We investigate finite-size scaling aspects of disorder reaction-diffusion processes in one dimension utilizing both numerical and analytical approaches. The former averages the spectrum gap of the associated evolution operators by doubling their degrees of freedom, while the latter uses various techniques to map the equations of motion to a first-passage time process. Both approaches are consistent with nonuniversal dynamic exponents and with stretched exponential scaling forms for particular disorder realizations.
Non-universal dynamics is shown to occur in a one-dimensional non-equilibrium system of hard-core particles. The stochastic processes included are pair creation and annihilation (with rates and ) and symmetric hopping rates which alternate from one bond to the next ( , ). A dynamical scaling relation between the relaxation time and the correlation length in the steady state is derived in a simple way for the case . We find that the dynamical exponent takes the non-universal value . For the special condition , where the stochastic system is in principle soluble by reduction to a free fermion system, the model is mapped to the Glauber dynamics of an Ising chain with alternating ferromagnetic bonds of values and , in contact with a quantum thermal bath. The full time dependence of the space-dependent magnetization and of the equal time spin-spin correlation function are studied by writing the master equation for this system in the quantum Hamiltonian formalism. In particular, we obtain the dispersion relations and rigorously confirm the results obtained for the correlation length and for the dynamical exponent.
Non-universal dynamics is shown to occur in a one-dimensional non-equilibrium system of hard-core particles. The stochastic processes included are pair creation and annihilation (with rates e and e') and symmetric hopping rates which alternate from one bond to the next (Pa, Pb). A dynamical scaling relation between the relaxation time and the correlation length in the steady state is derived in a simple way for the case e' > Pa >> Pb >> e. We find that the dynamical exponent takes the non-universal value z = 2 ln(e'/e) / ln[(Pb e')/(Pa e)]. For the special condition e + e'= Pa + Pb, where the stochastic system is in principle soluble by reduction to a free fermion system, the model is mapped to the Glauber dynamics of an Ising chain with alternating ferromagnetic bonds of values J1 and J2, in contact with a quantum thermal bath. The full time dependence of the space-dependent magnetization and of the equal time spin-spin correlation function are studied by writing the master equation for this system in the quantum Hamiltonian formalism. In particular we obtain the dispersion relations and rigorously confirm the results obtained for the correlation length and for the dynamical exponent.
Nonuniversal dynamic critical exponents are obtained for both the Glauber and Kawasaki dynamics of the Ising chain with alternating near-neighbor interactions,
J1,
J2, with the exponents related to the ratio of the two interaction strengths. We expand upon the recent work of Droz et al. [Phys. Lett. 115A, 448 (1986)] for the ferromagnetic system (
J1>0,
J2>0). For Glauber (spin-flip) dynamics we obtain the exact exponent z=1+\ensuremath{\rho} (\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{\Vert}
J1/
J2\ensuremath{\Vert}) which generalizes the result of Droz et al. and is valid irrespective of the signs of
J1 and
J2, where it is assumed that \ensuremath{\Vert}
J1\ensuremath{\Vert}>\ensuremath{\Vert}
J2\ensuremath{\Vert} (\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\ge}1). For Kawasaki (spin-exchange) dynamics, we obtain dynamic critical exponents from conventional theory which provides a rigorous lower bound for the exponent z. For the case of the conserved (ferromagnetic) order parameter, however, we present arguments that the conventional exponent is exact. We obtain z=4+\ensuremath{\rho} in this case. For
J1>0,${J}_{2}$0 we derive the conventional exponent z=1+\ensuremath{\rho}, whereas for ${J}_{1}$0 we find z=2 irrespective of
J2. A key aspect of this system is the narrowing of the dynamic critical region as compared with the isotropic system (
J1=
J2). The extra bond periodicity splits the isotropic order parameter into components such that only comparatively closer to criticality does the order parameter become the dominant slow mode. The nonuniversal critical dynamics is intrinsically linked to the nonuniform bond distribution, being shown to arise from a kinetic coefficient which vanishes with a nonuniversal critical exponent. Nonuniversality of the dynamic exponent for Ising systems with inhomogeneous couplings is argued to be specific to zero-temperature critical points.
The study of collective behaviour in many-body systems often explores fundamentally new ideas absent from the mere constituents of such a system. A paradigmatic model for these studies is the spin-1/2 XXZ chain and its fermionic equivalent. This thesis can be broadly divided into the study of two fundamental aspects of this model. Firstly, we discuss localisation phenomena in one dimensional lattices as often experimentally realised in cold atom systems. Secondly, we investigate how disorder and symmetry influence heat transport in spin chains. More specifically, in the first part we consider a system of non-interacting fermions in one dimension subject to a single-particle potential consisting of a strong optical lattice, a harmonic trap, and uncorrelated on-site disorder. We investigate a global inhomogeneous quantum quench and present numerical and analytical results for static and dynamical properties. We show that the approach to the non-thermal equilibrium state is extremely slow and that it implies a sensitivity to disorder parametrically stronger than that expected from Anderson localisation. We also consider the above system in a strong non-uniform electric field. In the non-interacting case, due to Wannier-Stark localisation, the single-particle wave functions are exponentially localised without quenched disorder. We show that this system remains localised in the presence of nearest-neighbour interactions and exhibits physics analogous to models of conventional many-body localisation. The second part explores the hydrodynamics of the disordered XYZ spin chain. Using time-evolving block decimation on open chains of up to 400 spins attached to thermal baths, we probe the energy transport of this system. Our principal findings are as follows. For weak disorder there is a stable diffusive region that persists up to a critical disorder strength that depends on the XY anisotropy. Then, for disorder strengths above this critical value energy transport becomes increasingly subdiffusive.
We investigate the dynamical critical behavior of the two- and three-dimensional Ising models with Glauber dynamics in equilibrium. In contrast to the usual standing, we focus on the mean-squared deviation of the magnetization
M,MSDM, as a function of time, as well as on the autocorrelation function of
M. These two functions are distinct but closely related. We find that
MSDM features a first crossover at time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}\ensuremath{\sim}{L}^{{z}_{1}}$, from ordinary diffusion with ${\mathrm{MSD}}_{M}\ensuremath{\sim}t$, to anomalous diffusion with ${\mathrm{MSD}}_{M}\ensuremath{\sim}{t}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$. Purely on numerical grounds, we obtain the values
z1=0.45(5) and $\ensuremath{\alpha}=0.752(5)$ for the two-dimensional Ising ferromagnet. Related to this, the magnetization autocorrelation function crosses over from an exponential decay to a stretched-exponential decay. At later times, we find a second crossover at time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}\ensuremath{\sim}{L}^{{z}_{2}}$. Here,
MSDM saturates to its late-time value $\ensuremath{\sim}{L}^{2+\ensuremath{\gamma}/\ensuremath{\nu}}$, while the autocorrelation function crosses over from stretched-exponential decay to simple exponential one. We also confirm numerically the value
z2=2.1665(12), earlier reported as the single dynamic exponent. Continuity of
MSDM requires that $\ensuremath{\alpha}({z}_{2}\ensuremath{-}{z}_{1})=\ensuremath{\gamma}/\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}{z}_{1}$. We speculate that
z1=1/2 and $\ensuremath{\alpha}=3/4$, values that indeed lead to the expected
z2=13/6 result. A complementary analysis for the three-dimensional Ising model provides the estimates ${z}_{1}=1.35(2), \ensuremath{\alpha}=0.90(2)$, and
z2=2.032(3). While
z2 has attracted significant attention in the literature, we argue that for all practical purposes
z1 is more important, as it determines the number of statistically independent measurements during a long simulation.