Induced gauge potentials in reduced density matrix dynamics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how interactions and nonadiabatic effects induce gauge potentials in reduced density matrix dynamics, affecting charge transfer and energy flow in many-body quantum systems.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of induced gauge potentials in reduced density matrix dynamics and explores their effects on charge and energy transfer in interacting systems.

Findings

Charge can flow against the driving force in strongly interacting regimes.

Induced gauge potentials can lead to negative quasienergy level shifts.

The work done on the system can become negative due to gauge effects.

Abstract

The combination of interactions and nonadiabaticity in many body systems is shown to induce magnetic gauge potentials in the equation of motion for the one-body reduced density matrix as well as the effective Schroedinger equation for the natural orbitals. The consequences of induced gauge geometry for charge and energy transfer are illustrated in the exact nonlinear dynamics of a three-site Hubbard ring ramped into a Floquet state by a time dependent circulating electric potential. Remarkably, the pumped charge flows against the driving in the strongly interacting regime, and the quasienergy level shift, which defines the work done on the system, can become negative.