Self-generated quantum gauge fields in arrays of Rydberg atoms

As shown in recent experiments [V. Lienhard et al., Phys. Rev. X 10, 021031 (2020)], spin-orbit coupling in systems of Rydberg atoms can give rise to density-dependent Peierls Phases in second-order hoppings of Rydberg spin excitations and nearest-neighbor (NN) repulsion. We here study theoretically a one-dimensional zig-zag ladder system of such spin-orbit coupled Rydberg atoms at half filling. The second-order hopping is shown to be associated with an effective gauge field, which in mean-field approximation is static and homogeneous. Beyond the mean-field level the gauge potential attains a transverse quantum component whose amplitude is dynamical and linked to density modulations. We here study the effects of this to the possible ground-state phases of the system. In a phase where strong repulsion leads to a density wave, we find that as a consequence of the induced quantum gauge field a regular pattern of current vortices is formed. However also in the absence of density-density interactions the quantum gauge field attains a non-vanishing amplitude. Above a certain critical strength of the second-order hopping the energy gain due to gauge-field induced transport overcomes the energy cost from the associated build-up of density modulations leading to a spontaneous generation of the quantum gauge field.

Late Time Acceleration of the Universe from Quantum Gravity

We show that the accelerating expansion phase of the universe can emerge from the group field theory formalism, a candidate theory of quantum gravity. The cosmological evolution can be extracted from condensate states using mean field approximation, in a form of modified FLRW equations. By introducing an effective equation of state w, we can reveal the relevant features of the evolution, and show that with proper choice of parameters, w will approach to −1, corresponds to the behaviour of cosmological constant, results in a late time acceleration and leads to de Sitter spacetime asymptotically.

Unraveling the origin of higher success probabilities in quantum annealing versus semi-classical annealing

Quantum annealing aims at finding optimal solutions to complex optimization problems using a suitable quantum many body Hamiltonian encoding the solution in its ground state. To find the solution one typically evolves the ground state of a soluble, simple initial Hamiltonian adiabatically to the ground state of the designated final Hamiltonian. Here we explore whether and when a full quantum representation of the dynamics leads to higher probability to end up in the desired ground when compared to a classical mean field approximation. As simple but nontrivial example we target the ground state of interacting bosons trapped in a tight binding lattice with small local defect by turning on long range interactions. Already two atoms in four sites interacting via two cavity modes prove complex enough to exhibit significant differences between the full quantum model and a mean field approximation for the cavity fields mediating the interactions. We find a large parameter region of highly successful quantum annealing, where the semi-classical approach largely fails. Here we see strong evidence for the importance of entanglement to end close to the optimal solution. The quantum model also reduces the minimal time for a high target occupation probability. Surprisingly, in contrast to naive expectations that enlarging the Hilbert space is beneficial, different numerical cut-offs of the Hilbert space reveal an improved performance for lower cut-offs, i.e. an nonphysical reduced Hilbert space, for short simulation times. Hence a less faithful representation of the full quantum dynamics sometimes creates a higher numerical success probability in even shorter time. However, a sufficiently high cut-off proves relevant to obtain near perfect fidelity for long simulations times in a single run. Overall our results exhibit a clear improvement to find the optimal solution based on a quantum model versus simulations based on a classical field approximation.

Inhomogeneous Phases in the Chirally Imbalanced 2+1-Dimensional Gross-Neveu Model and Their Absence in the Continuum Limit

We study the μ-μ45-T phase diagram of the 2+1-dimensional Gross-Neveu model, where μ denotes the ordinary chemical potential, μ45 the chiral chemical potential and T the temperature. We use the mean-field approximation and two different lattice regularizations with naive chiral fermions. An inhomogeneous phase at finite lattice spacing is found for one of the two regularizations. Our results suggest that there is no inhomogeneous phase in the continuum limit. We show that a chiral chemical potential is equivalent to an isospin chemical potential. Thus, all results presented in this work can also be interpreted in the context of isospin imbalance.

Plasticity as a Link Between Spatially Explicit, Distance-Independent, and Whole-Stand Forest Growth Models

Models at various levels of resolution are commonly used for both forest management and ecological research. They all have comparative advantages and disadvantages, making desirable a better understanding of the relationships between various approaches. Accounting for crown and root morphological plasticity in the limit where equilibrium among neighbors is reached (perfect plasticity) transforms spatial models into nonspatial, distance-independent versions. The links between spatial and nonspatial models obtained through a perfect plasticity assumption are more realistic than ignoring spatial structure by a mean field approximation. This article also reviews the connection between distance-independent models and size distributions and how distributions evolve over time and relate to whole-stand descriptions. In addition, some ways in which stand-level knowledge feeds back into detailed individual-tree formulations are demonstrated. This presentation is intended to be accessible to nonspecialists. Study Implications Introducing plasticity improves the representation of physio-ecological processes in spatial modelling. Plasticity explains in part the practical success of distance-independent models. The nature of size distributions and their relationship to individual-tree and whole-stand models are discussed. A size distribution is a one-variable distribution; joint distributions for two or more trees depend on the distances between them unless spatial structure is negligible. Limitations of current individual-tree models and questions for future research are discussed.

Microkinetic Modeling of CO2 and H2O Electrolysis on Ni in a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell: A Critical Evaluation

Solid oxide cells (SOC) are ideal candidates for the electrochemical conversion of H2O and CO2 into H2 and CO using renewable sources. This work develops different electrochemical models for the reduction of H2O and CO2 based on elementary step kinetics and discriminates them based on their ability to predict experimentally measured cell performances. The thermo-catalytic chemistry is represented using a micro kinetic model, which is coupled to the electrochemical model through the surface coverage terms. A one dimensional representation of SOC resolving the cell across the thickness of the electrodes is used for simulations. The source terms for the species transport equations are calculated using the micro kinetic model by applying mean field approximation. The discussion in the paper covers aspects related to parameter fitting, model development, solution methodology, model discrimination and identification of rate limiting step.

The pH-dependent Swelling of Weak Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels Modeled at Different Levels of Resolution

The swelling of polyelectrolyte hydrogels has been often explained using simple models derived from the Flory-Rehner model. While these models qualitatively predict the experimentally observed trends, they also introduce strong approximations and neglect some important contributions. Consequently, they sometimes incorrectly ascribe the observed trends to contributions which are of minor importance under the given conditions. In this work, we investigate the swelling properties of weak (pH-responsive) polyelectrolyte gels at various pH and salt concentrations, using a hierarchy of models, gradually introducing various approximations. For the first time, we introduce a three-dimensional particle-based model which accounts for the topology of the hydrogel network, for electrostatic interactions between gel segments and small ions and for acid-base equilibrium coupled to the Donnan partitioning of small ions. This model is the most accurate one, therefore, we use it as a reference when assessing the effect of various approximations. As the first approximation, we introduce the affine deformation, which allows us to replace the network of many chains by a single chain, while retaining the particle-based representation. In the next step, we use the mean-field approximation to replace particles by density fields, combining the Poisson-Boltzmann equation with elastic stretching of the chain. Finally, we introduce an ideal gel model by neglecting the electrostatics while retaining all other features of the previous model. Comparing predictions from all four models allows us to understand which contributions dominate at high or low pH or salt concentrations. We observe that the field-based models overestimate the ionization degree of the gel because they underestimate the electrostatic interactions. Nevertheless, a cancellation of effects on the electrostatic interactions and Donnan partitioning causes that both particle-based and field-based models consistently predict the swelling of the gels as a function of pH and salt concentration. Thus, we can conclude that any of the employed models can rationalize the known experimental trends in gel swelling, however, only the particle-based models fully account for the true effects causing these trends. The full understanding of differences between various models is important when interpreting experimental results in the framework of existing theories and for ascribing the observed trends to particular contributions, such as the Donnan partitioning of ions, osmotic pressure or electrostatic interactions.

The behaviors of the solutions of the quark gap equation in the NJL model with the self-consistent mean field approximation

In this paper, we use the self-consistent mean field approximation to study the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) phase transition. In the self-consistent mean field approximation of the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, a parameter [Formula: see text] is introduced, which reflects the weight of “direct” channel and the “exchange” channel and needs to be determined by experiments (as mentioned in a recent work [T. Zhao, W. Zheng, F. Wang, C.-M. Li, Y. Yan, Y.-F. Huang and H.-S. Zong, Phys. Rev. D 100, 043018 (2019)], the results with [Formula: see text] are in good agreement with astronomical observation data on the latest binary neutron star merging. This indicates that the contribution of “exchange” channel should be considered, and [Formula: see text] is a possible choice). By comparing the results with different parameter [Formula: see text]’s ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]), we study the influence of “exchange” channel on the behavior of the solutions of the quark gap equation and the critical point of chiral phase transition. Our results show that the second-order chiral phase turns to the crossover from the chiral limit to the non-chiral limit around [Formula: see text] in the case of [Formula: see text]. The difference of the quark mass with different [Formula: see text]’s mainly occurs in the intermediate temperatures for the different fixed chemical potentials. At zero temperature and the chemical potential [Formula: see text] there will be two solutions (including a meta-stable solution) of gap equation with [Formula: see text], and as [Formula: see text] increases it will be only one solution left (the meta-stable solution will disappear until [Formula: see text]). Besides, the discrepancy of the critical temperature (above which the pseudo-Wigner solution and negative Nambu solution will disappear) in the three cases of [Formula: see text] will become large when the chemical potential increases.

Inhomogeneous asymmetric exclusion processes between two reservoirs: large deviations for the local empirical observables in the mean-field approximation

For a given inhomogeneous exclusion processes on N sites between two reservoirs, the trajectories probabilities allow to identify the relevant local empirical observables and to obtain the corresponding rate function at level 2.5. In order to close the hierarchy of the empirical dynamics that appear in the stationarity constraints, we consider the simplest approximation, namely the mean-field approximation for the empirical density of two consecutive sites, in direct correspondence with the previously studied mean-field approximation for the steady state. For a given inhomogeneous totally asymmetric model, this mean-field approximation yields the large deviations for the joint distribution of the empirical density profile and of the empirical current around the mean-field steady state; the further explicit contraction over the current allows to obtain the large deviations of the empirical density profile alone. For a given inhomogeneous asymmetric model, the local empirical observables also involve the empirical activities of the links and of the reservoirs; the further explicit contraction over these activities yields the large deviations for the joint distribution of the empirical density profile and of the empirical current. The consequences for the large deviations properties of time-additive space-local observables are also discussed in both cases.