Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2506.08145 · Physical Review A

Wave-function microscopy: Derivation and anatomy of exact algebraic spinful wave functions and full Wigner-molecular spectra of a few highly correlated rapidly rotating ultracold fermionic atoms

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

Published May 27, 2025• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Exploring strongly correlated spinful states of few fermionic ultracold atoms in a rapidly rotating trap, an example of which was recently realized for two fermionic $^6$Li atoms in an optical tweezer, we derive analytical (algebraic) total-spin-eigenstate wavefunctions through the development and employment of a theoretical platform that integrates exact numerical diagonalization (full configuration interaction, FCI) with symbolic language processing. For such rapid rotations, where the atoms occupy the lowest Landau level (LLL), the obtained algebraic expressions can address the full LLL spectrum in all its complexity, demonstrating that their spatial, spectral, and spin characteristics manifest formation of collectively rotating and vibrating Wigner molecules. The explicitly exhibited analytic wavefunctions (for two and three spinful $^6$Li atoms) reproduce precisely the corresponding numerical FCI results, and they are shown to reach beyond the limited range of applicability of previous Jastrow-type treatments. These results, and their extension to bosonic systems, provide the impetus and analysis tools for future experimental and theoretical simulations of larger mesoscopic systems

DOI
10.1103/6hst-g33w

Related papers

Exact closed-form analytic wave functions in two dimensions: Contact-interacting fermionic spinful ultracold atoms in a rapidly rotating trap

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

Exact two-dimensional analytic wave functions for an arbitrary number N of contact-interacting lowest-Landau-level (LLL) spinful fermions are derived with the use of combined numerical and symbolic computational approaches via analysis of exact Hamiltonian numerical diagonalization data.Closed-form analytic expressions are presented for two families of zero-interaction-energy states at given total angular momentum and total spin 0 S N/2 in the neighborhood of the ν = 1 filling, covering the range from the maximum density droplet to the first quasihole.Our theoretical predictions for higher-order spatial and momentum correlations reveal intrinsic polygonal, multi-ring crystalline-type structures, which can be tested with ultracold-atom experiments in rapidly rotating traps, simulating quantum Hall physics (including quantum LLL skyrmions).

arXiv:2107.14098•Physical Review Research•Jul 30, 2021•7 citations

Fractional quantum Hall physics and higher-order momentum correlations in a few spinful fermionic contact-interacting ultracold atoms in rotating traps

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) is theoretically investigated, with numerical and algebraic approaches, in assemblies of a few spinful ultracold neutral fermionic atoms, interacting via repulsive contact potentials and confined in a single rapidly rotating two-dimensional harmonic trap. Going beyond the commonly used second-order correlations in the real configuration space, the methodology in this paper will assist the analysis of experimental observations by providing benchmark results for $N$-body spin-unresolved, as well as spin-resolved, momentum correlations measurable in time-of-flight experiments with individual particle detection. Our analysis shows that the few-body lowest-Landau-level (LLL) states with good magic angular momenta exhibit inherent ordered quantum structures in the $N$-body correlations, similar to those associated with rotating Wigner molecules (WMs), familiar from the field of semiconductor quantum dots under high magnetic fields. The application of a small perturbing stirring potential induces, at the ensuing avoided crossings, formation of symmetry-broken states exhibiting ordered polygonal-ring structures, explicitly manifest in the single-particle density profile of the trapped particles. Away from the crossings, an LLL state obtained from exact diagonalization of the microscopic Hamiltonian, found to be well described by a (1,1,1) Halperin two-component variational wave function, represents also a spinful rotating WM. Analysis of the calculated LLL wave function enables a two-dimensional generalization of the Girardeau one-dimensional ``fermionization'' scheme, originally invoked for mapping of bosonic-type wave functions to those of spinless fermions.

arXiv:2006.09602•Physical Review A•Oct 16, 2020•6 citations

Quantal molecular description and universal aspects of the spectra of bosons and fermions in the lowest Landau level

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

Through the introduction of a class of trial wave functions portraying combined rotations and vibrations of molecules formed through particle localization in concentric polygonal rings, a correlated basis is constructed that spans the translationally invariant part of the lowest-Landau-level (LLL) spectra. These trial functions, referred to as rovibrational molecular (RVM) functions, generalize our previous work that focused exclusively on electronic cusp states, describing them as pure vibrationless rotations. From a computational viewpoint, the RVM correlated basis enables controlled and systematic improvements of the original strongly correlated variational wave function. Conceptually, it provides the basis for the development of a quantal molecular description for the full LLL spectra. This quantal molecular description is universal, being valid for both bosons and fermions, for both the yrast and excited states of the LLL spectra, and for both low and high angular momenta. Furthermore, it follows that all other translationally invariant trial functions (e.g., the Jastrow-Laughlin, compact composite-fermion, or Moore-Read functions) are reducible to a description in terms of an excited rotating and vibrating quantal molecule.

arXiv:0902.3421•Physical Review A•Feb 17, 2010•13 citations

Double-Well Ultracold-Fermions Computational Microscopy: Wave-Function Anatomy of Attractive-Pairing and Wigner-Molecule Entanglement and Natural Orbitals

Benedikt B. Brandt, Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

"Bottom-up" approaches to the many-body physics of fermions have recently demonstrated precise number and site-resolved preparations with tunability of interparticle interactions in single-well, SW, and double-well, DW, nanoscale confinements created by manipulating ultracold fermionic atoms with optical tweezers. These experiments emulate an analogue-simulator mapping onto the requisite microscopic Hamiltonian, approaching realization of Feynmans' vision of quantum simulators that "will do exactly the same as nature". Here we report on exact benchmark configuration-interaction computational microscopy solutions of the Hamiltonian, uncovering the spectral evolution, wave function anatomy, and entanglement properties of the interacting fermions in the entire parameter range, including crossover from an SW to a DW confinement and a controllable energy imbalance between the wells. We demonstrate attractive pairing and formation of repulsive, highly correlated, ultracold Wigner molecules, well-described in the natural orbital representation. The agreement with the measurements affirms the henceforth gained deep insights into ultracold molecules and opens access to the size-dependent evolution of nanoclustered and condensed-matter phases and ultracold-atoms quantum information.

arXiv:1508.02308•Nano Letters•Sep 9, 2015•28 citations

Quantum Wigner molecules in semiconductor quantum dots and cold-atom optical traps and their mathematical symmetries

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

Strong repelling interactions between a few fermions or bosons confined in two-dimensional circular traps lead to particle localization and formation of quantum Wigner molecules (QWMs) possessing definite point-group space symmetries. These point-group symmetries are "hidden" (or emergent), namely they cannot be traced in the circular single-particle densities (SPDs) associated with the exact many-body wave functions, but they are manifested as characteristic signatures in the ro-vibrational spectra. An example, among many, are the few-body QWM states under a high magnetic field or at fast rotation, which are precursor states for the fractional quantum Hall effect. The hidden geometric symmetries can be directly revealed by using spin-resolved conditional probability distributions, which are extracted from configuration-interaction (CI), exact-diagonalization wave functions. The hidden symmetries can also be revealed in the CI SPDs by reducing the symmetry of the trap (from circular to elliptic to quasi-linear). In addition the hidden symmetries are directly connected to the explicitly broken-symmetry (BS) solutions of mean-field approaches, such as unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF). A companion step of restoration of the broken symmetries via projection operators applied on the BS-UHF solutions produces wave functions directly comparable to the CI ones, and sheds further light into the role played by the emergence of hidden symmetries in the exact many-body wave functions. Illustrative examples of the importance of hidden symmetries in the many-body problem of few electrons in semiconductor quantum dots and of few ultracold atoms in optical traps (where unprecedented control of the interparticle interaction has been experimentally achieved recently) will be presented.

arXiv:1604.01749•Apr 6, 2016•0 citations

Trial wave functions, molecular states, and ro-vibrational spectra in the lowest Landau level: A universal description for bosons and fermions

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman

Through the introduction of a class of appropriate translationally invariant trial wave functions, we show that the strong correlations in the lowest Landau level (LLL) reflect in finite systems the emergence of intrinsic point-group symmetries associated with rotations and vibrations of molecules formed through particle localization. This molecular description is universal, being valid for both bosons and fermions, for both the yrast and excited states of the LLL spectra, and for both low and high angular momenta. This physical picture is fundamentally different from the "quantum-fluid" one associated with Jastrow-type trial functions.

arXiv:0812.3142•Dec 16, 2008•1 citation
Exploring strongly correlated spinful states of few fermionic ultracold atoms in a rapidly rotating trap, an example of which was recently realized for two fermionic 6^66Li atoms in an optical tweezer, we derive analytical (algebraic) total-spin-eigenstate wavefunctions through the development and employment of a theoretical platform that integrates exact numerical diagonalization (full configuration interaction, FCI) with symbolic language processing. For such rapid rotations, where the atoms occupy the lowest Landau level (LLL), the obtained algebraic expressions can address the full LLL spectrum in all its complexity, demonstrating that their spatial, spectral, and spin characteristics manifest formation of collectively rotating and vibrating Wigner molecules. The explicitly exhibited analytic wavefunctions (for two and three spinful 6^66Li atoms) reproduce precisely the corresponding numerical FCI results, and they are shown to reach beyond the limited range of applicability of previous Jastrow-type treatments. These results, and their extension to bosonic systems, provide the impetus and analysis tools for future experimental and theoretical simulations of larger mesoscopic systems
Exact two-dimensional analytic wave functions for an arbitrary number N of contact-interacting lowest-Landau-level (LLL) spinful fermions are derived with the use of combined numerical and symbolic computational approaches via analysis of exact Hamiltonian numerical diagonalization data.Closed-form analytic expressions are presented for two families of zero-interaction-energy states at given total angular momentum and total spin 0 S N/2 in the neighborhood of the ν = 1 filling, covering the range from the maximum density droplet to the first quasihole.Our theoretical predictions for higher-order spatial and momentum correlations reveal intrinsic polygonal, multi-ring crystalline-type structures, which can be tested with ultracold-atom experiments in rapidly rotating traps, simulating quantum Hall physics (including quantum LLL skyrmions).
The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) is theoretically investigated, with numerical and algebraic approaches, in assemblies of a few spinful ultracold neutral fermionic atoms, interacting via repulsive contact potentials and confined in a single rapidly rotating two-dimensional harmonic trap. Going beyond the commonly used second-order correlations in the real configuration space, the methodology in this paper will assist the analysis of experimental observations by providing benchmark results for NNN-body spin-unresolved, as well as spin-resolved, momentum correlations measurable in time-of-flight experiments with individual particle detection. Our analysis shows that the few-body lowest-Landau-level (LLL) states with good magic angular momenta exhibit inherent ordered quantum structures in the NNN-body correlations, similar to those associated with rotating Wigner molecules (WMs), familiar from the field of semiconductor quantum dots under high magnetic fields. The application of a small perturbing stirring potential induces, at the ensuing avoided crossings, formation of symmetry-broken states exhibiting ordered polygonal-ring structures, explicitly manifest in the single-particle density profile of the trapped particles. Away from the crossings, an LLL state obtained from exact diagonalization of the microscopic Hamiltonian, found to be well described by a (1,1,1) Halperin two-component variational wave function, represents also a spinful rotating WM. Analysis of the calculated LLL wave function enables a two-dimensional generalization of the Girardeau one-dimensional ``fermionization'' scheme, originally invoked for mapping of bosonic-type wave functions to those of spinless fermions.
Through the introduction of a class of trial wave functions portraying combined rotations and vibrations of molecules formed through particle localization in concentric polygonal rings, a correlated basis is constructed that spans the translationally invariant part of the lowest-Landau-level (LLL) spectra. These trial functions, referred to as rovibrational molecular (RVM) functions, generalize our previous work that focused exclusively on electronic cusp states, describing them as pure vibrationless rotations. From a computational viewpoint, the RVM correlated basis enables controlled and systematic improvements of the original strongly correlated variational wave function. Conceptually, it provides the basis for the development of a quantal molecular description for the full LLL spectra. This quantal molecular description is universal, being valid for both bosons and fermions, for both the yrast and excited states of the LLL spectra, and for both low and high angular momenta. Furthermore, it follows that all other translationally invariant trial functions (e.g., the Jastrow-Laughlin, compact composite-fermion, or Moore-Read functions) are reducible to a description in terms of an excited rotating and vibrating quantal molecule.
"Bottom-up" approaches to the many-body physics of fermions have recently demonstrated precise number and site-resolved preparations with tunability of interparticle interactions in single-well, SW, and double-well, DW, nanoscale confinements created by manipulating ultracold fermionic atoms with optical tweezers. These experiments emulate an analogue-simulator mapping onto the requisite microscopic Hamiltonian, approaching realization of Feynmans' vision of quantum simulators that "will do exactly the same as nature". Here we report on exact benchmark configuration-interaction computational microscopy solutions of the Hamiltonian, uncovering the spectral evolution, wave function anatomy, and entanglement properties of the interacting fermions in the entire parameter range, including crossover from an SW to a DW confinement and a controllable energy imbalance between the wells. We demonstrate attractive pairing and formation of repulsive, highly correlated, ultracold Wigner molecules, well-described in the natural orbital representation. The agreement with the measurements affirms the henceforth gained deep insights into ultracold molecules and opens access to the size-dependent evolution of nanoclustered and condensed-matter phases and ultracold-atoms quantum information.
Strong repelling interactions between a few fermions or bosons confined in two-dimensional circular traps lead to particle localization and formation of quantum Wigner molecules (QWMs) possessing definite point-group space symmetries. These point-group symmetries are "hidden" (or emergent), namely they cannot be traced in the circular single-particle densities (SPDs) associated with the exact many-body wave functions, but they are manifested as characteristic signatures in the ro-vibrational spectra. An example, among many, are the few-body QWM states under a high magnetic field or at fast rotation, which are precursor states for the fractional quantum Hall effect. The hidden geometric symmetries can be directly revealed by using spin-resolved conditional probability distributions, which are extracted from configuration-interaction (CI), exact-diagonalization wave functions. The hidden symmetries can also be revealed in the CI SPDs by reducing the symmetry of the trap (from circular to elliptic to quasi-linear). In addition the hidden symmetries are directly connected to the explicitly broken-symmetry (BS) solutions of mean-field approaches, such as unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF). A companion step of restoration of the broken symmetries via projection operators applied on the BS-UHF solutions produces wave functions directly comparable to the CI ones, and sheds further light into the role played by the emergence of hidden symmetries in the exact many-body wave functions. Illustrative examples of the importance of hidden symmetries in the many-body problem of few electrons in semiconductor quantum dots and of few ultracold atoms in optical traps (where unprecedented control of the interparticle interaction has been experimentally achieved recently) will be presented.
Through the introduction of a class of appropriate translationally invariant trial wave functions, we show that the strong correlations in the lowest Landau level (LLL) reflect in finite systems the emergence of intrinsic point-group symmetries associated with rotations and vibrations of molecules formed through particle localization. This molecular description is universal, being valid for both bosons and fermions, for both the yrast and excited states of the LLL spectra, and for both low and high angular momenta. This physical picture is fundamentally different from the "quantum-fluid" one associated with Jastrow-type trial functions.