Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical

We summarize important recent advances in quantum metrology, in connection to experiments in cold gases, trapped cold atoms and photons. First we review simple metrological setups, such as quantum metrology with spin squeezed states, with Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states, Dicke states and singlet states. We calculate the highest precision achievable in these schemes. Then, we present the fundamental notions of quantum metrology, such as shot-noise scaling, Heisenberg scaling, the quantum Fisher information and the Cramér–Rao bound. Using these, we demonstrate that entanglement is needed to surpass the shot-noise scaling in very general metrological tasks with a linear interferometer. We discuss some applications of the quantum Fisher information, such as how it can be used to obtain a criterion for a quantum state to be a macroscopic superposition. We show how it is related to the speed of a quantum evolution, and how it appears in the theory of the quantum Zeno effect. Finally, we explain how uncorrelated noise limits the highest achievable precision in very general metrological tasks.

This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical devoted to '50 years of Bell's theorem'.

Quantum Fisher information matrix (QFIM) is a core concept in theoretical quantum metrology due to the significant importance of quantum Cramér–Rao bound in quantum parameter estimation. However, studies in recent years have revealed wide connections between QFIM and other aspects of quantum mechanics, including quantum thermodynamics, quantum phase transition, entanglement witness, quantum speed limit and non-Markovianity. These connections indicate that QFIM is more than a concept in quantum metrology, but rather a fundamental quantity in quantum mechanics. In this paper, we summarize the properties and existing calculation techniques of QFIM for various cases, and review the development of QFIM in some aspects of quantum mechanics apart from quantum metrology. On the other hand, as the main application of QFIM, the second part of this paper reviews the quantum multiparameter Cramér–Rao bound, its attainability condition and the associated optimal measurements. Moreover, recent developments in a few typical scenarios of quantum multiparameter estimation and the quantum advantages are also thoroughly discussed in this part.

In its most restrictive definition, an octupolar tensor is a fully symmetric traceless third-rank tensor in three space dimensions. So great a body of works have been devoted to this specific class of tensors and their physical applications that a review would perhaps be welcome by a number of students. Here, we endeavour to place octupolar tensors into a broader perspective, considering non-vanishing traces and non-fully symmetric tensors as well. A number of general concepts are recalled and applied to either octupolar and higher-rank tensors. As a tool to navigate the diversity of scenarios we envision, we introduce the octupolar potential, a scalar-valued function which can easily be given an instructive geometrical representation. Physical applications are plenty; those to liquid crystal science play a major role here, as they were the original motivation for our interest in the topic of this review.

In the classical vacuum Maxwell–Lorentz theory the self-force of a charged point particle is infinite. This makes classical mass renormalization necessary and, in the special relativistic domain, leads to the Abraham–Lorentz–Dirac equation of motion possessing unphysical run-away and pre-acceleration solutions. In this paper we investigate whether the higher-order modification of classical vacuum electrodynamics suggested by Bopp, Landé, Thomas and Podolsky in the 1940s, can provide a solution to this problem. Since the theory is linear, Green-function techniques enable one to write the field of a charged point particle on Minkowski spacetime as an integral over the particle's history. By introducing the notion of timelike worldlines that are 'bounded away from the backward light-cone' we are able to prescribe criteria for the convergence of such integrals. We also exhibit a timelike worldline yielding singular fields on a lightlike hyperplane in spacetime. In this case the field is mildly singular at the event where the particle crosses the hyperplane. Even in the case when the Bopp–Podolsky field is bounded, it exhibits a directional discontinuity as one approaches the point particle. We describe a procedure for assigning a value to the field on the particle worldline which enables one to define a finite Lorentz self-force. This is explicitly derived leading to an integro-differential equation for the motion of the particle in an external electromagnetic field. We conclude that any worldline solutions to this equation belonging to the categories discussed in the paper have continuous four-velocities.

The motion of run-and-tumble particles in one-dimensional finite domains are analyzed in the presence of generic boundary conditions. These describe accumulation at walls, where particles can either be absorbed at a given rate, or tumble, with a rate that may be, in general, different from that in the bulk. This formulation allows us to treat in a unified way very different boundary conditions (fully and partially absorbing/reflecting, sticky, sticky-reactive and sticky-absorbing boundaries) which can be recovered as appropriate limits of the general case. We report the general expression of the mean exit time, valid for generic boundaries, discussing many case studies, from equal boundaries to more interesting cases of different boundary conditions at the two ends of the domain, resulting in nontrivial expressions of mean exit times.

We introduce a series of articles reviewing various aspects of integrable models relevant to the anti-de Sitter (AdS)/conformal quantum field theory (CFT) correspondence. Topics covered in these reviews are: classical integrability, Yangian symmetry, factorized scattering, the Bethe ansatz, the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz, and integrable structures in (conformal) quantum field theory. In the present article we highlight how these concepts have found application in AdS/CFT, and provide a brief overview of the material contained in this series.

This is an introduction to Exactly Solved Models and Beyond, a special issue collection of articles published in J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. in honour of R J Baxter's 75th birthday.

The curse of dimensionality associated with the Hilbert space of spin systems provides a significant obstruction to the study of condensed matter systems. Tensor networks have proven an important tool in attempting to overcome this difficulty in both the numerical and analytic regimes.

These notes form the basis for a seven lecture course, introducing the basics of a range of common tensor networks and algorithms. In particular, we cover: introductory tensor network notation, applications to quantum information, basic properties of matrix product states, a classification of quantum phases using tensor networks, algorithms for finding matrix product states, basic properties of projected entangled pair states, and multiscale entanglement renormalisation ansatz states.

The lectures are intended to be generally accessible, although the relevance of many of the examples may be lost on students without a background in many-body physics/quantum information. For each lecture, several problems are given, with worked solutions in an ancillary file.

Hagedorn functions are carefully constructed generalizations of Hermite functions to the setting of many-dimensional squeezed and coupled harmonic systems. Wavepackets formed by superpositions of Hagedorn functions have been successfully used to solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation exactly in harmonic systems and variationally in anharmonic systems. To evaluate typical observables, such as position or kinetic energy, it is sufficient to consider orthonormal Hagedorn functions with a single Gaussian center. Instead, we derive various relations between Hagedorn bases associated with different Gaussians, including their overlaps, which are necessary for evaluating quantities nonlocal in time, such as the time correlation functions needed for computing spectra. First, we use the Bogoliubov transformation to obtain the commutation relations between the ladder operators associated with different Gaussians. Then, instead of using numerical quadrature, we employ these commutation relations to derive exact recurrence relations for the overlap integrals between Hagedorn functions with different Gaussian centers. Finally, we present numerical experiments that demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our algebraic method as well as its suitability for treating problems in spectroscopy and chemical dynamics.

These notes were presented at the Young Researchers School (YRS) in Maynooth in April 2024 and provide an introduction to conformal field theory (CFT), boundary CFT and Defect CFT. This class is mostly self-contained and includes exercises with solutions. The first part of these notes is concerned with the basics of CFT, and was taught by the author during the pre-school for the YRS 2024. Here the aim is to convey the notion of conformal families, their fusion and the construction of partition functions. The second part of these notes is dedicated to boundaries and defects in CFT and was presented by the author at the main school. As far as boundaries are concerned, emphasis is placed on boundary operators and their state spaces, as well as the boundary state formalism with the Cardy constraint. Topological defects are discussed in analogy, i.e. defect state spaces and the relevant consistency constraint are derived. Verlinde lines are constructed as their simplest solution and their properties are inspected.

Exceptional points (EPs) are distinct characteristics of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians that have no counterparts in Hermitian systems. In this study, we focus on EPs in continuous systems rather than discrete non-Hermitian systems, which are commonly investigated in both the experimental and theoretical studies. The non-Hermiticity of the system stems from the local imaginary potential, which can be effectively achieved through particle loss in recent quantum simulation setups. Leveraging the discrete Fourier transform, the dynamics of EPs within the low-energy sector can be well modeled by a Stark ladder system under the influence of a non-Hermitian tilted potential. To illustrate this, we systematically investigate continuous systems with finite imaginary potential wells and demonstrate the distinctive EP dynamics across different orders. Our investigation sheds light on EP behaviors, potentially catalyzing further exploration of EP phenomena across a variety of quantum simulation setups.

The hexagonal lattice and its dual, the triangular lattice, serve as powerful models for comprehending the atomic and ring connectivity, respectively, in graphene and carbon (p,q)-nanotubes. The chemical and physical attributes of these two carbon allotropes are closely linked to the average number of closed paths of different lengths $k\in{\mathbb{N}}_0$ on their respective graph representations. Considering that a carbon (p, q)-nanotube can be thought of as a graphene sheet rolled up in a way determined by the chiral vector (p, q), our findings are based on a previous study on random eigenvalues of both the hexagonal and triangular lattices. This study reveals that for any given chiral vector (p, q), the sequence of counts of closed paths forms a moment sequence derived from a function of two independent uniform distributions. Explicit formulas for key characteristics of these distributions, including the probability density function and the moment generating function, are presented for specific choices of the chiral vector. Moreover, we demonstrate that as the circumference of a (p, q)-nanotube approaches infinity, i.e. $p+q\rightarrow \infty$, the (p, q)-nanotube tends to converge to the hexagonal lattice with respect to the number of closed paths for any given length k, indicating weak convergence of the underlying distributions.

We study the nonequilibrium stationary state (NESS) induced by quantum resetting of a system of N noninteracting bosons in a harmonic trap. Our protocol consists of preparing initially the system in the ground state of a harmonic oscillator centered at +a, followed by a rapid quench where the center is shifted to −a and the system is allowed to evolve unitarily up to a random Poissonian time τ distributed via $r\,\mathrm e^{-r \tau}$. Then the trap center is reset to +a again and the system is assumed to cool instantaneously to the initial ground state. The system is again allowed to evolve unitarily in the trap centered at −a up to a random time, and the procedure is repeated. Under repeated resetting, the system reaches a NESS where the positions of bosons get strongly correlated due to simultaneous resetting induced by the trap. We fully characterize the steady state by analytically computing several physical observables such as the average density, extreme value statistics, order and gap statistics, and also the distribution of the number of particles in a region $[-L,L]$, known as the full counting statistics (FCS). In particular, we show that in the large N limit, the scaling function describing the FCS exhibits a striking feature: it is supported over a nontrivial finite interval, and moreover is discontinuous at an interior point of the support. Our results are supported by numerical simulations. This is a rare example of a strongly correlated quantum many-body NESS where various observables can be exactly computed.

Grover's quantum search algorithm promises a quadratic speedup for unstructured search over its classical counterpart. But this advantage is affected by noise acting on the search space. Here, we show that a quantum switch can act as a resource to mitigate the effects of noise. In this scenario, the noise is modeled by a depolarizing channel, which coherently acts on the entire quantum register. We show that a quantum switch can significantly reduce the error in Grover's search algorithm. We consider the success probability of finding the marked item as the sole quantifier of diminishing the effect of noise in the search space in the presence of quantum switch. We propose two frameworks for the application of quantum switches. In the first framework, we apply the superposition of channel's orders in the form of a switch and do a post-selection at every iteration of the applications of the Grover operator. In the second framework, we delay this measurement and post-selection until the very end. The number of post selections is minimal in the second scenario, and hence the noise reduction can be attributed more to the presence of quantum switch. We illustrate with an example of significant advantage in the success probability of Grover's algorithm using quantum switch.

These notes were presented at the Young Researchers School (YRS) in Maynooth in April 2024 and provide an introduction to conformal field theory (CFT), boundary CFT and Defect CFT. This class is mostly self-contained and includes exercises with solutions. The first part of these notes is concerned with the basics of CFT, and was taught by the author during the pre-school for the YRS 2024. Here the aim is to convey the notion of conformal families, their fusion and the construction of partition functions. The second part of these notes is dedicated to boundaries and defects in CFT and was presented by the author at the main school. As far as boundaries are concerned, emphasis is placed on boundary operators and their state spaces, as well as the boundary state formalism with the Cardy constraint. Topological defects are discussed in analogy, i.e. defect state spaces and the relevant consistency constraint are derived. Verlinde lines are constructed as their simplest solution and their properties are inspected.

Quantum sensors are now universally acknowledged as one of the most promising near-term quantum technologies. The traditional formulation of quantum sensing introduces a concrete bound on ultimate precision through the so-called local sensing framework, in which a significant knowledge of prior information about the unknown parameter value is implicitly assumed. Moreover, the framework provides a systematic approach for optimizing the sensing protocol. In contrast, the paradigm of global sensing aims to find a precision bound for parameter estimation in the absence of such prior information. In recent years, vigorous research has been pursued to describe the contours of global quantum estimation. Here, we review some of these emerging developments. These developments are both in the realm of finding ultimate precision bounds with respect to appropriate figures of merit in the global sensing paradigm, as well as in the search for algorithms that achieve these bounds. We categorize these developments into two largely mutually exclusive camps; one employing Bayesian updating and the other seeking to generalize the frequentist picture of local sensing towards the global paradigm. In the first approach, in order to achieve the best performance, one has to optimize the measurement settings adaptively. In the second approach, the measurement setting is fixed, however the challenge is to identify this fixed measurement optimally.

More then 35 approaches to the Dirac equation derivation are presented. Various physical principles and mathematical methods are used. A review of well-known and not enough known contributions to the problem is given, unexpected and unconventional derivations are presented as well. Three original approaches to the problem suggested by the author are considered: (i) generalization of H. Sallhofer derivation, (ii) obtaining of massless Dirac equation from the Maxwell equations in a maximally symmetrical form, (iii) derivation of the Dirac equation with nonzero mass from relativistic canonical quantum mechanics of the fermion-antifermion spin s = 1/2 doublet. Today we are able to demonstrate new features of our derivations given in original papers. In some sense the important role of the Dirac equation in contemporary theoretical physics is demonstrated. A criterion for the usefulness of one or another derivation of the Dirac equation is established.

We review different exact approaches to string theory. In the context of the Green–Schwarz superstring, we discuss the action in curved backgrounds and its supercoset formulation, with particular attention to superstring backgrounds of the AdS₃ type supported by both Ramond–Ramond and Neveu–Schwarz–Neveu–Schwarz fluxes. This is the basis for the discussion of classical integrability, of worldsheet-scattering factorisation in the uniform lightcone gauge, and eventually of the string spectrum through the mirror thermodynamic Bethe ansatz, which for AdS₃ backgrounds was only derived and analysed very recently. We then illustrate some aspects of the Ramond–Neveu–Schwarz string, and introduce the formalism of Berkovits–Vafa–Witten, which has seen very recent applications to AdS₃ physics, which we also briefly review. Finally, we present the relation between M-theory in the discrete lightcone quantisation and decoupling limits of string theory that exhibit non-relativistic behaviors, highlighting the connection with integrable $T\bar{T}$ deformations, as well as the relation between spin-matrix theory and Landau–Lifshitz models.

This review is based on lectures given at the Young Researchers Integrability School and Workshop 2022 'Taming the string worldsheet' at NORDITA, Stockholm.

The quantum-mechanical transition amplitudes for atomic and molecular processes in strong laser fields are expressed in the form of multidimensional integrals of highly oscillatory functions. Such integrals are ideally suited for the evaluation by asymptotic methods for integrals. Furthermore, using these methods it is possible to identify, in the sense of Feynman's path-integral formalism, the partial contributions of quantum orbits, which are related to particular solutions of the saddle-point equations. This affords insight into the physics of the problem, which would not have been possible by only solving these integrals numerically. We apply the saddle-point method to various quantum processes that are important in strong-field physics and attoscience. The special case of coalescing or near-coalescing saddle points requires application of the uniform approximation. We also present two modifications of the saddle-point method, for the cases where a singular point of the subintegral function exactly overlaps with a saddle point or is located in its close vicinity. Particular emphasis is on the classification of the saddle-point solutions. This problem is solved for the one-dimensional integral over the ionization time, relevant for above-threshold ionization (ATI), while for two-dimensional integrals a classification by the multi-index $(\alpha,\beta,m)$ is introduced, which is particularly useful for the medium- and high-energy spectrum of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and backward-scattered electrons (for high-order ATI). For the low-energy structures a classification using the multi-index $(\nu,\rho,\mu)$ is introduced for the forward-scattering quantum orbits. In addition to laser-induced processes such as ATI, HHG and high-order ATI, we consider laser-assisted scattering as an example of laser-assisted processes for which real solutions of the saddle-point equation exist. Particular attention is devoted to the quantum orbits that describe and visualize these processes. We also consider finite laser pulses, the semiclassical approximation, the role of the Coulomb field and the case of laser fields intense enough to lead into the relativistic regime.

Four-dimensional conformal fishnet theory is an integrable scalar theory which arises as a double scaling limit of -deformed maximally supersymmetric Yang–Mills. We give a perturbative reformulation of -deformed super-Yang–Mills theory in twistor space, and implement the double scaling limit to obtain a twistor description of conformal fishnet theory. The conformal fishnet theory retains an abelian gauge symmetry on twistor space which is absent in space-time, allowing us to obtain cohomological formulae for scattering amplitudes that manifest conformal invariance. We study various classes of scattering amplitudes in twistor space with this formalism.

We probe the character of knotting in open, confined polymers, assigning knot types to open curves by identifying their projections as virtual knots. In this sense, virtual knots are transitional, lying in between classical knot types, which are useful to classify the ambiguous nature of knotting in open curves. Modelling confined polymers using both lattice walks and ideal chains, we find an ensemble of random, tangled open curves whose knotting is not dominated by any single knot type, a behaviour we call weakly knotted. We compare cubically confined lattice walks and spherically confined ideal chains, finding the weak knotting probability in both families is quite similar and growing with length, despite the overall knotting probability being quite different. In contrast, the probability of weak knotting in unconfined walks is small at all lengths investigated. For spherically confined ideal chains, weak knotting is strongly correlated with the degree of confinement but is almost entirely independent of length. For ideal chains confined to tubes and slits, weak knotting is correlated with an adjusted degree of confinement, again with length having negligible effect.

We consider anomaly cancellation for gauge theories where the left-handed chiral multiplets are in higher representations. In particular, if the left-handed quarks and leptons transform under the triplet representation of and if the gauge group is compact then up to an overall scaling there is only one possible nontrivial assignment for the hypercharges if N  =  3, and two if N  =  9. Otherwise there are infinitely many. We use the Mordell–Weil theorem, Mazur's theorem and the Cremona elliptic curve database which uses Kolyvagin's theorem on the Birch Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture to prove these statements.

The coupled Nosé-Hoover (cNH) equation o¤ers a physical state sampling technique employed in molecular dynamics simulations, requiring fewer iterations and using a single-replica approach. The key to enhancing sampling e¢ ciency is the ability to dynamically uctuate the temperature of the Nosé-Hoover thermostat according to a predefined distribution. While the global behavior of cNH dynamics has been characterized probabilistically due to the existence of an invariant measure, this study focuses on a detailed analysis of the local behavior of these dynamics. We captured the local behavior of the temperature system (TS), a distinctive feature of cNH, using the TS mass and the Hessian of the TS potential. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Hessian and utilized these insights to assign suitable system parameter values for the cNH method. Given that the choice of parameter values in uences the convergence of the distribution, selecting them appropriately is crucial from a practical perspective. In this study, we developed a method for determining suitable parameter values and validated it numerically by applying it to model systems. Our findings provide a foundation for achieving efiicient and straightforward sampling simulations.

We develop a method based on martingales to study first-passage problems of time-additive observables exiting an interval of finite width in a Markov process. In the limit that the interval width is large, we derive generic expressions for the splitting probability and the cumulants of the first-passage time. These expressions relate first-passage quantities to the large deviation properties of the time-additive observable. We find that there are three qualitatively different regimes depending on the properties of the rate function of the time-additive observable. These regimes correspond to exponential, super-exponential, or sub-exponential suppression of events at the unlikely boundary of the interval. Furthermore, we show that the statistics of first-passage times at both interval boundaries are in general different, even for symmetric thresholds and in the limit of large interval widths. While the statistics of the times to reach the likely boundary are determined by the cumulants of the time-additive observables in the original process, those at the unlikely boundary are determined by a dual process. We obtain these results from a one-parameter family of positive martingales that we call Perron martingales, as these are related to the Perron root of a tilted version of the transition rate matrix defining the Markov process. Furthermore, we show that each eigenpair of the tilted matrix has a one-parameter family of martingales. To solve first-passage problems at finite thresholds, we generally require all one-parameter families of martingales, including the non-positive ones. We illustrate this by solving the first-passage problem for run-and-tumble particles exiting an interval of finite width.

In this paper we analyze the effects of stochastic resetting on an encounter-based model of an unbiased run-and-tumble particle (RTP) confined to the half-line $[0,\infty)$ with a partially absorbing wall at $x=0$. The RTP tumbles at a constant rate $\alpha$ between the velocity states $\pm v$ with $v>0$. Absorption occurs when the number of collisions with the wall (discrete local time) exceeds a randomly generated threshold $\widehat{\ell}$ with probability distribution $\Psi(\ell)$. The extended RTP model has three state variables, namely, particle position $X(t)\in [0,\infty)$, the velocity direction $\sigma(t)\in\{-1, 1\}$, and the discrete local time $L(t)\in {\mathbb N}$. We initially assume that only $X(t)$ and $\sigma(t)$ reset at a Poisson rate $r$, whereas $L(t)$ is not changed. This implies that resetting is not governed by a renewal process. We use the stochastic calculus of jump processes to derive an evolution equation for the joint probability distribution of the triplet $(X(t),\sigma(t),L(t))$. This is then used to calculate the mean first passage time (MFPT) by performing a discrete Laplace transform of the evolution equation with respect to the local time. We thus find that the MFPT's only dependence on the distribution $\Psi$ is via the mean local time threshold. We also identify parameter regimes in which the MFPT is a unimodal function of both the resetting and tumbling rates. Finally, we consider conditions under which resetting is given by a renewal process and show how the MFPT in the presence of local time resetting depends on the full statistics of $\Psi$. 

We investigate quantum symmetries in terms of their large-time stability with respect to perturbations of the Hamiltonian. We find a complete algebraic characterization of the set of symmetries robust against a single perturbation and we use such result to characterize their stability with respect to arbitrary sets of perturbations.

We give an introductory account of the recently identified gauge invariance of the equilibrium statistical mechanics of classical many-body systems [J. Müller et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 217101 (2024)]. The gauge transformation is a non-commutative shifting operation on phase space that keeps the differential phase space volume element and hence the Gibbs integration measure conserved. When thermally averaged any observable is an invariant, including thermodynamic and structural quantities. Shifting transformations are canonical in the sense of classical mechanics. They also form an infinite-dimensional group with generators of infinitesimal transformations that build a non-commutative Lie algebra. We lay out the connections with the underlying geometry of coordinate displacement and with Noether's theorem. Spatial localization of the shifting yields differential operators that satisfy commutator relationships, which we describe both in purely configurational and in full phase space setups. Standard operator calculus yields corresponding equilibrium hyperforce correlation sum rules for general observables and order parameters. Using Monte Carlos simulations we demonstrate explicitly the gauge invariance for finite shifting. We argue in favour of using the gauge invariance as a statistical mechanical construction principle for obtaining exact results and for formulating smart sampling algorithms.

We develop a method based on martingales to study first-passage problems of time-additive observables exiting an interval of finite width in a Markov process. In the limit that the interval width is large, we derive generic expressions for the splitting probability and the cumulants of the first-passage time. These expressions relate first-passage quantities to the large deviation properties of the time-additive observable. We find that there are three qualitatively different regimes depending on the properties of the rate function of the time-additive observable. These regimes correspond to exponential, super-exponential, or sub-exponential suppression of events at the unlikely boundary of the interval. Furthermore, we show that the statistics of first-passage times at both interval boundaries are in general different, even for symmetric thresholds and in the limit of large interval widths. While the statistics of the times to reach the likely boundary are determined by the cumulants of the time-additive observables in the original process, those at the unlikely boundary are determined by a dual process. We obtain these results from a one-parameter family of positive martingales that we call Perron martingales, as these are related to the Perron root of a tilted version of the transition rate matrix defining the Markov process. Furthermore, we show that each eigenpair of the tilted matrix has a one-parameter family of martingales. To solve first-passage problems at finite thresholds, we generally require all one-parameter families of martingales, including the non-positive ones. We illustrate this by solving the first-passage problem for run-and-tumble particles exiting an interval of finite width.

In this paper we analyze the effects of stochastic resetting on an encounter-based model of an unbiased run-and-tumble particle (RTP) confined to the half-line $[0,\infty)$ with a partially absorbing wall at $x=0$. The RTP tumbles at a constant rate $\alpha$ between the velocity states $\pm v$ with $v>0$. Absorption occurs when the number of collisions with the wall (discrete local time) exceeds a randomly generated threshold $\widehat{\ell}$ with probability distribution $\Psi(\ell)$. The extended RTP model has three state variables, namely, particle position $X(t)\in [0,\infty)$, the velocity direction $\sigma(t)\in\{-1, 1\}$, and the discrete local time $L(t)\in {\mathbb N}$. We initially assume that only $X(t)$ and $\sigma(t)$ reset at a Poisson rate $r$, whereas $L(t)$ is not changed. This implies that resetting is not governed by a renewal process. We use the stochastic calculus of jump processes to derive an evolution equation for the joint probability distribution of the triplet $(X(t),\sigma(t),L(t))$. This is then used to calculate the mean first passage time (MFPT) by performing a discrete Laplace transform of the evolution equation with respect to the local time. We thus find that the MFPT's only dependence on the distribution $\Psi$ is via the mean local time threshold. We also identify parameter regimes in which the MFPT is a unimodal function of both the resetting and tumbling rates. Finally, we consider conditions under which resetting is given by a renewal process and show how the MFPT in the presence of local time resetting depends on the full statistics of $\Psi$. 

We investigate quantum symmetries in terms of their large-time stability with respect to perturbations of the Hamiltonian. We find a complete algebraic characterization of the set of symmetries robust against a single perturbation and we use such result to characterize their stability with respect to arbitrary sets of perturbations.

We give an introductory account of the recently identified gauge invariance of the equilibrium statistical mechanics of classical many-body systems [J. Müller et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 217101 (2024)]. The gauge transformation is a non-commutative shifting operation on phase space that keeps the differential phase space volume element and hence the Gibbs integration measure conserved. When thermally averaged any observable is an invariant, including thermodynamic and structural quantities. Shifting transformations are canonical in the sense of classical mechanics. They also form an infinite-dimensional group with generators of infinitesimal transformations that build a non-commutative Lie algebra. We lay out the connections with the underlying geometry of coordinate displacement and with Noether's theorem. Spatial localization of the shifting yields differential operators that satisfy commutator relationships, which we describe both in purely configurational and in full phase space setups. Standard operator calculus yields corresponding equilibrium hyperforce correlation sum rules for general observables and order parameters. Using Monte Carlos simulations we demonstrate explicitly the gauge invariance for finite shifting. We argue in favour of using the gauge invariance as a statistical mechanical construction principle for obtaining exact results and for formulating smart sampling algorithms.

These notes were presented at the Young Researchers School (YRS) in Maynooth in April 2024 and provide an introduction to conformal field theory (CFT), boundary CFT and Defect CFT. This class is mostly self-contained and includes exercises with solutions. The first part of these notes is concerned with the basics of CFT, and was taught by the author during the pre-school for the YRS 2024. Here the aim is to convey the notion of conformal families, their fusion and the construction of partition functions. The second part of these notes is dedicated to boundaries and defects in CFT and was presented by the author at the main school. As far as boundaries are concerned, emphasis is placed on boundary operators and their state spaces, as well as the boundary state formalism with the Cardy constraint. Topological defects are discussed in analogy, i.e. defect state spaces and the relevant consistency constraint are derived. Verlinde lines are constructed as their simplest solution and their properties are inspected.

In $d=4k+2 $ dimensions, $p$-form 
 gauge fields (with $p=2k$) with self-dual field strengths couple naturally to dyonic branes with equal electric and magnetic charges.
 Sen's action for a $p$-form gauge field with self-dual field strength coupled to a spacetime metric $g$ involves an explicit Minkowski metric; however, this action can be generalised to provide a theory
 in which the Minkowski metric is replaced by a second metric $\bar g$ on spacetime. This theory describes a physical sector, consisting of the chiral $p$-form gauge field coupled to the dynamical metric $g$, plus an auxiliary sector consisting of a second chiral $p$-form and the second metric $\bar g$.
 The fields in this auxiliary sector only couple to each other and have no interactions with the physical sector.
However, in this theory, the standard coupling to a brane given by integrating the gauge potential over the world-volume of the brane is problematic as the physical gauge potential depends non-locally on the fields appearing in the action. A consistent coupling is given by introducing Dirac branes (generalising Dirac strings), and is shown to have generalised symmetries corresponding to invariance under deforming the positions of the Dirac branes, provided the Dirac branes do not intersect any physical brane world-volumes.

The hexagonal lattice and its dual, the triangular lattice, serve as powerful models for comprehending the atomic and ring connectivity, respectively, in graphene and carbon (p,q)-nanotubes. The chemical and physical attributes of these two carbon allotropes are closely linked to the average number of closed paths of different lengths $k\in{\mathbb{N}}_0$ on their respective graph representations. Considering that a carbon (p, q)-nanotube can be thought of as a graphene sheet rolled up in a way determined by the chiral vector (p, q), our findings are based on a previous study on random eigenvalues of both the hexagonal and triangular lattices. This study reveals that for any given chiral vector (p, q), the sequence of counts of closed paths forms a moment sequence derived from a function of two independent uniform distributions. Explicit formulas for key characteristics of these distributions, including the probability density function and the moment generating function, are presented for specific choices of the chiral vector. Moreover, we demonstrate that as the circumference of a (p, q)-nanotube approaches infinity, i.e. $p+q\rightarrow \infty$, the (p, q)-nanotube tends to converge to the hexagonal lattice with respect to the number of closed paths for any given length k, indicating weak convergence of the underlying distributions.

We present an example of an integrable Hamiltonian system with scalar potential in the three-dimensional Euclidean space whose integrals of motion are quadratic polynomials in the momenta, yet its Hamilton-Jacobi / Schrödinger equation cannot separate in any orthogonal coordinate system. This demonstrates a loophole in the derivation of the list of quadratically integrable Hamiltonian systems in [Makarov et al., A systematic search for nonrelativistic systems with dynamical symmetries. Nuovo Cimento A Series 10, 52:1061-1084, 1967] where only separable systems were found, and the need for its revision.

Atomic frequency comb (AFC) quantum memories are a promising technology for quantum repeater networks because they enable multi-mode, long-time, and high-fidelity storage of photons with on-demand retrieval. The optimization of the retrieval efficiency of an AFC memory is important because it strongly impacts the entanglement distribution rate in quantum networks. Despite initial theoretical analyses and recent experimental demonstrations, a rigorous proof of the universally optimal configuration for the highest AFC retrieval efficiency has not been presented. In this paper we present a simple analytical proof which shows that the optimized square tooth offers the highest retrieval efficiency among all tooth shapes, under the physical constraint of finite optical depth of an atomic ensemble. The optimality still holds when the non-zero background absorption and the finite optical linewidth of atoms are considered. We further compare square, Lorentzian and Gaussian tooth shapes to reinforce the practical advantage of the square-tooth AFC in retrieval efficiency. Our proof lays rigorous foundation for the recipe of creating optimal AFC under realistic experimental conditions.

The stationary Dirac equation $({\boldsymbol{p}}\cdot{\boldsymbol{\sigma}})\psi = E\psi$, confined to a two-dimensional (2D) region, supports states propagating along the boundary and decaying exponentially away from the boundary. These edge states appear on the 2D surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator, where massless fermionic quasiparticles are governed by the Dirac equation and confined by a magnetic insulator. We show how the continuous system can be simulated on a 2D square lattice, without running into the fermion-doubling obstruction. For that purpose we adapt the existing tangent fermion discretization on an unbounded lattice to account for a lattice termination that simulates the magnetic insulator interface.