Random matrix ensembles are introduced that respect the local tensor structure of Hamiltonians describing a chain of
n distinguishable spin-half particles with nearest-neighbour interactions. We prove a central limit theorem for the density of states when
n→∞, giving explicit bounds on the rate of approach to the limit. Universality within a class of probability measures and the extension to more general interaction geometries are established. The level spacing distributions of the Gaussian Orthogonal, Unitary and Symplectic Ensembles are observed numerically for the energy levels in these ensembles.
The spectral statistics and entanglement within the eigenstates of generic spin chain Hamiltonians are analysed. A class of random matrix ensembles is defined which include the most general nearest-neighbour qubit chain Hamiltonians. For these ensembles, and their generalisations, it is seen that the long chain limiting spectral density is a Gaussian and that this convergence holds on the level of individual Hamiltonians. The rate of this convergence is numerically seen to be slow. Higher eigenvalue correlation statistics are also considered, the canonical nearest-neighbour level spacing statistics being numerically observed and linked with ensemble symmetries. A heuristic argument is given for a conjectured form of the full joint probability density function for the eigenvalues of a wide class of such ensembles. This is numerically verified in a particular case. For many translationally-invariant nearest-neighbour qubit Hamiltonians it is shown that there exists a complete orthonormal set of eigenstates for which the entanglement present in a generic member, between a fixed length block of qubits and the rest of the chain, approaches its maximal value as the chain length increases. Many such Hamiltonians are seen to exhibit a simple spectrum so that their eigenstates are unique up to phase. The entanglement within the eigenstates contrasts the spectral density for such Hamiltonians, which is that seen for a non-interacting chain of qubits. For such non-interacting chains, their always exists a basis of eigenstates for which there is no entanglement present.
Using a renormalization group approach, we solve the time evolution of random Ising spin chains with generic interactions starting from initial states of arbitrary energy. As a function of the Hamiltonian parameters, the system is tuned through a dynamical transition, similar to the ground-state critical point, at which the local spin correlations establish true long-range temporal order. In the state with a dominant transverse field, a spin that starts in an up state loses its orientation with time, while in the ``ordered'' state it never does. As in ground-state quantum phase transitions, the dynamical transition has unique signatures in the entanglement properties of the system. When the system is initialized in a product state, the entanglement entropy grows as
log(t) in the two ``phases,'' while at the critical point it grows as ${\mathrm{log}}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}(t)$, with $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ a universal number. This universal entanglement growth requires generic (``integrability breaking'') interactions to be added to the pure transverse field Ising model.
This paper presents a theoretical framework for analyzing the quantum fluctuation properties of a quantum spin chain subject to a quantum phase transition. We can quantify the fluctuation properties by examining the correlation between the fluctuations of two neighboring spins subject to the quantum uncertainty. To do this, we first compute the reduced density matrix \ensuremath{\rho} of the spin pair from the ground state |\ensuremath{\Psi}⟩ of a spin chain, and then identify the quantum correlation part ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{q}$ embedded in \ensuremath{\rho}. If the spin chain is translationally symmetric and characterized by a nearest-neighbor two-body spin interaction, we can determine uniquely the form of ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{q}$ as $W|\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}\ensuremath{\rangle}\ensuremath{\langle}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}|$ with the weight
W $\ensuremath{\le}1$, and quantify the fluctuation properties using the two-spin entangled state $|\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}\ensuremath{\rangle}$. We demonstrate the framework for a transverse-field quantum Ising spin chain and indicate its validity for more general spin chain models.
A key goal of quantum chaos is to establish a relationship between widely observed universal spectral fluctuations of clean quantum systems and random matrix theory (RMT). For single particle systems with fully chaotic classical counterparts, the problem has been partly solved by Berry (1985) within the so-called diagonal approximation of semiclassical periodic-orbit sums. Derivation of the full RMT spectral form factor
K(t) from semiclassics has been completed only much later in a tour de force by Mueller et al (2004). In recent years, the questions of long-time dynamics at high energies, for which the full many-body energy spectrum becomes relevant, are coming at the forefront even for simple many-body quantum systems, such as locally interacting spin chains. Such systems display two universal types of behaviour which are termed as `many-body localized phase' and `ergodic phase'. In the ergodic phase, the spectral fluctuations are excellently described by RMT, even for very simple interactions and in the absence of any external source of disorder. Here we provide the first theoretical explanation for these observations. We compute
K(t) explicitly in the leading two orders in
t and show its agreement with RMT for non-integrable, time-reversal invariant many-body systems without classical counterparts, a generic example of which are Ising spin 1/2 models in a periodically kicking transverse field.
For
m number of bosons, carrying spin ($\cs=\spin$) degree of freedom, in
Ω number of single particle orbitals, each doubly degenerate, we introduce and analyze embedded Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random matrices generated by random two-body interactions that are spin (
S) scalar [BEGOE(2)-$\cs$]. Embedding algebra for the BEGOE(2)-$\cs$ ensemble and also for BEGOE(1+2)-$\cs$ that includes the mean-field one-body part is
U(2Ω)⊃U(Ω)⊗SU(2) with SU(2) generating spin. A method for constructing the ensembles in fixed-(
m,S) spaces has been developed. Numerical calculations show that for BEGOE(2)-$\cs$, the fixed-
(m,S) density of states is close to Gaussian and level fluctuations follow GOE in the dense limit. For BEGOE(1+2)-$\cs$, generically there is Poisson to GOE transition in level fluctuations as the interaction strength (measured in the units of the average spacing of the single particle levels defining the mean-field) is increased. The interaction strength needed for the onset of the transition is found to decrease with increasing
S. Covariances in energy centroids and spectral variances are analyzed. Propagation formula is derived for the variance propagator for the fixed-
(m,S) ensemble averaged spectral variances. Variance propagator clearly shows, by applying the Jacquod and Stone prescription, that the BEGOE(2)-$\cs$ ensemble generates ground states with spin
S=Smax. This is further corroborated by analyzing the structure of the ground states in the presence of the exchange interaction
S^2 in BEGOE(1+2)-$\cs$. Natural spin ordering is also observed with random interactions. Going beyond these, we also introduce pairing symmetry in the space defined by BEGOE(2)-$\cs$. Expectation values of the pairing Hamiltonian show that random interactions exhibit pairing correlations in the ground state region.