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arXiv:2108.01460

Exploring ideas in topological quantum phenomena: A journey through the SSH model

Anantha Hegde, Adarsh Kumar, Adhip Agarwala, Bhaskaran Muralidharan

Published Aug 3, 2021• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Geared as an invitation for undergraduates, beginning graduate students, we present a pedagogical introduction to one-dimensional topological phases -- in particular the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. In the process, we delve upon ideas of entanglement using the correlator method and the von-Neumann density-matrix method, geometric phase, polarization, transport signatures and the role of electron-electron interactions. Through hands-on numerical experiments, whose $\href{https://github.com/hnoend/SSH_codes}{codes}$ are shared, we try to drive home the message why a program of simulating quantum electronics with topological toy models is the store house for discovering fantastic physics ideas.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2108.01460

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Geared as an invitation for undergraduates, beginning graduate students, we present a pedagogical introduction to one-dimensional topological phases -- in particular the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. In the process, we delve upon ideas of entanglement using the correlator method and the von-Neumann density-matrix method, geometric phase, polarization, transport signatures and the role of electron-electron interactions. Through hands-on numerical experiments, whose \href\href{https://github.com/hnoend/SSH_codes}{codes}\href are shared, we try to drive home the message why a program of simulating quantum electronics with topological toy models is the store house for discovering fantastic physics ideas.
Exploring topological phases in interacting systems is a challenging task. We investigate many-body topological physics of interacting fermions in an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, which extends the two sublattices of the SSH model into four sublattices and thus is dubbed the SSH4 model, based on the density-matrix renormalization-group numerical method. The interaction-driven phase transition from the topological insulator phase to the charge density wave (CDW) phase can be identified by analyzing the variations of the entanglement spectrum, entanglement entropies, energy gaps, CDW order parameter, and fidelity. We map the global phase diagram of the many-body ground state, which contains nontrivial topological insulator, trivial insulator, and CDW phases, respectively. In contrast to the interacting SSH model, in which the phase transitions to the CDW phase are argued to be first-order phase transitions, the phase transitions between the CDW phase and topologically trivial or nontrivial phases are shown to be continuous phase transitions. Finally, we also show the phase diagram of the interacting spinful SSH4 model, where the attractive (repulsive) on-site spin interaction amplifies (suppresses) the CDW phase. The models analyzed here can be implemented with ultracold atoms on optical superlattices.
The Su--Schrieffer--Heeger (SSH) model is one of the simplest topological lattice models and is a promising candidate for quantum simulations of topological systems. In this study we investigate an interacting SSH model with nearest-neighbor interactions using mean field theory and an exact diagonalization method after the Jordan-Wigner transformation. We obtain a rich phase diagram with six different phases. Majorana bound states are found and confirmed by analyzing wave functions and Majorana number. In addition, we propose to use superconducting devices to construct a one-dimensional quantum circuit, where Cooper pair boxes and Josephson junctions are alternately connected in series, to theoretically simulate the interacting SSH model. This approach also provides us a toolkit to simulate correlated topological systems.
The interacting SSH model provides an ideal ground to study the interplay between topologically insulating phases and electron-electron interactions. We study the polarization density as a topological invariant and provide an analytic treatment of its behavior in the low-energy sector of the one-dimensional interacting SSH model. By formulating the topological invariant in terms of Green's functions, we use the low-energy field theory of the Thirring model to derive the behavior of the polarization density. We show that polarization density in the continuum theory describes the usual topological insulating phases. Still, it contains an extra factor from the fields' scaling dimensions in the low-energy quantum field theory. We interpret this as a measure of the modified charge of the new excitations in the system. We find two distinct contributions: a renormalization of the electronic charge eee of a Fermi liquid because of quasiparticle smearing and an additional contribution coming from the topological charge of the soliton arising in the bosonized version of the Thirring model, the sine-Gordon model.
The hybrid atoms-cell site entanglement in a one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) topological insulator with first and second neighbor hopping interaction in space representation of finite chains is analyzed. The geometric phase is calculated by the Resta electric polarization and the entanglement in the atomic basis by the Schmidt number. A relation between entanglement and the topological phase transitions (TPT) is given since the Schmidt number has critical points of maximal entangled (ME) states in the singularities of the geometrical phase. States with second-neighbors have higher entanglement than first-order hopping. The general conditions to produce ME hybrid Bell states and the localization-entanglement relation are given.
We develop an adiabatic quantum simulation framework on gate-based quantum computers to probe topological signatures of the one-dimensional fermionic Su--Schrieffer--Heeger--Hubbard (SSHH) model. We present explicit quantum-circuit constructions for initial-state preparation and time evolution, together with a practical measurement protocol and classical post-processing procedure for extracting the many-body Berry phase and the spatial profile of the sublattice polarization. Using classical simulations of the proposed circuits, we demonstrate -- for the first time within a genuine many-body framework -- that the topological characteristics of the SSH model remain robust against weak Hubbard interactions but eventually break down as the chiral-symmetry-breaking component of the interaction exceeds a threshold. The required qubit number, gate complexity, measurement shots, and classical pre- and post-processing costs all scale polynomially with system size. Our results provide a proof-of-concept framework for probing topological properties of interacting many-body systems via adiabatic quantum simulation on future large-scale quantum computers.
Quasi-one-dimensional or ladder models serve as a bridge between one-dimensional and two-dimensional models, providing a simplified framework for incorporating intricate physics. In this study, we extend the concept of the momentum-state lattice by introducing couplings between next-nearest-neighbor sites throughout the entire momentum chain to simulate the staggered Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) ladder model. This ladder model is a direct extension of the well-known SSH model, recognized as a fundamental progression in modeling systems. Through this model, we explore compelling physical phenomena and successfully replicate the topological phase diagram of the Kitaev-Majorana chain. Utilizing time-averaged mean displacements of wave packets as a metric, we ascertain the topological invariants of the model. By varying staggered dimerization and interchain hopping parameters, we map out the topological phase diagram of the staggered SSH ladder, elucidating the presence of three distinct phases classified by their winding numbers: W = + 1 , 0, and − 1 , respectively.