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Thursday 24 September

Other Condensed Matter

Geometry-Induced Effective Tight-Binding Hamiltonians for Phononic Systems: Mode Conversion and SSH-Like Physics

We present a framework that maps harmonic vibrational systems onto effective multi-orbital tight-binding Hamiltonians, establishing a direct correspondence between phononic degrees of freedom and graph-based lattice models. Within this mapping, the Cartesian displacement components of each mass become internal orbitals, while elastic interactions generate effective onsite energies and hopping amplitudes determined by the geometry of the system. This representation enables the application of numerical and conceptual tools originally developed for electronic transport to the study of phononic systems. The method is first applied to a monoatomic chain containing an angular bend. For this benchmark system, analytical expressions for the polarization-resolved transmission and reflection probabilities are derived and compared against calculations performed using a recursive scattering-matrix method within the mapped tight-binding representation. Excellent agreement is obtained, validating the mapping and demonstrating its ability to describe geometry-induced mode conversion and the influence of evanescent states. We then investigate zigzag chains, where alternating bond orientations generate effective dimerized Hamiltonians reminiscent of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model. Although the uniform zigzag chain develops a spectral gap, no localized edge states are observed. We show that modified boundary parameters generated by the phononic mapping suppress the edge-state formation expected from the ideal SSH picture. Introducing a geometric domain wall restores localized domain-wall states inside the gap, which give rise to resonant transmission channels across an otherwise insulating frequency window. The resonance energies remain robust against system-size variations and the corresponding transmission approaches unity.
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Wednesday 23 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from hep-lat

Larger physical volume and bounds on the number of matter fields in noncompact gauge theories on a lattice

The work was motivated by the numerical result that in a pure SU(2) gauge theory the ratio R of the effective non-compact and compact lattice spacing is larger than 1 and increasing with decreasing gauge coupling, as well as the expectation that it should further increase extending the parameter space. This means that with a noncompact regularization, at given number of lattice sites and comparable scaling, one can obtain a larger physical volume, whose importance for the control of size effects has long been known. We confirm qualitatively results and expectation by a perturbative evaluation of the effective lattice spacing in an expansion in the Plank constant of non-compact pure SU(2) and Abelian gauge theories, but we find in addition that R reaches the maximum value of sqrt(2). Including matter fields we find that R increases ( still up to sqrt(2) ) or decreases depending on the difference between the number of scalar and spinor degrees of freedom, and there are bounds on such a difference.
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Other Condensed Matter

Resonantly Enhanced Multiphonon Scattering and Local Orbital-Phonon Coupling in Bulk and Thin Flakes of 2D Single Crystals of Antiferromagnetic (NixFe1-x)2P2S6

Orbital degrees of freedom play a pivotal role in shaping the physical properties of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals magnetic systems, strongly influencing electron-phonon coupling and intermediate-state dynamics. In this study, we present a comprehensive temperature and thickness-dependent Raman investigation of the single crystals of 2D van der Waals antiferromagnetic series (NixFe1-x)2P2S6. Utilizing Raman spectroscopy, we explore the interplay between local orbital excitations and lattice vibrations, observing higher-order phonon modes extending up to the fourth order. We observe an anomalously high and weakly temperature-dependent intensity ratio of these higher-order modes relative to low-energy first-order phonons. Theoretical cluster calculations and Franck-Condon modelling reveal that these features originate from resonantly enhanced multiphonon scattering mediated by localized intermediate Ni 3d8 multiplet excitations. The local orbital occupancy of these intermediate states couples strongly to lattice coordinates, providing a selective enhancement mechanism for specific phonon channels. Notably, these higher-order features are absent in the end-member Fe2P2S6. This distinction reflects the charge-transfer character of Ni2P2S6, which places optical transitions in resonance with local multiplet states, contrasted with the Mott-Hubbard insulator regime in Fe-rich analogues. Our findings clarify the microscopic origin of high-frequency Raman scattering in transition metal thiophosphates and underscore the central role of local orbital-phonon interactions in 2D correlated magnets.
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All authors Nasaru Khan, Miłosz Rybak, Yuliia Shemerliuk, Sebastian Selter, Bernd Büchner, Saicharan Aswartham, Krzysztof Wohlfeld, Pradeep Kumar

Other Condensed Matter

THz-Driven Quantum Ionic Magnetism in a Quantum Paraelectric SrTiO3

Magnetic moments carried by rotating ionic motion in crystals are becoming recognized as an important contribution to magnetism, angular momentum transport, and optical activity. However, efficient approaches to their dynamical control are lacking. Here, we report THz-driven generation and optical detection of quantum ionic magnetism in quantum paraelectric SrTiO3. We observe an oscillatory ionic magnetization without a corresponding oscillatory polarization, contradicting from the classical relation M~PXdP/dt while its suppression above the quantum paraelectric regime points to a quantum ionic origin. Analysis shows that this effect results from the beating between quantum ionic eigenstates whose degeneracy is lifted due to the directional symmetry breaking by the THz pulse. The presented approach provides a pathway for the ultrafast control of ionic magnetization in quantum materials for spintronic and thermotronic applications.
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All authors In Hyeok Choi, Sergei Urazhdin, Man Tou Wong, Zi-Jie Liu, Keith A. Nelson

Tuesday 22 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.stat-mech

A Statistical Analysis of Diffusion Dynamics in Networks

Network diffusion is a well-known model for studying how a quantity in a network propagates to reach a steady state, where its value becomes uniformly distributed across all nodes. Previous studies of network diffusion have mainly focused on the second-smallest eigenvalue of the network Laplacian to determine the timescale associated with the slowest decaying mode. However, this study investigates the eigenspectrum of the network Laplacian in terms of its statistical properties. This method is useful for studying the statistical properties of network diffusion without calculating all eigenvalues, which can be useful for large networks. Additionally, this study introduces a condition under which the system is less diffusive and investigates how changes in the network structure influence the overall diffusion dynamics.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Lattice Lindbladian simulation by patching and merging

Simulating the dynamics of dissipative quantum many-body systems governed by local Lindbladians is a fundamental task in quantum computation. While the near-optimal gate count has been achieved for Hamiltonian simulation, comparable results for Lindbladian simulation remain elusive. In this work, we develop quantum algorithms for lattice Lindbladians by exploiting their locality. First, we consider sparsely dissipative systems, in which the dissipation is sparsely located, including boundary-driven systems. We establish a near-optimal quantum algorithm for their dynamics with gate count $O(Nt \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$, where $N$ is the system size, $t$ is the evolution time, and $\varepsilon$ is the allowable error. We then consider generic lattice Lindbladians with finite-range interactions and dissipation, and develop an algorithm for simulating time-evolved observables with gate count $O((Nt)^{4/3} \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$ per sample with the sampling complexity $\Theta(\varepsilon^{-2})$. The gate count has the smallest known dependence on the system size among algorithms retaining polylogarithmic dependence on $1/\varepsilon$. Our algorithms are based on two techniques that exploit locality: patching and merging. Patching decomposes dissipative dynamics into dynamics on subsystems with exponentially small error, generalizing a key idea underlying the Haah-Hastings-Kothari-Low algorithm for near-optimal Hamiltonian simulation. Merging absorbs reversed dissipative dynamics into other parts of the evolution, substantially reducing the overhead associated with quasi-probabilistic sampling. These results demonstrate that locality can be fully exploited to achieve fast quantum simulation of dissipative many-body dynamics, opening the way to applications such as predicting nonequilibrium phenomena and preparing desirable quantum states.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.dis-nn

Measure-zero delocalization in the complex plane: exact mobility arcs in a non-Hermitian off-diagonal quasiperiodic lattice

We investigate Anderson localization in a one-dimensional lattice with non-Hermitian off-diagonal quasiperiodic disorder, extending a recently studied Hermitian mosaic model to the non-Hermitian regime. Using Avila's global theory, we derive the exact Lyapunov exponent and the complete phase diagram in the complex energy plane. This work contains two central findings. First, we discover mobility arcs—open curved segments in the complex plane—as a new class of mobility edges and the generic form of open mobility edges, which coexist with closed mobility rings in a complementary parameter regime. These arcs share the same localization physics as the previously reported mobility lines: eigenstates are delocalized if and only if their energies lie exactly on these sets; any deviation yields localized states. This constitutes a striking measure-zero delocalization phenomenon: delocalized states occupy only zero-measure sets (arcs or lines) in the complex plane, in sharp contrast to the mobility rings, which enclose a finite-area region of delocalized states. Second, we reveal that mobility rings, arcs, and lines all share a common mathematical origin in the generalized Joukowski transformation $P(E) = \frac{1}{2}(u - w^2/u)$, rooted in the algebraic structure of the underlying polynomial: the preimage of the boundary of an elliptical region under the polynomial map $P(E)$ gives the rings, while the branch cut inside this ellipse gives rise to the mobility arcs and lines in the complementary parameter regime.
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Monday 21 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.supr-con

Weyl Chirality and Kitaev Topology through Bargmann Invariants

We apply a finite-state geometric formulation based on Bargmann invariants to a two-band Weyl Hamiltonian and the one-dimensional Kitaev model of a p-wave superconductor. For the Weyl system, a symmetry-antisymmetrized third-order Bargmann combination selects the chirality-sensitive component of the local pseudospin geometry and extends to a two-band lattice Weyl model. For the Kitaev chain, a normalized ratio involving a third-order Bargmann invariant and a second-order overlap factor removes the dependence on an intermediate state and reproduces the $Z_2$ distinction between its two gapped phases. We further construct a fourth-order loop connecting localized Majorana edge-mode profiles with finite-energy BdG states and an alternating fourth-order loop involving opposite Weyl pseudospin sectors. These constructions illustrate how suitable Bargmann combinations can probe chirality-sensitive, topological, and higher-order geometric information directly through quantum-state overlaps, providing an alternative state-based route without requiring a continuous description of the underlying state-space geometry.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from hep-ph

A Unitary Fixed Point Away from Threshold: Momentum-Surface EFT for Strong Mixing

Radiative capture in a non-relativistic system can become non-perturbative even when the underlying transition interaction is weak. We demonstrate this mechanism in a simple quantum-mechanical two-channel model with a systematic power counting, where strong mixing between scattering and bound states develops in a narrow region around a finite momentum $k_0$, leading to a perturbative violation of unitarity. In this regime, the enhanced contributions factorize, reducing the dynamics to a free scattering state interacting through a strong local coupling. Under RG evolution in the factorization scale, this local interaction approaches a unitary fixed point, analogous to that of systems with an anomalously large scattering length. This motivates an EFT organized around the finite-momentum surface $|\mathbf{k}|=k_0$, describing fermions at unitarity with a linear dispersion relation. The resummation resulting from the EFT restores unitarity and provides a systematic expansion for both elastic scattering and radiative capture.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall

Collective Coordinate Dynamics of Antiferromagnet: Gravity by Quantum Metric

The collective coordinate dynamics of antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic textures emerges as a geodesic equation governed by the quantum geometry of the CP$^1$ state associated with the Néel vector, rendering an effective Riemannian gravity and a Lorentz force in the texture motion. This unveils a physical scenario fundamentally distinct from the Thiele equation widely used for ferromagnetic textures, which is inertialess without any gravity analogy. Applying our framework to an optically driven ultrafast antiferromagnetic domain wall, we can explain the helicity-dependent asymmetric motion observed experimentally and predict a vibrantly breathing wall width.
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Sunday 20 September

Other Condensed Matter

THz Spectroscopy of Urine Vapors from Patients with Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Critical Review and Statistical Reanalysis

The cancer specificity of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) motivates complementary, non-invasive approaches to prostate disease assessment. Building on reported high-resolution terahertz (THz) analysis of urine-derived products, this review integrates spectroscopic evidence with a statistical reanalysis of clinical data from 24 patients with prostate cancer (PC) and 14 with histologically confirmed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Nonparametric statistical comparison shows higher PSA levels in PC, while overlapping patient distributions and receiver-operating-characteristic analysis with bootstrap uncertainty estimation demonstrate incomplete discrimination from BPH. Fast frequency-sweep spectroscopy characterizes urine-derived volatile and thermal-decomposition products, distinguishing compounds shared between groups from candidate PC-associated assignments, including glycolaldehyde, butyronitrile, pentanenitrile and methyl isocyanate. Glycolaldehyde has been detected by urinary carbonyl profiling, while benzaldehyde and phenol have been reported in urinary volatile studies. Related aldehydes identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and glycine-associated metabolites reported in proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies provide complementary chemical and metabolic context. These correspondences support plausibility of THz findings without establishing PC specificity. Together, the dataset, statistical assessment and comparative literature synthesis support THz urine spectroscopy as a platform for molecular discovery and candidate prioritization. Standardized sample preparation, separation of native urinary constituents from processing-derived products, and validation in independent cohorts remain necessary.
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All authors V. A. Atduev, A. V. Maslennikova, V. L. Vaks, A. P. Bavrina, E. G. Domracheva, M. B. Chernyaeva, V. A. Anfertev, K. A. Atduev, Y. Tawalbeh, M. F. Pereira

Other Condensed Matter

Matching Rules for a Three-Dimensional Strongly Aperiodic Monotile

A recent pre-print [arXiv:2609.19214] proposed a three-dimensional (3D) strongly aperiodic monotile: a shape that tiles Euclidean space only non-periodically and which admits no symmetry of infinite order. The proof takes the 3D Chair tile identified previously by Lee and Moody, and adds geometric decorations to the faces so as to force non-periodicity (without these decorations The Chair also admits periodic tilings). Here we establish general requirements on face decorations to achieve the same end, in order to facilitate the search for physical realisations. We find that the requirements are minimal. We provide matching rules using three colours of arrow that are equivalent to the original rules, in that they force the same local and global configurations. These rules force Chairs to compose into `Superchairs' with doubled linear dimensions. In this process the matching rules themselves compose uniquely. We find that the same global structure can be forced using simpler rules based on the colours of squares, regardless of orientation. Any physical system encoding these rules (geometrically or otherwise) will force the same strongly aperiodic monotilings. We provide simple examples.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall

Sub-Thermionic Switching in a Negative-Capacitance Bandgap-Change Field-Effect Transistor

Overcoming the approximately 60~mV/dec Boltzmann limit of the subthreshold swing remains a central challenge for low-power nanoelectronics. Negative-capacitance field-effect transistors address it by amplifying the channel potential, but their effectiveness is constrained by capacitance matching and by the quantum capacitance of conventional channels. Here we model a negative-capacitance bandgap-change field-effect transistor (NC-BCFET), in which the ferroelectric gate stack instead amplifies the electric field that opens the bandgap of the channel, using experimentally proven materials: bilayer graphene as a channel with an electrically tunable bandgap and Al$_{0.55}$Sc$_{0.45}$N as the negative-capacitance ferroelectric. Our self-consistent framework couples a four-band tight-binding Hamiltonian with GW-corrected screening, a quasistatic Landau–Devonshire ferroelectric response, and ballistic Landauer–Büttiker transport. Negative capacitance amplifies the interlayer potential difference, compressing the switching window 37-fold relative to a dielectric-gated control. At 300~K, the optimized NC-BCFET achieves a subthreshold swing of 15~mV/dec, four times below the Boltzmann limit, improving to 2.5~mV/dec at 100~K. The room-temperature on/off ratio is limited to $\sim 10^{2}$ by the bandgap of bilayer graphene. The concept extends directly to materials with larger field-tunable bandgaps, where deep subthermionic switching and high on/off ratios can be achieved together at room temperature.
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All authors Rahul B Awale, Mike Klymenko, Yuefeng Yin, Nikhil V Medhekar, Bhaskaran Muralidharan, Michael S Fuhrer

Friday 18 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.soft

Two-Stage Ordering Kinetics in Binary Mixtures of Ellipsoidal Particles

We investigate the nonequilibrium phase-ordering kinetics of a binary mixture of uniaxial ellipsoidal particles interacting via the anisotropic Gay-Berne potential using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Following a temperature quench from the isotropic and homogeneous phase into the coexistence region, the system exhibits two distinct ordering processes occurring on different time scales. At first, rapid orientational ordering leads to the formation and coarsening of nematic domains, characterized by dynamical scaling, generalized Porod-law behavior, and a growth law $\ell(t) \sim t^{1/2}$ consistent with nonconserved order-parameter dynamics. Later, the system undergoes binary phase separation driven by compositional fluctuations. This compositional ordering process shows a transition from diffusive growth $\ell(t) \sim t^{1/3}$ to hydrodynamic regimes, with finite-size scaling analysis indicating asymptotic viscous growth $\ell(t) \sim t$. Despite the presence of global orientational order, the phase-separation kinetics remains effectively isotropic. These results demonstrate a clear separation between orientational and compositional ordering dynamics, governed by distinct conservation laws, and provide a unified framework for understanding phase ordering in anisotropic particle systems.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Spin-Boson Mappings in the Formalism of $f$-Deformations

We develop a unified algebraic approach to spin-boson transformations based on the formalism of $f$-deformed oscillators. In the single-mode case, we show that the Holstein-Primakoff and Dyson-Maleev transformations, together with the interpolating $\alpha$-family, arise as different factorizations of the same algebraically determined object. The standard spin-boson mappings can thus be interpreted as realizations of a common structure, which makes it possible to clearly separate the exact algebraic content on the physical subspace from effects associated with non-Hermiticity, the choice of metric, and extensions beyond the physical subspace. In the two-mode case, the same approach yields both deformed versions of the Jordan-Schwinger transformation and new exact two-mode realizations. Our results provide a unified description of known spin-boson transformations and naturally lead to new bosonic representations.
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All authors Vladimir A. Orlov, Liubov A. Markovich, Andrey V. Mikheyenkov, Vladimir I. Man'ko

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Laser-Ablated Au Electrodes with Preferred Orientation and Flat Interface on Oxides

Gold (Au) thin-film electrodes deposited on oxides by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) exhibit distinctive structural properties compared with thermally evaporated Au films. While thermally evaporated Au forms polycrystalline films with randomly oriented grains, PLD-grown Au films show a strong preferred [111] orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface, likely due to the energetic nature of the laser-ablated Au plume. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals atomically flat interfaces between the PLD-grown Au electrodes and epitaxial oxide thin films, separated by nanometer-scale gaps comparable to interlayer spacings in van der Waals materials. The highly ordered microstructure and flat interfacial morphology result in enhanced adhesion of the Au films to oxide surfaces. These results demonstrate that PLD can produce both high-quality Au electrodes and oxide thin films within a single deposition platform, offering improved interfacial control and potential benefits for a wide range of oxide electronic and functional devices.
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All authors Ambrose Seo, Richard Lai, Sujan Shrestha, Tina Tong, Joseph W. Brill, Menglin Zhu, Chris Chae, Jinwoo Hwang

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall

Non-Hermitian impurity scattering in graphene: Boltzmann transport and thermoelectric response

We investigate charge and thermoelectric transport in monolayer graphene containing a dilute distribution of finite-range non-Hermitian scattering centers. The impurities are modeled as circular complex potentials, whose imaginary component describes local carrier loss or gain. By solving the Dirac scattering problem exactly within a partial-wave approach, we obtain the nonunitary scattering matrix and derive the transport and absorption cross sections, which separately characterize momentum relaxation and net carrier exchange with the environment. To connect the microscopic scattering problem with stationary transport, we formulate a semiclassical Boltzmann description in which an external reservoir compensates the equilibrium particle loss or gain. This leads to an effective relaxation time governed by both elastic momentum scattering and non-Hermitian flux exchange. Using the full energy-dependent relaxation time, we evaluate the Onsager coefficients and the resulting electrical conductivity, electronic thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, Lorenz ratio, and electronic thermoelectric figure of merit. We find that weak gain increases the effective carrier lifetime and enhances both charge and heat conductivities, while absorption produces the opposite behavior. More importantly, gain enhances the magnitude of the thermopower and the electronic figure of merit, whereas loss suppresses them. The Lorenz ratio remains close to the Sommerfeld value, with non-Hermiticity mainly modifying its finite-temperature corrections. Our results show that non-Hermitian scattering provides an additional mechanism for controlling the energy dependence of carrier relaxation and, consequently, the thermoelectric response of graphene.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Symmetry Properties of Bound States in the Continuum in Hexagonal Lattice Photonic Crystal Slabs

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) within photonic crystal (PhC) cavities realise the full confinement of light despite lying within the continuum of radiation modes. While their diverse practical applications has attracted considerable research interest, developing the fundamental understanding of BICs is important for the design of future devices. This paper uses a group theoretical approach to determine the basis functions of the irreducible representations (irreps) of a PhC with the symmetry of the $C_{6v}$ space group, from which the spatial distribution of the electromagnetic fields within the cavity can be determined. Furthermore, the reflection parity of the electric field and a $k \cdot p$ perturbation theory approach are used to determine the far-field polarisation of each irrep. The $k \cdot p$ perturbation explains why the $E_2$ irrep has a topological charge of $-2$, as well as showing that a topological charge does not necessarily indicate the presence of a BIC. Additionally, it is found that the quality factor of the modes do not necessarily scale as $Q \propto 1/|k|^{2|q|}$, but are instead dependent on the coupling to the radiative mode in the $k \cdot p$ perturbation, which is determined from the symmetry of each irrep.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Semiclassical Arrhenius law for quantum-thermal escape rates

The quantum-thermal escape rate from a metastable well in the absence of dissipation is customarily written as a Boltzmann average of the Hill-Wheeler flux over a continuum of energies. However, this continuum treatment diverges exponentially at low temperature. The divergence originates in a mismatch between a quantum partition function and a classical flux integral; retaining the discrete nature of the quasibound spectrum removes it exactly, and the resulting semiclassical Arrhenius law is obtained in closed form on both sides of the crossover temperature. Evaluating a uniform Kemble transmission probability on Bohr-Sommerfeld levels further recovers the standard WKB decay rate of the lowest resonance at zero temperature. Benchmarked against the resonances of cubic and quintic potentials, obtained by complex scaling, this uniform semiclassical result stays within $9\%$ of the exact rate over eleven orders of magnitude.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Weighted Berry curvature and global geometry of mixed quantum states

We examine the geometric interpretation of the quantum geometric tensor proposed in [Phys. Rev. B 110, 035404 (2024)] for mixed quantum states, focusing on its imaginary part, which is proportional to a weighted sum of the Berry curvatures of the eigenstates of the density operator. While the real part naturally decomposes into Fisher–Rao and weighted Fubini–Study contributions, we show that the imaginary part does not, in general, coincide with the curvature of a connection on a globally defined U(1) line bundle whose holonomy yields a mixed-state geometric phase. Using a two-level system as an explicit example, we demonstrate that its surface integral depends on the choice of surface bounded by the same closed path, with ambiguities that are not integer multiples of $2\pi$.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mtrl-sci

The Critical Role of Itinerant Contributions to Orbital Angular Momentum Relaxation and Dynamics

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a promising degree of freedom for low-dissipation transport and magnetization control, yet its relaxation mechanisms remain controversial, with atomcentered approximations (ACA) predicting much shorter OAM diffusion lengths than experiments. We address this discrepancy using first-principles Lindbladian density-matrix dynamics, capturing electron-phonon scattering and itinerant OAM contributions, together with a first-principles parameterized tight-binding approach that separates the ACA and itinerant components. In MoS2,a strong-spin-orbit-coupling (SOC) system, orbital relaxation is multi-timescale, with fast intervalley redistribution followed by slower decay coupled to the spin. In weak-SOC silicene, spin and orbital dynamics decouple; an electric field tunes spin relaxation while leaving orbital lifetimes unchanged. In both materials, ACA orbital lifetimes are at least one order of magnitude shorter than itinerant ones, due to ultrafast precession driven by crystal-field splitting, absent from the itinerant component. These results demonstrate that going beyond atom-centered models is essential for describing orbital relaxation and diffusion.
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All authors Andrew C. Grieder, Luis M. Canonico, Frederico Simões, Aron W. Cummings, Yuan Ping

Thursday 17 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall

Disorder-induced modulation of the nonlinear Hall effect in Weyl semimetals

We study the effects of impurity scattering on the nonlinear Hall response of Weyl semimetals within the semiclassical Boltzmann approach. We derive the rectified and second-harmonic conductivity tensors for a general momentum-dependent transport relaxation time and evaluate this quantity microscopically for short-range, Gaussian, screened Coulomb, and magnetic impurities. For scalar disorder, the relaxation time is isotropic and chirality independent. The nonlinear Hall response is then determined by the anomalous velocity associated with the Berry curvature, and a finite net response requires energetically inequivalent Weyl nodes to avoid cancellation between opposite chiralities. Polarized magnetic impurities lead to a qualitatively different behavior. We find that interference between the first- and second-order Born amplitudes generates a helicity-dependent anisotropic correction to the relaxation time. This anisotropy changes the tensor structure of the nonlinear Hall conductivity and gives rise to a finite second-harmonic current for suitable orientations of the electric field relative to the impurity polarization. For representative parameters, however, the anisotropic contribution is several orders of magnitude smaller than the dominant isotropic response. These results establish how the microscopic form of impurity scattering enters the nonlinear Hall response of Weyl semimetals through the transport relaxation time.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mtrl-sci

A Computational Method to Simulate Electrostatic Actuation in Polycatenated Architected Materials

A novel class of polycatenated architected materials (PAMs) has recently emerged, exhibiting distinctive mechanical properties such as stress-strain hysteresis and a geometry-driven transition between solid-like and fluid-like behavior. Although finite element models exist for conventional PAMs, none currently account for electrostatic effects. Here, we propose and qualitatively validate a computational framework to simulate the structure, dynamics, and mechanical response of electrostatically charged PAMs. Our approach successfully reproduces electrostatic actuation in close agreement with experiments, and reveals that electrostatic charges enable a reversible fluid-to-solid transition while also providing a means to estimate electrostatic stiffness. Notably, stiffness enhancements of up to sevenfold are achieved upon charging. This work expands the design space of PAMs and offers a predictive tool for actively controllable mechanical metamaterials.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

Universality of the $1/9$ Magnetization Plateau and Quantum-Disordered States in the Kagome Family $\mathrm{Cs_8AB_3Ti_{12}F_{48}}$ ($A=\mathrm{Rb},\mathrm{Li}$; $B=\mathrm{K},\mathrm{Na}$)

The microscopic origin of the low-field $1/9$ magnetization plateau in spin-$1/2$ kagome antiferromagnets remains unresolved. Here, we show that chemical pressure reshapes the hierarchy of fractional magnetization plateaus in the titanium-based kagome family $\mathrm{Cs_8AB_3Ti_{12}F_{48}}$ ($A=\mathrm{Rb},\mathrm{Li}$; $B=\mathrm{K},\mathrm{Na}$). High-field magnetization measurements up to 60 T reveal a robust $1/9$ plateau-like phase in the expanded $\mathrm{Cs_8RbK_3Ti_{12}F_{48}}$ and $\mathrm{Cs_8LiK_3Ti_{12}F_{48}}$ compounds, despite the absence of the conventionally more robust $1/3$ plateau. In contrast, compressed $\mathrm{Cs_8LiNa_3Ti_{12}F_{48}}$ exhibits neither the $1/9$ plateau-like phase nor a quantum-disordered ground state. Specific-heat measurements and first-principles calculations show that lattice expansion preserves a frustrated, fully connected kagome exchange network and gapless quantum-disordered ground states, whereas compression reorganizes the exchange network into weakly coupled quasi-one-dimensional subsystems and induces successive magnetic transitions. These results demonstrate that the $1/9$ and $1/3$ plateaus need not share a common microscopic origin and suggest that the $1/9$ plateau may represent a more universal feature of frustrated spin-$1/2$ kagome magnetism.
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All authors Prena Chaudhary, Asiri Thennakoon, Tommy Park, Hanru Wang, Leshan Zhao, Laurel Winter, Neil Herrison, Christina Hoffmann, Junghong H. He, Harald O. Jeschke, Hiroyuki Nojiri, Akira Matsuo, Koichi Kindo, Miwako Takahashi, Yukio Noda, Taku J. Sato, Shiyan Li, Hiroaki Ueda, Gia-Wei Chern, Seung-Hun Lee

Wednesday 16 September

Other Condensed Matter

Momentum-dependent precessional and nutational spin pumping in a honeycomb antiferromagnet

The ultrafast magnetic inertial dynamics on subpicosecond timescales generate an additional high-frequency terahertz nutational resonance. Here, we investigate momentum-resolved spin pumping in a two-dimensional honeycomb antiferromagnet by incorporating spin inertia into the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. Using a microscopic two-sublattice model with $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_3$ exchange interactions, we calculate the precessional and nutational magnon spectra and their corresponding intra- and inter-sublattice spin pumping contributions throughout the Brillouin zone. For parameters representative of MnPS$_3$, we find a pronounced complementary momentum dependence of the two spin pumping channels: the precessional current is strongly suppressed around the $\Gamma$ point ($0.01\%$) and increases towards the Brillouin zone boundary ($100\%$ at $K$ and $87\%$ at $M$), whereas the nutational current is largest near $\Gamma$ ($100\%$) and decreases towards the boundary ($68\%$ at $K$ and $69\%$ at $M$). This contrasting momentum dependence provides a means of distinguishing spin nutation from conventional precessional motion. We further demonstrate that the nutational spin pumping current is strongly controlled by the inertial relaxation time $\eta$, in contrast to the comparatively weak $\eta$ dependence of the precessional current. In the small-$\eta$ regime, our analytical results show that the intra-sublattice nutational spin pumping current exhibits a leading-order dependence of $1/\eta^3$. The spin pumping response can also be tuned through the exchange interaction strengths and magnetic moment. Our further results on the magnetic field dependence of spin pumping reveal that the ratio of nutational spin pumping current increases with magnetic field strength, whereas the corresponding precessional counterpart decreases.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Complex magnetic properties of EuAgAs single crystals

EuAgAs is an antiferromagnetic topological material exhibiting intriguing magnetic behavior. We investigate its structural, magnetic, and local electronic properties using X ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, and heat capacity measurements. The results confirm antiferromagnetic ordering below $T_\text{N}$ and reveal pronounced magnetic anisotropy and several field induced metamagnetic transitions. We construct the magnetic phase diagram of EuAgAs, identifying several distinct magnetic regions. The field and temperature dependent behavior observed suggests a noncollinear magnetic structure in the low field regime. The sequence of field induced transitions resembles that observed in centrosymmetric rare earth compounds hosting skyrmion phases, suggesting that competing magnetic interactions may play an important role in stabilizing the observed magnetic states.
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All authors Karolina Kowalczyk, Kamila Komędera, Janusz Przewoźnik, Łukasz Gondek, Czesław Kapusta, Wojciech Tabiś, Michał Babij, Lan Maria Tran, Damian Rybicki

Other Condensed Matter

Chern Insulators on a Twisted Klein Bottle

Recently, momentum-space nonsymmorphic symmetries have attracted considerable attention. However, their realizations typically rely on fine-tuning hopping phases to satisfy the required projective symmetry algebras. Here, we show that such symmetry algebras arise naturally on bipartite lattices through the interplay of crystalline and sublattice symmetries. Unlike previously studied cases, these symmetry operators can anticommute with the Hamiltonian and are therefore referred to as momentum-space nonsymmorphic chiral symmetries. Although the free actions of these symmetries reduce the Brillouin torus to more elementary manifolds, the resulting manifolds are twisted in the Atiyah–Segal formalism. In particular, chiral glide reflection (screw rotation) gives rise to a twisted Klein bottle (dicosm) in two (three) dimensions, and this twisting dramatically alters the topological classification. Unlike the untwisted Klein bottle, whose nonorientability forces the Chern number to vanish, the twisted Klein bottle can host nonzero Chern numbers, corresponding to even Chern numbers on the torus. At open boundaries, the corresponding topological invariant manifests itself through chiral edge states exhibiting a glide-reflection structure in energy–momentum space. Our results establish momentum-space nonsymmorphic chiral symmetry as a new organizing principle for discovering and engineering topological phases beyond conventional crystalline classifications.
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Tuesday 15 September

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Conditions for the Emergence of Spontaneous Phonon Frequency Combs from Anharmonic Potentials

Phononic frequency combs have been demonstrated experimentally and theoretically in the kHz-MHz regime under nonlinear driving; however, their spontaneous formation in the GHz-THz regime remains rare. We investigate the spontaneous formation of frequency combs in van der Waals solid CrGeTe$_3$, where combs of spacing $\sim$2 cm$^{-1}$ were experimentally proposed to occur in a flat phonon mode but are now reported to originate from isotopic distribution. Our spectral energy density calculations using machine-learning-augmented molecular dynamics simulations show comb-like features with reduced spacings of $\sim$0.1 and 0.6 cm$^{-1}$ in the same mode at 50 and 200 K. However, the spacings of the comb-like features are comparable to the phonon linewidth, making precise identification of the frequency comb challenging. From a comprehensive analysis of different modes of CrGeTe$_3$, we identified two conditions to distinctively observe the combs beyond the experimental resolution: (i) an intramolecular or isolated mode with reasonably large third- or higher-order anharmonicity from phonon self-interaction and (ii) limited phonon scattering channels. Our analysis of other van der Waals solids highlighted that these conditions are met for the nearly flat intramolecular $E_{2g}$ and $A_{2u}$ phonon modes of WSe$_2$. The detailed calculations showed the formation of a spontaneous frequency comb with spacings of 1.7 and 0.67 cm$^{-1}$ from coherent superposition of four and five-phonon eigenstates in the $E_{2g}$ and $A_{2u}$ phonon modes, respectively. Available Raman scattering data of the $E_{2g}$ mode in the literature provide preliminary, if not conclusive, evidence of comb formation. Our findings offer a deeper understanding and open avenues for engineering long-lived phononic frequency combs for various practical applications.
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Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Adaptive Relational Learning on Multi-instance Quantum Data with Photonic Processors

Loading multiple quantum states in parallel into a quantum machine learning (QML) model can unlock learning tasks where key information resides in the relations between states rather than in individual states. We introduce an adaptive relational learning framework for such multi-instance quantum data that accesses pairwise and higher-order relations. Our model combines global measurements via SWAP or CYCLE tests for evaluating an $n$-state Bargmann invariant with shallow trainable transformations applied locally to each input state. We demonstrate the approach for continuous-variable (CV) photonic systems, which naturally provide access to quantum data and necessary computing operations. We solve tasks involving hidden relationship detection, geometric phase classification, and sensing in the presence of an unknown shared nuisance interaction. We benchmark the adaptive model against a non-adaptive “measure-first” approach based on continuous-variable classical shadows, and show that the cost of shadow estimation grows rapidly with $n$, while our model avoids this dependence. Already for $n=2$, we achieve perfect test accuracy $A=1.0$ with $500$ inference shots, improving average test accuracy over the shadow-based method by $\Delta A=0.15$ while using $100$ times fewer shots per data point. Our work opens routes to sensing and quantum-data applications where adaptive photonic QML can access relational features that are costly to recover with non-adaptive, measure-first models.
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All authors Marcin Jastrzebski, Shang Yu, Raj B. Patel, Oleksandr Kyriienko

Other Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from cond-mat.quant-gas

Weak ferromagnetism in the square-lattice Heisenberg $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_2^\prime$ model with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy

Motivated by recent experimental realizations of the Heisenberg model and two-dimensional altermagnetism using ultracold atoms in optical lattices, we systematically investigate the magnetic properties of the square-lattice Heisenberg $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_2^\prime$ model in the presence of easy-axis single-ion anisotropy $D$. Here, $J_1 (>0)$ is the nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange parameter, while $J_2$ and $J_2^\prime$ are two distinct next-nearest-neighbor superexchange parameters that alternate on the lattice. We perform numerical calculations of the sublattice magnetization, net magnetization, and critical temperature. Interestingly, the net magnetization is not identically zero at finite temperatures; its absolute value first increases and then decreases with increasing temperature, revealing a temperature-dependent weak ferromagnetism. We find that $J_2\not=J_2^\prime$ is the primary factor responsible for weak ferromagnetism at finite temperatures, while $D$ provides the necessary background for two-dimensional long-range magnetic ordering. Moreover, for a fixed $J_2+J_2^\prime$, we observe that a larger $|J_2-J_2^\prime|$ leads to a greater maximum net magnetization and critical temperature, as well as a broader temperature range for weak ferromagnetism. The difference between $J_2$ and $J_2^\prime$ originates from the distinct superexchange pathways between magnetic atoms, with these pathways mediated by two different types of nonmagnetic atoms. This mechanism, which differs from conventional ones such as the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, may be detectable in real materials.
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