Publications

Inspired by the possibility that generative models based on quantum circuits can provide a useful inductive bias for sequence modeling tasks, we propose an efficient training algorithm for a subset of classically simulable quantum circuit models. The gradient-free algorithm, presented as a sequence of exactly solvable effective models, is a modification of the density matrix renormalization group procedure adapted for learning a probability distribution. The conclusion that circuit-based models offer a useful inductive bias for classical datasets is supported by experimental results on the parity learning problem.

The ground-state properties of correlated electron systems can be extraordinarily sensitive to external stimuli, offering abundant platforms for functional materials. Using the multi-messenger combination of atomic force microscopy, cryogenic scanning near-field optical microscopy, magnetic force microscopy and ultrafast laser excitation, we demonstrate both ‘writing’ and ‘erasing’ of a metastable ferromagnetic metal phase in strained films of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (LCMO) with nanometre-resolved finesse. By tracking both optical conductivity and magnetism at the nanoscale, we reveal how strain-coupling underlies the dynamic growth, spontaneous nanotexture and first-order melting transition of this hidden photoinduced metal. Our first-principles calculations reveal that epitaxially engineered Jahn–Teller distortion can stabilize nearly degenerate antiferromagnetic insulator and ferromagnetic metal phases. We propose a Ginzburg–Landau description to rationalize the co-active interplay of strain, lattice distortions and magnetism nano-resolved here in strained LCMO, thus guiding future functional engineering of epitaxial oxides into the regime of phase-programmable materials.

Nodal-line semimetals are topologically non-trivial states of matter featuring band crossings along a closed curve, i.e. nodal-line, in momentum space. Through a detailed analysis of the electronic structure, we show for the first time that the normal state of the superconductor NaAlSi, with a critical temperature of Tc≈ 7 K, is a nodal-line semimetal, where the complex nodal-line structure is protected by non-symmorphic mirror crystal symmetries. We further report on muon spin rotation experiments revealing that the superconductivity in NaAlSi is truly of bulk nature, featuring a fully gapped Fermi-surface. The temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth can be well described by a two-gap model consisting of two s-wave symmetric gaps with Δ1= 0.6(2) meV and Δ2= 1.39(1) meV. The zero-field muon experiment indicates that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state. Our observations suggest that notwithstanding its topologically non-trivial band structure, NaAlSi may be suitably interpreted as a conventional London superconductor, while more exotic superconducting gap symmetries cannot be excluded. The intertwining of topological electronic states and superconductivity renders NaAlSi a prototypical platform to search for unprecedented topological quantum phases.

We demonstrate quantum many-body state reconstruction from experimental data generated by a programmable quantum simulator, by means of a neural network model incorporating known experimental errors. Specifically, we extract restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) wavefunctions from data produced by a Rydberg quantum simulator with eight and nine atoms in a single measurement basis, and apply a novel regularization technique to mitigate the effects of measurement errors in the training data. Reconstructions of modest complexity are able to capture one- and two-body observables not accessible to experimentalists, as well as more sophisticated observables such as the Rényi mutual information. Our results open the door to integration of machine learning architectures with intermediate-scale quantum hardware.

As the diversity of people in higher education grows, Universities are struggling to provide inclusive environments that nurture the spirit of free inquiry in the presence of these differences. At the extreme, the value of diversity is under attack as a few, vocal academics use public forums to question the innate intellectual abilities of certain demographic groups. Throughout my career as an astronomer, from graduate student, through professor to department chair, I have witnessed these struggles firsthand. Exclusive cultures result in lost opportunities in the form of unfulfilled potential of all members of the institution - students, administrators and faculty alike. How to move steadily towards inclusion is an unsolved problem that hampers the advancement of knowledge itself. As every scientist knows, problem definition is an essential feature of problem solution. This article draws on insights from dynamical systems descriptions of conflict developed in the social and behavioral sciences to present a model that captures the convoluted, interacting challenges that stifle progress on this problem. This description of complexity explains the persistence of exclusive cultures and the inadequacy of quick or simple fixes. It also motivates the necessity of prolonged and multifaceted approaches to solutions. It is incumbent on our faculties to recognize the complexities in both problem and solutions, and persevere in responding to these intractable dynamics. It is incumbent on our administrations to provide the consistent structure that supports these tasks. It incumbent on all of our constituents - students, administration and faculty - to be cognizant of and responsive to these efforts.

We present a suite of high-resolution cosmological simulations, using the FIRE-2 feedback physics together with explicit treatment of magnetic fields, anisotropic conduction and viscosity, and cosmic rays (CRs) injected by supernovae (including anisotropic diffusion, streaming, adiabatic, hadronic and Coulomb losses). We survey systems from ultra-faint dwarf (M∗∼104M⊙, Mhalo∼109M⊙) through Milky Way masses, systematically vary CR parameters (e.g. the diffusion coefficient κ and streaming velocity), and study an ensemble of galaxy properties (masses, star formation histories, mass profiles, phase structure, morphologies). We confirm previous conclusions that magnetic fields, conduction, and viscosity on resolved (≳1pc) scales have small effects on bulk galaxy properties. CRs have relatively weak effects on all galaxy properties studied in dwarfs (M∗≪1010M⊙, Mhalo≲1011M⊙), or at high redshifts (z≳1−2), for any physically-reasonable parameters. However at higher masses (Mhalo≳1011M⊙) and z≲1−2, CRs can suppress star formation by factors ∼2−4, given relatively high effective diffusion coefficients κ≳3×1029cm2s−1. At lower κ, CRs take too long to escape dense star-forming gas and lose energy to hadronic collisions, producing negligible effects on galaxies and violating empirical constraints from γ-ray emission. But around κ∼3×1029cm2s−1, CRs escape the galaxy and build up a CR-pressure-dominated halo which supports dense, cool (T≪106 K) gas that would otherwise rain onto the galaxy. CR heating (from collisional and streaming losses) is never dominant.

Lithium-containing molecules, such as C2H2Li2, C6Li6, and several lithium halides, have been studied in the present paper, and the nature of lithium bonds in these structures is investigated. In contrast to the hydrogen bond, which features a typical quasi-linear and dicoordinated (X···H–Y) geometry, the ionic lithium bond prefers nonlinear and multicoodinated geometrical arrangements. On the basis of these observations, we have predicted some novel energetically low-lying C6Li6 structures. With its unusual features, the Li bond theory should be applied rather widely.

We compute the scrambling rate at the antiferromagnetic (AFM) quantum critical point, using the fixed point theory found by Schlief, Lunts, and Lee [Phys. Rev. X 7, 021010 (2017)]. At this strongly coupled fixed point, there is an emergent control parameter w≪1 that is a ratio of natural parameters of the theory. The strong coupling is unequally felt by the two degrees of freedom: the bosonic AFM collective mode is heavily dressed by interactions with the electrons, while the electron is only marginally renormalized. We find that the scrambling rates act as a measure of the “degree of integrability” of each sector of the theory: the Lyapunov exponent for the boson λ(B)L∼O(√w)kBT/ℏ
is significantly larger than the fermion one λ(F)L∼O(w2)kBT/ℏ, where T is the temperature. Although the interaction strength in the theory is of order unity, the larger Lyapunov exponent is still parametrically smaller than the universal upper bound of
λL=2πkBT/ℏ. We also compute the spatial spread of chaos by the boson operator, whose low-energy propagator is highly nonlocal. We find that this nonlocality leads to a scrambled region that grows exponentially fast at intermediate distances, giving an infinite “butterfly velocity” of the chaos front, a result that has also been found in lattice models with long-range interactions.

Dippers are a common class of young variable star exhibiting day-long dimmings with depths of up to several tens of percent. A standard explanation is that dippers host nearly edge-on (70 deg) protoplanetary discs that allow close-in (10 au) disc resolved by ALMA and that inner disc misalignments may be common during the protoplanetary phase. More than one mechanism may contribute to the dipper phenomenon, including accretion-driven warps and "broken" discs caused by inclined (sub-)stellar or planetary companions.

Nonlinear interactions between phonon modes govern the behavior of vibrationally highly excited solids and molecules. Here, we demonstrate theoretically that optical cavities can be used to control the redistribution of energy from a highly excited coherent infrared-active phonon state into the other vibrational degrees of freedom of the system. The hybridization of the infrared-active phonon mode with the fundamental mode of the cavity induces a polaritonic splitting that we use to tune the nonlinear interactions with other vibrational modes in and out of resonance. We show that not only can the efficiency of the redistribution of energy be enhanced or decreased, but also the underlying scattering mechanisms may be changed. This work introduces the concept of cavity control to the field of nonlinear phononics, enabling nonequilibrium quantum optical engineering of new states of matter.