Quasiparticle-continuum level repulsion in a quantum magnet
Abstract
When the energy eigenvalues of two coupled quantum states approach each other in a certain parameter space, their energy levels repel each other and level crossing is avoided. Such level repulsion, or avoided level crossing, is commonly used to describe the dispersion relation of quasiparticles in solids. However, little is known about the level repulsion when more than two quasiparticles are present; for example, in an open quantum system where a quasiparticle can spontaneously decay into many particle continuum. Here we show that even in this case level repulsion exists between a long-lived quasiparticle state and a continuum. In our fine resolution neutron spectroscopy study of magnetic quasiparticles in a frustrated quantum magnet BiCu2PO6, we observe a renormalization of quasiparticle dispersion relation due to the presence of the continuum of multi-quasiparticle states. Our results have a broadimplication for understanding open quantum systems described by non-hermitian Hamiltonian.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1408.2528,
title = {Quasiparticle-continuum level repulsion in a quantum magnet},
author = {K. W. Plumb and Kyusung Hwang and Y. Qiu and Leland W. Harriger and G. E. Granroth and G. J. Shu and F. C. Chou and Ch. Ruegg and Yong Baek Kim and Young-June Kim},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1408.2528},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
main text - 16 pages, 4 figures; supplementary information - 3 pages, 1 figure