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arXiv:1711.07972

Dynamic inhomogeneities and phase separation after quantum quenches in strongly correlated systems

Gia-Wei Chern

Published Nov 21, 2017• 0 citations
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Abstract

We present a Gutzwiller von Neumann dynamics (GvND) method for simulating equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena in strongly correlated electron systems. Our approach is a real-space formulation of the time-dependent Gutzwiller approximation method. Applying the GvND method to simulate interaction quenches in the Peierls-Hubbard model, we demonstrate the amplification of initial inhomogeneities, which in turn results in the collapse of quench-induced synchronized oscillation. Moreover, we find a dynamical phase transition separating two quasi-stationary regimes with rather distinct spatial distributions of physical quantities after the collapsed oscillation. In particular, in the strong-coupling regime, the system exhibits a dynamic phase separation in the quasi-stationary state. Our results thus underscore the importance of spatial fluctuations in the nonequilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated systems.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1711.07972

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We present a Gutzwiller von Neumann dynamics (GvND) method for simulating equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena in strongly correlated electron systems. Our approach is a real-space formulation of the time-dependent Gutzwiller approximation method. Applying the GvND method to simulate interaction quenches in the Peierls-Hubbard model, we demonstrate the amplification of initial inhomogeneities, which in turn results in the collapse of quench-induced synchronized oscillation. Moreover, we find a dynamical phase transition separating two quasi-stationary regimes with rather distinct spatial distributions of physical quantities after the collapsed oscillation. In particular, in the strong-coupling regime, the system exhibits a dynamic phase separation in the quasi-stationary state. Our results thus underscore the importance of spatial fluctuations in the nonequilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated systems.
Interaction quenches in strongly correlated electron systems provide a powerful route to probe nonequilibrium many-body dynamics. For the Hubbard model, nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory has revealed coherent post-quench oscillations, dynamical crossovers, and long-lived transient regimes. However, these studies are largely restricted to spatially homogeneous dynamics and therefore neglect the role of spatial structure formation during ultrafast evolution. Here we investigate interaction quenches in the half-filled Hubbard model using a real-space time-dependent Gutzwiller framework. We show that homogeneous nonequilibrium dynamics is generically unstable: even arbitrarily weak spatial fluctuations grow dynamically and drive the system toward intrinsically inhomogeneous states. Depending on the interaction strength, the post-quench evolution exhibits spatial differentiation, nucleation, and slow coarsening of Mott-like domains. Our results establish spatial self-organization as a generic feature of far-from-equilibrium correlated matter and reveal a fundamental limitation of spatially homogeneous nonequilibrium theories.
We present a framework of semiclassical superconductivity (SC) dynamics that properly includes effects of spatial fluctuations for the attractive Hubbard model. We consider both coherent and adiabatic limits. To model the coherent SC dynamics, we develop a real-space von Neumann equation based on the time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory. Applying our method to interaction quenches in the negative-UUU Hubbard model, we show that the relaxation of SC order at weak coupling is dominated by Landau-damping. At strong coupling, we find a two-stage relaxation of the pairing field: a collapse of the synchronized oscillation of Cooper pairs due to spatial inhomogeneity, followed by a slow relaxation to a quasistationary state. SC dynamics in the adiabatic limit is described by a quantum Landau-Lifshitz equation with Ginzburg-Landau relaxation. Numerical simulations of the pump-probe process show that long-time recovery of the pairing field is dominated by defect dynamics. Our results demonstrate the important role of spatial fluctuations in both limits.
We study the nonequilibrium dynamics in the fermionic Hubbard model after a sudden change of the interaction strength. To this scope, we introduce a time-dependent variational approach in the spirit of the Gutzwiller ansatz. At the saddle-point approximation, we find at half filling a sharp transition between two different regimes of small and large coherent oscillations, separated by a critical line of quenches where the system is found to relax. Any finite doping washes out the transition, leaving aside just a sharp crossover. In order to investigate the role of quantum fluctuations, we map the model onto an auxiliary quantum Ising model in a transverse field coupled to free fermionic quasiparticles. Remarkably, the Gutzwiller approximation turns out to correspond to the mean-field decoupling of this model in the limit of infinite coordination lattices. The advantage is that we can go beyond mean field and include Gaussian fluctuations around the non-equilibrium mean-field dynamics. Unlike at equilibrium, we find that quantum fluctuations become massless and eventually unstable before the mean-field dynamical critical line, which suggests they could even alter qualitatively the mean-field scenario.
Correlated electron systems represent a wide class of materials which at equilibrium display fascinating properties. Several recent experimental breakthroughs in the field of femtosecond spectroscopy and cold atomic gases allow nowadays to investigate the real time dynamics of these many-body quantum systems. Since strongly correlated systems usually escape single particle approaches, the theoretical study of their dynamics constitutes a formidable problem which necessitates the development of novel techniques. In this Thesis we investigate the out-of-equilibrium physics of simple paradigmatic models that are believed to capture some essential physics of interacting fermions by means of the time dependent extension of the Gutzwiller Variational Approach. After an introductory Chapter on the recent results in this field, in Chapter 2 we present the Gutzwiller Approach in-and-out of equilibrium. In Chapter 3 we investigate the dynamics for the single band Hubbard model after a linear ramp of the Coulomb interaction. We will show that a dynamical transition appears for any duration of the ramp; this dynamical point is adiabatically connected to the zero temperature Metal-to-Insulator transition. We will then consider the role of quantum fluctuations beyond mean field. In Chapter 4 we consider the dynamics of an initial antiferromagnetic state under a quench of the interaction in the single band fermionic Hubbard model. We will show that non-thermal ordered states survive more than expected and that two different nonequilibrium antiferromagnets can be distinguished. Finally in Chapter 5 we will consider a two-band Hubbard model which we believe captures the main physics of the paradigmatic compound vanadium sesquioxide, V2 O3 . After an investigation of the equilibrium properties for this model, we will provide evidences that non-thermal metallic phases can emerge upon an excitation of a Mott insulator.
A simple and very flexible variational approach to the out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics in strongly correlated electron systems is introduced through a time-dependent Gutzwiller wave function. As an application, we study the simple case of a sudden change of the interaction in the fermionic Hubbard model and find at the mean-field level an extremely rich behavior. In particular, a dynamical transition between small and large quantum quench regimes is found to occur at half-filling, in accordance with the analysis of Eckstein, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 056403 (2009)10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.056403, obtained by dynamical mean-field theory, that turns into a crossover at any finite doping.
The study of the interplay between interaction-induced correlations and nonequilibrium initial conditions in many-body systems has recently attracted a lot of attention. New experimental techniques provide high control over many-body systems and systematic access to their nonequilibrium regime. In many systems the nonequilibrium properties of a Fermi liquid can be relevant. A first approach to their understanding is the main content of this thesis. At the beginning, nonequilibrium phenomena, Landau's theory of a Fermi liquid, the Hubbard model, time evolution in quantum mechanics, related experiments, and the flow equation method are reviewed. The key observation of this thesis, namely a characteristic mismatch of expectation values in equilibrium and nonequilibrium, is first illustrated for the squeezed oscillator. For this one-particle model Hamiltonian the perturbative approach can be compared with the exact solution and it is shown that the mismatch holds even beyond perturbation theory. Afterwards these observations are generalized to a larger class of one-particle models. Then the nonequilibrium behavior of a Fermi liquid is examined by analyzing the Fermi liquid phase of the Hubbard model in more than one dimension. After a sudden switch-on of a weak two-particle interaction to the noninteracting Fermi gas the relaxation of the many-body system is observed. For this purpose, the flow equation transformation is implemented for the Hubbard Hamiltonian. Then the discussion of the momentum distribution function and of the kinetic energy displays a three-step relaxation behavior of the Fermi liquid from the initial perturbation until thermalization is reached. Firstly, the sudden switch inserts excitation energy into the system which drives the following dynamics. Then a rapid initial build-up of correlations is caused by initial dephasing and leads to the establishment of a quasiparticle picture. By that the system enters into a quasi-stationary state which can be long-lasting for weak interaction. This state shows prethermalization of the kinetic energy which already has relaxed to its final values. However, the momentum distribution still resembles a zero temperature Fermi liquid. Its later relaxation on a second time scale is caused by a residual two-particle interaction which allows for scattering processes and can be described by a quantum Boltzmann equation. The physical origin of this delayed relaxation can be traced back to an interplay of translational invariance of the Hubbard model and the Pauli principle for fermions; together they restrict the phase space for scattering events. Comparing with similar work I conjecture on the generic nature of the findings made for the quenched Fermi liquid in other many-body systems. Finally I point out to the potential relevance of the delayed relaxation for the observation of further nonequilibrium phenomena, for instance in BCS systems. In order to extend the study of sudden switching to arbitrary switching processes the calculation is repeated using the Keldysh perturbation theory. First evaluations for a linear increase of the interaction strength are given. Extensions of this work are suggested and may motivate further research.