We investigate details of the chaotic dynamics of dual-unitary quantum circuits by evaluating all $2k$-point out-of-time-ordered correlators. For the generic class of circuits, by writing the correlators as contractions of a class of quantum channels, we prove their exponential decay. This implies that local operators separated in time approach free independence. Along the way, we develop a replica trick for dual-unitary circuits, which may be useful and of interest in its own right. We classify the relevant eigenstates of the replica transfer matrix by paths in the lattice of noncrossing partitions, combinatorial objects central to free probability theory. Interestingly, the noncrossing lattice emerges even for systems without randomness and with small on-site Hilbert space dimension.
We investigate details of the chaotic dynamics of dual-unitary quantum circuits by evaluating all 2k-point out-of-time-ordered correlators. For the generic class of circuits, by writing the correlators as contractions of a class of quantum channels, we prove their exponential decay. This implies that local operators separated in time approach free independence. Along the way, we develop a replica trick for dual-unitary circuits, which may be useful and of interest in its own right. We classify the relevant eigenstates of the replica transfer matrix by paths in the lattice of noncrossing partitions, combinatorial objects central to free probability theory. Interestingly, the noncrossing lattice emerges even for systems without randomness and with small on-site Hilbert space dimension.
We consider a class of quantum lattice models in 1+1 dimensions represented as local quantum circuits that enjoy a particular dual-unitarity property. In essence, this property ensures that both the evolution in time and that in space are given in terms of unitary transfer matrices. We show that for this class of circuits, generically nonintegrable, one can compute explicitly all dynamical correlations of local observables. Our result is exact, nonpertubative, and holds for any dimension d of the local Hilbert space. In the minimal case of qubits (d=2) we also present a classification of all dual-unitary circuits which allows us to single out a number of distinct classes for the behavior of the dynamical correlations. We find noninteracting classes, where all correlations are preserved, the ergodic and mixing one, where all correlations decay, and, interestingly, also classes that are both interacting and nonergodic.
Unitary randomness underpins both fundamental tasks in quantum information and the modern theory of quantum chaos. On one side, a central concept is that of approximate unitary designs: circuits that look random according to small moments and for forward-in-time protocols. In a distinct setting, out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs), intensely studied as a measure of information scrambling, have recently been shown to probe freeness between Heisenberg operators, the noncommutative generalization of statistical independence. Bridging these two concepts, we study the emergence of freeness in a random matrix product unitary ensemble. We prove that, with only polynomial bond dimension, these unitaries reproduce Haar values of higher-order OTOCs for local, finite-trace observables, while traceless observables instead require exponential resources. Indeed, local observables are precisely those predicted to thermalize in chaotic many-body systems according to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. Moreover, adding to previous literature, we show how random matrix product unitaries constitute approximate designs: we exactly compute the frame potential of the ensemble, showing convergence to the Haar value with polynomial deviations and so indicating that global observables are freely independent on-average. Our results highlight the need to refine previous notions of unitary design in the context of operator dynamics, guiding us towards protocols for quantum advantage and shedding light on the emergent complexity of chaotic many-body systems.
After quantum quenches in many-body systems, finite subsystems evolve nontrivially in time, eventually approaching a stationary state. In typical situations, the reduced density matrix of a given subsystem begins and ends this endeavor as a low-entangled vector in the space of operators. This means that if its entanglement in the operator space initially grows (which is generically the case), it must eventually decrease, describing a barrier-shaped curve. Understanding the shape of this ``entanglement barrier'' is interesting for three main reasons: (i) it quantifies the dynamics of entanglement in the (open) subsystem; (ii) it gives information on the approximability of the reduced density matrix by means of matrix product operators; and (iii) it shows qualitative differences depending on the type of dynamics undergone by the system, signaling quantum chaos. Here we compute exactly the shape of the entanglement barriers described by different R\'enyi entropies after quantum quenches in dual-unitary circuits initialized in a class of solvable matrix product states (MPS)s. We show that, for free (SWAP-like) circuits, the entanglement entropy behaves as in rational conformal field theories (CFT)s. On the other hand, for completely chaotic dual-unitary circuits, it behaves as in holographic CFTs, exhibiting a longer entanglement barrier that drops rapidly when the subsystem thermalizes. Interestingly, the entanglement spectrum is nontrivial in the completely chaotic case. Higher R\'enyi entropies behave in an increasingly similar way to rational CFTs, such that the free and completely chaotic barriers are identical in the limit of infinite replicas (i.e., for the so called min-entropy). We also show that, upon increasing the bond dimension of the MPSs, the barrier maintains the same shape. It simply shifts to the left to accommodate for the larger initial entanglement.
Recent experimental and theoretical developments in many-body quantum systems motivate the study of their out-of-equilibrium properties through multitime correlation functions. We consider the dynamics of higher-order out-of-time-order correlators (OTOCs) in a minimal circuit model for quantum dynamics. This model mimics the dynamics of a structured subsystem locally coupled to a maximally random environment. We prove the exponential decay of all higher-order OTOCs and fully characterize the relevant timescales, showing how local operators approach free independence at late times. We show that the effects of the environment on the local subsystem can be captured in a higher-order influence matrix, which allows for a Markovian description of the dynamics provided an auxiliary degree of freedom is introduced. This degree of freedom directly yields a dynamical picture for the OTOCs in terms of free cumulants from free probability, consistent with recent predictions from the full eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. This approach and the relevant influence matrix are expected to be applicable in more general settings and present a first step to characterizing quantum memory in higher-order OTOCs.
Dual-unitary quantum circuits can provide analytic spatiotemporal correlation functions of local operators from transfer matrices, enriching our understanding of quantum dynamics with exact solutions. Nevertheless, a full understanding is still lacking as the case of a nondiagonalizable transfer matrix with exceptional points has barely been explored. In this paper, we give an inverse approach for constructing dual-unitary quantum circuits with exceptional points in the transfer matrices by establishing relations between transfer matrices and local unitaries. As a consequence of the coalesce of eigenvectors, the correlation functions exhibit a polynomial modified exponential decay, which is significantly different from pure exponential decay, especially at early stages. Moreover, we point out that the Hamiltonian evolution of a kicked XXZ spin chain can be approximately mapped to a dual-unitary circuit with exceptional points by Trotter decomposition. Finally, we investigate the dynamics approaching and at exceptional points, showing that behaviors of correlation functions are distinct by Z transformation.
Dual-unitary circuits are paradigmatic examples of exactly solvable yet chaotic quantum many-body systems, but solvability naturally goes along with a degree of nongeneric behavior. By investigating the effect of weakly broken dual unitarity on the spreading of local operators, we study whether, and how, small deviations from dual unitarity recover fully generic many-body dynamics. We present a discrete path-integral formula for the out-of-time-order correlator and recover a butterfly velocity smaller than the light-cone velocity, v_{B}<v_{LC}, and a diffusively broadening operator front, two generic features of ergodic quantum spin chains absent in dual-unitary circuit dynamics. The butterfly velocity and diffusion constant are determined by a small set of microscopic quantities, and the operator entanglement of the gates has a crucial role.