The critical point and the critical exponents for a phase transition can be determined using the Finite-Size Scaling (FSS) analysis. This method assumes that the phase transition occurs only in the infinite size limit. However, there has been a lot of interest recently in quantum phase transitions occurring in finite size systems such as a single two-level system interacting with a single bosonic mode e.g., in the Quantum Rabi Model (QRM). Since these phase transitions occur at a finite system size, the traditional FSS method is rendered inapplicable for these cases. For cases like this, we propose an alternative FSS method in which the truncation of the system is done in the Hilbert space instead of the physical space. This approach has previously been used to calculate the critical parameters for stability and symmetry breaking of electronic structure configurations of atomic and molecular systems. We calculate the critical point for the quantum phase transition of the QRM using this approach. We also provide a protocol to implement this method on a digital quantum simulator using the Quantum Restricted Boltzmann Machine algorithm. Our work opens up a new direction in the study of quantum phase transitions on quantum devices.
The critical point and the critical exponents for a phase transition can be determined using the Finite-Size Scaling (FSS) analysis. This method assumes that the phase transition occurs only in the infinite size limit. However, there has been a lot of interest recently in quantum phase transitions occurring in finite size systems such as a single two-level system interacting with a single bosonic mode e.g., in the Quantum Rabi Model (QRM). Since these phase transitions occur at a finite system size, the traditional FSS method is rendered inapplicable for these cases. For cases like this, we propose an alternative FSS method in which the truncation of the system is done in the Hilbert space instead of the physical space. This approach has previously been used to calculate the critical parameters for stability and symmetry breaking of electronic structure configurations of atomic and molecular systems. We calculate the critical point for the quantum phase transition of the QRM using this approach. We also provide a protocol to implement this method on a digital quantum simulator using the Quantum Restricted Boltzmann Machine algorithm. Our work opens up a new direction in the study of quantum phase transitions on quantum devices.
Finite size scaling for the Schrödinger equation is a systematic approach to calculate the quantum critical parameters for a given Hamiltonian. This approach has been shown to give very accurate results for critical parameters by using a systematic expansion with global basis-type functions. Recently, the finite-element method was shown to be a powerful numerical method for ab initio electronic-structure calculations with a variable real-space resolution. In this work, we demonstrate how to obtain quantum critical parameters by combining the finite-element method (FEM) with finite size scaling (FSS) using different ab initio approximations and exact formulations. The critical parameters could be atomic nuclear charges, internuclear distances, electron density, disorder, lattice structure, and external fields for stability of atomic, molecular systems and quantum phase transitions of extended systems. To illustrate the effectiveness of this approach we provide detailed calculations of applying FEM to approximate solutions for the two-electron atom with varying nuclear charge; these include Hartree-Fock, local density approximation, and an "exact" formulation using FEM. We then use the FSS approach to determine its critical nuclear charge for stability; here, the size of the system is related to the number of elements used in the calculations. Results prove to be in good agreement with previous Slater-basis set calculations and demonstrate that it is possible to combine finite size scaling with the finite-element method by using ab initio calculations to obtain quantum critical parameters. The combined approach provides a promising first-principles approach to describe quantum phase transitions for materials and extended systems.
We apply the theory of Finite-size scaling (FSS) to an atomic and a non-equilibrium system in order to extract critical parameters. In atomic systems, we look at the energy dependence on the binding charge near threshold between bound and free states, where we seek the critical nuclear charge for stability. We use different ab initio methods, such as Hartree-Fock, Density Functional Theory, and exact formulations implemented numerically with the finite-element method (FEM). Using Finite-size scaling formalism, where in this case the size of the system is related to the number of elements used in the basis expansion of the wavefunction, we predict critical parameters in the large basis limit. Results prove to be in good agreement with previous Slater-basis set calculations and demonstrate that this combined approach provides a promising first-principles approach to describe quantum phase transitions for materials and extended systems. In the second part we look at non-equilibrium one-dimensional model known as the raise and peel model describing a growing surface which grows locally and has non-local desorption. For a specific values of adsorption ( ua) and desorption (ud) the model shows interesting features. At ua = ud, the model is described by a conformal field theory (with conformal charge c = 0) and its stationary probability can be mapped to the ground state of a quantum chain and can also be related a two dimensional statistical model. For ua ≥ ud, the model shows a scale invariant phase in the avalanche distribution. In this work we study the surface dynamics by looking at avalanche distributions using FSS formalism and explore the effect of changing the boundary conditions of the model. The model shows the same universality for the cases with and with our the wall for an odd number of tiles removed, but we find a new exponent in the presence of a wall for an even number of avalanches released. We provide new conjecture for the probability distribution of avalanches with a wall obtained by using exact diagonalization of small lattices and Monte-Carlo simulations.
Quantum criticality usually occurs in many-body systems. Recently it was shown that the quantum Rabi model, which describes a two-level atom coupled to a single model cavity field, presents quantum phase transitions from a normal phase to a superradiate phase when the ratio between the frequency of the two-level atom and the frequency of the cavity field extends to infinity. In this work, we study quantum phase transitions in the quantum Rabi model from the fidelity susceptibility perspective. We found that the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility present universal finite-size scaling behaviors near the quantum critical point of the Rabi model if the ratio between frequency of the two-level atom and frequency of the cavity field is finite. From the finite-size scaling analysis of the fidelity susceptibility, we found that the adiabatic dimension of the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility of fourth order in the Rabi model are 4/3 and 2, respectively. Meanwhile, the correlation length critical exponent and the dynamical critical exponent in the quantum critical point of the Rabi model are found to be 3/2 and 1/3, respectively. Since the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility are the moments of the quantum noise spectrum which are directly measurable by experiments in linear response regime, the scaling behavior of the fidelity susceptibility in the Rabi model could be tested experimentally. The simple structure of the quantum Rabi model paves the way for experimentally observing the universal scaling behavior of the fidelity susceptibility at a quantum phase transition.
We investigate the quantum phase transition in the transverse-field Ising model on the Sierpiński gasket using finite-size scaling (FSS) and numerical renormalization group (NRG). Since next generations of the fractal lattice contain exponentially more spins, which in turn increase exponentially the Hilbert space dimension, we challenge and prove usefulness of small systems in FSS. We identified a quantum critical point at λc≈2.63−2.93, with critical exponents $ ν\approx 0.64 - 0.71, β\approx 0.30, γ\approx 1.67$ and z≈1.33. The numerical renormalization group method produced results consistent with finite-size scaling approach (λc=2.766,β=0.316), supporting our findings. Compared to the values reported so far in the literature, critical field is in a strong disagreement, while exponents are generally similar excluding β and γ. However, it should be noted, that the lattice investigated in previous works is different from ours, while the latter is in our opinion the standard Sierpiński gasket.
The study of phase transitions and critical phenomena is an area of great interest in science. Liquid to gas, ferromagnetic to paramagnetic, fluid to superfluid, insulator to conductor are a few examples of physical systems exhibiting phase transition and critical phenomena. Classical phase transitions have thermal fluctuations as the main driving force for the transition. In statistical mechanics phase transitions are associated with singularities in the free energy. These singularites only occur in the thermodynamic limit where the volume (V) and particles (N) go to infinity with the density held constant (N/V). By examining the partition function for a finite system, the function is a sum of a set number of terms. The partition function then would be analytical. It is only when an infinite number of terms are added is there a singularity in the partition function. The subject of Finite Size Scaling theory is the relation of the phenomena in a finite systems to the true phase transition of an infinite system. Finite Size Scaling theory provides a numerical method to obtain accurate results for infinite systems simply by studying corresponding small systems. The focus of this thesis is on transitions of a different nature. Quantum phase transitions (transitions that occur at absolute zero) have Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle as the driving force for the transition. In quantum mechanics, the finite size problem occurs when looking at the critical behaviour of the Hamiltonian as a function of a set of parameters. The interest is where the bound states energies become non-analytical. The size of the system is related to the number of elements in a complete basis set used to expand the exact wave function. In this thesis we present the use of the Finite Element Method (a numerical technique commonly used in engineering problems to solve partial differential equations or integral equations). Previous finite size scaling studies in quantum mechanics employed a basis set expansion of the wave function and the problem is solved variationally. Slater type basis sets were used for this purpose. In the effort to apply finite size scaling calculations for larger systems Gaussian type functions were employed however the a larger number of Gaussian functions are needed to obtain accurate results. The use of standard electronic structure packages was also explored, however, the lack of consistently increasing size for basis sets limits the application for finite size scaling purposes. We first apply the finite element element method (FEM) to solve for the short range Yukawa potential and obtained the critical parameters for the model potential. We develop the framework necessary to use FEM for finite size scaling. As mentioned before the 'size' of the system is the number of basis functions needed in the expansion of the wave function. However, using FEM the size of the system is the number of elements used. We then studied the Hulthen potential in comparison to the basis set results and also compare the results to the analytical solutions for the both methods. Finally we explore the use of FEM in combination with Hartree-Fock theory to solve 2 to 4 electron systems. The use of Hartree-Fock theory allows for the implementation of finite size scaling to larger systems. We used the FEM Hartree-Fock to calculate for the critical parameters of 2 to 4 electron systems. Although the results are not exact (as to be expected due to the use of Hartree-Fock theory) we get an estimate to the critical points of these systems. FEM can be combined with other electronic structure theories, which would allow for the study of larger systems exhibiting critical phenomena.
Finite-size scaling and the renormalization group form the central toolkit
for analyzing quantum phase transitions (QPTs). In this Letter, we introduce
a novel Hilbert-space tailoring scheme to probe quantum critical phenomena.
Applied to the second-order QPT of the one-dimensional (1D) XY model, our method
yields precise critical points and exponents on lattices containing merely 50
unit cells. We further establish the universal applicability of this
framework via investigations of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless
transition in the 1D XXZ chain: critical parameters are recovered
with as few as 12 lattice sites. This technique may open an alternative,
efficient route to universally characterize QPT across many-body lattice systems.