport induced by an impurity atom immersed in a spin-imbalanced two-component Fermi gas. In contrast to solid-state realizations, in ultracold atoms spin relaxation and the decoherence from external sources is largely suppressed. As a consequence, once the spin current is turned off by manipulating the internal spin degrees of freedom of the Fermi system, the nonequilibrium spin population remains constant. Thus one can directly count the number of spins in each reservoir to investigate the full counting statistics of spin flips, which is notoriously challenging in solid-state devices. Moreover, using Ramsey interferometry, the dynamical impurity response can be measured. Since the impurity interacts with a many-body environment that is out of equilibrium, our setup provides a way to realize the nonequilibrium orthogonality catastrophe. Here, even for spin reservoirs initially prepared in a zero-temperature state, the Ramsey response exhibits an exponential decay, which is in contrast to the conventional power-law decay of Anderson's orthogonality catastrophe. By mapping our system to a multistep Fermi sea, we are able to derive analytical expressions for the impurity response at late times. This allows us to reveal an intimate connection of the decay rate of the Ramsey contrast and the full counting statistics of spin flips.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.99.214505

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