Spin-models, where the $N$ spins interact pairwise with a $SU(n_f)$ symmetry preserving hamiltonian, famously simplify in the large $n_f$, $N$ limits, as derived by Sachdev and Ye when exploring mean-field behavior of spin-glasses. We present numerical evidence that for a large class of models, the large $n_f$ limit is not necessary: the same dynamical equations can describe the relaxation processes at high temperatures for a set of classical models inspired from mean-field treatments of interacting dense neutrino gases, up to times set by the radius of convergence of the perturbation series for the correlation function. After a simple rescaling of time, the dynamics display a surprising universality, being identical for any value of $n_f$ as long as the rank of the coupling matrix is small. As a corollary of our results, we find that the direct interaction approximation originating from the study of stochastic flows in fluid turbulence should be thought of as only a short-time approximation for generic random coupling systems.
Universality of SU(∞) relaxation dynamics for SU(nf)-symmetric spin-models
Spin-models, where the N spins interact pairwise with a SU(nf) symmetry preserving hamiltonian, famously simplify in the large nf, N limits, as derived by Sachdev and Ye when exploring mean-field behavior of spin-glasses. We present numerical evidence that for a large class of models, the large nf limit is not necessary: the same dynamical equations can describe the relaxation processes at high temperatures for a set of classical models inspired from mean-field treatments of interacting dense neutrino gases, up to times set by the radius of convergence of the perturbation series for the correlation function. After a simple rescaling of time, the dynamics display a surprising universality, being identical for any value of nf as long as the rank of the coupling matrix is small. As a corollary of our results, we find that the direct interaction approximation originating from the study of stochastic flows in fluid turbulence should be thought of as only a short-time approximation for generic random coupling systems.
Langevin equations for the relaxation of spin fluctuations in a soft-spin version of the Edwards-Anderson model are used as a starting point for the study of the dynamic and static properties of spin-glasses. An exact uniform Lagrangian for the average dynamic correlation and response functions is derived for arbitrary range of random exchange, using a functional-integral method proposed by De Dominicis. The properties of the Lagrangian are studied in the mean-field limit which is realized by considering an infinite-ranged random exchange. In this limit, the dynamics are represented by a stochastic equation of motion of a single spin with self-consistent (bare) propagator and Gaussian noise. The low-frequency and the static properties of this equation are studied both above and below Tc. Approaching Tc from above, spin fluctuations slow down with a relaxation time proportional to ${|T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c}|}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ whereas at Tc the damping function vanishes as ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\frac{1}{2}}$. We derive a criterion for dynamic stability below Tc. It is shown that a stable solution necessarily violates the fluctuation-dissipation theorem below Tc. Consequently, the spin-glass order parameters are the time-persistent terms which appear in both the spin correlations and the local response. This is shown to invalidate the treatment of the spin-glass order parameters as purely static quantities. Instead, one has to specify the manner in which they relax in a finite system, along time scales which diverge in the thermodynamic limit. We show that the finite-time correlations decay algebraically with time as ${t}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ at all temperatures below Tc, with a temperature-dependent exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$. Near Tc, $\ensuremath{\nu}$ is given (in the Ising case) as $\ensuremath{\nu}(T)\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{1}{2}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}(\frac{1\ensuremath{-}T}{{T}_{c}})+\ensuremath{\sigma}{(\frac{1\ensuremath{-}T}{{T}_{c}})}^{2}$. A tentative calculation of $\ensuremath{\nu}$ at T=0 K is presented. We briefly discuss the physical origin of the violation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem.
Langevin equations for the relaxation of spin fluctuations in a soft-spin version of the Edwards-Anderson model are used as a starting point for the study of the dynamic and static properties of spin-glasses. An exact uniform Lagrangian for the average dynamic correlation and response functions is derived for arbitrary range of random exchange, using a functional-integral method proposed by De Dominicis. The properties of the Lagrangian are studied in the mean-field limit which is realized by considering an infinite-ranged random exchange. In this limit, the dynamics are represented by a stochastic equation of motion of a single spin with self-consistent (bare) propagator and Gaussian noise. The low-frequency and the static properties of this equation are studied both above and below Tc. Approaching Tc from above, spin fluctuations slow down with a relaxation time proportional to ${|T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c}|}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ whereas at Tc the damping function vanishes as ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\frac{1}{2}}$. We derive a criterion for dynamic stability below Tc. It is shown that a stable solution necessarily violates the fluctuation-dissipation theorem below Tc. Consequently, the spin-glass order parameters are the time-persistent terms which appear in both the spin correlations and the local response. This is shown to invalidate the treatment of the spin-glass order parameters as purely static quantities. Instead, one has to specify the manner in which they relax in a finite system, along time scales which diverge in the thermodynamic limit. We show that the finite-time correlations decay algebraically with time as ${t}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ at all temperatures below Tc, with a temperature-dependent exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$. Near Tc, $\ensuremath{\nu}$ is given (in the Ising case) as $\ensuremath{\nu}(T)\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{1}{2}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}(\frac{1\ensuremath{-}T}{{T}_{c}})+\ensuremath{\sigma}{(\frac{1\ensuremath{-}T}{{T}_{c}})}^{2}$. A tentative calculation of $\ensuremath{\nu}$ at T=0 K is presented. We briefly discuss the physical origin of the violation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem.
Universality is a crucial concept in modern physics, allowing us to capture the essential features of a system’s behavior using a small set of parameters. In this work, we unveil universal spin relaxation dynamics in anisotropic random Heisenberg models with infinite-range interactions at high temperatures. Starting from a polarized state, the total magnetization can relax monotonically or decay with long-lived oscillations, determined by the sign of a universal single function A=-\xi_1^2+\xi_2^2-4\xi_2\xi_3+\xi_3^2 A = − ξ 1 2 + ξ 2 2 − 4 ξ 2 ξ 3 + ξ 3 2 . Here (\xi_1,\xi_3,\xi_3) ( ξ 1 , ξ 3 , ξ 3 ) characterizes the anisotropy of the Heisenberg interaction. Furthermore, the oscillation shows up only for A>0 A > 0 , with frequency \Omega \propto \sqrt{A} Ω ∝ A . This result is derived from the Kadanoff-Baym equation under the melon diagram approximation, which is consistent with numerical solutions. Furthermore, we verify our theory and approximation using exact diagonalization, albeit for a small system size of N=8 N = 8 . Our study sheds light on the universal aspect of quantum many-body dynamics beyond low energy limit.
Nonequilibrium dynamics of unentangled and entangled pure states in interacting quantum systems is crucial for harnessing quantum information and to understand quantum thermalization. We develop a general Schwinger-Keldysh (SK) field theory for nonequilibrium dynamics of pure states of fermions. We apply our formalism to study the time evolution of initial density inhomogeneity and multipoint correlations of pure states in the complex Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models. We demonstrate a remarkable universality in the dynamics of pure states in the SYK model. We show that dynamics of almost all pure states in a fixed particle number sector is solely determined by a set of universal large-N Kadanoff-Baym equations. Moreover, irrespective of the initial state the site- and disorder-averaged Green's function thermalizes instantaneously, whereas local and nonlocal Green's functions have finite thermalization rate. We provide understanding of our numerical and analytical large-N results through random-matrix theory (RMT) analysis. Furthermore, we show that the thermalization of an initial pure product state in the noninteracting SYK2 model is independent of fermion filling and an initial density inhomogeneity decays with weak but long lived oscillations due to dephasing. In contrast, the interacting ${\mathrm{SYK}}_{q\ensuremath{\ge}4}$ model thermalizes slower than the noninteracting model and exhibits filling-dependent monotonic relaxation of initial inhomogeneity. For evolution of entangled pure states, we show that the initial entanglement is encoded in the nonlocal and/or multipoint quantum correlations that relax as the system thermalizes.
The nonequilibrium dynamics of classical random Ising spin chains with nonconserved magnetization are studied using an asymptotically exact real space renormalization group (RSRG). We focus on random field Ising model (RFIM) spin chains with and without a uniform applied field, as well as on Ising spin glass chains in an applied field. For the RFIM we consider a universal regime where the random field and the temperature are both much smaller than the exchange coupling. In this regime, the Imry-Ma length that sets the scale of the equilibrium correlations is large and the coarsening of domains from random initial conditions (e.g., a quench from high temperature) occurs over a wide range of length scales. The two types of domain walls that occur diffuse in opposite random potentials, of the form studied by Sinai, and domain walls annihilate when they meet. Using the RSRG we compute many universal asymptotic properties of both the nonequilibrium dynamics and the equilibrium limit. We find that the configurations of the domain walls converge rapidly toward a set of system-specific time-dependent positions that are independent of the initial conditions. Thus the behavior of this nonequilibrium system is pseudodeterministic at long times because of the broad distributions of barriers that occur on the long length scales involved. Specifically, we obtain the time dependence of the energy, the magnetization, and the distribution of domain sizes (found to be statistically independent). The equilibrium limits agree with known exact results. We obtain the exact scaling form of the two-point equal time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)> and the two-time autocorrelations <S0(t('))S0(t)>. We also compute the persistence properties of a single spin, of local magnetization, and of domains. The analogous quantities for the +/-J Ising spin glass in an applied field are obtained from the RFIM via a gauge transformation. In addition to these we compute the two-point two-time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)><S0(t('))Sx(t('))> which can in principle be measured by experiments on spin-glass-like systems. The thermal fluctuations are studied and found to be dominated by rare events; in particular all moments of truncated equal time correlations are computed. Physical properties which are typically measured in aging experiments are also studied, focusing on the response to a small magnetic field which is applied after waiting for the system to equilibrate for a time t(w). The nonequilibrium fluctuation-dissipation ratio X(t,t(w)) is computed. We find that for (t-t(w)) approximately t(alpha)(w) with alpha;<1, the ratio equal to its equilibrium value X=1, although time translational invariance does not hold in this regime. For t-t(w) approximately t(w) the ratio exhibits an aging regime with a nontrivial X=X(t/t(w)) not equal to 1, but the behavior is markedly different from mean field theory. Finally the distribution of the total magnetization and of the number of domains is computed for large finite size systems. General issues about convergence toward equilibrium and the possibilities of weakly history-dependent evolution in other random systems are discussed.
Glassy materials are characterized by very slow dynamics, associated with a dramatic slowdown of molecular relaxation in structural glasses, and with a dramatic slowdown of spin relaxation in spin glasses. This slowdown of the dynamics has been captured in great part by the results obtained by dynamical mean field theories. In the case of supercooled liquids, the mean-field mode-coupling approach 1 has had some success in describing various features of the relaxation. In the case of spin glasses, a dynamical mean field theory based on a Langevin dynamics for the spins, examined within a functional integral formulation of the Martin-Siggia-Rose approach 2,3,4,5 , has been used to study the long-time relaxation. The dynamical mean field theory of spin glasses has successfully captured 3,4,5 some unusual properties of the spin dynamics, associated with the lack of equilibration, including the presence of physical aging and the breakdown of the equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation relations. However, mean field theories do not allow direct access to a description of the fluctuations in the dynamics. It turns out that fluctuations in the dynamics of glassy systems can in fact be rather strong, as it has been underlined by the discovery of dynamical heterogeneities 6,7 . Dynamical heterogeneities are nanometer-scale regions of molecules