Premala Chandra
· Professor Member of the Graduate FacultyVerifiedRutgers University · Physics and Astronomy
Active 1980–2025
About
Premala Chandra is a Professor and a member of the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University. Her research interests include frustrated magnetism, dielectric and metallic superlattices, ferroelectricity near quantum criticality, and the possibility of new broken symmetries in actinide heavy fermion materials. She has contributed to the theoretical understanding of complex quantum materials and phenomena. Professor Chandra has been recognized for her work, including being elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She has also been involved in research that provides theoretical insights into experiments involving 'strange metals,' which could be foundational to next-generation quantum technologies.
Research topics
- Quantum mechanics
- Physics
- Condensed matter physics
- Computer Science
- Materials science
- Nuclear physics
- Statistical physics
Selected publications
Oscillate and renormalize: Fast phonons reshape the Kondo effect in flat-band systems
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-06-03 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessWe examine the interplay between electron correlations and phonons in an Anderson-Holstein impurity model with an Einstein phonon. When the phonons are slow compared to charge fluctuations (frequency $ω_0 \ll U/2$, the onsite Coulomb scale $U/2$), we demonstrate analytically that the expected phonon-mediated reduction of interactions is completely suppressed, even in the strong coupling regime. This suppression arises from the oscillator's inability to respond to rapid charge fluctuations, manifested as a compensation effect between the polaronic cloud and the excited-state phonons associated with valence fluctuations. We identify a novel frozen mixed valence phase, above a threshold dimensionless electron-phonon coupling $α^*$ when the phonons are slow, where the static phonon cloud locks the impurity into specific valence configurations, potentially explaining the puzzling coexistence of mixed valence behavior and insulating properties in materials like rust. Conversely, when the phonon is fast ($ω_0 \gtrsim U/2$), the system exhibits conventional polaronic behavior with renormalized onsite interactions effectively $U_{\text{eff}}$ due to phonon mediated attraction, with additional satellite features in the local spectral function due to phonon excitations. Using numerical renormalization group (NRG) calculations, a fully dynamic renormalization technique, we confirm these behaviors in both regimes. These findings have important implications for strongly correlated systems where phonon energy scales may be comparable to the Coulomb scale, such as in twisted bilayer graphene, necessitating careful consideration of interaction renormalizations in theoretical models.
Spatiotemporal Order and Parametric Instabilities from First-Principles
ArXiv.org · 2025-07-18
preprintOpen accessSenior authorShaping crystal structure with light is an enduring goal of physics and materials engineering. Here we present calculations in candidate materials selected by symmetry that allow light-induced spatiotemporal parametric instabilities. We demonstrate a theoretical framework that includes a complete symmetry analysis of phonon modes that contribute to parametric instabilities across all non-centrosymmetric point groups, a detailed survey of the materials landscape and finally the computation of nonlinear couplings from first principles. We then showcase detailed results for chiral crystals, ferroelectrics, and layered van der Waals materials. Our results pave the way towards realizing designer time-crystalline order in quantum materials, detectable with time-resolved diffractive probes.
Optically-Induced Faraday-Goldstone Waves
ArXiv.org · 2025-11-10
preprintOpen accessSenior authorFaraday waves, typically observed in driven fluids, result from the confluence of nonlinearity and parametric amplification. Here we show that optical pulses can generate analogous phenomena that persist much longer than the pump time-scales in ordered quantum solids. We present a theory of ultrafast light-matter interactions within a symmetry-broken state; dynamical nonlinear coupling between the Higgs (amplitude) and the Goldstone (phase) modes drives an emergent phason texture that oscillates in space and in time: Faraday-Goldstone waves. Calculated signatures of this spatiotemporal order compare well with measurements on K$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$; Higgs-Goldstone beating, associated with coherent energy exchange between these two modes, is also predicted. We show this light-generated crystalline state is robust to thermal noise, even when the original Goldstone mode is not. Our results offer a new pathway for the design of periodic structures in quantum materials with ultrafast light pulses.
Tunable Spatiotemporal Orders in Driven Insulators
Physical Review Letters · 2025-02-10 · 4 citations
preprintOpen accessSenior authorWe show that driving optical phonons above a threshold fluence induces spatiotemporal orders, where material properties oscillate at an incommensurate wave vector q_{0} in space and at half the drive frequency in time. The order is robust against temperature on timescales much larger than the lifetime of the excited modes and can be accompanied by a static 2q_{0} modulation. We make predictions for time-resolved diffraction and provide estimates for candidate materials. Our results show the possibility of using THz waves in solids to realize tunable incommensurate orders on the nanoscale.
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2024-11-20
articleMotivated by by the recent discovery of dielectric relaxation by quantum critical magnons in ${\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$, we conduct a detailed analysis of its dielectric response and compare it to that in the isostructural compound ${\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$. Measurements in the vicinity of the field-induced magnon softening show that its description in terms of a three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensation quantum critical point is unaltered by the presence of dielectric relaxation. We also demonstrate the existence of dielectric relaxation anomalies at 19 K in ${\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ and discuss the implications for the microscopic origin of dielectric activity in two compounds.
Theoretical Studies of Polar Systems near Ferroelectrics Quantum Critical Points (Final Report)
2024-05-15
reportOpen access1st authorCorrespondingThe PI has studied emergent quantum phases near polar quantum critical points. A first challenge was to develop a theoretical description of the observation that many polar materials undergo classical first-order transitions while displaying quantum criticality. The possibility of novel metallic states near polar quantum critical points was then studied; identification and characterization of a non-Fermi liquid phase was made in a multiband system. In dilute quantum critical polar metals, electronic coupling to polar energy fluctuations was shown to result in attractive electron-electron interactions and to superconductivity. A spin-phonon resonance measurement in applied magnetic field was proposed to determine the magnitude of spin-orbit mediated electron-phonon coupling; furthermore in the polar phase new field-induced phonon collective modes were identified with specific signatures for experiment. In order to keep current, the PI has also worked on other types of strongly correlated problems. With experimental groups, she has developed phenomenologies to identify and explain observed dynamical critical behaviors. The PI has studied the interplay of topology, fractionalization and deconfinement in a minimalist spin model. An emergent phase transition in a 1 + 1 frustrated spin nanotube has also been identified and characterized. The PI has also begun exploring criticality out of equilibrium, characterizing rich dynamical phases associated with photoinduced polar transitions.
Quantum order by disorder in frustrated spin nanotubes
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2024-02-16 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessWe investigate quantum order by disorder in a frustrated spin nanotube formed by wrapping a ${J}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{J}_{2}$ Heisenberg model at ${45}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ around a cylinder. Using Schwinger boson theory and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG), we have computed the ground-state phase diagram to reveal a ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ phase in which collinear spin stripes form a right- or left-handed helix around the nanotube. We have derived an analytic estimate for the critical ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}={J}_{1}/2{J}_{2}$ of the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$-helical phase transition, which is in agreement with the DMRG results. By evaluating the entanglement spectrum and nonlocal string order parameters we discuss the topology of the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$-helical phase.
Dielectric relaxation by quantum critical magnons
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-02-08
preprintOpen accessWe report the experimental observation of dielectric relaxation by quantum critical magnons. Complex capacitance measurements reveal a dissipative feature with a temperature-dependent amplitude due to low-energy lattice excitations and an activation behavior of the relaxation time. The activation energy softens close to a field-tuned magnetic quantum critical point at $H=H_c$ and follows single-magnon energy for $H>H_c$, showing its magnetic origin. Our study demonstrates the electrical activity of coupled low-energy spin and lattice excitations, an example of quantum multiferroic behavior.
Phonon-Induced Collective Modes in Spin-Orbit Coupled Polar Metals
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-04-12
preprintOpen accessWe study the interplay between collective electronic and lattice modes in polar metals in an applied magnetic field aligned with the polar axis. Static spin-orbit coupling leads to the appearance of a particle-hole spin-flip continuum that is gapped at low energies in a finite field. We find that a weak spin-orbit assisted coupling between electrons and polar phonons induces the emergence of electronic collective modes. The strength of the applied magnetic field tunes the number of modes and their energies, which can lie both above and below the particle-hole continuum. For a range of field values, we identify Fano-like interference between the electronic continuum and phonons. We show that signatures of these collective modes can be observed in electron spin resonance experiments, and we provide the corresponding theoretical predictions.
Light-driven transitions in quantum paraelectrics
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2023-06-14 · 10 citations
articleOpen accessMotivated by recent experiments on pump-induced polar ordering in the quantum paraelectric $\mathrm{Sr}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, we study a driven phonon system close to a second-order phase transition. Analyzing its classical dynamics, we find that sufficiently strong driving leads to transitions into polar phases whose structures, determined by the light polarization, are not all accessible in equilibrium. In addition, for certain intensity profiles, we demonstrate the possibility of two-step transitions as a function of fluence. For even stronger field intensities, the possibility of period-doubling and chaotic behavior is demonstrated. Finally we develop a generalized formalism that allows us to consider quantum corrections to the classical dynamics in a systematic fashion. We predict a shift in the critical pump fluence due to quantum fluctuations with a characteristic dependence on the fluence increase rate that should be observable in experiment.
Frequent coauthors
- 108 shared
Piers Coleman
Royal Holloway University of London
- 29 shared
E. Brück
Delft University of Technology
- 28 shared
Z. Fisk
University of California, Irvine
- 28 shared
E. Bücher
- 27 shared
A. P. Ramirez
- 25 shared
A. A. Menovsky
University of Amsterdam
- 21 shared
Pavel A. Volkov
- 19 shared
Rebecca Flint
Education
- 1990
Ph.D., Physics
University of California, Berkeley
- 1986
M.S., Physics
University of California, Berkeley
- 1984
B.S., Physics
University of California, Los Angeles
Awards & honors
- Fellow of the American Physical Society
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