Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2101.05143

Direct Measurement of the Soft Mode Driving a Quantum Phase Transition

Matthew Libersky, R. D. McKenzie, D. M. Silevitch, Philip C. E. Stamp, T. F. Rosenbaum

Published Jan 13, 2021• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum phase transitions in spin systems are supposed to be accompanied by a soft collective mode, which has not been seen in experiments. Here, we directly measure the low energy excitation modes of a well-known realization of the Ising model in transverse field, LiHoF$_4$, using microwave spectroscopy techniques to probe energies well below what is accessible via neutron scattering experiments. Instead of the single excitation expected for a simple quantum Ising system, we find and characterize a remarkable array of `electronuclear' modes, arising from coupling of the spin-1/2 Ising electronic spins to a bath of spin-7/2 Ho nuclear spins. The lowest-lying electronuclear mode softens at the approach to the quantum critical point from below and above, a softening that can be quenched with the application of a longitudinal magnetic field. The electronuclear mode structure has direct implications for the Ising systems that serve as the building blocks of adiabatic quantum computers and quantum annealers.

Related papers

Fluctuations and phase transitions in quantum Ising systems

R. H. McKenzie

The quantum Ising model is perhaps the simplest possible model of a quantum magnetic material. Despite its simplicity, its versatility and wide range of applications, from quantum computation, to combinatorial optimization, to biophysics, make it one of the most important models of modern physics. In this thesis, we develop a general framework for studying quantum Ising systems with an arbitrary single ion Hamiltonian, with emphasis on the effects of quantum fluctuations, and the quantum phase transition between paramagnetic and ferromagnetic states that occurs when a magnetic field is applied transverse to the easy axis of the system. The magnetic insulating crystal LiHoF₄ is a physical realization of the quantum Ising model, with the additional features that the dominant coupling between spins is the long range dipolar interaction, and each electronic spin is strongly coupled to a nuclear degree of freedom. These nuclear degrees of freedom constitute a spin bath environment acting on the system. In this thesis, we present an effective low temperature Hamiltonian for LiHoF₄ that incorporates both these features, and we analyze the effects of the nuclear spin bath on the system. We find the lowest energy crystal field excitation in the system is gapped at the quantum critical point by the presence of the nuclear spins, with spectral weight being transferred down to a lower energy electronuclear mode that fully softens to zero at the quantum critical point. Furthermore, we present a toy model, the spin half spin half model, that illustrates the effects of an anisotropic hyperfine interaction on a quantum Ising system. We find the critical transverse field is increased when the longitudinal hyperfine coupling is dominant, as well as an enhancement of both the longitudinal electronic susceptibility and an applied longitudinal field. In addition, we present a field theoretic formalism for incorporating the effects of fluctuations beyond the random phase approximation in general quantum Ising systems. We find that any regular on site interaction, such as a nuclear spin bath, does not fundamentally alter the critical properties of a quantum Ising system. This formalism is used to calculate corrections to the magnetization of LiHoF₄.

•Jan 1, 2016•1 citation

Thermodynamics of a quantum Ising system coupled to a spin bath

R. D. McKenzie, Philip C. E. Stamp

We study the effect of coupling a spin-bath environment to a system which, at low energies, can be modeled as a quantum Ising system. A field theoretic formalism incorporating both thermal and quantum fluctuations is developed to derive results for the thermodynamic properties and response functions, both for a toy model and for the ${\text{LiHoF}}_{4}$ system, in which spin-8 electronic spins couple to a spin-$7/2$ nuclear spin bath: The phase transition then occurs in a system of electronuclear degrees of freedom, coupled by long-range dipolar interactions. The quantum Ising phase transition still exists, and one hybridized mode of the Ising and bath spins always goes soft at the transition.

arXiv:1711.05438•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jun 26, 2018•19 citations

Gallery of soft modes: Theory and experiment at a ferromagnetic quantum phase transition

Philip C. E. Stamp, D. M. Silevitch, Matthew Libersky +3 more

Spectral divergences have long been important in physics, from the 19th century UV catastrophe to IR divergences in modern quantum field theory. In all these, ``feedback'' mechanisms quell the divergences. But what if multiple IR divergences -- soft photons, phonons, and electronuclear magnons -- conspire to produce finite decoherence at a quantum phase transition? The authors develop here the theory for these cancelling divergences and experimentally observe the resulting mode softening in a quantum Ising magnet, with implications from condensed matter to quantum gravity.

arXiv:2408.03510•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Oct 11, 2024•6 citations

Quantum phase transitions in transverse field spin models: from statistical physics to quantum information

Amit Dutta, G. Aeppli, Bikas K. Chakrabarti +3 more

We review quantum phase transitions of spin systems in transverse magnetic fields taking the examples of the spin-1/2 Ising and XY models in a transverse field. Beginning with an overview of quantum phase transitions, we introduce a number of model Hamiltonians. We provide exact solutions in one spatial dimension connecting them to conformal field theoretical studies. We also discuss Kitaev models and some other exactly solvable spin systems. Studies of quantum phase transitions in the presence of quenched randomness and with frustrating interactions are presented in detail. We discuss novel phenomena like Griffiths-McCoy singularities. We then turn to more recent topics like information theoretic measures of the quantum phase transitions in these models such as concurrence, entanglement entropy, quantum discord and quantum fidelity. We then focus on non-equilibrium dynamics of a variety of transverse field systems across quantum critical points and lines. After mentioning rapid quenching studies, we dwell on slow dynamics and discuss the Kibble-Zurek scaling for the defect density following a quench across critical points and its modifications for quenching across critical lines, gapless regions and multicritical points. Topics like the role of different quenching schemes, local quenching, quenching of models with random interactions and quenching of a spin chain coupled to a heat bath are touched upon. The connection between non-equilibrium dynamics and quantum information theoretic measures is presented at some length. We indicate the connection between Kibble-Zurek scaling and adiabatic evolution of a state as well as the application of adiabatic dynamics as a tool of a quantum optimization technique known as quantum annealing. The final section is dedicated to a detailed discussion on recent experimental studies of transverse Ising-like systems.

arXiv:1012.0653•Dec 3, 2010•171 citations

NMR relaxation in Ising spin chains

Julia Steinberg, N. P. Armitage, Fabian H. L. Eßler +1 more

The quantum Ising chain in a transverse magnetic field is $t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}h\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ paradigm of a quantum phase transition, displaying universal quantum criticality at low temperatures. Insights from this model have informed studies of quantum criticality in numerous modern correlated-electron materials. There have been a number of experimental studies of the quantum Ising chain, most notably in the material CoNb${}_{2}$O${}_{6}$. It has recently become clear that there was a surprising discrepancy between the observations: the energy gap in the quantum disordered regime as measured by nuclear magnetic resonance was approximately twice that measured by other methods. Here, the authors show via careful analysis of the low-temperature excitations that this is not a discrepancy, rather, it is in fact to be expected from the subtle interactions between the excitations. Although the underlying spin excitations are bosonic, their interactions transmute them into fermions, and this is a key ingredient in understanding the experiments.

arXiv:1810.11466•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jan 29, 2019•22 citations

Quantum Criticality in an Ising Chain: Experimental Evidence for Emergent E 8 Symmetry

R. Coldea, D. M. Tennant, Elisa M. Wheeler +6 more

Quantum phase transitions take place between distinct phases of matter at zero temperature. Near the transition point, exotic quantum symmetries can emerge that govern the excitation spectrum of the system. A symmetry described by the E8 Lie group with a spectrum of eight particles was long predicted to appear near the critical point of an Ising chain. We realize this system experimentally by using strong transverse magnetic fields to tune the quasi-one-dimensional Ising ferromagnet CoNb2O6 (cobalt niobate) through its critical point. Spin excitations are observed to change character from pairs of kinks in the ordered phase to spin-flips in the paramagnetic phase. Just below the critical field, the spin dynamics shows a fine structure with two sharp modes at low energies, in a ratio that approaches the golden mean predicted for the first two meson particles of the E8 spectrum. Our results demonstrate the power of symmetry to describe complex quantum behaviors.

arXiv:1103.3694•Science•Jan 7, 2010•731 citations
Quantum phase transitions in spin systems are supposed to be accompanied by a soft collective mode, which has not been seen in experiments. Here, we directly measure the low energy excitation modes of a well-known realization of the Ising model in transverse field, LiHoF4_44​, using microwave spectroscopy techniques to probe energies well below what is accessible via neutron scattering experiments. Instead of the single excitation expected for a simple quantum Ising system, we find and characterize a remarkable array of `electronuclear' modes, arising from coupling of the spin-1/2 Ising electronic spins to a bath of spin-7/2 Ho nuclear spins. The lowest-lying electronuclear mode softens at the approach to the quantum critical point from below and above, a softening that can be quenched with the application of a longitudinal magnetic field. The electronuclear mode structure has direct implications for the Ising systems that serve as the building blocks of adiabatic quantum computers and quantum annealers.
The quantum Ising model is perhaps the simplest possible model of a quantum magnetic material. Despite its simplicity, its versatility and wide range of applications, from quantum computation, to combinatorial optimization, to biophysics, make it one of the most important models of modern physics. In this thesis, we develop a general framework for studying quantum Ising systems with an arbitrary single ion Hamiltonian, with emphasis on the effects of quantum fluctuations, and the quantum phase transition between paramagnetic and ferromagnetic states that occurs when a magnetic field is applied transverse to the easy axis of the system. The magnetic insulating crystal LiHoF₄ is a physical realization of the quantum Ising model, with the additional features that the dominant coupling between spins is the long range dipolar interaction, and each electronic spin is strongly coupled to a nuclear degree of freedom. These nuclear degrees of freedom constitute a spin bath environment acting on the system. In this thesis, we present an effective low temperature Hamiltonian for LiHoF₄ that incorporates both these features, and we analyze the effects of the nuclear spin bath on the system. We find the lowest energy crystal field excitation in the system is gapped at the quantum critical point by the presence of the nuclear spins, with spectral weight being transferred down to a lower energy electronuclear mode that fully softens to zero at the quantum critical point. Furthermore, we present a toy model, the spin half spin half model, that illustrates the effects of an anisotropic hyperfine interaction on a quantum Ising system. We find the critical transverse field is increased when the longitudinal hyperfine coupling is dominant, as well as an enhancement of both the longitudinal electronic susceptibility and an applied longitudinal field. In addition, we present a field theoretic formalism for incorporating the effects of fluctuations beyond the random phase approximation in general quantum Ising systems. We find that any regular on site interaction, such as a nuclear spin bath, does not fundamentally alter the critical properties of a quantum Ising system. This formalism is used to calculate corrections to the magnetization of LiHoF₄.
We study the effect of coupling a spin-bath environment to a system which, at low energies, can be modeled as a quantum Ising system. A field theoretic formalism incorporating both thermal and quantum fluctuations is developed to derive results for the thermodynamic properties and response functions, both for a toy model and for the LiHoF4{\text{LiHoF}}_{4}LiHoF4​ system, in which spin-8 electronic spins couple to a spin-7/27/27/2 nuclear spin bath: The phase transition then occurs in a system of electronuclear degrees of freedom, coupled by long-range dipolar interactions. The quantum Ising phase transition still exists, and one hybridized mode of the Ising and bath spins always goes soft at the transition.
Spectral divergences have long been important in physics, from the 19th century UV catastrophe to IR divergences in modern quantum field theory. In all these, ``feedback'' mechanisms quell the divergences. But what if multiple IR divergences -- soft photons, phonons, and electronuclear magnons -- conspire to produce finite decoherence at a quantum phase transition? The authors develop here the theory for these cancelling divergences and experimentally observe the resulting mode softening in a quantum Ising magnet, with implications from condensed matter to quantum gravity.
We review quantum phase transitions of spin systems in transverse magnetic fields taking the examples of the spin-1/2 Ising and XY models in a transverse field. Beginning with an overview of quantum phase transitions, we introduce a number of model Hamiltonians. We provide exact solutions in one spatial dimension connecting them to conformal field theoretical studies. We also discuss Kitaev models and some other exactly solvable spin systems. Studies of quantum phase transitions in the presence of quenched randomness and with frustrating interactions are presented in detail. We discuss novel phenomena like Griffiths-McCoy singularities. We then turn to more recent topics like information theoretic measures of the quantum phase transitions in these models such as concurrence, entanglement entropy, quantum discord and quantum fidelity. We then focus on non-equilibrium dynamics of a variety of transverse field systems across quantum critical points and lines. After mentioning rapid quenching studies, we dwell on slow dynamics and discuss the Kibble-Zurek scaling for the defect density following a quench across critical points and its modifications for quenching across critical lines, gapless regions and multicritical points. Topics like the role of different quenching schemes, local quenching, quenching of models with random interactions and quenching of a spin chain coupled to a heat bath are touched upon. The connection between non-equilibrium dynamics and quantum information theoretic measures is presented at some length. We indicate the connection between Kibble-Zurek scaling and adiabatic evolution of a state as well as the application of adiabatic dynamics as a tool of a quantum optimization technique known as quantum annealing. The final section is dedicated to a detailed discussion on recent experimental studies of transverse Ising-like systems.
The quantum Ising chain in a transverse magnetic field is $t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}h\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ paradigm of a quantum phase transition, displaying universal quantum criticality at low temperatures. Insights from this model have informed studies of quantum criticality in numerous modern correlated-electron materials. There have been a number of experimental studies of the quantum Ising chain, most notably in the material CoNb2{}_{2}2​O6{}_{6}6​. It has recently become clear that there was a surprising discrepancy between the observations: the energy gap in the quantum disordered regime as measured by nuclear magnetic resonance was approximately twice that measured by other methods. Here, the authors show via careful analysis of the low-temperature excitations that this is not a discrepancy, rather, it is in fact to be expected from the subtle interactions between the excitations. Although the underlying spin excitations are bosonic, their interactions transmute them into fermions, and this is a key ingredient in understanding the experiments.
Quantum phase transitions take place between distinct phases of matter at zero temperature. Near the transition point, exotic quantum symmetries can emerge that govern the excitation spectrum of the system. A symmetry described by the E8 Lie group with a spectrum of eight particles was long predicted to appear near the critical point of an Ising chain. We realize this system experimentally by using strong transverse magnetic fields to tune the quasi-one-dimensional Ising ferromagnet CoNb2O6 (cobalt niobate) through its critical point. Spin excitations are observed to change character from pairs of kinks in the ordered phase to spin-flips in the paramagnetic phase. Just below the critical field, the spin dynamics shows a fine structure with two sharp modes at low energies, in a ratio that approaches the golden mean predicted for the first two meson particles of the E8 spectrum. Our results demonstrate the power of symmetry to describe complex quantum behaviors.