In this thesis, we study interacting bosons on lattices consisting of a few sites. The main focus is on their response to external driving fields, their transport and decay properties. We address fundamental questions of quantum classical correspondence and investigate the implications of interactions in the transport properties of (ultra-)cold atom devices. Quantum mechanically, we describe bosons on lattices using a parametric Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian while the corresponding classical limit is described by the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation.In the first part of this thesis we focus on the chaotic regime of the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. We investigate the parametric change of eigenstates as the coupling strength between neighboring sites is varied, using perturbative and semiclassical methods. We then turn to the quantum evolution of driven interacting bosonic systems and study the resulting quantum dynamics and the irreversibility (fidelity) of the quantum motion.In the second part we initiate the study of quantum pumping/stirring in Bose-Einstein condensates with the aim to identify optimal pumping cycles and propose such a device in order to probe the interatomic interactions. Finally, in the last part we focus on the interplay of intrinsic dynamics with coupling to the continuum and investigate the structure of the resonance widths of a Bose-Hubbard dimer which is coupled to the continuum at one of the sites using an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian formalism.
In this thesis, we study interacting bosons on lattices consisting of a few sites. The main focus is on their response to external driving fields, their transport and decay properties. We address fundamental questions of quantum classical correspondence and investigate the implications of interactions in the transport properties of (ultra-)cold atom devices. Quantum mechanically, we describe bosons on lattices using a parametric Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian while the corresponding classical limit is described by the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation.In the first part of this thesis we focus on the chaotic regime of the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. We investigate the parametric change of eigenstates as the coupling strength between neighboring sites is varied, using perturbative and semiclassical methods. We then turn to the quantum evolution of driven interacting bosonic systems and study the resulting quantum dynamics and the irreversibility (fidelity) of the quantum motion.In the second part we initiate the study of quantum pumping/stirring in Bose-Einstein condensates with the aim to identify optimal pumping cycles and propose such a device in order to probe the interatomic interactions. Finally, in the last part we focus on the interplay of intrinsic dynamics with coupling to the continuum and investigate the structure of the resonance widths of a Bose-Hubbard dimer which is coupled to the continuum at one of the sites using an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian formalism.
This dissertation discusses a number of theoretical models of coupled bosonic modes, all closely related to the Bose-Hubbard dimer. In studying these models, we will repeatedly return to two unifying themes: the classical structure underlying quantum dynamics and the impact of weakly coupling a system to an environment. Or, more succinctly, semiclassical methods and open quantum systems. \n \nOur primary motivation for studying models such as the Bose-Hubbard is their relevance to ongoing ultracold atom experiments. We review these experiments, derive the Bose-Hubbard model in their context and briefly discuss its limitations in the first half of Chapter 1. In its second half, we review the theory of open quantum systems and the master equation description of the dissipative Bose-Hubbard model. This opening chapter constitutes a survey of existing results, rather than original work. \n \nIn Chapter 2, we turn to the mean-field limit of the Bose-Hubbard model. After reviewing the striking localization phenomena predicted by the mean-field (and confirmed by experiment), we identify the first corrections to this picture for the dimer. The most interesting of these is the dynamical tunneling between the self-trapping points of the mean-field. We derive an accurate analytical expression for the tunneling rate using semiclassical techniques. \n \nWe continue studying the dynamics near the self-trapping fixed points in Chapter 3, focusing on corrections to the mean-field that arise at larger nonlinearities and on shorter time scales than dynamical tunneling. We study the impact of dissipation on coherence and entanglement near the fixed points, and explain it in terms of the structure of the classical phase space. \n \nThe last chapter of the dissertation is also devoted to a dissipative bosonic dimer model, but one arising in a very different physical context. Abandoning optical lattices, we consider the problem of formulating a quantum model of operation of the cylindrical anode magnetron, a vacuum tube crossed-field microwave amplifier. We derive an effective dissipative dimer model and study its relationship to the classical description. Our dimer model is a first step towards the analysis of solid-state analogs of such devices.
The present thesis is devoted to the dynamics in open or closed many-body bosonic systems, with the use of beyond mean-field methods. In the first part, inspired by the state-of-the-art experiments, we study the dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensation which is loaded in an optical lattice with localized loss channels for the atoms. We prove that the particular form of the dissipation can help us to control the many-body dynamics. The loss allows the local manipulation of the system’s coherence properties and creates attractive fixed points in the classical (mean-field) phase space. We predict the dynamical creation of stable nonlinear structures like discrete bright and dark solitons. Furthermore, for specific initial states, the systems produces highly entangled and long-living states, which are of high relevance for practical applications. The first part of this thesis ends with the study of non-equilibrium bosonic transport across optical one-dimensional lattices. In the second part, we present techniques for bosonic many-body systems which are based on path integrals. We analyze the Bose-Einstein condensation phenomenon by using tools from quantum information theory and field theory. Finally, we introduce a coherent state path integral formalism in the continuum, which allows us the systematic development of approximate methods for the study of bosons in optical lattices.
This thesis investigates the physics of strongly interacting driven–dissipative bosonic systems in one dimension, combining field-theoretical approaches with various numerical simulation techniques. While weakly interacting condensates are accurately described by a generalized Gross–Pitaevskii equation, the strongly correlated regime of the same microscopic models remains far less understood, particularly out of equilibrium. This thesis aims to bridge this gap by developing controlled quantum-many-body simulations for open systems governed by Lindblad dynamics, as well as investigating the corresponding action under the functional renormalization group.In the first part, we formulate a field-theoretical description of driven–dissipative one-dimen-sional bosons using the Schwinger–Keldysh formalism and the functional renormalization group (fRG).Two models are analyzed: (i) a driven-dissipative condensate whose phase dynamics is expected to exhibit emergent Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ) behavior, for which we search the emergent KPZ fixed point starting from the bosonic field theory; and (ii) a two-photon–driven system with two-body losses realizing dissipative cat qubits. For the latter, we determine the phase diagram and identify a continuous phase transition between symmetry-broken and symmetric phases, which motivates the construction of an fRG Ansatz capturing this critical behavior.The second part of the thesis focuses on the open system dynamics using exact diagonalization and tensor-network methods. For the Bose–Hubbard model with incoherent pump and loss, we characterize the steady state, and study spectral functions across the full parameter space. We show that key ground-state features are absent under dissipation, while the high-temperature unitary spectrum captures aspects of the open-system dynamics. In an extended model with additional two-body and non-local losses, we establish the semi-classical emergence of KPZ scaling and extract the KPZ dynamical exponent from the spectral function. A finite-size analysis exposes the current limitations of the tensor-network methods for reaching the high occupancy regime in the full quantum evolution.Finally, a last project develops a two-loop perturbative RG analysis of a spin-1 chain at its continuous symmetry breaking quantum critical point, revealing critical exponents distinct from the Ising universality class.Together, these results advance the understanding of strongly interacting open quantum systems, elucidating their symmetries, effective field theories, and dynamical properties, and outlining key directions for future theoretical and numerical work.
This thesis covers most of my work in the field of ultracold atoms loaded in optical lattices. It makes a route through the physics of cold atoms in periodic potentials starting from the simple noninteracting system and going into the many-body physics that describes the strongly correlated Mott insulator regime. Even though this thesis is a theoretical work all the chapters are linked either with experiments already done or with ongoing experimental efforts. This thesis can be divided into four different parts. The first part comprises chapters 1 to 3. In these chapters, after a brief introduction to the field of optical lattices I review the fundamental aspects pertaining to the physics of systems in periodic potentials. The second part deals with the superfluid weakly interacting regime where standard mean field techniques can be applied. This is covered in chapters 4 and 5. Specifically, chapter 4 introduces the discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation (DNLSE) and uses it to model some experiments. In chapter 5 I go one step further and include the small quantum fluctuations neglected in the DNLSE by studying quadratic approximations of the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. Chapters 6 to 8 can be grouped as the third part of the thesis. In them I adopt an effective action formalism, the so called two particle irreducible effective action (2PI) together with the closed time path (CTP) formalism to study far-from-equilibrium dynamics. The many-body techniques discussed in these chapters systematically include higher order quantum corrections, not included in the quadratic approximations of the Hamiltonian, which we show are crucial for a correct description of the quantum dynamics outside the very weakly interacting regime. Finally, chapter 9 to 11 are devoted to study the Mott insulator phase. In these chapters using perturbation theory I study the Mott insulator ground state and its excitation spectrum, the response of the system to Bragg spectroscopy, and propose a mechanism to correct for the residual quantum coherences inherent to the Mott insulator ground state. Even though small these are not ideal for the use of neutral atoms in optical lattice as a tool for quantum computation.
In order to explore a quantum version of a discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation (DNLS), we quantize one nonlinear Schrodinger model, which is used to study different physical systems, e.g. coupled Bose-Einstein condensates. We will focus on small systems, like Dimer and Trimer.In our efforts to solve this quantum problem, we develop a Mathematica routine that implements the Number State Method and solves the corresponding Schrodinger equation. We calculate analytically and numerically the energy spectrum of the Dimer and Trimer systems. Those eigenenergies depend on the parameter set Q=Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and by adjusting this set Q, we can obtain the desired results and examine their effects. After the quantization of the extended DNLS we obtain a quantum DNLS, also known as an extended Bose-Hubbard (BH) model. The aim of this Master's thesis is to study the differences and similarities between the classical DNLS and the extended BH model, and what happens when we approach from the quantum regime to the classical one. Taking into account that the Hamiltonian has an important conserved quantity, the number operator, enables the total Hamiltonian to be block-diagonalized. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of additional symmetries, such as translational symmetry, which will simplify the analysis of the Hamiltonian matrix. In our results we discuss several effects that break the lattice symmetry, as the intersection between symmetric and antisymmetric states. We also compare our results with those obtained in previous works for the classical model, and we find some similarities, e.g. the transition of the highest-energy state from a one-site solution to a two-site solution depending on which Q parameters we vary, but also differences, as the appearance of a three-site solution, in a Trimer system.
Motivated by current experiments with ultracold atoms, the study of complex dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices forms the central subject of this work. A lattice model of interacting bosons under the influence of an external force is motivated and derived from the experimental setup. Several dynamical regimes of this model are discussed in this thesis. In a first part we will develop a new measure for detecting avoided crossings in complex energy spectra and apply it to the quantum chaotic regime of the single-band system. The second and main part of this work is dedicated to the coupling between energy bands described in terms of a two-band model. The complex time evolution is already apparent in the horizontal and vertical population dynamics of the non-interacting problem. We find resonances in the interband transport, and, in a second step, study the effect of inter-particle interactions on these resonant oscillations. We are able to predict all time scales of the complex interband dynamics even in the presence of interactions. This is possible via the introduction of an effective model that is motivated and supported by a multitude of numerical results and proves exactly solvable.