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arXiv:2605.26219

Entanglement Pattern Transition of Quantum States from Directed Percolation

Julian Boesl, Frank Pollmann, Michael Knap

quant-phcond-mat.str-elSubmitted May 25, 2026• Announced May 27, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Changes in the entanglement structure and critical phenomena are hallmarks of quantum phase transitions. Here, we discuss how they appear in transitions between classes of states with distinct entanglement patterns beyond the paradigm of stable equilibrium phases of matter. Using a mapping between stochastic automata and isometric Tensor Network States (isoTNS), we construct a two-dimensional quantum state from the Domany-Kinzel automaton, which is a (1+1)D process with an absorbing phase transition in the directed percolation class. At the critical point of the automaton, the corresponding isoTNS hosts algebraic correlations in all spatial directions. The continuous parent Hamiltonian of this state has a degenerate ground state manifold. It consists of a product state (the absorbing state) and a second state that undergoes a transition from pairwise entanglement between distant regions, similarly to the W state, to a state with trivial entanglement. Our results demonstrate how the correspondence between isoTNS and classical stochastic evolution can be used to probe the Hilbert space structure beyond stable ground state manifolds.

Comments
9 + 3 pages, 4 + 2 figures

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Changes in the entanglement structure and critical phenomena are hallmarks of quantum phase transitions. Here, we discuss how they appear in transitions between classes of states with distinct entanglement patterns beyond the paradigm of stable equilibrium phases of matter. Using a mapping between stochastic automata and isometric Tensor Network States (isoTNS), we construct a two-dimensional quantum state from the Domany-Kinzel automaton, which is a (1+1)D process with an absorbing phase transition in the directed percolation class. At the critical point of the automaton, the corresponding isoTNS hosts algebraic correlations in all spatial directions. The continuous parent Hamiltonian of this state has a degenerate ground state manifold. It consists of a product state (the absorbing state) and a second state that undergoes a transition from pairwise entanglement between distant regions, similarly to the W state, to a state with trivial entanglement. Our results demonstrate how the correspondence between isoTNS and classical stochastic evolution can be used to probe the Hilbert space structure beyond stable ground state manifolds.
We study quantum circuits consisting of unitary gates, projective measurements, and control operations that steer the system toward a pure absorbing state. Two types of phase transition occur as the rate of these control operations is increased: a measurement-induced entanglement transition, and a directed percolation transition into the absorbing state (taken here to be a product state). In this work, we show analytically that these transitions are generically distinct, with the quantum trajectories becoming disentangled before the absorbing state transition is reached, and we analyze their critical properties. We introduce a simple class of models where the measurements in each quantum trajectory define an effective tensor network (ETN)---a subgraph of the initial spacetime graph where nontrivial time evolution takes place. By analyzing the entanglement properties of the ETN, we show that the entanglement and absorbing-state transitions coincide only in the limit of the infinite local Hilbert-space dimension. Focusing on a Clifford model which allows numerical simulations for large system sizes, we verify our predictions and study the finite-size crossover between the two transitions at large local Hilbert space dimension. We give evidence that the entanglement transition is governed by the same fixed point as in hybrid circuits without feedback.
We introduce a discrete-time quantum dynamics on a two-dimensional lattice that describes the evolution of a 1 + 1-dimensional spin system. The underlying quantum map is constructed such that the reduced state at each time step is separable. We show that for long times this state becomes stationary and displays a continuous phase transition in the density of excited spins. This phenomenon can be understood through a connection to the so-called Domany–Kinzel automaton, which implements a classical non-equilibrium process that features a transition to an absorbing state. Near the transition density–density correlations become long-ranged, and interestingly the same is the case for quantum correlations despite the separability of the stationary state. We quantify quantum correlations through the local quantum uncertainty and show that in some cases they may be determined experimentally solely by measuring expectation values of classical observables. This work is inspired by recent experimental progress in the realization of Rydberg lattice quantum simulators, which—in a rather natural way—permit the realization of conditional quantum gates underlying the discrete-time dynamics discussed here.
We investigate the informational aspect of (1+1)-dimensional directed percolation, a canonical model of a nonequilibrium continuous transition to a phase dominated by a single special state called the "absorbing" state. Using a tensor network scheme, we numerically calculate the time evolution of state probability distribution of directed percolation. We find a universal relaxation of Rényi entropy at the absorbing phase transition point as well as a new singularity in the active phase, slightly but distinctly away from the absorbing transition point. At the new singular point, the second-order Rényi entropy has a clear cusp. There we also detect a singular behavior of "entanglement entropy," defined by regarding the probability distribution as a wave function. The entanglement entropy vanishes below the singular point and stays finite above. We confirm that the absorbing state, though its occurrence is exponentially rare in the active phase, is responsible for these phenomena. This interpretation provides us with a unified understanding of time evolution of the Rényi entropy at the critical point as well as in the active phase.
Stochastic processes with absorbing states feature examples of nonequilibrium universal phenomena. While the classical regime has been thoroughly investigated in the past, relatively little is known about the behavior of these nonequilibrium systems in the presence of quantum fluctuations. Here, we theoretically address such a scenario in an open quantum spin model which, in its classical limit, undergoes a directed percolation phase transition. By mapping the problem to a nonequilibrium field theory, we show that the introduction of quantum fluctuations stemming from coherent, rather than statistical, spin flips alters the nature of the transition such that it becomes first order. In the intermediate regime, where classical and quantum dynamics compete on equal terms, we highlight the presence of a bicritical point with universal features different from the directed percolation class in a low dimension. We finally propose how this physics could be explored within gases of interacting atoms excited to Rydberg states.
We study the influence of feedback operations on the dynamics of (d+1)-dimensional monitored random quantum circuit. Competition between unitary dynamics and measurements leads to an entanglement phase transition, while feedback steers the dynamics towards an absorbing state, yielding an absorbing state phase transition. Based on previous results in one spatial dimension (Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 120402 (2023)), we discuss the interplay between the two types of transitions for d ≥ 2 in the presence of (i) short-range feedback operations or (ii) additional global control operations. In both cases, the absorbing state transition belongs to the d-dimensional directed percolation universality class. In contrast, the entanglement transition depends on the feedback operation type and reveals dynamics' inequivalent features. The entanglement and absorbing state phase transition remain separated for short-range feedback operations. When global control operations are applied, we find the two critical points coinciding; nevertheless, the universality class may still differ, depending on the choice of control operation.
The role of quantum fluctuations in modifying the critical behavior of nonequilibrium phase transitions is a fundamental but unsolved question. In this study, we examine the absorbing state phase transition of a 1D chain of qubits undergoing a contact process that involves both coherent and classical dynamics. We adopt a discrete-time quantum model with states that can be described in the stabilizer formalism, and therefore allows for an efficient simulation of large system sizes. The extracted critical exponents indicate that the absorbing state phase transition of this Clifford circuit model belongs to the directed percolation universality class. This suggests that the inclusion of quantum fluctuations does not necessarily alter the critical behavior of nonequilibrium phase transitions of purely classical systems. Finally, we extend our analysis to a non-Clifford circuit model, where a tentative scaling analysis in small systems reveals critical exponents that are also consistent with the directed percolation universality class. Published by the American Physical Society 2024