Quantum Matter

The evolution of many kinetic processes in 1+1 dimensions results in 2D directed percolative landscapes. The active phases of those models possess numerous hidden geometric orders characterized by distinct percolative patterns. From Monte-Carlo simulations of the directed percolation (DP) and the contact process (CP) we demonstrate the emergence of those patterns at specific critical points as a result of continuous phase transitions.These geometric transitions belong to the DP universality class and their nonlocal order parameters are the capacities of corresponding backbones. The multitude of conceivable percolative ordering patterns implies the existence of infinite cascades of such transitions in the models considered. We conjecture that such cascades of transitions is a generic feature of percolation as well as many other transitions with non-local order parameters.

The condensation of bosons can induce transitions between topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). This as been previously investigated through the formalism of Frobenius algebras and with the use of Vertex lifting coefficients. I will discuss an alternative, algebraic approach to boson condensation in TQFTs that is physically motivated and computationally efficient. With a minimal set of assumptions, such as commutativity of the condensation with the fusion of anyons, we can prove a number of theorems linking boson condensation in TQFTs with algebra extensions in conformal field theories and with the problem of factorization of completely positive matrices over the positive integers. I will present an algorithm for obtaining a condensed theory fusion algebra and its modular matrices. In addition, I will discuss how this formalism can be used to build multi-layer TQFTs which could be a starting point to build three-dimensional topologically ordered phases. Using this formalism, I will also give examples of bosons that cannot undergo a condensation transition due to topological obstructions.

In this talk, I will revise some of the aspects that lead isolated interacting quantum systems to thermalize.

In the presence of disorder, however, the thermalization process fails resulting in a phenomena where 

transport is suppressed known as many-body localization. Unlike the standard Anderson localization for 

non-interacting systems, the delocalized (ergodic) phase is very robust against disorder even for moderate

values of interaction. Another interesting aspect of the many-body localization phase is that under the time

evolution of the quenched disorder, information present in the initial state may survive for arbitrarily long times.

This was recently used as a probe of many-body localization of ultracold fermions in optical lattices

with quasi-periodic disorder [1]. Here, we will stress that this analysis may suffer from substantial finite-size effects 

after comparing with the numerical results in one-dimensional Hubbard chains [2].

References:

[1] - M.Schreiber, S. S. Hodgman,. P. Bordia,.H. P. Lüschen, M. H. Fischer, R. Vosk, E. Altman, U. Schneider, I. Bloch, Science 349, 842 (2015)

[2] - Rubem Mondaini and Marcos Rigol, Phys. Rev. A 92, 041601(R) (2015)