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arXiv:2508.17535 · Chinese Physics Letters

Universal Scaling of Higher-Order Cumulants in Quantum Isotropic Spin Chains

Shixian Jiang, J Liu, Jianmin Yuan, Xi‐Wen Guan, Yan Li

Published Jun 16, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Abstract Understanding universal behavior of far-from-equilibrium transport dynamics at a quantum many-body level is a longstanding challenge. A full characterization of universal dynamics of nonlocal correlation functions still remains largely unknown. In this letter, we uncover universal scaling laws of higher-order cumulants in one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model, revealing anomalous behaviors of nonequilibrium dynamics exclusively accessible in higher-order correlation functions. Using numerical simulations and full counting statistics, we determine the power laws of both the spin polarization transfer and contrast cumulants for different kinds of helix and domain-wall initial states. Building on such physical states, we unify the scaling behavior of the higher-order cumulants as two types of dynamics: anomalous diffusive and superdiffusive. For the former, these higher cumulants show a deviation from Gaussian statistics, with the scaling exponents being identical for the first four orders. For the latter, however, we observe a breakdown of KPZ universality, with the exponents of the third and fourth orders differing significantly from those of the first two. Our results are also agreeable with recent experimental observations, advancing understanding of far-from-equilibrium transport phenomena.

DOI
10.1088/0256-307x/43/7/070302

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Abstract Understanding universal behavior of far-from-equilibrium transport dynamics at a quantum many-body level is a longstanding challenge. A full characterization of universal dynamics of nonlocal correlation functions still remains largely unknown. In this letter, we uncover universal scaling laws of higher-order cumulants in one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model, revealing anomalous behaviors of nonequilibrium dynamics exclusively accessible in higher-order correlation functions. Using numerical simulations and full counting statistics, we determine the power laws of both the spin polarization transfer and contrast cumulants for different kinds of helix and domain-wall initial states. Building on such physical states, we unify the scaling behavior of the higher-order cumulants as two types of dynamics: anomalous diffusive and superdiffusive. For the former, these higher cumulants show a deviation from Gaussian statistics, with the scaling exponents being identical for the first four orders. For the latter, however, we observe a breakdown of KPZ universality, with the exponents of the third and fourth orders differing significantly from those of the first two. Our results are also agreeable with recent experimental observations, advancing understanding of far-from-equilibrium transport phenomena.
Isotropic integrable spin chains such as the Heisenberg model feature superdiffusive spin transport belonging to an as-yet-unidentified dynamical universality class closely related to that of Kardar, Parisi, and Zhang (KPZ). To determine whether these results extend to more generic one-dimensional models, particularly those realizable in quantum simulators, we investigate spin and energy transport in non-integrable, long-range Heisenberg models using state-of-the-art tensor network methods. Despite the lack of integrability and the asymptotic expectation of diffusion, for power-law models (with exponent 2<α<∞2 < α< \infty2<α<∞) we observe long-lived z=3/2z=3/2z=3/2 superdiffusive spin transport and two-point correlators consistent with KPZ scaling functions, up to times t∼103/Jt \sim 10^3/Jt∼103/J. We conjecture that this KPZ-like transport is due to the proximity of such power-law-interacting models to the integrable family of Inozemtsev models, which we show to also exhibit KPZ-like spin transport across all interaction ranges. Finally, we consider anisotropic spin models naturally realized in Rydberg atom arrays and ultracold polar molecules, demonstrating that a wide range of long-lived, non-diffusive transport can be observed in experimental settings.
Understanding universal aspects of quantum dynamics is an unresolved problem in statistical mechanics. In particular, the spin dynamics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model were conjectured as to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function. In a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, we studied the probability distribution of the magnetization transferred across the chain's center, [Formula: see text]. The first two moments of [Formula: see text] show superdiffusive behavior, a hallmark of KPZ universality. However, the third and fourth moments ruled out the KPZ conjecture and allow for evaluating other theories. Our results highlight the importance of studying higher moments in determining dynamic universality classes and provide insights into universal behavior in quantum systems.
Integrable spin chains with a continuous non-Abelian symmetry, such as the one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model, show superdiffusive transport with little theoretical understanding. Although recent studies reported a surprising connection to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class in that case, this view was most recently questioned by discrepancies in full counting statistics. Here, by combining extensive numerical simulations of classical and quantum integrable isotropic spin chains with a framework developed by exact studies of the KPZ class, we characterize various two-point quantities that remain hitherto unexplored in spin chains, and find full agreement with KPZ scaling laws without adjustable parameters. This establishes the partial emergence of the KPZ class in integrable isotropic spin chains. Moreover, we reveal that the KPZ scaling laws are intact in the presence of an energy current, under the appropriate Galilean boost required by the propagation of spacetime correlation.
Understanding universal aspects of quantum dynamics is an unresolved problem in statistical mechanics. In particular, the spin dynamics of the 1D Heisenberg model were conjectured to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function. In a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, we study the probability distribution, P(M)P(\mathcal{M})P(M), of the magnetization transferred across the chain's center. The first two moments of P(M)P(\mathcal{M})P(M) show superdiffusive behavior, a hallmark of KPZ universality. However, the third and fourth moments rule out the KPZ conjecture and allow for evaluating other theories. Our results highlight the importance of studying higher moments in determining dynamic universality classes and provide key insights into universal behavior in quantum systems.
Quantum spin transport in integrable systems reveals a rich nonequilibrium phenomena that challenges the conventional hydrodynamic framework. Recent advances in ultracold atom experiments with state preparation and single-site addressing have enabled the understanding of this anomalous behavior. Particularly, the full universality characterization of exotic initial states, as well as their measurement representation, remain unknown. By employing tensor network and contrast methods, we systematically investigate spin transport in the quantum XXZ spin chain and extract dynamical scaling exponents emerging from two paradigmatic and experimentally attainable initial states, i.e., multi-periodic domain-wall (MPDW) and spin-helix (SH) states. Our results using different values of anisotropic parameters Δ∈[0,1.2] demonstrate the evident impeded transport and the difference between the two states with increasing Δ values. Large-scale and consistent simulations confirm the contrast method as a viable scaling extraction approach for exotic states with periodicity within experimentally accessible timescales. Our work establishes a foundation for studying initial memory and the corresponding relations of emergent transport behavior in nonequilibrium quantum systems, opening avenues for the identification of their unique universality classes.
Anomalous transport in low dimensional spin chains is an intriguing topic that can offer key insights into the interplay of integrability and symmetry in many-body dynamics. Recent studies have shown that spin-spin correlations in spin chains, where integrability is either perfectly preserved or broken by symmetry-preserving interactions, fall in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class. Similarly, energy transport can show ballistic or diffusive-like behavior. Although such behavior has been studied under equilibrium conditions, no results on nonequilibrium spin transport in classical spin chains has been reported so far. In this work, we investigate both spin and energy transport in classical spin chains (integrable and nonintegrable) when coupled to two reservoirs at two different temperatures/magnetizations. In both the integrable case and the broken-integrability (but spin-symmetry preserving) case, we report anomalous scaling of spin current with system size (J^{s}∝L^{-μ}), with an exponent value that, within error bars, is close to the KPZ universality class value μ≈2/3. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the energy current remains ballistic (J^{e}∝L^{-η} with η≈0) in the purely integrable case while there is departure from ballistic behavior (η>0) when integrability is broken regardless of spin-symmetry. We also present results on other interesting observables in the nonequilibrium steady state such as the spatial profiles of magnetization and energy, and spin-spin correlations.