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In quantum mechanics, supersymmetry (SUSY) posits an equivalence between two elementary degrees of freedom, bosons, and fermions defined by local rules. Here we apply it to find connections between bosonic and fermionic lattice models in the realm of condensed-matter physics and uncover a novel fivefold way topology it demands in these systems. At the single-particle level, our connections pair a bosonic and fermionic lattice model, either describing the hopping of number-conserving particles or local couplings between fermion parity-conserving particles. The pair are isospectral except for zero modes, such as flat bands, quadratic band touchings, and nexus points, whose existence is undergirded by the Witten index of the SUSY theory. We develop a unifying framework to formulate these SUSY connections in terms of general lattice graph correspondences. Notably, in this framework, the supercharge operator that generates SUSY is Hermitian and can itself be interpreted as a hopping Hamiltonian on a bipartite lattice, a feature that enables the discovery of materials or model lattices hosting the SUSY partners. To illustrate the power of SUSY, we present 16 use cases of SUSY, that span topics including frustrated magnets, Kitaev spin liquids, and topological superconductors, the majority of which turn out to provide insights into the discovery and design of flat bands and topological materials. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

The Unruh-DeWitt particle detector model has found success in demonstrating quantum information channels with non-zero channel capacity between qubits and quantum fields. These detector models provide the necessary framework for experimentally realizable Unruh-DeWitt quantum computers with near-perfect channel capacity. We propose spin-qubits with gate-controlled coupling to Luttinger liquids as a laboratory setting for Unruh-DeWitt detectors and explore general design constraints that underpin their feasibility in this and other settings. We present several experimental scenarios including graphene ribbons, edges states in the quantum spin Hall phase of HgTe quantum wells, and the recently discovered quantum anomalous Hall phase in transition metal dichalcogenides. Theoretically, through bosonization, we show that Unruh-DeWitt detectors can carry out quantum computations and identify when they can make perfect quantum communication channels between qubits via the Luttinger liquid. Our results point the way toward an all-to-all connected solid state quantum computer and the experimental study of quantum information in quantum fields via condensed matter physics. 

In quantum mechanics, supersymmetry (SUSY) posits an equivalence between two elementary degrees of freedom, bosons and fermions. Here we show how this fundamental concept can be applied to connect bosonic and fermionic lattice models in the realm of condensed matter physics, e.g., to identify a variety of (bosonic) phonon and magnon lattice models which admit topologically nontrivial free fermion models as superpartners. At the single-particle level, the bosonic and the fermionic models that are generated by the SUSY are isospectral except for zero modes, such as flat bands, whose existence is undergirded by the Witten index of the SUSY theory. We develop a unifying framework to formulate these SUSY connections in terms of general lattice graph correspondences and discuss further ramifications such as the definition of supersymmetric topological invariants for generic bosonic systems. Notably, a Hermitian form of the supercharge operator, the generator of the SUSY, can itself be interpreted as a hopping Hamiltonian on a bipartite lattice. This allows us to identify a wide class of interconnected lattices whose tight-binding Hamiltonians are superpartners of one another or can be derived via squaring or square-rooting their energy spectra all the while preserving band topology features. We introduce a five-fold way symmetry classification scheme of these SUSY lattice correspondences, including cases with a non-zero Witten index, based on a topological classification of the underlying Hermitian supercharge operator. These concepts are illustrated for various explicit examples including frustrated magnets, Kitaev spin liquids, and topological superconductors. 

We present an overview of four challenging research areas in multiscale physics and engineering as well as four data science topics that may be developed for addressing these challenges. We focus on multiscale spatiotemporal problems in light of the importance of understanding the accompanying scientific processes and engineering ideas, where “multiscale” refers to concurrent, non-trivial and coupled models over scales separated by orders of magnitude in either space, time, energy, momenta, or any other relevant parameter. Specifically, we consider problems where the data may be obtained at various resolutions; analyzing such data and constructing coupled models led to open research questions in various applications of data science. Numeric studies are reported for one of the data science techniques discussed here for illustration, namely, on approximate Bayesian computations. 

The remote central Arctic during summertime has a pristine atmosphere with very low aerosol particle concentrations. As the region becomes increasingly ice-free during summer, enhanced ocean-atmosphere fluxes of aerosol particles and precursor gases may therefore have impacts on the climate. However, large knowledge gaps remain regarding the sources and physicochemical properties of aerosols in this region. Here, we present insights into the molecular composition of semi-volatile aerosol components collected in September 2018 during the MOCCHA (Microbiology-Ocean-Cloud-Coupling in the High Arctic) campaign as part of the Arctic Ocean 2018 expedition with the Swedish Icebreaker Oden . Analysis was performed offline in the laboratory using an iodide High Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer with a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS). Our analysis revealed significant signal from organic and sulfur-containing compounds, indicative of marine aerosol sources, with a wide range of carbon numbers and O : C ratios. Several of the sulfur-containing compounds are oxidation products of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a gas released by phytoplankton and ice algae. Comparison of the time series of particulate and gas-phase DMS oxidation products did not reveal a significant correlation, indicative of the different lifetimes of precursor and oxidation products in the different phases. This is the first time the FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS was used to investigate the composition of aerosols in the central Arctic. The detailed information on the molecular composition of Arctic aerosols presented here can be used for the assessment of aerosol solubility and volatility, which is relevant for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions.