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At least 37 records · Page 2

Lieb-Robinson Light Cone for Power-Law Interactions

The Lieb-Robinson theorem states that information propagates with a finite velocity in quantum systems on a lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions. What are the speed limits on information propagation in quantum systems with power-law interactions, which decay as 1 / r α at distance r ? Here, we present a definitive answer to this question for all exponents α > 2 d and all spatial dimensions d . Schematically, information takes time at least r min { 1 , α - 2 d } to propagate a distance r . As recent state transfer protocols saturate this bound, our work closes a decades-long hunt for optimal Lieb-Robinson bounds on quantum information dynamics with power-law interactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A Converse to Lieb–Robinson Bounds in One Dimension Using Index Theory

Abstract Unitary dynamics with a strict causal cone (or “light cone”) have been studied extensively, under the name of quantum cellular automata (QCAs). In particular, QCAs in one dimension have been completely classified by an index theory. Physical systems often exhibit only approximate causal cones; Hamiltonian evolutions on the lattice satisfy Lieb–Robinson bounds rather than strict locality. This motivates us to study approximately locality preserving unitaries (ALPUs). We show that the index theory is robust and completely extends to one-dimensional ALPUs. As a consequence, we achieve a converse to the Lieb–Robinson bounds: any ALPU of index zero can be exactly generated by some time-dependent, quasi-local Hamiltonian in constant time. For the special case of finite chains with open boundaries, any unitary satisfying the Lieb–Robinson bound may be generated by such a Hamiltonian. We also discuss some results on the stability of operator algebras which may be of independent interest.

Physics↗

Higher-order kinematical effects in deeply virtual Compton scattering

We study the deeply virtual Compton scattering cross-section in twist-two generalized parton distribution (GPD) approximation, and show that different choices of light-cone vectors and gauges for the final photon polarization will lead to different higher-order kinematical corrections to the cross-section formula. The choice of light-cone vectors affects kinematic corrections at the twist-three level, accounting for the differences between the cross-section formulas in the literature. On the other hand, kinematical corrections from higher-twist GPDs should eliminate the light-cone dependence at twist three. Those light-cone dependencies are studied systematically at JLab 12 GeV and future EIC kinematics. They serve as the intrinsic systematic uncertainties in extracting the Compton form factors through the cross-section formula. More importantly, they are also necessary for understanding cross-section measurements with higher-twist precision and to reconstruct higher-order Compton form factors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Causal structure of interacting Weyl fermions in condensed matter systems

Abstract The spacetime light cone is central to the definition of causality in the theory of relativity. Recently, links between relativistic and condensed matter physics have been uncovered, where relativistic particles can emerge as quasiparticles in the energy-momentum space of matter. Here, we unveil an energy-momentum analogue of the spacetime light cone by mapping time to energy, space to momentum, and the light cone to the Weyl cone. We show that two Weyl quasiparticles can only interact to open a global energy gap if they lie in each other’s energy-momentum dispersion cones–analogous to two events that can only have a causal connection if they lie in each other’s light cones. Moreover, we demonstrate that the causality of surface chiral modes in quantum matter is entangled with the causality of bulk Weyl fermions. Furthermore, we identify a unique quantum horizon region and an associated ‘thick horizon’ in the emergent causal structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Tensor network simulations of quasi-GPDs in the massive Schwinger model

Generalized parton distribution functions (GPDs) are off-diagonal light-cone matrix elements that encode the internal structure of hadrons in terms of quark and gluon degrees of freedom. In this work, we present the first nonperturbative study of quasi-GPDs in the massive Schwinger model, quantum electrodynamics in 1+1 dimensions (QED 2 ), within the Hamiltonian formulation of lattice field theory. Quasidistributions are spatial correlation functions of boosted states, which approach the relevant light-cone distributions in the luminal limit. Using tensor networks, we prepare the first excited state in the strongly coupled regime and boost it to close to the light-cone on lattices of up to 400 lattice sites. We compute both quasiparton distribution functions and, for the first time, quasi-GPDs, and study their convergence for increasingly boosted states. In addition, we perform analytic calculations of GPDs in the two-particle Fock-space approximation and in the Reggeized limit, providing qualitative benchmarks for the tensor network results. Our analysis establishes computational benchmarks for accessing partonic observables in low-dimensional gauge theories, offering a starting point for future extensions to higher dimensions, non-Abelian theories, and quantum simulations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Spatial and momentum imaging of the pion and kaon

We determine the leading Fock state light front wave functions (LFWFs) of the pion and kaon via light front projections of the covariant Bethe-Salpeter wave function. Using these LFWFs we study the multidimensional images of the valence quarks in the pion and kaon that are provided by their generalized parton distribution functions (GPDs) and transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). Moments of the GPDs are taken to obtain the electromagnetic and gravitational form factors of the pion and kaon, and comparisons to available experimental and lattice data are made. Highlights from this study include predictions that the mean-squared impact parameter for the quarks in the pion and kaon are: ( b T 2 ) u π = 0.11 fm 2 , ( b T 2 ) s K = 0.08 fm 2 , and ( b T 2 ) u K = 0.13 fm 2 , and therefore the s quark in the kaon is much closer to the center of transverse momentum than the u quark. From the electromagnetic and gravitational form factors we find that the light-cone energy radii are about 60% smaller than the light-cone charge radii for each quark sector in the pion and kaon. A quantitative measure of the importance of the leading Fock state is obtained via comparison with a full Dyson-Schwinger equations calculation (containing an infinite tower of Fock states) for the pion form factor.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Magnetic excitations, nonclassicality, and quantum wake spin dynamics in the Hubbard chain

Recent work has demonstrated that quantum Fisher information (QFI), a witness of multipartite entanglement, and magnetic Van Hove correlations G(r,t), a probe of local real-space real-time spin dynamics, can be successfully extracted from inelastic neutron scattering on spin systems through accurate measurements of the dynamical spin structure factor S(k,ω). In this work, we apply theoretically these ideas to the half-filled Hubbard chain with nearest-neighbor hopping, away from the strong-coupling limit. This model has nontrivial redistribution of spectral weight in S(k,ω) going from the noninteracting limit (U = 0) to strong coupling (U→∞), where it reduces to the Heisenberg quantum spin chain. We use the density matrix renormalization group to find S(k,ω), from which QFI is then calculated. We find that QFI grows with U. With realistic energy resolution it becomes capable of witnessing bipartite entanglement above U=2.5 (in units of the hopping), where it also changes slope. This point is also proximate to slope changes of the bandwidth W(U) and the half-chain von Neumann entanglement entropy. We compute G(r,t) by Fourier transforming S(k,ω). The results indicate a crossover in the short-time short-distance dynamics at low U characterized by ferromagnetic light-cone wavefronts, to a Heisenberg-type behavior at large U featuring antiferromagnetic light cones and spatially period-doubled antiferromagnetism. We find this crossover has largely been completed by U=3. Our results thus provide evidence that, in several aspects, the strong-coupling limit of the Hubbard chain is reached qualitatively already at a relatively modest interaction strength. We discuss experimental candidates for observing the G(r,t) dynamics found at low U.

1-dimensional systems↗

Quantum entanglement correlations in double quark PDFs

Methods from Quantum Information Theory are used to scrutinize quantum correlations encoded in the two-quark density matrix over light-cone momentum fractions x 1 and x 2 . A nonperturbative three quark model light-cone wavefunction predicts significant nonclassical correlations associated with the “entanglement negativity” measure for asymmetric and small quark momentum fractions. We perform one step of QCD scale evolution of the entire density matrix, not just its diagonal (dPDF), by computing collinearly divergent corrections due to the emission of a gluon. Finally, we present first qualitative numerical results for single-step scale evolution of quantum entanglement correlations in double quark PDFs. At a higher Q 2 scale, the nonclassical correlations manifest in the dPDF for nearly symmetric momentum fractions.

Entanglement in field theory↗

Impact parameter dependence of color charge correlations in the proton

The impact parameter dependence of color charge correlators in the proton is obtained from the light front formalism in light cone gauge. We include NLO corrections due to the |qqqg\rangle | q q q g ⟩ Fock state via light-cone perturbation theory. Near the center of the proton, the b b -dependence of the correlations is very different from a ``transverse profile function’’. The resulting t t -dependence of exclusive J/\Psi J / Ψ photoproduction transitions from exponential to power law at |t| \approx 1 | t | ≈ 1 ~GeV ^2 2 . This prediction could be tested at upcoming DIS facilities or in nucleus-proton ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs).

Dumitru, Adrian↗

Universal Spreading of Conditional Mutual Information in Noisy Random Circuits

For this work, we study the evolution of conditional mutual information (CMI) in generic open quantum systems, focusing on one-dimensional random circuits with interspersed local noise. Unlike in noiseless circuits, where CMI spreads linearly while being bounded by the light cone, we find that noisy random circuits with an error rate 𝑝 exhibit superlinear propagation of CMI, which diverges far beyond the light cone at a critical circuit depth 𝑡 𝑐 ∝ 𝑝 −1 . We demonstrate that the underlying mechanism for such rapid spreading is the combined effect of local noise and a scrambling unitary, which selectively removes short-range correlations while preserving long-range correlations. To analytically capture the dynamics of CMI in noisy random circuits, we introduce a coarse-graining method, and we validate our theoretical results through numerical simulations. Furthermore, we identify a universal scaling law governing the spreading of CMI.

decoherence↗