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arXiv:2001.07916 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Quantum tricritical point emerging in the spin-boson model with two dissipative spins in staggered biases

Yanzhi Wang, Shu He, Liwei Duan, Qing‐Hu Chen

Published May 4, 2021• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the spin-boson model (SBM) with two spins in staggered biases by a numerically exact method based on variational matrix product states. Several observables such as the magnetization, the entanglement entropy between the two spins and the bosonic environment, the ground-state energy, as well as the correlation function for two spins are calculated exactly. The characteristics of these observables suggest that the staggered biases can drive the second-order quantum phase transition (QPT) to the first-order QPT in the sub-Ohmic SBM, while the Kosterlitz-Thouless QPT in the Ohmic SBM goes directly to the first-order one. A quantum tricritical point, where the continuous QPT meets the first-order one, can then be detected. It is found that the staggered biases would not change the universality of the phase transition in this model below the quantum tricritical point.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.103.205106

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We study the spin-boson model (SBM) with two spins in staggered biases by a numerically exact method based on variational matrix product states. Several observables such as the magnetization, the entanglement entropy between the two spins and the bosonic environment, the ground-state energy, as well as the correlation function for two spins are calculated exactly. The characteristics of these observables suggest that the staggered biases can drive the second-order quantum phase transition (QPT) to the first-order QPT in the sub-Ohmic SBM, while the Kosterlitz-Thouless QPT in the Ohmic SBM goes directly to the first-order one. A quantum tricritical point, where the continuous QPT meets the first-order one, can then be detected. It is found that the staggered biases would not change the universality of the phase transition in this model below the quantum tricritical point.
We study the spin-boson model without the counterrotating terms by a numerically exact method based on variational matrix product states. Surprisingly, the second-order quantum phase transition (QPT) is observed for the sub-Ohmic bath in the rotating-wave approximations. Moreover, first-order QPTs can also appear before the critical points. With the decrease of the bath exponents, these first-order QPTs disappear successively, while the second-order QPT remains robust. The second-order QPT is further confirmed by multi-coherent-state variational studies, while the first-order QPT is corroborated with the exact diagonalization in the truncated Hilbert space. Extension to the Ohmic bath is also performed, and many first-order QPTs appear successively in a wide coupling regime, in contrast to previous findings. The previous pictures for many physical phenomena for the spin-boson model in the rotating-wave approximation have to be modified at least at strong coupling.
Abstract We investigate the quantum phase transitions (QPTs) of the two-qubit quantum Rabi model with staggered qubit biases. In the limit of an infinite qubit-to-cavity frequency ratio, we analytically derive the mean-field Hamiltonian and the order-parameter-dependent energy density functional, which yields the ground-state energy and order parameter. The rich superradiant phase transitions (SRPTs), including both second- and first-order QPTs and a tricritical point (TCP), are analytically derived. Specifically, we derive the analytical expressions for all phase transition points, including the nonperturbative point of the first-order SRPT. The analytical findings are further corroborated by numerical finite-size scaling analysis. It is found that both the critical correlation-length and order-parameter exponents at the TCP differ from those of the original second-order SRPTs, implying that the TCP belongs to a new universality class. This work provides a reliable theoretical framework for designing new, simple experimental platforms to explore the rich QPTs.
We study the anisotropic spin-boson model (SBM) with the subohmic bath by a numerically exact method based on variational matrix product states. A rich phase diagram is found in the anisotropy-coupling strength plane by calculating several observables. There are three distinct quantum phases: a delocalized phase with even parity (phase I), a delocalized phase with odd parity (phase II), and a localized phase with broken Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ symmetry (phase III), which intersect at a quantum tricritical point. The competition between those phases gives an overall picture of the phase diagram. For small power of the spectral function of the bosonic bath, the quantum phase transition (QPT) from phase I to III with mean-field critical behavior is present, similar to the isotropic SBM. The phase diagram with three different phases can be found at large power of the spectral function: For the highly anisotropic case, the system experiences the QPTs from phase I to II via first order, and then to phase III via second order with the increase of the coupling strength. For the low anisotropic case, the system only experiences the continuous QPT from phase I to phase III with the non-mean-field critical exponents. Very interestingly, at the moderate anisotropy, the system would display the continuous QPTs for several times but with the same critical exponents. This unusual reentrance to the same localized phase is discovered in light-matter interacting systems. The present study on the anisotropic SBM could open an avenue to the rich quantum criticality.
By employing the spin-boson model in a dense limit of environmental modes, quantum entanglement and correlation of sub-Ohmic and Ohmic baths for dissipative quantum phase transitions are numerically investigated based on the variational principle. With several measures borrowed from quantum information theory, three different types of singularities are found for the first-order, second-order, and Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transitions, respectively, and the values of transition points and critical exponents are accurately determined. Besides, the scaling form of the quantum discord in the Ohmic case is identified, quite different from that in the sub-Ohmic regime. In a two-spin model, two distinct behaviors of the quantum discord are uncovered: one is related to the quantum entanglement between two spins and the other is decided by the correlation function in the position space rather than the entanglement.
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) in the spin-boson model with/without the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) are systematically investigated through variational calculations using a sub-Ohmic bath with high spectral density. Four cases involving different system-environment interactions are examined, where transition points and critical exponents are accurately determined across varying tunneling strengths. Contrary to prior work, a rich phase diagram is revealed in the tunneling-coupling plane even at the low spectral exponent s<1/2s<1/2s<1/2, with a novel U(1)-symmetric phase being identified. As coupling increases, a multi-stage QPT sequence arises for the tunneling 0<Δ<Δ∗=0.074(1)0<Δ< Δ^*=0.074(1)0<Δ<Δ∗=0.074(1), whereas a single transition occurs beyond this range. Furthermore, an odd-parity phase is found to emerge even under the positive tunneling, exhibiting distinct characteristics relative to the prototype model.
We have carried out analytical and numerical studies of the spin-boson model in the sub-ohmic regime with the influence of both the diagonal and the off-diagonal coupling accounted for, via the Davydov D1 variational ansatz. While a second-order phase transition is known to be exhibited by this model in the presence of diagonal coupling only, we demonstrate the emergence of a discontinuous first order phase transition upon incorporation of the off-diagonal coupling. A plot of the ground state energy versus magnetization highlights the discontinuous nature of the transition between the isotropic (zero magnetization) state and nematic (finite magnetization) phases. We have also calculated the entanglement entropy and a discontinuity found at a critical coupling strength further supports the discontinuous crossover in the spin-boson model in the presence of off-diagonal coupling. It is further revealed via a canonical transformation approach that for the special case of identical exponents for the spectral densities of the diagonal and the off-diagonal coupling, there exists a continuous crossover from a single localized phase to doubly degenerate localized phase with differing magnetizations.