Having spectral correlations that, over small enough energy scales, are described by random matrix theory is regarded as the most general defining feature of quantum chaotic systems as it applies in the many-body setting and away from any semiclassical limit. Although this property is extremely difficult to prove analytically for generic many-body systems, a rigorous proof has been achieved for dual-unitary circuits—a special class of local quantum circuits that remain unitary upon swapping space and time. Here we consider the fate of this property when moving from dual-unitary to generic quantum circuits focusing on the , i.e., the Fourier transform of the two-point correlation. We begin with a numerical survey that, in agreement with previous studies, suggests that there exists a finite region in parameter space where dual-unitary physics is stable and spectral correlations are still described by random matrix theory, although up to a maximal quasienergy scale. To explain these findings, we develop a perturbative expansion: it recovers the random matrix theory predictions, provided the terms occurring in perturbation theory obey a relatively simple set of assumptions. We then provide numerical evidence and a heuristic analytical argument supporting these assumptions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Having spectral correlations that, over small enough energy scales, are described by random matrix theory is regarded as the most general defining feature of quantum chaotic systems as it applies in the many-body setting and away from any semiclassical limit. Although this property is extremely difficult to prove analytically for generic many-body systems, a rigorous proof has been achieved for dual-unitary circuits—a special class of local quantum circuits that remain unitary upon swapping space and time. Here we consider the fate of this property when moving from dual-unitary to generic quantum circuits focusing on the , i.e., the Fourier transform of the two-point correlation. We begin with a numerical survey that, in agreement with previous studies, suggests that there exists a finite region in parameter space where dual-unitary physics is stable and spectral correlations are still described by random matrix theory, although up to a maximal quasienergy scale. To explain these findings, we develop a perturbative expansion: it recovers the random matrix theory predictions, provided the terms occurring in perturbation theory obey a relatively simple set of assumptions. We then provide numerical evidence and a heuristic analytical argument supporting these assumptions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
A key goal of quantum chaos is to establish a relationship between widely observed universal spectral fluctuations of clean quantum systems and random matrix theory (RMT). Most prominent features of such RMT behavior with respect to a random spectrum, both encompassed in the spectral pair correlation function, are statistical suppression of small level spacings (correlation hole) and enhanced stiffness of the spectrum at large spectral ranges. For single-particle systems with fully chaotic classical counterparts, the problem has been partly solved by Berry [Proc. R. Soc. A 400, 229 (1985)] within the so-called diagonal approximation of semiclassical periodic-orbit sums, while the derivation of the full RMT spectral form factor K(t) (Fourier transform of the spectral pair correlation function) from semiclassics has been completed by Müller et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 014103 (2004)]. In recent years, the questions of long-time dynamics at high energies, for which the full many-body energy spectrum becomes relevant, are coming to the forefront even for simple many-body quantum systems, such as locally interacting spin chains. Such systems display two universal types of behaviour which are termed the "many-body localized phase" and "ergodic phase." In the ergodic phase, the spectral fluctuations are excellently described by RMT, even for very simple interactions and in the absence of any external source of disorder. Here we provide a clear theoretical explanation for these observations. We compute K(t) in the leading two orders in t and show its agreement with RMT for nonintegrable, time-reversal invariant many-body systems without classical counterparts, a generic example of which are Ising spin-1/2 models in a periodically kicking transverse field. In particular, we relate K(t) to partition functions of a class of twisted classical Ising models on a ring of size t; hence, the leading-order RMT behavior K(t)≃2t is a consequence of translation and reflection symmetry of the Ising partition function.Received 5 February 2018Revised 12 April 2018DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.8.021062Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasQuantum chaosQuantum statistical mechanicsStatistical PhysicsNonlinear DynamicsCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics
While the notion of quantum chaos is tied to random matrix spectral correlations, also eigenstate properties in chaotic systems are often assumed to be described by random matrix theory. Analytic insights into eigenstate correlations can be obtained by the recently introduced partial spectral form factor. Here, we study the partial spectral form factor in chaotic dual-unitary quantum circuits in the thermodynamic limit. We compute the latter for a finite subsystem in a brickwork circuit coupled to an infinite complement. For initial times, shorter than the subsystem's size, spatial locality and (dual) unitarity implies a constant partial spectral form factor, clearly deviating from the linear ramp of the random matrix prediction. In contrast, for larger times we prove, that the partial spectral form factor follows the random matrix result up to exponentially suppressed corrections. We supplement our exact analytical results by semi-analytic computations performed in the thermodynamic limit as well as with numerics for finite-size systems.
A key goal of quantum chaos is to establish a relationship between widely observed universal spectral fluctuations of clean quantum systems and random matrix theory (RMT).Most prominent features of such RMT behavior with respect to a random spectrum, both encompassed in spectral pair correlation function, are statistical suppression of small level spacings (correlation hole) and enhanced stiffness of the spectrum at large spectral ranges.For single particle systems with fully chaotic classical counterparts, the problem has been partly solved by Berry [Proc.R. Soc.London, A400, 229 (1985)] within the so-called diagonal approximation of semiclassical periodic-orbit sums, while the derivation of the full RMT spectral form factor K(t) (Fourier transform of spectral pair correlation function), from semiclassics has been completed by Müller et al. [Phys.Rev. Lett.93, 014103 (2004)].In recent years, the questions of long-time dynamics at high energies, for which the full many-body energy spectrum becomes relevant, are coming at the forefront even for simple many-body quantum systems, such as locally interacting spin chains.Such systems display two universal types of behaviour which are termed as the 'many-body localized phase' and 'ergodic phase'.In the ergodic phase, the spectral fluctuations are excellently described by RMT, even for very simple interactions and in the absence of any external source of disorder.Here we provide a clear theoretical explanation for these observations.We compute K(t) in the leading two orders in t and show its agreement with RMT for non-integrable, time-reversal invariant many-body systems without classical counterparts, a generic example of which are Ising spin 1/2 models in a periodically kicking transverse field.In particular, we relate K(t) to partition functions of a class of twisted classical Ising models on a ring of size t, hence the leading order RMT behavior K(t)2t is a consequence of translation and reflection symmetry of the Ising partition function.
Phenomena in quantum chaotic systems such as spectral fluctuations are known to be described remarkably well by the random matrix theory (RMT) in small energy intervals and over large time scales. However, in exchange for analytical tractability, RMT has been constructed to leave out an important element of realistic physical systems { the notion of locality. Since quantum information propagates at a finite speed in a spatially-extended quantum chaotic system, there exists time scales before which RMT is effective. How do we describe the non-equilibrium quantum dynamics at intermediate timescales which are much longer than the local relaxation time but too short for RMT to apply? What are the signatures of many-body quantum chaotic systems beyond the description of RMT? In this thesis, we address these questions by analysing minimal models that incorporate a notion of locality and at the same time retain some analytical tractability of RMT. More specifically, we study Floquet quantum circuits that are random in space but periodic in time. These circuits consist of local and random quantum gates that act on a q-state `spin' at each site. After a brief review of classical chaos, quantum chaos, and quantum circuits in Chapter 1, we present three main results. In Chapter 2, we formulate a diagrammatical approach for computing ensemble averages of observables over random unitary circuits, and derive exact results on spectral statistics and dynamical observables for a Floquet circuit in the large-q limit. In Chapter 3, we further investigate the spectral statistics in spatiallyextended many-body quantum chaotic systems by computing the spectral form factor K(t) analytically and numerically. We show that K(t) follows the RMT description at times longer than the Thouless time tTh and identify the scaling of tTh at the large-q limit of a Floquet circuit. In Chapter 4, we discuss eigenstate correlations for spatially-extended many-body quantum chaotic systems, in terms of the statistical properties of matrix elements of local observables. While the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is known to give an excellent description of these quantities, the phenomenon of scrambling and the butterfly effect imply structure beyond ETH. We determine analytically and verify numerically the universal form of this structure at long distances and small eigenvalue separations for Floquet systems.
The most general and versatile defining feature of quantum chaotic systems is that they possess an energy spectrum with correlations universally described by random matrix theory (RMT). This feature can be exhibited by systems with a well-defined classical limit as well as by systems with no classical correspondence, such as locally interacting spins or fermions. Despite great phenomenological success, a general mechanism explaining the emergence of RMT without reference to semiclassical concepts is still missing. Here we provide the example of a quantum many-body system with no semiclassical limit (no large parameter) where the emergence of RMT spectral correlations is proven exactly. Specifically, we consider a periodically driven Ising model and write the Fourier transform of spectral density's two-point function, the spectral form factor, in terms of a partition function of a two-dimensional classical Ising model featuring a space-time duality. We show that the self-dual cases provide a minimal model of many-body quantum chaos, where the spectral form factor is demonstrated to match RMT for all values of the integer time variable t in the thermodynamic limit. In particular, we rigorously prove RMT form factor for an odd t, while we formulate a precise conjecture for an even t. The results imply ergodicity for any finite amount of disorder in the longitudinal field, rigorously excluding the possibility of many-body localization. Our method provides a novel route for obtaining exact nonperturbative results in nonintegrable systems.
In this work, the term “quantum chaos” refers to spectral correlations similar to those found in the random matrix theory. Quantum chaos can be diagnosed through the analysis of level statistics using, e.g., the spectral form factor, which detects both short- and long-range level correlations. The spectral form factor corresponds to the Fourier transform of the two-point spectral correlation function and exhibits a typical slope-dip-ramp-plateau structure (aka correlation hole) when the system is chaotic. We discuss how this structure could be detected through the quench dynamics of two physical quantities accessible to experimental many-body quantum systems: the survival probability and the spin autocorrelation function. The survival probability is equivalent to the spectral form factor with an additional filter. When the system is small, the dip of the correlation hole reaches sufficiently large values at times which are short enough to be detected with current experimental platforms. As the system is pushed away from chaos, the correlation hole disappears, signaling integrability or localization. We also provide a relatively shallow circuit with which the correlation hole could be detected with commercially available quantum computers.