First-order quantum phase transition in the squeezed Rabi model

Abstract

Quantum phase transition and entanglement in the Rabi model with a squeezed light are investigated. We find a special unitary-transformation method that removes the nonintegrable squeezing and counterrotating-wave interactions when the qubit frequency is close to the field frequency. The analytical ground state agrees well with the numerical solution. We demonstrate that the ground state exhibits a first-order quantum phase transition at a critical point induced linearly by the squeezed light. This quantum phase transition requires neither multiple qubits nor an infinite ratio of qubit frequency to field frequency, which solves a critical problem for the theory and experiment in Rabi model. As the qubit-field coupling strength increases, the ground-state entanglement reaches its maximum value at the critical point.