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arXiv:1710.07553 · Physical review. E

Exceptional points near first- and second-order quantum phase transitions

Pavel Stránský, Martin Dvořák, Pavel Cejnar

Published Jan 11, 2018• 19 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the impact of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) on the distribution of exceptional points (EPs) of the Hamiltonian in the complex-extended parameter domain. Analyzing first- and second-order QPTs in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model we find an exponentially and polynomially close approach of EPs to the respective critical point with increasing size of the system. If the critical Hamiltonian is subject to random perturbations of various kinds, the averaged distribution of EPs close to the critical point still carries decisive information on the QPT type. We therefore claim that properties of the EP distribution represent a parametrization-independent signature of criticality in quantum systems.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.97.012112

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We study the impact of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) on the distribution of exceptional points (EPs) of the Hamiltonian in the complex-extended parameter domain. Analyzing first- and second-order QPTs in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model we find an exponentially and polynomially close approach of EPs to the respective critical point with increasing size of the system. If the critical Hamiltonian is subject to random perturbations of various kinds, the averaged distribution of EPs close to the critical point still carries decisive information on the QPT type. We therefore claim that properties of the EP distribution represent a parametrization-independent signature of criticality in quantum systems.
A main distinguishing feature of non-Hermitian quantum mechanics is the presence of exceptional points (EPs). They correspond to the coalescence of two energy levels and their respective eigenvectors. Here, we use the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model as a test bed to explore the strong connection between EPs and the onset of excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs). We show that for finite systems, the exact degeneracies (EPs) obtained with the non-Hermitian LMG Hamiltonian continued into the complex plane are directly linked with the avoided crossings that characterize the ESQPTs for the real (physical) LMG Hamiltonian. The values of the complex control parameter $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ that lead to the EPs approach the real axis as the system size $N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$. This happens for both the EPs that are close to the separatrix that marks the ESQPT and also for those that are far away, although in the latter case, the convergence rate is smaller. With the method of Pad\'e approximants, we can extract the critical value of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$.
In this diploma thesis precursors of quantum phase transitions in finite many-body systems are studied. The main attention is paid to the mechanism, how nonanalytic behaviour of the ground state is generated for certain critical values of real control parameters. It is shown that nonanalytic behaviour of energy levels and eigenstates is closely connected with exceptional points of the hamiltonian, which are points in control parameter space extended into a complex domain where at least two eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors coincide. Differences in the distribution of exceptional points in the complex plane of control parameter for the first and second order phase transitions and also evolutions of the position of exceptional points with increasing particle number are discussed.
Abstract The behavior of quantum states at exceptional points (EPs) and at critical points associated with quantum phase transitions (QPTs) is intriguing yet puzzling. In this study, we present an alternative method for obtaining the Berry potentials using the evolution generator along the parameter induced dimension and demonstrate that they are singular at these critical points. Although these singularities may appear to indicate a breakdown in quantum state evolution, we show that the information carried by quantum states evolving across these critical points is not destroyed. Specifically, when the evolution generator of the full Hilbert space bundle is taken into account, the quantum states remain insensitive to the critical points. In physical terms, it is similar to the classical image of an object smoothly passing through a black hole’s event horizon. Further similarities between EPs and QPTs are explored in this work.
Open quantum systems can be approximately described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians (NHHs) and Liouvillian superoperators. The two approaches differ by quantum jump terms corresponding to a measurement of the system by its environment. We analyze the emergence of exceptional points (EPs) in NHHs and Liouvillian superoperators. In particular, we show how EPs in NHHs relate to a novel type of EPs -- multi-block EPs -- in the no-jump Liouvillian, i.e. the Liouvillian superoperator in absence of quantum jump terms. We further analyze how quantum jump terms modify the multi-block structure. To illustrate our general findings, we present two prime examples: qubits and qutrits coupled to additional ground state levels that serve as sinks of the population. In those examples, we can navigate through the EP block structure by a variation of physical parameters. We analyze how the dynamics of the population of the states is affected by the order of the EPs. Additionally, we demonstrate that the quantum geometric tensor serves as a sensitive indicator of EPs of different kinds.
Dynamical signatures of quantum phase transitions for excited states Jakub Dolejší Abstract We study the impact of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and excited- state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) on the validity of the adiabatic approximation for a slowly varying Hamiltonian. We compare two cases, when the initial state is the ground state of the initial Hamiltonian and when the initial state is a statistical mixture of excited states induced by a finite temperature. We use the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model of a spin lattice and obtain an abruptly decreasing scaling law of the ground-state population with a growing system size N. We comment on the justifiability of using the Landau-Zener formula to make a quantitative prediction in the case of a first-order and a second-order QPT. To achieve a truly adiabatic evolution in the thermodynamic limit, one would need to perform the Hamiltonian change during an impossibly long time period. It is possible, however, to obtain the same adiabatic final state in a given finite time period by inducing the quantum evolution with another Hamiltonian specifically devised for this purpose, thus employing the so called adiabatic shortcut. We verify the validity of adiabatic shortcuts in the presence of QPTs and ESQPTs and study the costs of performing such adiabatic...
We report on quantum revivals and classical periodicities of wave packets centered around the ground state within the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model. Special attention is paid to the behavior at first- and second-order phase transitions. In line with previous studies, we find that away from criticality, characteristic times exhibit smooth, nonsingular behavior, but upon approaching the transition points they diverge as power laws with associated critical exponents. Finite-size effects are studied and the observed phenomenology is discussed in the framework of the time-energy uncertainty relation.