Observation of Non-Gaussian Magnon Dynamics in a Two-Dimensional Long-Range XY Model
S. -A. Guo, J. -Y. Tan, J. Ye, Y. Jiang, L. Zhang, Y. -X. Chen, H. -J. Chen, H. -Y. Hu, W. -X. Guo, B. -X. Qi, L. He, Z. -C. Zhou, Y. -K. Wu, L. -M. Duan
quant-phSubmitted Jun 11, 2026• Announced Jun 12, 2026• 0 citations
Non-Gaussian evolution of high-order spin correlations characterizes important properties of quantum many-body systems. In practice, decoherence, statistical fluctuation and miscalibration of experimental parameters all hinder the witness of non-Gaussian dynamics. Here we demonstrate the crossover between Gaussian and non-Gaussian dynamics on a two-dimensional XY model with long-range and spatially structured interaction using a trapped ion quantum simulator. We prepare different initial densities of magnon excitations and verify the dynamics of single-spin observables for the engineered Hamiltonian. Then we compare the high-order spin correlations with the mean-field solution and the Holstein-Primakoff approximation, and demonstrate the non-Gaussian behavior in a way independent of the calibration errors. Our work provides a verifiable path from classically simulatable dynamics to regimes where quantum advantage may emerge.
Non-Gaussian evolution of high-order spin correlations characterizes important properties of quantum many-body systems. In practice, decoherence, statistical fluctuation and miscalibration of experimental parameters all hinder the witness of non-Gaussian dynamics. Here we demonstrate the crossover between Gaussian and non-Gaussian dynamics on a two-dimensional XY model with long-range and spatially structured interaction using a trapped ion quantum simulator. We prepare different initial densities of magnon excitations and verify the dynamics of single-spin observables for the engineered Hamiltonian. Then we compare the high-order spin correlations with the mean-field solution and the Holstein-Primakoff approximation, and demonstrate the non-Gaussian behavior in a way independent of the calibration errors. Our work provides a verifiable path from classically simulatable dynamics to regimes where quantum advantage may emerge.
The study of non-equilibrium dynamics is one of the most important challenges of modern quantum many-body physics, in relationship with fundamental questions in quantum statistical mechanics, as well as with the fields of quantum simulation and computing. In this work we propose a Gaussian Ansatz for the study of the nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum spin systems. Within our approach, the quantum spins are mapped onto Holstein-Primakoff bosons, such that a coherent spin state - chosen as the initial state of the dynamics - represents the bosonic vacuum. The state of the system is then postulated to remain a bosonic Gaussian state at all times, an assumption which is exact when the bosonic Hamiltonian is quadratic; and which is justified in the case of a nonlinear Hamiltonian if the boson density remains moderate. We test the accuracy of such an Ansatz in the paradigmatic case of the S=1/2 S = 1 / 2 transverse-field Ising model, in one and two dimensions, initialized in a state aligned with the applied field. We show that the Gaussian Ansatz, when applied to the bosonic Hamiltonian with nonlinearities truncated to quartic order, is able to reproduce faithfully the evolution of the state, including its relaxation to the equilibrium regime, for fields larger than the critical field for the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition in the ground state. In particular the spatio-temporal pattern of correlations reconstructed via the Gaussian Ansatz reveals the dispersion relation of quasiparticle excitations, exhibiting the softening of the excitation gap upon approaching the critical field. Our results suggest that the Gaussian Ansatz correctly captures the essential effects of nonlinearities in quantum spin dynamics; and that it can be applied to the study of fundamental phenomena such as quantum thermalization and its breakdown.
Gaussian models provide an excellent effective description of many quantum many-body systems ranging from condensed-matter systems1,2 all the way to neutron stars3. Gaussian states are common at equilibrium when the interactions are weak. Recently it was proposed that they can also emerge dynamically from a non-Gaussian initial state evolving under non-interacting dynamics4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11. Here we present the experimental observation of such a dynamical emergence of Gaussian correlations in a quantum many-body system. This non-equilibrium evolution is triggered by abruptly switching off the effective interaction between the observed collective degrees of freedom, while leaving the interactions between the microscopic constituents unchanged. Starting from highly non-Gaussian correlations, consistent with the sine–Gordon model12, we observe a Gaussian state emerging over time as revealed by the decay of the fourth- and sixth-order connected correlations in the quantum field. A description of this dynamics requires a novel mechanism for the emergence of Gaussian correlations, which is relevant for a wide class of quantum many-body systems. In our closed system with non-interacting effective degrees of freedom, we do not expect full thermalization13,14,15,16,17,18,19. This memory of the initial state is confirmed by observing recurrences20 of non-Gaussian correlations.
Quantum simulation platforms such as cold atoms, superconducting circuits, and trapped ions enable the experimental investigation of quantum many-body systems, with important implications for quantum technologies. In this thesis, we investigate how entanglement and correlations develop in such systems and how they can be harnessed both for the theoretical study of models relevant to condensed matter physics and for practical applications in quantum metrology. We begin by focusing on the adiabatic preparation of quantum many-body ground states. In particular, we show that quantum simulators can probe the link between spectral degeneracy and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, as pioneered by P.W. Anderson. We prove that odd-sized spin-½ systems exhibiting time-reversal symmetry sustain a net magnetization even away from the thermodynamic limit, thanks to an exact spectral degeneracy. Moreover, the symmetry-broken state exhibits scalable spin squeezing, a key resource for quantum metrology. We then turn to a different paradigm of evolution: quench dynamics. In particular, we show that monitoring the real-time evolution of correlations allows for the experimental measurement of the dispersion relation of fundamental excitations. In the case of two-dimensional long-range ordered systems, such as the dipolar XY model, these excitations are spin waves, leading to sharp features in the evolution of two-point correlation functions. Conversely, in one-dimensional systems, fundamental excitations have a fermionic nature, and their detection requires the measurement of non-local correlation functions. The latter, while inaccessible in condensed matter, are instead well suited to quantum simulators with individually addressable degrees of freedom.
Quantum simulation of spin models can provide insight into problems that are difficult or impossible to study with classical computers. Trapped ions are an established platform for quantum simulation, but only systems with fewer than 20 ions have demonstrated quantum correlations. We studied quantum spin dynamics arising from an engineered, homogeneous Ising interaction in a two-dimensional array of (9)Be(+) ions in a Penning trap. We verified entanglement in spin-squeezed states of up to 219 ions, directly observing 4.0 ± 0.9 decibels of spectroscopic enhancement, and observed states with non-Gaussian statistics consistent with oversqueezed states. The good agreement with ab initio theory that includes interactions and decoherence lays the groundwork for simulations of the transverse-field Ising model with variable-range interactions, which are generally intractable with classical methods.
Quantum simulation provides important tools in studying strongly correlated many-body systems with controllable parameters. As a hybrid of two fundamental models in quantum optics and in condensed matter physics, the Rabi-Hubbard model demonstrates rich physics through the competition between local spin-boson interactions and long-range boson hopping. Here, we report an experimental realization of the Rabi-Hubbard model using up to 16 trapped ions and present a controlled study of its equilibrium properties and quantum dynamics. We observe the ground-state quantum phase transition by slowly quenching the coupling strength, and measure the quantum dynamical evolution in various parameter regimes. With the magnetization and the spin-spin correlation as probes, we verify the prediction of the model Hamiltonian by comparing theoretical results in small system sizes with experimental observations. For larger-size systems of 16 ions and 16 phonon modes, the effective Hilbert space dimension exceeds 2^{57}, whose dynamics is intractable for classical supercomputers.
The two-dimensional (2D) XY model plays a crucial role in statistical and condensed-matter physics. With the introduction of long-range interactions, the system exhibits a richer set of physical phenomena and a crossover between nonclassical and short-range universality classes. In this work, we investigate the 2D XY model with algebraically decaying interactions $\ensuremath{\sim}1/{r}^{2+\ensuremath{\sigma}}$ and provide a comprehensive numerical analysis of its thermodynamic properties. We demonstrate that for $\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\le}2$, the system undergoes a second-order phase transition into a ferromagnetic phase characterized by the emergence of long-range order. In the low-temperature phase, due to the presence of the Goldstone mode, the correlation function saturates to a nonzero constant in the form of a power law for $\ensuremath{\sigma}<2$, with decaying exponent $2\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\sigma}$, and in the form of the inverse logarithm of distance for $\ensuremath{\sigma}=2$. Moreover, the critical points and exponents are also determined for various $\ensuremath{\sigma}$. We provide compelling evidence that the crossover between nonclassical and short-range regimes occurs at $\ensuremath{\sigma}=2$. This work presents a detailed account of the simulation methodology, extensive numerical data, and new insights into the physics of long-range interacting systems.