The investigation and characterization of topological quantum phase transition between gapless phases is one of the recent interest of research in topological states of matter. We consider transverse field Ising model with three spin interaction in one dimension and observe a topological transition between gapless phases on one of the critical lines of this model. We study the distinct nature of these gapless phases and show that they belong to different universality classes. The topological invariant number (winding number) characterize different topological phases for the different regime of parameter space. We observe the evidence of two multi-critical points, one is topologically trivial and the other one is topologically active. Topological quantum phase transition between the gapless phases on the critical line occurs through the non-trivial multi-critical point in the Lifshitz universality class. We calculate and analyze the behavior of Wannier state correlation function close to the multi-critical point and confirm the topological transition between gapless phases. We show the breakdown of Lorentz invariance at this multi-critical point through the energy dispersion analysis. We also show that the scaling theories and curvature function renormalization group can also be effectively used to understand the topological quantum phase transitions between gapless phases. The model Hamiltonian which we study is more applicable for the system with gapless excitations, where the conventional concept of topological quantum phase transition fails.
The investigation and characterization of topological quantum phase transition between gapless phases is one of the recent interest of research in topological states of matter. We consider transverse field Ising model with three spin interaction in one dimension and observe a topological transition between gapless phases on one of the critical lines of this model. We study the distinct nature of these gapless phases and show that they belong to different universality classes. The topological invariant number (winding number) characterize different topological phases for the different regime of parameter space. We observe the evidence of two multi-critical points, one is topologically trivial and the other one is topologically active. Topological quantum phase transition between the gapless phases on the critical line occurs through the non-trivial multi-critical point in the Lifshitz universality class. We calculate and analyze the behavior of Wannier state correlation function close to the multi-critical point and confirm the topological transition between gapless phases. We show the breakdown of Lorentz invariance at this multi-critical point through the energy dispersion analysis. We also show that the scaling theories and curvature function renormalization group can also be effectively used to understand the topological quantum phase transitions between gapless phases. The model Hamiltonian which we study is more applicable for the system with gapless excitations, where the conventional concept of topological quantum phase transition fails.
Topological gapless phases of matter have been a recent interest among theoretical and experimental condensed matter physicists. Fermionic chains with extended nearest neighbor couplings have been observed to show unique topological transition at the multicritical points between distinct gapless phases. In this work, we show that such topological gapless phases and the transition between them can be simulated in a quantum walk. We consider a three-step discrete-time quantum walk and identify various critical or gapless phases and multicriticalities from the topological phase diagram along with their distinguished energy dispersions. We reconstruct the scaling theory based on the curvature function to study transition between gapless phases in the quantum walk. We show the interesting features observed in fermionic chains, such as diverging, sign flipping and swapping properties of curvature function, can be simulated in the quantum walk. Moreover, the renormalization group flow and Wannier state correlation functions also identify transition at the multicritical points between gapless phases. We observe the scaling law and overlapping of critical and fixed point properties at the multicritical points of the fermionic chains can also be observed in the quantum walk. Furthermore, we categorize the topological transitions at various multicritical points using the group velocity of the energy eigenstates. Finally, the topological characters of various gapless phases are captured using winding number which allows one to distinguish various gapless phases and also show the transitions at the multicritical points.
Recently topological states of matter have witnessed a new physical phenomenon where both edge modes and gapless bulk coexist at topological quantum criticality. The presence and absence of edge modes on a critical line can lead to an unusual class of topological phase transition between the topological and nontopological critical phases. We explore the existence of this new class of topological phase transitions in a generic model representing the topological insulators and superconductors and we show that such transition occurs at a multicritical point, i.e., at the intersection of two critical lines. To characterize these transitions we reconstruct the theoretical frameworks, which include bound state solution of the Dirac equation, winding number, correlation factors, and scaling theory of the curvature function to work for the criticality. Critical exponents and scaling laws are discussed to distinguish between the multicritical points, which separate the critical phases. Entanglement entropy and its scaling in the real space provide further insights into the unique transition at criticality revealing the interplay between fixed point and critical point at the multicriticalities.
The phase transition between gapped topological phases represents a class of unconventional criticality beyond the Landau paradigm. However, recent research has shifted attention to topological phases without a bulk gap, where the phase transitions between them are still elusive. In this work, based on large-scale density-matrix renormalization-group techniques, we investigate the critical behaviors of the extended quantum XXZ model obtained by the Kennedy-Tasaki transformation. Using fidelity susceptibility as a diagnostic, we obtain a complete phase diagram, which includes both topological nontrivial and trivial gapless phases. Furthermore, as the XXZ-type anisotropy parameter $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ varies, both the critical points hc and correlation length exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$ remain the same as in the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}=0$ case, characterized by c=3/2 (Ising plus free boson) conformal field theory. Our results indicate that fidelity susceptibility can effectively detect and reveal a stable unconventional critical line between the topologically distinct gapless phases for general $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. This work serves as a valuable reference for further research on phase transitions within the gapless topological phase of matter.
Abstract The interplay between topology and criticality has been a recent interest of study in condensed matter physics. A unique topological transition between certain critical phases has been observed as a consequence of the edge modes living at criticalities. In this work, we generalize this phenomenon by investigating possible transitions between critical phases which are non-high symmetry (non-HS) in nature. We find the triviality and non-triviality of these critical phases in terms of the decay length of the edge modes and also characterize them using the winding numbers. The distinct non-HS critical phases are separated by multicritical points with linear dispersion at which the winding number exhibits the quantized jump, indicating a change in the topology (number of edge modes) at the critical phases. Moreover, we reframe the scaling theory based on the curvature function, i.e. curvature function renormalization group method to efficiently address the non-HS criticalities and multicriticalities. Using this we identify the conventional topological transition between gapped phases through non-HS critical points, and also the unique topological transition between critical phases through multicritical points. The renormalization group flow, critical exponents and correlation function of Wannier states enable the characterization of non-HS criticalities along with multicriticalities.
The thermal dynamics of the two-dimensional Ising model and quantum dynamics of the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model (TFIM) are mapped to one another through the transfer-matrix formalism. We show that the fermionised TFIM undergoes a Fermi-surface topology-changing Lifshitz transition at its critical point. We identify the degree of freedom which tracks the Lifshitz transition via changes in topological quantum numbers (e.g., Chern number, Berry phase etc.). An emergent SU(2) symmetry at criticality is observed to lead to a topological quantum number different from that which characterises the ordered phase. The topological transition is also understood via a spectral flow thought-experiment in a Thouless charge pump, revealing the bulk-boundary correspondence across the transition. The duality property of the phases and their entanglement content are studied, revealing a holographic relation with the entanglement at criticality. The effects of a non-zero longitudinal field and interactions that scatter across the singular Fermi surface are treated within the renormalisation group (RG) formalism. The analysis reveals that the critical point of the 1D TFIM and the 1D spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain are connected via a line of SU(2)-symmetric theories. We extend our analysis to show that the classical to quantum correspondence links the critical theories of Ising models in various dimensions holographically through the universal effective Hamiltonian that describes the Lifshitz transition of the 1D TFIM. We obtain in this way a unified perspective of transitions in Ising models that lie beyond the traditional Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson paradigm. We discuss the consequences of our results for similar topological transitions observed in classical spin models, topological insulators, superconductors and lattice gauge-field theories which are related to the Ising universality class.
By constructing an exactly solvable spin model, we investigate the critical behaviors of transverse-field Ising chains interpolated with cluster interactions, which exhibit various types of topologically distinct Ising critical points. Using fidelity susceptibility as an indicator, we establish the global phase diagram, including ferromagnetic, trivial paramagnetic, and symmetry-protected topological phases. Different types of critical points exist between these phases, encompassing both topologically trivial and nontrivial Ising critical points, as well as Gaussian critical points. Importantly, we demonstrate the existence of a Lifshitz transition between these topologically distinct Ising critical points, with central charge and critical exponents determined through finite-size scaling. This work serves as a valuable reference for further research on phase transitions within the gapless quantum phase of matter.