Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions Research Articles

Theory of Dynamical Phase Transitions in Quantum Systems with Symmetry-Breaking Eigenstates.

We present a theory for the two kinds of dynamical quantum phase transitions, termed DPT-I and DPT-II, based on a minimal set of symmetry assumptions. In the special case of collective systems with infinite-range interactions, both are triggered by excited-state quantum phase transitions. For quenches below the critical energy, the existence of an additional conserved charge, identifying the corresponding phase, allows for a nonzero value of the dynamical order parameter characterizing DPTs-I, and precludes the main mechanism giving rise to nonanalyticities in the return probability, trademark of DPTs-II. We propose a statistical ensemble describing the long-time averages of order parameters in DPTs-I, and provide a theoretical proof for the incompatibility of the main mechanism for DPTs-II with the presence of this additional conserved charge. Our results are numerically illustrated in the fully connected transverse-field Ising model, which exhibits both kinds of dynamical phase transitions. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our theory to systems with finite-range interactions, where the phenomenology of excited-state quantum phase transitions is absent. We illustrate our findings by means of numerical calculations with experimentally relevant initial states.

Dynamical quantum phase transition without an order parameter

Short-time dynamics of many-body systems may exhibit nonanalytical behavior of the systems' properties at particular times, thus dubbed dynamical quantum phase transition. Simulations showed that in the presence of disorder, new critical times appear in the quench evolution of the Ising model. We study the physics behind these new critical times. We discuss the spectral features of the Ising model responsible for the disorder-induced phase transitions. We found the critical value of the disorder sufficient to induce the dynamical phase transition as a function of the number of spins. Most importantly, we argue that this dynamical phase transition while nontopological lacks a local order parameter.

Exploring dynamical quantum phase transitions in a spin model with deconfined critical point via the quantum steering ellipsoid

The dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT), which is featured by the nonanalytic behavior of the Loschmidt rate function in the real time evolution, has attracted substantial attention as a valuable theoretical concept for characterizing nonequilibrium states of quantum matter. Although the link between the DQPT and many physical concepts has been established, a thorough understanding of this transition still calls for more studies. In this paper, from the perspective of the quantum steering ellipsoid (QSE), we investigate the DQPTs supported in a one-dimensional spin chain with a deconfined quantum critical point by using the global subspace expansion time-dependent variational principle algorithm. For the quench from the valence-bond-solid phase to the ferromagnetic phase, we find a clear correspondence between the vanishing of the QSE volume and the occurrence of the DQPT. For the quench in the opposite direction, however, the QSE exhibits a rather complicated behavior during the time evolution. We also calculate the quantum entanglement and quantum coherence in the quench processes to unveil the change of the quantum correlations encoded in the QSE picture. These findings could offer a fascinating possibility of revealing DQPTs in a geometrically discernible manner.

Dynamical quantum phase transitions in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate and criticality enhanced quantum sensing

Quantum phase transitions universally exist in the ground and excited states of quantum many-body systems, and they have a close relationship with the nonequilibrium dynamical phase transitions, which however are challenging to identify. In the system of spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates, though dynamical phase transitions with correspondence to equilibrium phase transitions in the ground state and uppermost excited state have been probed, those taking place in intermediate excited states remain untouched in experiments thus far. Here we unravel that both the ground- and excited-state quantum phase transitions in spinor condensates can be diagnosed with dynamical phase transitions. A connection between equilibrium phase transitions and nonequilibrium behaviors of the system is disclosed in terms of the quantum Fisher information. We also demonstrate that near the critical points parameter estimation beyond the standard quantum limit can be implemented. This work not only advances the exploration of excited-state quantum phase transitions via a scheme that can immediately be applied to a broad class of few-mode quantum systems, but also provides a new perspective on the relationship between quantum criticality and quantum enhanced sensing.

Topological correlations in three-dimensional classical Ising models: An exact solution with a continuous phase transition

We study a three-dimensional (3D) classical Ising model that is exactly solvable when some coupling constants take certain imaginary values. The solution combines and generalizes the Onsager-Kaufman solution [L. Onsager, Phys. Rev. 65, 117 (1944); B. Kaufman, Phys. Rev. 76, 1232 (1949)] of the 2D Ising model and the solution of Kitaev's honeycomb model [A. Kitaev, Ann. Phys, 321, 2 (2006)], leading to a three-parameter phase diagram with a third-order phase transition between two distinct phases. Interestingly, the phases of this model are distinguished by topological features: the expectation value of a certain family of loop observables depend only on the topology of the loop (whether the loop is contractible), and are quantized at rational values that differ in the two phases. We show that a related exactly solvable 3D classical statistical model with real coupling constants also shows the topological features of one of these phases. Furthermore, even in the model with complex parameters, the partition function has some physical relevance, as it can be interpreted as the transition amplitude of a quantum dynamical process and may shed light on dynamical quantum phase transitions.

Atomic Number Fluctuations in Spinor Bose-Einstein Condensate with Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions

Atomic Number Fluctuations in Spinor Bose-Einstein Condensate with Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions

Dynamical quantum phase transitions in spin- S U(1) quantum link models

Dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) are a powerful concept of probing far-from-equilibrium criticality in quantum many-body systems. With the strong ongoing experimental drive to quantum simulate lattice gauge theories, it becomes important to investigate DQPTs in these models in order to better understand their far-from-equilibrium properties. In this work, we use infinite matrix product state techniques to study DQPTs in spin-$S U(1)$ quantum link models. Although we are able to reproduce literature results directly connecting DQPTs to a sign change in the dynamical order parameter in the case of $S=1/2$ for quenches starting in a vacuum initial state, we find that for different quench protocols or different values of the link spin length $S>1/2$ this direct connection is no longer present. In particular, we find that there is an abundance of different types of DQPTs not directly associated with any sign change of the order parameter. Our findings indicate that DQPTs are fundamentally different between the Wilson-Kogut-Susskind limit and its representation through the quantum link formalism.

Variational dynamics as a ground-state problem on a quantum computer

We propose a variational quantum algorithm to study the real time dynamics of quantum systems as a ground-state problem. The method is based on the original proposal of Feynman and Kitaev to encode time into a register of auxiliary qubits. We prepare the Feynman-Kitaev Hamiltonian acting on the composed system as a qubit operator and find an approximate ground state using the Variational Quantum Eigensolver. We apply the algorithm to the study of the dynamics of a transverse field Ising chain with an increasing number of spins and time steps, proving a favorable scaling in terms of the number of two qubit gates. Through numerical experiments, we investigate its robustness against noise, showing that the method can be use to evaluate dynamical properties of quantum systems and detect the presence of dynamical quantum phase transitions by measuring Loschmidt echoes.

Quench dynamics and scaling laws in topological nodal loop semimetals

We employ quench dynamics as an effective tool to probe different universality classes of topological phase transitions. Specifically, we study a model encompassing both Dirac-like and nodal loop criticalities. Examining the Kibble-Zurek scaling of topological defect density, we discover that the scaling exponent is reduced in the presence of extended nodal loop gap closures. For a quench through a multicritical point, we also unveil a path-dependent crossover between two sets of critical exponents. Bloch state tomography finally reveals additional differences in the defect trajectories for sudden quenches. While the Dirac transition permits a static trajectory under specific initial conditions, we find that the underlying nodal loop leads to complex time-dependent trajectories in general. In the presence of a nodal loop, we find, generically, a mismatch between the momentum modes where topological defects are generated and where dynamical quantum phase transitions occur. We also find notable exceptions where this correspondence breaks down completely.

Measurement-induced criticality as a data-structure transition

We employ unsupervised learning tools to identify different phases and their transition in quantum systems subject to the combined action of unitary evolution and stochastic measurements. Specifically, we consider principal component analysis and intrinsic dimension estimation to reveal a measurement-induced structural transition in the data space. We test our approach on a 1+1D stabilizer circuit and find the quantities of interest furnish novel order parameters defined directly in the raw data space. Our results provide a first use of unsupervised tools in dynamical quantum phase transitions.

Correlations, long-range entanglement, and dynamics in long-range Kitaev chains

Long-range interactions exhibit surprising features which have been less explored so far. Here, studying a one-dimensional fermionic chain with long-range hopping and pairing, we discuss some general features associated to the presence of long-range entanglement. In particular, after determining the algebraic decays of the correlation functions, we prove that a long-range quantum mutual information exists if the exponent of the decay is not larger than one. Moreover, we show that the time evolution triggered by a quantum quench between short-range and long-range regions, can be characterized by dynamical quantum phase transitions without crossing any phase boundary. We show, also, that the adiabatic dynamics is dictated by the divergence of a topological length scale at the quantum critical point, clarifying the violation of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for long-range systems.

Simulating groundstate and dynamical quantum phase transitions on a superconducting quantum computer

The phenomena of quantum criticality underlie many novel collective phenomena found in condensed matter systems. They present a challenge for classical and quantum simulation, in part because of diverging correlation lengths and consequently strong finite-size effects. Tensor network techniques that work directly in the thermodynamic limit can negotiate some of these difficulties. Here, we optimise a translationally invariant, sequential quantum circuit on a superconducting quantum device to simulate the groundstate of the quantum Ising model through its quantum critical point. We further demonstrate how the dynamical quantum critical point found in quenches of this model across its quantum critical point can be simulated. Our approach avoids finite-size scaling effects by using sequential quantum circuits inspired by infinite matrix product states. We provide efficient circuits and a variety of error mitigation strategies to implement, optimise and time-evolve these states.

Engineering Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions

Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions (FDQPTs) are signified by recurrent nonanalytic behaviors of observables in time. In this work, we introduce a quench-free and generic approach to engineer and control FDQPTs for both pure and mixed Floquet states. By applying time-periodic modulations with two commensurate driving frequencies to a general class of spin chain model, we find multiple FDQPTs within each driving period. The nonanalytic cusps of return probability form sublattice structures in time domain. Notably, the number and time-locations of these cusps can be flexibly controlled by tuning the Hamiltonian parameter and the higher frequency of the drive. We further employ the dynamical topological order parameter (DTOP), which shows a quantized jump whenever a DQPT happens, to identify the topological feature of FDQPTs. Our findings reveal the advantage of engineering nonequilibrium phase transitions with multi-frequency driving fields.

Dynamical phase diagram of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

In this paper, we have studied the dynamical phase diagram of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model using the notion of dynamical quantum phase transition in the ramped quench case. We have shown that, when the quench crosses both the critical points of the model, the phase diagram of the model includes two regions with dynamical quantum phase transition and no dynamical quantum phase transition. We have shown that if the sweep velocity is smaller than the critical value, the system shows dynamical quantum phase transition. If the quench crosses the single critical point, the system always shows the dynamical quantum phase transition

Spin-nematic squeezing for dynamical quantum phase transitions in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate

We study spin-nematic squeezing in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate and use it to probe dynamical quantum phase transitions. We show that the quench dynamics of the spin-nematic squeezing exhibits a nonanalytical change with respect to a final quadratic Zeeman energy, and demonstrate that the squeezing detects not only the ground state phase diagram, but also the excited state quantum phase transition. We further analyze the dynamic stabilization of the system and present its relation to the dynamical quantum phase transitions. Our results are applicable to the spinor condensates with both of the sodium and rubidium atoms.

Anomaly in the dynamical quantum phase transition in a non-Hermitian system with extended gapless phases

The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) and the associated winding numbers have been extensively studied in the context Hermitian system. We consider the non-Hermitian analogue of $p$-wave superconductor, supporting Hermitian gapless phase with complex hopping, in presence of on-site or superconducting loss term. This allows us to investigate the effect of non-Hermitian gapless phases on the DQPTs in addition to the Hermitian gapless phases. Our findings indicate that contour analysis of the underlying Hamiltonian, enclosing the origin and/or exceptional points, can predict the occurrences of DQPTs except the quench within the gapless phases. For the Hermitian case with initial and final Hamiltonians both being Hermitian, we find non-monotonic integer jump for the winding number as the hallmark signature of the gapless phase there. For the hybrid case with initial and final Hamiltonians being Hermitian and non-Hermitian respectively, winding number exhibits integer spike in addition to the non-monotonic integer jumps. For the non-Hermitian case with initial and final Hamiltonians both being non-Hermitian, the winding number show half-integer jumps for lossy superconcuctivity that does not have any Hermitian analogue. On the other hand, the integer jumps in winding number is observed for lossy chemical potential. We understand our findings by connecting them with the profile of Fisher zeros and number of exceptional points and/or origin.

Dynamical quantum phase transition in periodic quantum Ising chains

The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) after a sudden quench in periodic quantum Ising chains (QICs) are studied. We obtain the formulas of the Loschmidt echo and the Fisher zeros of the Loschmidt amplitude in the periodic QIC. It is found that for the quench across the quantum phase transitions (QPTs), the periodic QICs have richer DQPTs than that in the homogeneous QIC, and the number of critical times of the DQPTs are dependent on the specifical parameter of the pre- and post-quench Hamiltonian. For instance, in the period-two QIC, there is one critical time for the quench from the FM phase to the PM phase, and three critical times for the quench from the PM phase to the FM phase. In the period-three QIC, there may have three or four critical times for the quench from FM phase to the PM phase, but may have two or three critical times for the quench from PM to the FM phase. The reason is that the periodic QICs have multiple quasiparticle excitation spectra, and the Fisher zeros of the periodic systems consist of several separated branches, which is different from that in the homogeneous QIC. For different quenches across the QPTs, different branches will intersect with the imaginary axis, which correspond to different critical times. Our conclusion also provides insight in the property of the DQPT in the inhomogeneous systems.

Dynamical quantum phase transition in diamond: Applications in quantum metrology

Nonequilibrium dynamics is a paramount scenario for studying quantum systems. The emergence of new features with no equilibrium counterpart, such as dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT), has attracted wide attention. In this paper, we depart from the well-known Ising model and showcase an experimentally accessible configuration of a negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy center that interacts with nearby carbon-13 nuclear spins. We provide insights into this system in the context of DQPT. We show that nuclear spins undergo DQPT by appropriately choosing the relation between the transverse and longitudinal components of an external magnetic field. Furthermore, we can steer the DQPT via a time-dependent longitudinal magnetic field and apply this control to enhance the estimation of the coupling strength between the nuclear spins. Moreover, we propose a quenched dynamics that originates from the rotation of the central electron spin, which controls the DQPT relying on the anisotropy of the hyperfine coupling.

Dynamical and excited-state quantum phase transitions in collective systems

We study dynamical phase transitions (DPTs) in quantum many-body systems with infinite-range interaction, and present a theory connecting the two kinds of known DPTs (sometimes referred to as DPTs-I and DPTs-II) with the concept of excited-state quantum phase transition (ESQPT), traditionally found in collective models. We show that DPTs-I appear as a manifestation of symmetry restoration after a quench from the broken-symmetry phase, the limits between these two phases being demarcated precisely by an ESQPT. We describe the order parameters of DPTs-I with a generalization of the standard microcanonical ensemble incorporating the information of an additional conserved charge identifying the corresponding phase. We also show that DPTs-I are linked to a mechanism of information erasure brought about by the ESQPT, and quantify this information loss with the statistical ensemble that we propose. Finally, we show analytically that DPTs-II are forbidden in these systems for quenches leading a broken-symmetry initial state to the same broken-symmetry phase, on one side of the ESQPT, and we provide a formulation of DPTs-II depending on the side of the ESQPT where the quench ends. We analyze the connections between various indicators of DPTs-II. Our results are numerically illustrated in the infinite-range transverse-field Ising model and are applicable to a large class of collective quantum systems satisfying a set of conditions.

Reconstructing the dynamical quantum phase transitions via dimensional expansion in a generalized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model.

We know that a one-dimensional (1D) modulated system can simulate 2D topological states by expanding the dimension. This scenario provides a justifiable avenue to test the dilatation of the dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT). Through a generalized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, we have shown how the Loschmidt echo, Fisher zero, and Dynamical topological order parameter (DTOP) transit from one to two dimensions. Owing to the introduced pseudomomentum, the derivative of the return rate does not always capture the DQPT well, but the Fisher zero and the DTOP can be treated as faithful indicators. A topology-independent parameter will also affect the occurrence of the DQPTs for quenches inside a given phase. Moreover, a comparison with the Haldane model owning the same phase diagram implies that a pair of fixed points will lead to different critical momentum distributions, thus different robustness, further reminding us that the correspondences between the equilibrium and dynamical phases transitions are multifarious.