W. Beugeling

Finite-size scaling of eigenstate thermalization.

According to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), even isolated quantum systems can thermalize because the eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations of typical observables vanish in the limit of large systems. Of course, isolated systems are by nature finite and the main way of computing such quantities is through numerical evaluation for finite-size systems. Therefore, the finite-size scaling of the fluctuations of eigenstate expectation values is a central aspect of the ETH. In this work, we present numerical evidence that for generic nonintegrable systems these fluctuations scale with a universal power law D-1/2 with the dimension D of the Hilbert space. We provide heuristic arguments, in the same spirit as the ETH, to explain this universal result. Our results are based on the analysis of three families of models and several observables for each model. Each family includes integrable members and we show how the system size where the universal power law becomes visible is affected by the proximity to integrability.

Topological phases in a two-dmensional lattice: Magnetic field versus spin-orbit coupling

In this work, we explore the rich variety of two-dimensional topological phases that arise when considering the competing effects of spin-orbit couplings, Zeeman splitting, and uniform magnetic fields. We investigate minimal models, defined on a honeycomb lattice, which clarify the topological phases stemming from the intrinsic and Rashba spin-orbit couplings, and also from the Zeeman splitting. In this sense, our work provides an interesting path connecting the quantum Hall phases, generally produced by the uniform magnetic field, and the quantum spin Hall phases resulting from spin-dependent couplings. First, we analyze the properties of each coupling term individually and we point out their similarities and differences. Second, we investigate the subtle competitions that arise when these effects are combined. We finally explore the various possible experimental realizations of our model.

Off-diagonal matrix elements of local operators in many-body quantum systems

In the time evolution of isolated quantum systems out of equilibrium, local observables generally relax to a long-time asymptotic value, governed by the expectation values (diagonal matrix elements) of the corresponding operator in the eigenstates of the system. The temporal fluctuations around this value, response to further perturbations, and the relaxation toward this asymptotic value are all determined by the off-diagonal matrix elements. Motivated by this nonequilibrium role, we present generic statistical properties of off-diagonal matrix elements of local observables in two families of interacting many-body systems with local interactions. Since integrability (or lack thereof) is an important ingredient in the relaxation process, we analyze models that can be continuously tuned to integrability. We show that, for generic nonintegrable systems, the distribution of off-diagonal matrix elements is a Gaussian centered at zero. As one approaches integrability, the peak around zero becomes sharper, so the distribution is approximately a combination of two Gaussians. We characterize the proximity to integrability through the deviation of this distribution from a Gaussian shape. We also determine the scaling dependence on system size of the average magnitude of off-diagonal matrix elements.

Topological phase transitions driven by next-nearest-neighbor hopping in two-dimensional lattices

For two-dimensional lattices in a tight-binding description, the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, acting as a complex next-nearest-neighbor hopping, opens gaps that exhibit the quantum spin Hall effect. In this paper, we study the effect of a real next-nearest-neighbor hopping term on the band structure of several Dirac systems. In our model, the spin is conserved, which allows us to analyze the spin Chern numbers. We show that in the Lieb, kagome, and T3 lattices, variation of the amplitude of the real next-nearest-neighbor hopping term drives interesting topological phase transitions. These transitions may be experimentally realized in optical lattices under shaking, when the ratio between the nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor hopping parameters can be tuned to any possible value. Finally, we show that in the honeycomb lattice, next-nearest-neighbor hopping only drives topological phase transitions in the presence of a magnetic field, leading to the conjecture that these transitions can only occur in multigap systems.

Topological states in multi-orbital HgTe honeycomb lattices

Research on graphene has revealed remarkable phenomena arising in the honeycomb lattice. However, the quantum spin Hall effect predicted at the K point could not be observed in graphene and other honeycomb structures of light elements due to an insufficiently strong spin–orbit coupling. Here we show theoretically that 2D honeycomb lattices of HgTe can combine the effects of the honeycomb geometry and strong spin–orbit coupling. The conduction bands, experimentally accessible via doping, can be described by a tight-binding lattice model as in graphene, but including multi-orbital degrees of freedom and spin–orbit coupling. This results in very large topological gaps (up to 35 meV) and a flattened band detached from the others. Owing to this flat band and the sizable Coulomb interaction, honeycomb structures of HgTe constitute a promising platform for the observation of a fractional Chern insulator or a fractional quantum spin Hall phase.

Reentrant topological phases in Mn-doped HgTe quantum wells

Quantum wells of HgTe doped with Mn display the quantum anomalous Hall effect due to the magnetic moments of the Mn ions. In the presence of a magnetic field, these magnetic moments induce an effective nonlinear Zeeman effect, causing a nonmonotonic bending of the Landau levels. As a consequence, the quantized (spin) Hall conductivity exhibits a reentrant behavior as one increases the magnetic field. Here, we will discuss the appearance of different types of reentrant behavior as a function of Mn concentration, well thickness, and temperature, based on the qualitative form of the Landau-level spectrum in an effective four-band model.

Global characteristics of all eigenstates of local many-body Hamiltonians: participation ratio and entanglement entropy

In the spectrum of many-body quantum systems, the low-energy eigenstates were the traditional focus of research. The interest in the statistical properties of the full eigenspectrum has grown more recently, in particular in the context of non-equilibrium questions. Wave functions of interacting lattice quantum systems can be characterized either by local observables, or by global properties such as the participation ratio (PR) in a many-body basis or the entanglement between various partitions. We present a study of the PR and of the entanglement entropy (EE) between two roughly equal spatial partitions of the system, in all the eigenfunctions of local Hamiltonians. Motivated by the similarity of the PR and EE - both are generically larger in the bulk and smaller near the edges of the spectrum - we quantitatively analyze the correlation between them. We elucidate the effect of (proximity to) integrability, showing how low-entanglement and low-PR states appear also in the middle of the spectrum as one approaches integrable points. We also determine the precise scaling behavior of the eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations of the PR and EE with respect to system size, and characterize the statistical distribution of these quantities near the middle of the spectrum.

Nontrivial topological states on a Möbius band

In the field of topological insulators, the topological properties of quantum states in samples with simple geometries, such as a cylinder or a ribbon, have been classified and understood during the past decade. Here we extend these studies to a Mobius band and argue that its lack of orientability prevents a smooth global definition of parity-odd quantities such as pseudovectors. In particular, the Chern number, the topological invariant for the quantum Hall effect, lies in this class. The definition of spin on the Mobius band translates into the idea of the orientable double cover, an analogy used to explain the possibility of having the quantum spin Hall effect on the Mobius band. We also provide symmetry arguments to show the possible lattice structures and Hamiltonian terms for which topological states may exist in a Mobius band, and we locate our systems in the classification of topological states. Then, we propose a method to calculate Mobius dispersions from those of the cylinder, and we show the results for a honeycomb and a kagome Mobius band with different types of edge termination. Although the quantum spin Hall effect may occur in these systems when intrinsic spin-orbit coupling is present, the quantum Hall effect is more intricate and requires the presence of a domain wall in the sample. We propose an experimental setup which could allow for the realization of the elusive quantum Hall effect in a Mobius band.

Topological Floquet states on a Möbius band irradiated by circularly polarised light

Abstract Topological states of matter in equilibrium, as well as out of equilibrium, have been thoroughly investigated during the last years in condensed-matter and cold-atom systems. However, the geometric topology of the studied samples is usually trivial, such as a ribbon or a cylinder. In this paper, we consider a graphene Mobius band irradiated with circularly polarised light. Interestingly, due to the non-orientability of the Mobius band, a homogeneous quantum Hall effect cannot exist in this system, but the quantum spin Hall effect can. To avoid this restriction, the irradiation is applied in a longitudinal-domain-wall configuration. In this way, the periodic time-dependent driving term tends to generate the quantum anomalous Hall effect. On the other hand, due to the bent geometry of the Mobius band, we expect a strong spin–orbit coupling, which may lead to quantum spin Hall-like topological states. Here, we investigate the competition between these two phenomena upon varying the amplitude and the frequency of the light, for a fixed value of the spin–orbit coupling strength. The topological properties are analysed by identifying the edge states in the Floquet spectrum at intermediate frequencies, when there are resonances between the light frequency and the energy difference between the conduction and valence bands of the graphene system.

Chern-Simons theory of multicomponent quantum Hall systems

The Chern-Simons approach has been widely used to explain fractional quantum Hall states in the framework of trial wave functions. In the present paper, we generalize the concept of Chern-Simons transformations to systems with any number of components (spin or pseudospin degrees of freedom), extending earlier results for systems with one or two components. We treat the density fluctuations by adding auxiliary gauge fields and appropriate constraints. The Hamiltonian is quadratic in these fields and hence can be treated as a harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian with a ground state that is connected to the Halperin wave functions through the plasma analogy. We investigate conditions on the coefficients of the Chern-Simons transformation and on the filling factors under which our model is valid. Furthermore, we discuss several singular cases, associated with states with ferromagnetic properties.