Nonintegrable Regime Research Articles

Rogue waves and instability arising from long-wave-short-wave resonance beyond the integrable regime.

We consider instability and localized patterns arising from the long-wave-short-wave resonance in the nonintegrable regime numerically. We study the stability and instability of elliptic-function periodic waves with respect to subharmonic perturbations, whose period is a multiple of the period of the elliptic waves. We thus find the modulational instability (MI) of the corresponding dnoidal waves. Upon varying parameters of dnoidal waves, spectrally unstable ones can be transformed into stable states via the Hamiltonian Hopf bifurcation. For snoidal waves, we find a transition of the dominant instability scenario between the MI and the instability with a bubblelike spectrum. For cnoidal waves, we produce three variants of the MI. Evolution of the unstable states is also considered, leading to formation of rogue waves on top of the elliptic-wave and continuous-wave backgrounds.

Out-of-time-order correlators of nonlocal block-spin and random observables in integrable and nonintegrable spin chains

Out-of-time-order correlators (OTOC) in the Ising Floquet system, that can be both integrable and nonintegrable is studied. Instead of localized spin observables, we study contiguous symmetric blocks of spins or random operators localized on these blocks as observables. We find only power-law growth of OTOC in both integrable and nonintegrable regimes. In the non-integrable regime, beyond the scrambling time, there is an exponential saturation of the OTOC to values consistent with random matrix theory. This motivates the use of "pre-scrambled" random block operators as observables. A pure exponential saturation of OTOC in both integrable and nonintegrable system is observed, without a scrambling phase. Averaging over random observables from the Gaussian unitary ensemble, the OTOC is found to be exactly same as the operator entanglement entropy, whose exponential saturation has been observed in previous studies of such spin-chains.

Adaptive variational quantum eigensolvers for highly excited states

Highly excited states of quantum many-body systems are central objects in the study of quantum dynamics and thermalization that challenge classical computational methods due to their volume-law entanglement content. In this work, we explore the potential of variational quantum algorithms to approximate such states. We propose an adaptive variational algorithm, adaptive VQE-X, that self-generates a variational ansatz for arbitrary eigenstates of a many-body Hamiltonian $H$ by attempting to minimize the energy variance with respect to $H$. We benchmark the method by applying it to an Ising spin chain with integrable and nonintegrable regimes, where we calculate various quantities of interest, including the total energy, magnetization density, and entanglement entropy. We also compare the performance of adaptive VQE-X to an adaptive variant of the folded-spectrum method. For both methods, we find a strong dependence of the algorithm's performance on the choice of operator pool used for the adaptive construction of the ansatz. In particular, an operator pool including long-range two-body gates accelerates the convergence of both algorithms in the nonintegrable regime. We also study the scaling of the number of variational parameters with system size, finding that an exponentially large number of parameters may be necessary to approximate individual highly excited states. Nevertheless, we argue that these methods lay a foundation for the use of quantum algorithms to study finite-energy-density properties of many-body systems.

Interaction distance in the extended XXZ model

We employ the interaction distance to characterize the physics of a one-dimensional extended XXZ spin model, whose phase diagram consists of both integrable and nonintegrable regimes, with various types of ordering, e.g., a gapless Luttinger liquid and gapped crystalline phases. We numerically demonstrate that the interaction distance successfully reveals the known behavior of the model in its integrable regime. As an additional diagnostic tool, we introduce the notion of ``integrability distance'' and particularize it to the XXZ model to quantity how far the ground state of the extended XXZ model is from being integrable. This distance provides insight into the properties of the gapless Luttinger liquid phase in the presence of next-nearest-neighbor spin interactions which break integrability.

Control of tunneling in an atomtronic switching device

The precise control of quantum systems will play a major role in the realization of atomtronic devices. As in the case of electronic systems, a desirable property is the ability to implement switching. Here we show how to implement switching in a model of dipolar bosons confined to three coupled wells. The model describes interactions between bosons, tunneling of bosons between adjacent wells, and the effect of an external field. We conduct a study of the quantum dynamics of the system to probe the conditions under which switching behavior can occur. The analysis considers both integrable and non-integrable regimes within the model. Through variation of the external field, we demonstrate how the system can be controlled between various “switched-on” and “switched-off” configurations.

Quantum Quenches and Relaxation Dynamics in the Thermodynamic Limit.

We implement numerical linked cluster expansions (NLCEs) to study dynamics of lattice systems following quantum quenches, and focus on a hard-core boson model in one-dimensional lattices. We find that, in the nonintegrable regime and within the accessible times, local observables exhibit exponential relaxation. We determine the relaxation rate as one departs from the integrable point and show that it scales quadratically with the strength of the integrability breaking perturbation. We compare the NLCE results with those from exact diagonalization calculations on finite chains with periodic boundary conditions, and show that NLCEs are far more accurate.

Ballistic Orbits and Front Speed Enhancement for ABC Flows

We study the two main types of trajectories of the ABC flow in the near-integrable regime: spiral orbits and edge orbits. The former are helical orbits which are perturbations of similar orbits that exist in the integrable regime, while the latter exist only in the nonintegrable regime. We prove existence of ballistic (i.e., linearly growing) spiral orbits by using the contraction mapping principle in the Hamiltonian formulation, and we also find and analyze ballistic edge orbits. We discuss the relationship of existence of these orbits with questions concerning front propagation in the presence of flows, in particular the question of linear (i.e., maximal possible) front speed enhancement rate for ABC flows.

Coexistence of energy diffusion and local thermalization in nonequilibrium XXZ spin chains with integrability breaking.

In this work we analyze the simultaneous emergence of diffusive energy transport and local thermalization in a nonequilibrium one-dimensional quantum system, as a result of integrability breaking. Specifically, we discuss the local properties of the steady state induced by thermal boundary driving in a XXZ spin chain with staggered magnetic field. By means of efficient large-scale matrix product simulations of the equation of motion of the system, we calculate its steady state in the long-time limit. We start by discussing the energy transport supported by the system, finding it to be ballistic in the integrable limit and diffusive when the staggered field is finite. Subsequently, we examine the reduced density operators of neighboring sites and find that for large systems they are well approximated by local thermal states of the underlying Hamiltonian in the nonintegrable regime, even for weak staggered fields. In the integrable limit, on the other hand, this behavior is lost, and the identification of local temperatures is no longer possible. Our results agree with the intuitive connection between energy diffusion and thermalization.

Quantum quenches in the thermodynamic limit.

We introduce a linked-cluster based computational approach that allows one to study quantum quenches in lattice systems in the thermodynamic limit. This approach is used to study quenches in one-dimensional lattices. We provide evidence that, in the thermodynamic limit, thermalization occurs in the nonintegrable regime but fails at integrability. A phase transitionlike behavior separates the two regimes.

Domain wall dynamics in integrable and chaotic spin-1/2 chains

We study the time evolution of correlation functions, spin current, and local magnetization in an isolated spin-1/2 chain initially prepared in a sharp domain wall state. The results are compared with the level of spatial delocalization of the eigenstates of the system which is measured using the inverse participation ratio. Both integrable and nonintegrable regimes are considered. Nonintegrability is introduced to the integrable Hamiltonian with nearest-neighbor couplings by adding a single-site impurity field or by adding next-nearest-neighbor couplings. A monotonic correspondence between the enhancement of the level of delocalization, spin current, and magnetization dynamics occurs in the integrable domain. This correspondence is, however, lost for chaotic models with weak Ising interactions.

Dynamics after a sweep through a quantum critical point

The coherent quantum evolution of a one-dimensional many-particle system after slowly sweeping the Hamiltonian through a critical point is studied using a generalized quantum Ising model containing both integrable and nonintegrable regimes. It is known from previous work that universal power laws of the sweep rate appear in such quantities as the mean number of excitations created by the sweep. Several other phenomena are found that are not reflected by such averages: there are two different scaling behaviors of the entanglement entropy and a relaxation that is power law in time rather than exponential. The final state of evolution after the quench is not characterized by any effective temperature, and the Loschmidt echo converges algebraically for long times, with cusplike singularities in the integrable case that are dynamically broadened by nonintegrable perturbations.

Transport and control in one-dimensional systems

We study transport of local magnetization in a Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain at zero temperature. The system is initially prepared in a highly excited pure state far from equilibrium and its evolution is analyzed via exact diagonalization. Integrable and nonintegrable regimes are obtained by adjusting the parameters of the Hamiltonian, which allows for the comparison of transport behaviors in both limits. In the presence of nearest-neighbor interactions only, the transport behavior in the integrable clean system contrasts with the chaotic chain with on-site defects, oscillations in the first suggesting ballistic transport, and a fast decay in the latter indicating diffusive transport. The results for a nonintegrable system with frustration are less conclusive, similarities with the integrable chain being verified. We also show how methods of quantum control may be applied to chaotic systems to induce a desired transport behavior, such as that of an integrable system.

Quantum integrability and nonintegrability in the spin-boson model

We study the spectral properties of a spin-boson Hamiltonian that depends on two continuous parameters 0 < or = Lambda < infinity (interaction strength) and 0 < or = alpha < or = pi/2 (integrability switch). In the classical limit, this system has two distinct integrable regimes, alpha=0 and alpha=pi/2 . For each integrable regime we can express the quantum Hamiltonian as a function of two action operators. Their eigenvalues (multiples of variant Planck's over 2pi ) are the natural quantum numbers for the complete level spectrum. This functional dependence cannot be extended into the nonintegrable regime (0<alpha<pi/2) . Here level crossings are prohibited and the level spectrum is naturally described by a single (energy sorting) quantum number. In consequence, the tracking of individual eigenstates along closed paths through both regimes leads to conflicting assignments of quantum numbers. This effect is a useful and reliable indicator of quantum chaos-a diagnostic tool that is independent of any level-statistical analysis.

Ergodic properties of a generic nonintegrable quantum many-body system in the thermodynamic limit

We study a generic but simple nonintegrable quantum many-body system of locally interacting particles, namely, a kicked-parameter (t,V) model of spinless fermions on a one-dimensional lattice (equivalent to a kicked Heisenberg XX-Z chain of 1/2 spins). The statistical properties of the dynamics (quantum ergodicity and quantum mixing) and the nature of quantum transport in the thermodynamic limit are considered as the kick parameters (which control the degree of nonintegrability) are varied. We find and demonstrate ballistic transport and nonergodic, nonmixing dynamics (implying infinite conductivity at all temperatures) in the integrable regime of zero or very small kick parameters, and more generally and importantly, also in the nonintegrable regime of intermediate values of kicked parameters, whereas only for sufficiently large kick parameters do we recover quantum ergodicity and mixing implying normal (diffusive) transport. We propose an order parameter (charge stiffness D) which controls the phase transition from nonmixing and nonergodic dynamics (ordered phase, D>0) to mixing and ergodic dynamics (disordered phase, D=0) in the thermodynamic limit. Furthermore, we find exponential decay of time correlation functions in the regime of mixing dynamics. The results are obtained consistently within three different numerical and analytical approaches: (i) time evolution of a finite system and direct computation of time correlation functions, (ii) full diagonalization of finite systems and statistical analysis of stationary data, and (iii) algebraic construction of quantum invariants of motion of an infinite system, in particular the time-averaged observables.

Analytic structure and chaotic dynamics of the damped driven Toda oscillator

The singularity structure exhibited by the solution of the damped driven Toda oscillator in the complex time (t-) plane is investigated through Painlev\'e(P-) analysis. We find that there exists a specific parametric choice for which the free but damped Toda oscillator possesses the P- property and hence is likely to be integrable. We present the exact solution corresponding to this integrable choice. In the nonintegrable regime, we show that the singularities exhibit locally a complicated, clustered, two-armed infinite-sheeted Riemann structure in the complex t- plane. Further, we have analyzed numerically the global singularity structure in the complex t- plane (i.e., analytic structure) corresponding to the real time chaotic dynamics exhibited by the system. From the investigations, we observe that the global singularity structure exhibits a ``chimneylike'' pattern in which the width at the bottom of the chimney decreases and the singularities tend to cluster at the top of the chimney, in the complex t- plane corresponding to the real-time chaotic dynamics exhibited by the system, as the control parameter is varied.

Spectral properties of statistical mechanics models

The full spectrum of transfer matrices of the general eight-vertex model on a square lattice is obtained by numerical diagonalization. The eigenvalue spacing distribution and the spectral rigidity are analyzed. In non-integrable regimes we have found eigenvalue repulsion as for the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble in random matrix theory. By contrast, in integrable regimes we have found eigenvalue independence leading to a Poissonian behavior, and, for some points, level clustering. These first examples from classical statistical mechanics suggest that the conjecture of integrability successfully applied to quantum spin systems also holds for classical systems.

Classical and quantal aspects of resonant normal forms

The Birkhoff-Gustavson normal form is employed to study separately chaos and resonances in a system with two degrees of freedom. In the integrable regime, tunnelling effects are appreciable when the nearest level spacings show oscillations. Tunnelling among states in the libration and rotation tori regions is also observed. The regularity of avoided crossings due to tunnelling indicates a collective effect and is associated with an isolated resonance. The spectral fluctuations also show a strong level correlation. The Husimi distribution, on the other hand, is insensitive to avoided crossings. An integrable approximation to the overlap of resonances is obtained and a theoretical description is given for an isolated cubic resonance plus a complex orbit. In the non-integrable regime chaos is stronger after overlapping and preferentially at low energies.

Analytic structure of the Henon–Heiles Hamiltonian in integrable and nonintegrable regimes

The solutions of the Henon–Heiles Hamiltonian are investigated in the complex time plane. The use of the ’’Painlevé property,’’ i.e., the property that the only movable singularities exhibited by the solution are poles, enables successful prediction of the values of the nonlinear coupling parameter for which the system is integrable. Special attention is paid to the structure of the natural boundaries that are found in some of the nonintegrable regimes. These boundaries have a remarkable self-similar structure whose form changes as a function of the nonlinear coupling.