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arXiv:2509.09538 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Entanglement phases and phase transitions in monitored free fermion systems of localization

Yu-Jun Zhao, Xuyang Huang, Yong Zhang, Han-Ze Li, Jianxin Zhong

Published Jan 16, 2026• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In recent years, the presence of local potentials has significantly enriched and diversified the entanglement patterns in monitored free fermion systems. In our approach, we employ the stochastic Schrödinger equation to simulate a one-dimensional spinless fermion system under continuous measurement and local potentials. By averaging the steady-state entanglement entropy over many quantum trajectories, we investigate its dependence on measurement and localization parameters. We used a phenomenological model to interpret the numerical results, and the results show that the introduction of local potentials does not destroy the universality class of the entanglement phase transition, and that the phase boundary is jointly characterized by the measurement process and the localization mechanism. This work offers a new perspective on the characterization of the entanglement phase boundary arising from the combined effects of measurement and localization, and provides criteria for detecting this novel phase transition in cold atom systems, trapped ions, and quantum dot arrays.

DOI
10.1103/q1d9-943y

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We study the dynamics under continuous measurements for free fermions in a quasiperiodic potential by using the Aubry-Andr\'e-Harper model with hopping rate JJJ and potential strength VVV. On the basis of the quantum trajectory method, we obtain the phase diagram for the steady-state entanglement entropy and demonstrate that robust logarithmic system-size scaling emerges up to a critical potential strength ${V}_{c}/J\ensuremath{\sim}2.3$. Moreover, we find that the measurement induces entanglement phase transitions from the logarithmic-law phase to the area-law phase for the potential strength V<VcV<{V}_{c}V<Vc​, while any finite measurement stabilizes the area-law phase for V>VcV>{V}_{c}V>Vc​. This result is distinct from the entanglement scaling in the unitary limit, where volume-law and area-law phases undergo a transition at V/J=2V/J=2V/J=2. To further support the phase diagram, we analyze the connected correlation function and find that it shows algebraic decay in the logarithmic-law phase, while it decays quickly in the area-law phase. Our results can be tested in ultracold atoms by introducing quasiperiodic potentials and continuously monitoring the local occupation number with an off-resonant probe light.
The competition between unitary quantum dynamics and dissipative stochastic effects, as emerging from continuous-monitoring processes, can culminate in measurement-induced phase transitions. Here, a many-body system abruptly passes, when exceeding a critical measurement rate, from a highly entangled phase to a low-entanglement one. We consider a different perspective on entanglement phase transitions and explore whether these can emerge when the measurement process itself is modified, while keeping the measurement rate fixed. To illustrate this idea, we consider a noninteracting fermionic system and focus on diffusive detection processes. Through extensive numerical simulations, we show that, upon varying a suitable unraveling parameter---interpolating between measurements of different quadrature operators---the system displays a transition from a phase with area-law entanglement to one where entanglement scales logarithmically with the system size. Our findings may be relevant for tailoring quantum correlations in noisy quantum devices and for conceiving optimal classical simulation strategies.
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Measurement-induced phase transitions are nonequilibrium transitions between phases characterized by distinct entanglement scaling behaviors, driven by the competition between unitary dynamics and measurements. Despite recent numerical efforts, how quenched disorder affects these transitions remains unclear. In this work, we study a ddd-dimensional noninteracting fermionic system subject to both quenched disorder and continuous monitoring of the local particle density, and derive an effective field theory describing its long-time universal behaviors. We find that the system is governed by the same nonlinear sigma model as in the case of clean monitored fermions, with disorder entering only through a modification of model parameters. This result suggests that the presence or absence of a measurement-induced phase transition is unaffected by the introduction of disorder. In spatial dimension d=1d=1d=1, the system exhibits only an area law phase and no transition, whereas in d>1d>1d>1, a transition persists between an area×\times×log law phase and an area law phase, with the critical measurement rate suppressed by disorder. Numerical simulation confirms the absence of MIPT in d=1d=1d=1, and the linear shift of the critical measurement rate by disorder scattering rate in higher dimensions predicted by analytical theory.