Dynamical response in (quasi) one-dimensional quantum many-body systems

Guest Editors

Jianda Wu Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xi-Wen Guan Australian National University
Zhe Wang TU Dortmund

Scope

Characterizing the ground state ordering is one of the key themes in the study of strongly-correlated systems, a goal usually achieved in terms of an appropriate set of order parameters. While valuable knowledge on the ground states is achieved in this way, an enormous amount of information is carried however by the excitations of quantum many-body systems above these ground states.

Much of this exciting physics can only be unveiled through dynamic correlation functions and a dynamic probe thereof. This can be mainly attributed to the almost infinite large Hilbert space of excitations such that novel emerging physics is largely characterized only via dynamic excitations of the system. Indeed, even when just a portion of excitations, regardless of gaped or gapless, come into play, a splendid view of hidden jungles arises with a variety of exciting emergent physics: exotic non-Fermi-liquid behavior and high-temperature superconductivity surfaces near quantum critical point and novel massive Bethe string excitations are revealed and confirmed in the gapless region of the Heisenberg-Ising chain as well as novel fractional excitations in dynamical structure factor of Fermi gases.

There has recently been a surge in publications relating to dynamics in (quasi) one-dimensional quantum many-body systems and this special issue will be the first collection of articles on this topic. It is intended to give a broad overview over the many aspects of dynamics in (quasi) one-dimensional quantum many body systems for the wider community in both theoretical and experimental physics and will aim to provide guidance for future experiments on relevant materials.

The issue will be open to submissions until 31 March 2023 and you can submit manuscripts through ScholarOne Manuscripts. All papers will be refereed according to the usual high standards of the journal.

Topical Reviews

Magnetic excitations in the one-dimensional Heisenberg–Ising model with external fields and their experimental realizations

Jiahao Yang et al 2023 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 56 013001

The one dimensional (1D) spin-1/2 Heisenberg–Ising model, a prototype quantum many-body system, has been intensively studied for many years. In this review, after a short introduction on some basic concepts of group theory for the octahedral group, a detailed pedagogical framework is laid down to derive the low-energy effective Hamiltonian for the Co-based materials. The 1D spin-1/2 Heisenberg–Ising model is obtained when applying the analysis to quasi-1D antiferromagnetic materials $\textrm{BaCo}_2\textrm{V}_2\textrm{O}_8$ and $\textrm{SrCo}_2\textrm{V}_2\textrm{O}_8$. After the preparation, we review the theoretical progresses of a variety of novel magnetic excitations and emergent physics in the 1D spin-1/2 Heisenberg–Ising model, and further summarize their recent experimental realizations.

Quantum integrability vs experiments: correlation functions and dynamical structure factors

M Lencsés et al 2023 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 56 383001

Integrable Quantum Field Theories can be solved exactly using bootstrap techniques based on their elastic and factorisable S-matrix. While knowledge of the scattering amplitudes reveals the exact spectrum of particles and their on-shell dynamics, the expression of the matrix elements of the various operators allows the reconstruction of off-shell quantities such as two-point correlation functions with a high level of precision. In this review, we summarise results relevant to the contact point between theory and experiment providing a number of quantities that can be computed theoretically with great accuracy. We concentrate on universal amplitude ratios which can be determined from the measurement of generalised susceptibilities, and dynamical structure factors, which can be accessed experimentally e.g. via inelastic neutron scattering or nuclear magnetic resonance. Besides an overview of the subject and a summary of recent advances, we also present new results regarding generalised susceptibilities in the tricritical Ising universality class.

Papers

Open access
Exact results of dynamical structure factor of Lieb–Liniger model

Run-Tian Li et al 2023 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 56 335204

The dynamical structure factor (DSF) represents a measure of dynamical density–density correlations in a quantum many-body system. Due to the complexity of many-body correlations and quantum fluctuations in a system of an infinitely large Hilbert space, such kind of dynamical correlations often impose a big theoretical challenge. For one-dimensional (1D) quantum many-body systems, qualitative predictions of dynamical response functions are usually carried out by using the Tomonaga– Luttinger liquid (TLL) theory. In this scenario, a precise evaluation of the DSF for a 1D quantum system with arbitrary interaction strength remains a formidable task. In this paper, we use the form factor approach based on algebraic Bethe ansatz theory to calculate precisely the DSF of Lieb–Liniger model with an arbitrary interaction strength at a large scale of particle number. We find that the DSF for a system as large as 2000 particles enables us to depict precisely its line-shape from which the power-law singularity with corresponding exponents in the vicinities of spectral thresholds naturally emerge. It should be noted that, the advantage of our algorithm promises an access to the threshold behavior of dynamical correlation functions, further confirming the validity of nonlinear TLL theory besides Kitanine et al (2012 J. Stat. Mech. P09001). Finally we discuss a comparison of results with the results from the ABACUS method by J-S Caux (2009 J. Math. Phys.50 095214) as well as from the strongly coupling expansion by Brand and Cherny (2005 Phys. Rev. A 72 033619).

Open access
Dynamics of quantum double dark-solitons and an exact finite-size scaling of Bose–Einstein condensation

Kayo Kinjo et al 2023 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 56 164001

We show several novel aspects in the exact non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum double dark-soliton states in the Lieb–Liniger model for the one-dimensional Bose gas with repulsive interactions. We also show an exact finite-size scaling of the fraction of the quasi-Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) in the ground state, which should characterize the quasi-BEC in quantum double dark-soliton states that we assume to occur in the weak coupling regime. First, we show the exact time evolution of the density profile in the quantum state associated with a quantum double dark-soliton by the Bethe ansatz. Secondly, we derive a kind of macroscopic quantum wave-function effectively by exactly evaluating the square amplitude and phase profiles of the matrix element of the field operator between the quantum double dark-soliton states. The profiles are close to those of dark-solitons particularly in the weak-coupling regime. Then, the scattering of two notches in the quantum double dark-soliton state is exactly demonstrated. It is suggested from the above observations that the quasi-BEC should play a significant role in the dynamics of quantum double dark-soliton states. If the condensate fraction is close to 1, the quantum state should be well approximated by the quasi-BEC state where the mean-field picture is valid.

Confinement phase in carbon-nanotubes and the extended massive Schwinger model

Takashi Oka 2022 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 504001

Carbon nanotube with electric fluxes confined in one dimension is studied. We show that a Coulomb interaction $\propto |x|$ leads to a confinement phase with many properties similar to QCD in 4D. Low-energy physics is described by the massive Schwinger model with multi-species fermions labeled by the band and valley indices. We propose two means to detect this state. One is through an optical measurement of the exciton spectrum, which has been calculated via the 't Hooft–Berknoff equation with the light-front field theory. We show that the Gell–Mann−Oakes−Renner relation is satisfied by a dark exciton. The second is the nonlinear transport which is related to Coleman's 'half-asymptotic' state.

Generalized Bose–Fermi mapping and strong coupling ansatz wavefunction for one dimensional strongly interacting spinor quantum gases

Li Yang et al 2022 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 464005

Quantum many-body systems in one dimension (1D) exhibit some peculiar properties. In this article, we review some of our work on strongly interacting 1D spinor quantum gas. First, we discuss a generalized Bose–Fermi mapping that maps the charge degrees of freedom to a spinless Fermi gas and the spin degrees of freedom to a spin chain model. This also maps the strongly interacting system into a weakly interacting one, which is amenable for perturbative calculations. Next, based on this mapping, we construct an ansatz wavefunction for the strongly interacting system, using which many physical quantities can be conveniently calculated. We showcase the usage of this ansatz wavefunction by considering the collective excitations and quench dynamics of a harmonically trapped system.

Open access
Quantum spin dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional Heisenberg-Ising magnets in a transverse field: confined spinons, E8 spectrum, and quantum phase transitions

Kirill Amelin et al 2022 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 484005

We report on high-resolution terahertz spectroscopic studies of quantum spin dynamics in the quasi-one-dimensional Ising-like ferromagnet CoNb2O6 and antiferromagnet BaCo2V2O8 as a function of an applied transverse magnetic field. In the ordered phases stabilized by inter-chain couplings, we reveal characteristics for confined spinon excitations, E8 dynamical spectrum, and field-induced quantum phase transitions. The connections between these characteristic dynamical features are found in the field-dependent evolution of the excitation spectra.

Emergent O(4) symmetry at an one-dimensional deconfined quantum tricritical point

Ning Xi and Rong Yu 2022 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 304003

We show an O(4) symmetry emerges at a deconfined quantum tricritical point of a valence bond solid (VBS) and two ferromagnetic phases in an S = 1/2 frustrated spin chain by combining analytical analysis and numerical calculations with the time evolution of infinite matrix product states. With this symmetry, the valence-bond solid and the three magnetic order parameters form an O(4) pseudovector in the infrared limit, and can continuously rotate into each other. We numerically determine the location of the quantum tricritical point and study the scaling of the correlation functions of the O(4) vector components and associated conserved currents. The critical behaviors of these correlation functions are all in accord with field theoretical results. The emergent O(4) symmetry at the tricritical point is justified by the integer value of the scaling dimension of the emergent Noether conserved currents. Our findings not only give direct evidence of such a high emergent symmetry at an one-dimensional VBS to magnetic transition but also shed light on exploring emergent symmetries in higher dimensions.

Quenches and confinement in a Heisenberg–Ising spin ladder

Gianluca Lagnese et al 2022 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 124003

We consider the quantum quench dynamics of a Heisenberg–Ising spin ladder which is an archetypal model in which confinement of elementary excitations is triggered by internal interactions rather than an external field. We show that the confinement strongly affects the light cone structure of correlation functions providing signatures of the velocities of the mesons of the model. We also show that the meson masses can be measured from the real time analysis of the evolution of the order parameter.

Fourth-neighbour two-point functions of the XXZ chain and the fermionic basis approach

Frank Göhmann et al 2021 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 54 414001

We give a descriptive review of the fermionic basis approach to the theory of correlation functions of the XXZ quantum spin chain. The emphasis is on explicit formulae for short-range correlation functions which will be presented in a way that allows for their direct implementation on a computer. Within the fermionic basis approach a huge class of stationary reduced density matrices, compatible with the integrable structure of the model, assumes a factorized form. This means that all expectation values of local operators and all two-point functions, in particular, can be represented as multivariate polynomials in only two functions ρ and ω and their derivatives with coefficients that are rational in the deformation parameter q of the model. These coefficients are of 'algebraic origin'. They do not depend on the choice of the density matrix, which only impacts the form of ρ and ω. As an example we work out in detail the case of the grand canonical ensemble at temperature T and magnetic field h for q in the critical regime. We compare our exact results for the fourth-neighbour two-point functions with asymptotic formulae for h, T = 0 and for finite h and T.