Entanglement Spreading Research Articles

Quantum many-body scars in few-body dipole-dipole interactions

We simulate the dynamics of Rydberg atoms resonantly exchanging energy via two-, three-, and four-body dipole-dipole interactions in a one-dimensional array. Using simplified models of a realistic experimental system, we study the initial-state survival probability, mean level spacing, spread of entanglement, and properties of the energy eigenstates. By exploring a range of disorders and interaction strengths, we find regions in parameter space where the three- and four-body dynamics either fail to thermalize or do so slowly. The interplay between the stronger hopping and weaker field-tuned interactions gives rise to quantum many-body scar states, which play a critical role in slowing the dynamics of the three- and four-body interactions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Persistent Ballistic Entanglement Spreading with Optimal Control in Quantum Spin Chains.

Entanglement propagation provides a key routine to understand quantum many-body dynamics in and out of equilibrium. Entanglement entropy (EE) usually approaches to a subsaturation known as the Page value S[over ˜]_{P}=S[over ˜]-dS (with S[over ˜] the maximum of EE and dS the Page correction) in, e.g., the random unitary evolutions. The ballistic spreading of EE usually appears in the early time and will be deviated far before the Page value is reached. In this work, we uncover that the magnetic field that maximizes the EE robustly induces persistent ballistic spreading of entanglement in quantum spin chains. The linear growth of EE is demonstrated to persist until the maximal S[over ˜] (along with a flat entanglement spectrum) is reached. The robustness of ballistic spreading and the enhancement of EE under such an optimal control are demonstrated, considering particularly perturbing the initial state by random pure states (RPSs). These are argued as the results from the endomorphism of the time evolution under such an entanglement-enhancing optimal control for the RPSs.

Directing entanglement spreading by means of a quantum East/West heterojunction structure

We extend the translationally invariant quantum East model to an inhomogeneous chain with East/West heterojunction structure. In analogy to the quantum diffusion of particles, we observe a plateaus-shaped entanglement entropy spreading in the heterojunction during time evolution that can be regarded as continuous cycles in a quantum heat engine. In order to figure out the possibility of manipulating the entanglement entropy as a quantum resource, the entropy growth is shown to be determined by the initial occupation and the site-dependent chemical potential, and the former is equivalent to an effective temperature. Through fine adjustment of these parameters, we discover the entanglement flow is simply superposed with those from two sources of the chain. An intriguing relation between our model and the traditional heat engines is subsequently established. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Quantum Information Spreading in Generalized Dual-Unitary Circuits.

We study the spreading of quantum information in a recently introduced family of brickwork quantum circuits that generalizes the dual-unitary class. These circuits are unitary in time, while their spatial dynamics is unitary only in a restricted subspace. First, we show that local operators spread at the speed of light as in dual-unitary circuits, i.e., the butterfly velocity takes the maximal value allowed by the geometry of the circuit. Then, we prove that the entanglement spreading can still be characterized exactly for a family of compatible initial states (in fact, for an extension of the compatible family of dual-unitary circuits) and that the asymptotic entanglement slope is again independent on the Rényi index. Remarkably, however, we find that the entanglement velocity is generically smaller than 1. We use these properties to find a closed-form expression for the entanglement-membrane line tension.

Tensor network representation and entanglement spreading in many-body localized systems: a novel approach

Tensor network representation and entanglement spreading in many-body localized systems: a novel approach

Anomalous behavior in entanglement speed profile through spin chains.

The origin of the uniform Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), which is responsible for the creation of chiral magnetism, has been the subject of extensive research. Recently, modern technology has allowed for its production and utilization in a modulated form. Not only can magnetic phases of spin chains be enriched by the presence of such a potential as detailed in Japaridze etal. [Phys. Rev. E 104, 014134 (2021)10.1103/PhysRevE.104.014134], but the capacity of such systems for information transmission is also greatly enhanced. The current paper examines the impact of a staggered pattern of DMI (STDMI) on a chain with a substrate XX Heisenberg interaction. It is demonstrated how enhancing the intensity of this coupling improves the propagation of an entangled quantum state. Additionally, as our analysis has shown, the initial condition over the system's state has a profound effect on the speed at which entanglement spreads. The aberrant behavior of the entanglement's speed profile in response to fine-tuning of the phase factor which adjusts the initial state is the focus of this paper. This anomalous behavior is characterized by dramatic drops in speed for certain phase factor values. We have also shown that, using wave interference principles, we can predict exactly why these phenomena occur. This research will pave the way for additional studies on STDMI and its potential applications in the field of quantum information.

Localization properties in disordered quantum many-body dynamics under continuous measurement

We study localization properties of continuously monitored dynamics and associated measurement-induced phase transitions in disordered quantum many-body systems on the basis of the quantum trajectory approach. By calculating the fidelity between random quantum trajectories, we demonstrate that the disorder and the measurement can lead to dynamical properties distinct from each other, although both have a power to suppress the entanglement spreading. In particular, in the large-disorder regime with weak measurement, we elucidate that the fidelity exhibits an anomalous power-law decay before saturating to the steady-state value. Furthermore, we propose a general method to access physical quantities for quantum trajectories in continuously monitored dynamics without resorting to postselection. It is demonstrated that this scheme drastically reduces the cost of experiments. Our results can be tested in ultracold atoms subject to continuous measurement and open the avenue to study dynamical properties of localization, which cannot be understood from the stationary properties of the entanglement entropy.

On the spread of entanglement at finite cutoff

We study how entanglement spreads in the boundary duals of finite-cutoff three-dimensional theories with positive, negative and zero cosmological constant, the Toverline{T} + Λ2 two-dimensional theories. We first study the Hawking-Page transition in all three cases, and find that there is a transition in all three scenarios at the temperature where the lengths of the two cycles of the torus are the same. We then study the entanglement entropy in the thermofield double states above the Hawking-Page transition, of regions symmetrically placed on the two boundaries. We consider the case where the region is one interval on each side, and the case where it is two intervals on each side. We give an entanglement tsunami interpretation of the time-evolution of the entanglement entropies.

Quench-Probe Setup as Analyzer of Fractionalized Entanglement Spreading.

We propose a novel spatially inhomogeneous setup for revealing quench-induced fractionalized excitations in entanglement dynamics. In this quench-probe setting, the region undergoing a quantum quench is tunnel coupled to a static region, the probe. Subsequently, the time-dependent entanglement signatures of a tunable subset of excitations propagating to the probe are monitored by energy selectivity. We exemplify the power of this generic approach by identifying a unique dynamical signature associated with the presence of an isolated Majorana zero mode in the postquench Hamiltonian. In this case excitations emitted from the topological part of the system give rise to a fractionalized jump of log(2)/2 in the entanglement entropy of the probe. This dynamical effect is highly sensitive to the localized nature of the Majorana zero mode, but does not require the preparation of a topological initial state.

Entanglement links and the quasiparticle picture

The time evolution of a quantum state with short-range correlations after a quench to a one-dimensional critical Hamiltonian can be understood using the quasi-particle picture, which states that local entanglement spreads as if it was carried by quasi-particles which separate at a fixed speed. We extend the quasi-particle picture using the recently introduced link representation of entanglement, allowing us to apply it to initial states presenting long-range correlations. The entanglement links are current correlators, and therefore follow a wave equation on the appropriate configurational space which allows us to predict the time evolution of the entanglement entropies. Our results are checked numerically for free fermionic chains with different initial entanglement patterns.

Measurement-induced phase transition in a chaotic classical many-body system

Local measurements in quantum systems are projective operations which act to counteract the spread of quantum entanglement. Recent work has shown that local, random measurements applied to a generic volume-law entanglement generating many-body system are able to force a transition into an area-law phase. This work shows that projective operations can also force a similar classical phase transition; we show that local projections in a chaotic system can freeze information dynamics. In rough analogy with measurement-induced phase transitions, this is characterized by an absence of information spreading instead of entanglement entropy. We leverage a damage-spreading model of the classical transition to predict the butterfly velocity of the system both near to and away from the transition point. We map out the full phase diagram and show that the critical point is shifted by local projections, but remains in the directed percolation universality class. We discuss the implication for other classical chaotic many-body systems.

Localization and slow-thermalization in a cluster spin model

Novel cluster spin model with interactions and disorder is introduced and studied. In specific type of interactions, we find an extensive number of local integrals of motions (LIOMs), which are a modified version of the stabilizers in quantum information, i.e., mutually commuting operators specifying all quantum states in the system. These LIOMs can be defined for any strength of the interactions and disorder, and are of compact-support instead of exponentially-decaying tail. Hence, even under the presence of interactions, integrability is held, and all energy eigenstates are labeled by these LIOMs and can be explicitly obtained. Integrable dynamics is, then, expected to occur. The compact-support nature of the LIOMs crucially prevents the thermalization and entanglement spreading. We numerically investigate dynamics of the system governed by the existence of the compact-support LIOMs, and clarify the effects of additional interactions, which break the compact-support nature of the LIOMs. There, we find that the ordinary many-body localization behaviors emerge, such as the logarithmic growth of the entanglement entropy in the time evolution. Besides the ergodicity breaking dynamic, we find that symmetry protected topological order preserves for specific states even in the presence of the interactions.

Effective Field Theory of Random Quantum Circuits.

Quantum circuits have been widely used as a platform to simulate generic quantum many-body systems. In particular, random quantum circuits provide a means to probe universal features of many-body quantum chaos and ergodicity. Some such features have already been experimentally demonstrated in noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. On the theory side, properties of random quantum circuits have been studied on a case-by-case basis and for certain specific systems, and a hallmark of quantum chaos—universal Wigner–Dyson level statistics—has been derived. This work develops an effective field theory for a large class of random quantum circuits. The theory has the form of a replica sigma model and is similar to the low-energy approach to diffusion in disordered systems. The method is used to explicitly derive the universal random matrix behavior of a large family of random circuits. In particular, we rederive the Wigner–Dyson spectral statistics of the brickwork circuit model by Chan, De Luca, and Chalker [Phys. Rev. X 8, 041019 (2018)] and show within the same calculation that its various permutations and higher-dimensional generalizations preserve the universal level statistics. Finally, we use the replica sigma model framework to rederive the Weingarten calculus, which is a method of evaluating integrals of polynomials of matrix elements with respect to the Haar measure over compact groups and has many applications in the study of quantum circuits. The effective field theory derived here provides both a method to quantitatively characterize the quantum dynamics of random Floquet systems (e.g., calculating operator and entanglement spreading) and a path to understanding the general fundamental mechanism behind quantum chaos and thermalization in these systems.

Diagonal unitary and orthogonal symmetries in quantum theory: II. Evolution operators

We study bipartite unitary operators which stay invariant under the local actions of diagonal unitary and orthogonal groups. We investigate structural properties of these operators, arguing that the diagonal symmetry makes them suitable for analytical study. As a first application, we construct large new families of dual unitary gates in arbitrary finite dimensions, which are important toy models for entanglement spreading in quantum circuits. We then analyze the non-local nature of these invariant operators, both in discrete (operator Schmidt rank) and continuous (entangling power) settings. Our scrutiny reveals that these operators can be used to simulate any bipartite unitary gate via stochastic local operations and classical communication. Furthermore, we establish a one-to-one connection between the set of local diagonal unitary invariant dual unitary operators with maximum entangling power and the set of complex Hadamard matrices. Finally, we discuss distinguishability of unitary operators in the setting of the stated diagonal symmetry.

Equipartition of entanglement in quantum Hall states

We study the full counting statistics (FCS) and symmetry-resolved entanglement entropies of integer and fractional quantum Hall states. For the filled lowest Landau level of spin-polarized electrons on an infinite cylinder, we compute exactly the charged moments associated with a cut orthogonal to the cylinder's axis. This yields the behavior of FCS and entropies in the limit of large perimeters: in a suitable range of fluctuations, FCS is Gaussian and entanglement spreads evenly among different charge sectors. Subleading charge-dependent corrections to equipartition are also derived. We then extend the analysis to Laughlin wavefunctions, where entanglement spectroscopy is carried out assuming the Li-Haldane conjecture. The results confirm equipartition up to small charge-dependent terms, and are then matched with numerical computations based on exact matrix product states.

Scrambling and quantum feedback in a nanomechanical system

The question of how swiftly entanglement spreads over a system has attracted vital interest. In this regard, the out-of-time ordered correlator (OTOC) is a quantitative measure of the entanglement spreading process. Particular interest concerns the propagation of quantum correlations in the lattice systems, {\it e.g.}, spin chains. In a seminal paper D. A. Roberts, D. Stanford and L. Susskind, J. High Energy Phys. 03, 051, (2015) the concept of the OTOC's radius was introduced. The radius of the OTOC defines the front line reached by the spread of entanglement. Beyond this radius operators commute. In the present work, we propose a model of two nanomechanical systems coupled with two Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins. Oscillators are coupled to each other directly while NV spins are not. Therefore, the correlation between the NV spins may arise only through the quantum feedback exerted from the first NV spin to the first oscillator and transferred from the first oscillator to the second oscillator via the direct coupling. Thus nonzero OTOC between NV spins quantifies the strength of the quantum feedback. We show that NV spins cannot exert quantum feedback on classical nonlinear oscillators. We also discuss the inherently quantum case with a linear quantum harmonic oscillator indirectly coupling the two spins and verify that in the classical limit of the oscillator, the OTOC vanishes.

Directional scrambling of quantum information in helical multiferroics

Local excitations as carriers of quantum information spread out in the system in ways governed by the underlying interaction and symmetry. Understanding this phenomenon, also called quantum scrambling, is a prerequisite for employing interacting systems for quantum information processing. The character and direction dependence of quantum scrambling can be inferred from the out-of-time-ordered commutators (OTOCs) containing information on correlation buildup and entanglement spreading. Employing OTOC, we study and quantify the directionality of quantum information propagation in oxide-based helical spin systems hosting a spin-driven ferroelectric order. In these systems, magnetoelectricity permits the spin dynamics and associated information content to be controlled by an electric field coupled to the emergent ferroelectric order. We show that topologically nontrivial quantum phases, such as chiral or helical spin ordering, allow for electric-field controlled anisotropic scrambling and a direction-dependent buildup of quantum correlations. Based on general symmetry considerations, we find that starting from a pure state (e.g., the ground state) or a finite temperature state is essential for observing directional asymmetry in scrambling. In the systematic numerical studies of OTOC on finite-size helical multiferroic chains, we quantify the directional asymmetry of the scrambling and verify the conjectured form of the OTOC around the ballistic wavefront. The obtained direction-dependent butterfly velocity ${v}_{\mathrm{B}}(\mathbf{n})$ provides information on the speed of the ballistic wavefront. In general, our calculations show an early time power-law behavior of OTOC, as expected from an analytic expansion for small times. The long-time behavior of OTOC reveals the importance of (non)integrability of the underlying Hamiltonian as well as the implications of conserved quantities such as the $z$ projection of the total spin. The results point to the potential of spin-driven ferroelectric materials for the use in solid-state-based quantum information processing.

Operator and entanglement growth in nonthermalizing systems: Many-body localization and the random singlet phase

We characterize the growth and spreading of operators and entanglement in two paradigmatic non-thermalizing phases - the many-body localized phase and the random singlet phase - using out-of-time-ordered correlators, the entanglement contour, and operator entanglement. We contrast these phases with strongly thermalizing holographic conformal field theories and fully localized Anderson insulators. We obtain a phenomenological description of the operator and state dynamics of these phases and demonstrate the utility of the entanglement contour and operator entanglement measures as useful probes of slowly scrambling and non-thermalizing dynamics.

Inhibition of spread of typical bipartite and genuine multiparty entanglement in response to disorder

The distribution of entanglement of typical multiparty quantum states is not uniform over the range of the measure utilized for quantifying the entanglement. We intend to find the response to disorder in the state parameters on this non-uniformity for typical states. We find that the typical entanglement, averaged over the disorder, is taken farther away from uniformity, as quantified by decreased standard deviation, in comparison to the clean case. The feature is seemingly generic, as we see it for Gaussian and non-Gaussian disorder distributions, for varying strengths of the disorder, and for disorder insertions in one and several state parameters. The non-Gaussian distributions considered are uniform and Cauchy–Lorentz. Two- and three-qubit pure state Haar-uniform generations are considered for the typical state productions. We also consider noisy versions of the initial states produced in the Haar-uniform generations. A genuine multiparty entanglement monotone is considered for the three-qubit case, while concurrence is used to measure two-qubit entanglement.

Entanglement spreading after local and extended excitations in a free-fermion chain

We study the time evolution of entanglement created by local or extended excitations upon the ground state of a free-fermion chain. A single particle or hole excitation produces a single bit of excess entropy for large times and subsystem lengths. In case of a double hole, some of the coherence between the excitations is preserved and the excess entropy becomes additive only for large hole separations. In contrast, the coherence is always lost for particle–hole excitations. Multiple hole excitations on a completely filled chain are also investigated. We find that for an extended contiguous hole the excess entropy scales logarithmically with the size, whereas the increase is linear for finite separations between the holes.