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arXiv:2511.16818

Breakdown of adiabaticity in topological quantum liquids

Carola Ciaramelletti, Daniel Arrufat-Vicente, Simone Paganelli, Nicolò Defenu

Published Nov 20, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

We study the temporal behavior of topological quantum fluids with strong long-range couplings under slow external perturbations, whose rate $δ$ approaches the quasi-static limit $δ\to 0$. As expected, due to strong long-range interactions, the system lies in the mean-field universality and the density of defects for drives across the quantum critical point is adiabatic $n_{\rm exc}\propto δ^{2}$. However, if the drive is instead terminated precisely at the edge of the topological non-trivial phase, the number of generated excitations becomes extensive $n_{\rm exc}\propto O(1)$. This result fundamentally breaks the established universal behavior observed in local topological quantum fluids and demonstrates a novel mechanism for the breakdown of adiabaticity in fermionic systems with strong long-range interactions.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2511.16818

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We study the temporal behavior of topological quantum fluids with strong long-range couplings under slow external perturbations, whose rate δδδ approaches the quasi-static limit δ→0δ\to 0δ→0. As expected, due to strong long-range interactions, the system lies in the mean-field universality and the density of defects for drives across the quantum critical point is adiabatic nexc∝δ2n_{\rm exc}\propto δ^{2}nexc​∝δ2. However, if the drive is instead terminated precisely at the edge of the topological non-trivial phase, the number of generated excitations becomes extensive nexc∝O(1)n_{\rm exc}\propto O(1)nexc​∝O(1). This result fundamentally breaks the established universal behavior observed in local topological quantum fluids and demonstrates a novel mechanism for the breakdown of adiabaticity in fermionic systems with strong long-range interactions.
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