This book is a wide-ranging survey of the physics of out-of-equilibrium systems of correlated electrons, ranging from the theoretical, to the numerical, computational and experimental aspects. It starts from basic approaches to non-equilibrium physics, such as the mean-field approach, then proceeds to more advanced methods, such as dynamical mean-field theory and master equation approaches. Lastly, it offers a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in experimental investigations of complex quantum materials by means of ultrafast spectroscopy.
This book studies the dynamics of fundamental collective excitations in quantum materials, focusing on the use of state-of-the-art ultrafast broadband optical spectroscopy. Collective behaviour in solids lies at the origin of several cooperative phenomena that can lead to profound transformations, instabilities and phase transitions. Revealing the dynamics of collective excitations is a topic of pivotal importance in contemporary condensed matter physics, as it provides information on the strength and spatial distribution of interactions and correlation. The experimental framework explored in this book relies on setting a material out-of-equilibrium by an ultrashort laser pulse and monitoring the photo-induced changes in its optical properties over a broad spectral region in the visible or deep-ultraviolet. Collective excitations (e.g. plasmons, excitons, phonons...) emerge either in the frequency domain as spectral features across the probed range, or in the time domain as coherent modes triggered by the pump pulse. Mapping the temporal evolution of these collective excitations provides access to the hierarchy of low-energy phenomena occurring in the solid during its path towards thermodynamic equilibrium. This methodology is used to investigate a number of strongly interacting and correlated materials with an increasing degree of internal complexity beyond conventional band theory.
Quantum field theory is the application of quantum mechanics to systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. This 2007 textbook presents quantum field theoretical applications to systems out of equilibrium. It introduces the real-time approach to non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and the quantum field theory of non-equilibrium states in general. It offers two ways of learning how to study non-equilibrium states of many-body systems: the mathematical canonical way and an easy intuitive way using Feynman diagrams. The latter provides an easy introduction to the powerful functional methods of field theory, and the use of Feynman diagrams to study classical stochastic dynamics is considered in detail. The developed real-time technique is applied to study numerous phenomena in many-body systems. Complete with numerous exercises to aid self-study, this textbook is suitable for graduate students in statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics.
This book discusses in depth many of the key problems in non-equilibrium physics. The origin of macroscopic irreversible behavior receives particular attention and is illustrated in the framework of solvable models. An updated discussion on the linear response focuses on the correct electrodynamic aspects, which are essential for example, in the proof of the Nyquist theorem. The material covers the scaling relationship between different levels of description (kinetic to hydrodynamic) as well as spontaneous symmetry breaking in real time in terms of nonlinear dynamics (attractors), illustrated using the example of Bose-Einstein condensation. The presentation also includes the latest developments ? quantum kinetics ? related to modern ultrafast spectroscopy, where transition from reversible to irreversible behavior occurs.
This is the first book that provides a detailed summary of one of the most successful new condensed matter theories - dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) - in both static and dynamical cases of systems of different sizes. DMFT is one of the most successful approaches to describe the physical properties of systems with strong electron-electron correlations such as bulk materials, multi-layers, surfaces, 2D materials and nanostructures in both metallic and insulating phases. Strongly correlated materials usually include partially-filled localized d- or f-orbitals, and DMFT takes into account crucial for these systems time-resolved interaction between electrons when they “meet” on one atom and occupy one of these orbitals. The First Part of the book covers the general formalism of DMFT as a many-body theory, followed by generalizations of the approach on the cases of finite systems and out-of-equilibrium regime. In the last Chapter of the First Part we discuss generalizations of the approach on the case when the non-local interactions are taken into account. The Second Part of the book covers methodologies of merging DMFT with ab initio static Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-Dependent DFT (TDDFT) approaches. Such combined DFT+DMFT and DMFT+TDDFT computational techniques allow one to include the effects of strong electron-electron correlations at the accurate ab initio level. These tools can be applied to complex multi-atom multi-orbital systems currently not accessible to DMFT. The book helps broad audiences of students and researchers from the theoretical and computational communities of condensed matter physics, material science, and chemistry to become familiar with this state-of-art approach and to use it for reaching a deeper understanding of the properties of strongly correlated systems and for synthesis of new technologically-important materials.
This book studies the fundamental aspects of many-body physics in quantum systems open to an external world. Recent remarkable developments in the observation and manipulation of quantum matter at the single-quantum level point to a new research area of open many-body systems, where interactions with an external observer and the environment play a major role. The first part of the book elucidates the influence of measurement backaction from an external observer, revealing new types of quantum critical phenomena and out-of-equilibrium dynamics beyond the conventional paradigm of closed systems. In turn, the second part develops a powerful theoretical approach to study the in- and out-of-equilibrium physics of an open quantum system strongly correlated with an external environment, where the entanglement between the system and the environment plays an essential role. The results obtained here offer essential theoretical results for understanding the many-body physics of quantum systems open to an external world, and can be applied to experimental systems in atomic, molecular and optical physics, quantum information science and condensed matter physics.
This book provides the first systematic discourse on a very peculiar approach to the theory of strongly correlated systems. Hubbard X-operators have been known for a long time but have not been widely used because of their awkward algebra. The book shows that it is possible to deal with X-operators even in the general multilevel local eigenstate system, and not just in the case of the nondegenerate Hubbard model. X-operators provide the natural language for describing quasiparticles in the Hubbard subbands with unusual doping and temperature-dependent band structures.The X-operator diagram technique is presented in detail, so that a newcomer with knowledge of the usual Fermi/Bose operator diagram technique can use the former after reading the book.Examples are taken from the theory of high-Tc superconductivity, rare-earth compounds with strong magnetic anisotropy and quantum oscillations in strongly correlated systems.
The physics of strongly correlated fermions and bosons in a disordered envi ronment and confined geometries is at the focus of intense experimental and theoretical research efforts. Advances in material technology and in low temper ature techniques during the last few years led to the discoveries of new physical of atomic gases and a possible metal phenomena including Bose condensation insulator transition in two-dimensional high mobility electron structures. Situ ations were the electronic system is so dominated by interactions that the old concepts of a Fermi liquid do not necessarily make a good starting point are now routinely achieved. This is particularly true in the theory of low dimensional systems such as carbon nanotubes, or in two dimensional electron gases in high mobility devices where the electrons can form a variety of new structures. In many of these sys tems disorder is an unavoidable complication and lead to a host of rich physical phenomena. This has pushed the forefront of fundamental research in condensed matter towards the edge where the interplay between many-body correlations and quantum interference enhanced by disorder has become the key to the understand ing of novel phenomena.
This introductory level text addresses the broad range of nonequilibrium phenomena observed at short time scales. It focuses on the important questions of correlations and memory effects in dense interacting systems. Experiments on very short time scales are characterized, in particular, by strong correlations far from equilibrium, by nonlinear dynamics, and by the related phenomena of turbulence and chaos. The impressive successes of experiments using pulsed lasers to study the properties of matter and of the new methods of analysis of the early phases of heavy ion reactions have necessitated a review of the available many-body theoretical methods. The aim of this book is thus to provide an introduction to the experimental and theoretical methods that help us to understand the behaviour of such systems when disturbed on very short time scales.
