Cluster phase space and variational subspace approaches to the quantum many-body problem

Speaker: Jonathan Wurtz, Boston University, Physics Department

When: May 15, 2020 (Fri), 12:00PM to 01:00PM (add to my calendar)

This event is part of the PhD Final Oral Exams.

ABSTRACT: Simulating the nonequilibrium behavior of interacting quantum systems is an important way to understand results of experimental quantum simulators, motivate new materials, and refine new quantum algorithms. However, this is a challenging task due to the exponential difficulty of such systems, which motivates dimensional reduction methods, such as semiclassical limits. This work extends semiclassical phase space methods to spin systems with no clear classical limit with the cluster truncated Wigner approximation (cTWA), and improves on Schrieffer-Wolff low energy effective dynamics with variational adiabatic generators. The cTWA was used to compute nonequilibrium dynamics in spin chains, finding behavior such as signatures of many body localization; rapid thermalization and preservation of fluctuations; effective thermodynamic classical behaviors; and signatures of quantum chaos and butterfly velocities, in 1d spin 1/2 chains. Variational Schrieffer-Wolff methods were used to find efficient non-perturbative dressings for the Hubbard model and find effective quasiparticle dynamics and nonthermal states in quantum chaotic spin chains. These methods are potentially effective tools to separate essential quantum behavior from classical behavior, and can be used to diagnose quantum thermalization behavior in interacting quantum systems.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Anatoli Polkovnikov (Advisor) Chris Laumann Liam Fitzpatrick Bill Klein Alex Sushkov

Join Zoom Meeting https://bostonu.zoom.us/j/96051464977

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