Analytic solutions of the quantum relativistic two-body problem are obtained for an interaction potential modeled as a one-dimensional smooth square well. Both stationary and moving pairs are considered and the limit of the {delta}-function interaction is studied in depth. Our result can be utilized for understanding excitonic states in narrow-gap carbon nanotubes. We also show the existence of bound states within the gap for a pair of particles of the same charge.
We investigate the behavior of the directed current in one-dimensional systems of Dirac fermions driven by local periodic potentials in the forward as well in backscattering channels. We treat the problem with Keldysh non-equilibrium Greens function formalism. We present the exact solution for the case of an infinite wire and show that in this case the dc current vanishes identically. We also investigate a confined system consistent in an annular arrangement coupled to a particle reservoir. We present a perturbative treatment that allows for the analytical expressions of the dc current in the lowest order of the amplitudes of the potential. We also present results obtained from the exact numerical solution of the problem.
We propose to utilize the sub-system fidelity (SSF), defined by comparing a pair of reduced density matrices derived from the degenerate ground states, to identify and/or characterize symmetry protected topological (SPT) states in one-dimensional interacting many-body systems. The SSF tells whether two states are locally indistinguishable (LI) by measurements within a given sub-system. Starting from two polar states (states that could be distinguished on either edge), the other combinations of these states can be mapped onto a Bloch sphere. We prove that a pair of orthogonal states on the equator of the Bloch sphere are LI, independently of whether they are SPT states or cat states (symmetry-preserving states by linear combinations of states that break discrete symmetries). Armed with this theorem, we provide a scheme to construct zero-energy exitations that swap the LI states. We show that the zero mode can be located anywhere for cat states, but is localized near the edge for SPT states. We also show that the SPT states are LI in a finite fraction of the bulk (excluding the two edges), whereas the symmetry-breaking states are distinguishable. This can be used to pinpoint the transition from SPT states to the symmetry-breaking states.
Electrons in a lattice exhibit time-periodic motion, known as Bloch oscillation, when subject to an additional static electric field. Here we show that a corresponding dynamics can occur upon replacing the spatially periodic potential by a time-periodic driving: Floquet oscillations of charge carriers in a spatially homogeneous system. The time lattice of the driving gives rise to Floquet bands that take on the role of the usual Bloch bands. For two different drivings (harmonic driving and periodic kicking through pulses) of systems with linear dispersion we demonstrate the existence of such oscillations, both by directly propagating wave packets and based on a complementary Floquet analysis. The Floquet oscillations feature richer oscillation patterns than their Bloch counterpart and enable the imaging of Floquet bands. Moreover, their period can be directly tuned through the driving frequency. Such oscillations should be experimentally observable in effective Dirac systems, such as graphene, when illuminated with circularly polarized light.
We study the density-density response function of a collection of charged massive Dirac particles and present analytical expressions for the dynamical polarization function in one, two and three dimensions. The polarization function is then used to find the dispersion of the plasmon modes, and electrostatic screening of Coulomb interactions within the random phase approximation. We find that for massive Dirac systems, the oscillating screened potential decays as $r^{-1}$, $r^{-2}$ and $r^{-3}$ in one, two, and three dimensions respectively. However for massless Dirac systems there is no electrostatic screening or Friedel oscillation in one dimension, and the oscillating screened potential decays as $r^{-3}$ and $r^{-4}$, in two and three dimensions respectively. Our analytical results for the polarization function will be useful for exploring the physics of massive and massless Dirac materials in different experimental systems with varying dimensionality.
We experimentally demonstrate ultralong spin lifetimes of electrons in the one-dimensional (1D) quantum limit of semiconductor nanowires. Optically probing single wires of different diameters reveals an increase in the spin relaxation time by orders of magnitude as the electrons become increasingly confined until only a single 1D subband is populated. We find the observed spin lifetimes of more than $200,textrm{ns}$ to result from the robustness of 1D electrons against major spin relaxation mechanisms, highlighting the promising potential of these wires for long-range transport of coherent spin information.