We theoretically investigate the generation of ultrafast currents in insulators induced by strong few-cycle laser pulses. Ab initio simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory give insight into the atomic-scale properties of the induced current signifying a femtosecond-scale insulator-metal transition. We observe the transition from nonlinear polarization currents during the laser pulse at low intensities to tunnelinglike excitation into the conduction band at higher laser intensities. At high intensities, the current persists after the conclusion of the laser pulse considered to be the precursor of the dielectric breakdown on the femtosecond scale. We show that the transferred charge sensitively depends on the orientation of the polarization axis relative to the crystal axis, suggesting that the induced charge separation reflects the anisotropic electronic structure. We find good agreement with very recent experimental data on the intensity and carrier-envelope phase dependence [A. Schiffrin et al., Nature (London) 493, 70 (2013)].

We derive an analytical formula for the covariance $\mathrm{cov}(A,B)$ of two smooth linear statistics $A=\sum _{i}a({\lambda }_i)$ and $B=\sum _{i}b({\lambda }_i)$ to leading order for $N\to \infty$, where $\{{\lambda }_i\}$ are the $N$ real eigenvalues of a general one-cut random-matrix model with Dyson index $\beta$. The formula, carrying the universal $1/\beta$ prefactor, depends on the random-matrix ensemble only through the edge points $[{\lambda }_{-},{\lambda }_{+}]$ of the limiting spectral density. For $A=B$, we recover in some special cases the classical variance formulas by Beenakker and by Dyson and Mehta, clarifying the respective ranges of applicability. Some choices of $a(x)$ and $b(x)$ lead to a striking decorrelation of the corresponding linear statistics. We provide two applications—the joint statistics of conductance and shot noise in ideal chaotic cavities, and some new fluctuation relations for traces of powers of random matrices.

The nature of dark matter is unknown. A number of dark matter candidates are quantum flavor-mixed particles but this property has never been accounted for in cosmology. Here we explore this possibility from the first principles via extensive $N$-body cosmological simulations and demonstrate that the two-component dark matter model agrees with observational data at all scales. Substantial reduction of substructure and flattening of density profiles in the centers of dark matter halos found in simulations can simultaneously resolve several outstanding puzzles of modern cosmology. The model shares the “why now?” fine-tuning caveat pertinent to all self-interacting models. Predictions for direct and indirect detection dark matter experiments are made.

Laser induced breakdown of pressurized gases is used to generate plasmas under conditions where the atomic density and temperature are similar to those found in sonoluminescing bubbles. Calibrated streak spectroscopy reveals that a blackbody persists well after the exciting femtosecond laser pulse has turned off. Deviation from Saha’s equation of state and an accompanying large reduction in ionization potential are observed at unexpectedly low atomic densities—in parallel with sonoluminescence. In laser breakdown, energy input proceeds via excitation of electrons whereas in sonoluminescence it is initiated via the atoms. The similar responses indicate that these systems are revealing the thermodynamics and transport of a strongly coupled plasma.

We reconsider the large $N$ asymptotics of Harish-Chandra—Itzykson—Zuber integrals. We provide, using Dyson’s Brownian motion and the method of instantons, an alternative, transparent derivation of the Matytsin formalism for the unitary case. Our method is easily generalized to the orthogonal and symplectic ensembles. We obtain an explicit solution of Matytsin’s equations in the case of Wigner matrices, as well as a general expansion method in the dilute limit, when the spectrum of eigenvalues spreads over very wide regions.

We show that a distinguishable mobile impurity inside a one-dimensional many-body state at zero temperature generally does not behave like a quasiparticle. Instead, both the impurity dynamics as well as the ground state of the bath are fundamentally transformed by a diverging number of zero-energy excitations being generated, leading to what we call infrared-dominated (ID) dynamics. Combining analytics and density matrix renormalization group numerics, we provide a general formula for the power law governing ID dynamics at zero momentum, discuss a threshold beyond which quasiparticle dynamics may occur again, and study the competition between the ID and quasiparticle universality classes at larger impurity momenta.

Tangential discontinuities, seen as x-ray edges known as cold fronts (CFs), are ubiquitous in cool-core galaxy clusters. We analyze all 17 deprojected CF thermal profiles found in the literature, including three new CFs we tentatively identify (in clusters A2204 and 2A0335). We discover small but significant thermal pressure drops below all nonmerger CFs, and argue that they arise from strong magnetic fields below and parallel to the discontinuity, carrying 10%–20% of the pressure. Such magnetization can stabilize the CFs, and explain the CF–radio minihalo connection.

We investigate the evolution of the chemical potential of a two-dimensional electron system (2DES) as a function of density at a fixed magnetic field. By using a bilayer system, changes in the chemical potential of one 2DES are determined from the density variation induced in the second, nearby 2DES. At high magnetic fields around a filling factor of $\nu =1$ or $\nu =2$, the chemical potential jump associated with the condensation in a quantum Hall state exhibits two anomalies symmetrically located around these integer filling factors. They are attributed to the formation of a 2D Wigner crystal of quasiparticles.

The slowest ($p=1$) mode relaxation of several polyisoprenes has been experimentally isolated by thermally stimulated depolarization current techniques. Close to the glass transition the $p=1$ mode deviates from the exponential behavior assumed by Rouse and tube-reptation theories. This effect is found to be a consequence of the closeness of ${\tau }_{p=1}$ and $\alpha$-relaxation time scales. The scenario resembles that of broadened fast component dynamics in polymer blends with high dynamic asymmetry and suggests a possible general interpretation in terms of the effect of local density fluctuations ($\alpha$ relaxation) on chain dynamics.

We study finite-size effects at first-order quantum transitions (FOQTs). We show that the low-energy properties show a finite-size scaling (FSS) behavior, the relevant scaling variable being the ratio of the energy associated with the perturbation driving the transition and the finite-size energy gap at the FOQT point. The size dependence of the scaling variable is therefore essentially determined by the size dependence of the gap at the transition, which in turn depends on the boundary conditions. Our results have broad validity and, in particular, apply to any FOQT characterized by the degeneracy and crossing of the two lowest-energy states in the infinite-volume limit. In this case, a phenomenological two-level theory provides exact expressions for the scaling functions. Numerical results for the quantum Ising chain in transverse and parallel magnetic fields support the FSS Ansätzes.

For a real massless scalar field in general relativity with a negative cosmological constant, we uncover a large class of spherically symmetric initial conditions that are close to anti–de Sitter space (AdS) but whose numerical evolution does not result in black hole formation. According to the AdS/conformal field theory (CFT) dictionary, these bulk solutions are dual to states of a strongly interacting boundary CFT that fail to thermalize at late times. Furthermore, as these states are not stationary, they define dynamical CFT configurations that do not equilibrate. We develop a two-time-scale perturbative formalism that captures both direct and inverse cascades of energy and agrees with our fully nonlinear evolutions in the appropriate regime. We also show that this formalism admits a large class of quasiperiodic solutions. Finally, we demonstrate a striking parallel between the dynamics of AdS and the classic Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou problem.

We report measurements of single- and double-spin asymmetries for $W^{\pm }$ and $Z/{\gamma }^{*}$ boson production in longitudinally polarized $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=510\mathrm{GeV}$ by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The asymmetries for $W^{\pm }$ were measured as a function of the decay lepton pseudorapidity, which provides a theoretically clean probe of the proton’s polarized quark distributions at the scale of the $W$ mass. The results are compared to theoretical predictions, constrained by polarized deep inelastic scattering measurements, and show a preference for a sizable, positive up antiquark polarization in the range $0.05<x<0.2$.

We predict that an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate strongly coupled to an intracavity optical lattice can undergo resonant tunneling and directed transport when a constant and uniform bias force is applied. The bias force induces Bloch oscillations, causing amplitude and phase modulation of the lattice which resonantly modifies the site-to-site tunneling. For the right choice of parameters a net atomic current is generated. The transport velocity can be oriented oppositely to the bias force, with its amplitude and direction controlled by the detuning between the pump laser and the cavity. The transport can also be enhanced through imbalanced pumping of the two counterpropagating running wave cavity modes. Our results add to the cold atoms quantum simulation toolbox, with implications for quantum sensing and metrology.

We consider quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections to the fine splitting $E(2P_{3/2})\text{−}E(2P_{1/2})$ in the Li atom. We derive complete formulas for the $m{\alpha }^6$ and $m{\alpha }^7\ln \alpha$ contributions and calculate them numerically using highly optimized, explicitly correlated basis functions. The obtained results are in agreement with the most recent measurement, helping to resolve discrepancies between former ones and lay the foundation for the investigation of QED effects in light, many-electron atoms.