Condensed Matter Theory

Abstract:

We review the theoretical modeling of moiré materials, focusing on various aspects of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MA-TBG) viewed through the lens of Hartree–Fock mean-field theory. We first provide an elementary introduction to the continuum modeling of moiré bandstructures, and explain how interactions are incorporated to study correlated states. We then discuss how to implement mean-field simulations of ground state structure and collective excitations in this setting. With this background established, we rationalize the power of mean-field approximations in MA-TBG, by discussing the idealized ‘chiral-flat’ strong-coupling limit, in which ground states at electron densities commensurate with the moiré superlattice are exactly captured by mean-field ansätze. We then illustrate the phenomenological shortcomings of this limit, leading us naturally into a discussion of the intermediate-coupling incommensurate Kekulé spiral (IKS) order and its origins in ever-present heterostrain. IKS and its placement within an expanded Hartree–Fock manifold form our first ‘case study’. Our second case study involves time-dependence, and focuses on the collective modes of various broken-symmetry insulators in MA-TBG. As a third and final case study, we return to the strong-coupling picture, which can be stabilized by aligning MA-TBG to an hBN substrate. In this limit, we show how mean field theory can be adapted to the translationally non-invariant setting in order to quantitatively study the energetics of domain walls in orbital Chern insulating states. We close with a discussion of extensions and further applications. Used either as a standalone reference or alongside the accompanying open-source code, this review should enable readers with a basic knowledge of band theory and many-body physics to systematically build and analyze detailed models of generic moiré systems.

Abstract:

Active particles are nonequilibrium entities that uptake energy and convert it into self-propulsion. A dynamically rich class of inertial active particles having features of wave-particle coupling and wave memory are walking/superwalking droplets. Such classical, active wave-particle entities (WPEs) have previously been shown to exhibit hydrodynamic analogs of many single-particle quantum systems. Inspired by the rich dynamics of strongly interacting superwalking droplets in experiments, we numerically investigate the dynamics of WPE clusters using a stroboscopic model. We find that several interacting WPEs self-organize into a stable bound cluster, reminiscent of an atomic nucleus. This active cluster exhibits a rich spectrum of collective excitations, including shape oscillations and chiral rotating modes, akin to vibrational and rotational modes of nuclear excitations, as the spatial extent of the waves and their temporal decay rate (memory) are varied. Dynamically distinct excitation modes create a common time-averaged collective wave field potential, bearing qualitative similarities with the nuclear shell model and the bag model of hadrons. For high memory and rapid spatial decay of waves, the active cluster becomes unstable and disintegrates; however, within a narrow regime of the parameter space, the cluster ejects single particles whose decay statistics follow exponential laws, reminiscent of radioactive nuclear decay. Our study uncovers a rich spectrum of dynamical behaviors in clusters of active particles, opening new avenues for exploring hydrodynamic quantum analogs in active matter systems.

Abstract:

A type of chaos called laminar chaos was found in singularly perturbed dynamical systems with periodically [D. Müller , ] and quasiperiodically [D. Müller-Bender and G. Radons, ] time-varying delay. Compared to high-dimensional turbulent chaos that is typically found in such systems with large constant delay, laminar chaos is a very low-dimensional phenomenon. It is characterized by a time series with nearly constant laminar phases that are interrupted by irregular bursts, where the intensity level of the laminar phases varies chaotically from phase to phase. In this paper, we demonstrate that laminar chaos, and its generalizations, can also be observed in systems with random and chaotically time-varying delay. Moreover, while for periodic and quasiperiodic delays the appearance of (generalized) laminar chaos and turbulent chaos depends in a fractal manner on the delay parameters, it turns out that short-time correlated random and chaotic delays lead to (generalized) laminar chaos in almost the whole delay parameter space, where the properties of circle maps with quenched disorder play a crucial role. It follows that introducing such a delay variation typically leads to a drastic reduction of the dimension of the chaotic attractor of the considered systems. We investigate the dynamical properties and generalize the known methods for detecting laminar chaos in experimental time series to random and chaotically time-varying delay.

Abstract:

The study of active solids offers a window into the mechanics and thermodynamics of dense living matter. A key aspect of the nonequilibrium dynamics of such active systems is a mechanistic description of how the underlying mechanochemical couplings arise, which cannot be resolved in models that are phenomenologically constructed. Here, we follow a bottom-up theoretical approach to develop a thermodynamically consistent active solid model and uncover a nontrivial crosstalk that naturally ensues between mechanical response and dissipation. In particular, we show that dissipation reaches a maximum at finite stresses, while it is inhibited under large stresses, effectively reverting the system to a passive state. Our findings establish a generic mechanism plausibly responsible for the nonmonotonic behavior observed in recent experimental measurements of entropy production rate in an actomyosin material and enzymatic activity in crowded condensates.