Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2607.15649

Fate of dynamical quantum phase transitions from sudden quench to slow quench limit

Xiang Zhang, Fuxiang Li

quant-phcond-mat.stat-mechSubmitted Jul 17, 2026• Announced Jul 20, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Previous investigations of dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT) have predominantly focused on sudden quench protocols. In this work, we systematically explore the fate of DQPT from the sudden to the slow quench regime. We establish that DQPT remains robust under slow quenching when the protocol crosses an equilibrium quantum phase transition. Conversely, we show that accidental DQPTs,which occur when the pre and post quench Hamiltonians reside in the same equilibrium phase, can be filtered out in the slow quench limit. This demonstrates that slow quenches can reveal the intrinsic connection between DQPT and equilibrium quantum phase transitions, thereby enabling DQPT to serve as a dynamical probe for identifying equilibrium quantum critical points. We illustrate these findings with examples from the XY chain, the Aubry-André model, and the trimer Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model.

Comments
11 pages, 8 figures, accepted by PRB

Related papers

Topological classification of dynamical quantum phase transitions in the xy chain

S. Porta, Fabio Cavaliere, Maura Sassetti +1 more

Understanding the properties of far-from-equilibrium quantum systems is becoming a major challenge of both fundamental and applied physics. For instance, the lack of thermalization in integrable and (many body) localized systems provides new insights in the understanding of the relaxation dynamics of quantum phases. On a more applicative side, the possibility of exploiting the properties of far-from-equilibrium states, for example in pump-probe experiments, opens unprecedented scenarios. The effort in providing a classification of far-from-equilibrium phases, in terms of local or topological order parameters, is hence intense. In this context, the concept of Dynamical Quantum Phase Transition (DQPT) has been introduced. A DQPT is (roughly) defined as a zero of the Loschmidt-Echo as a function of time and represents a natural non-equilibrium counterpart of a thermal phase transition. Here, we investigate the DQPTs occurring in the quantum xy chain subject to a quantum quench of finite duration. We show that the number of distinct DQPTs can vary as the duration of the quantum quench is varied. However, the parity of such number only depends on the pre-quench and post-quench Hamiltonians and is related to a topological invariant.

Scientific Reports•Jul 29, 2020•67 citations

Exploring Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions via the Dynamical Phase Accumulated at an Equilibrium Critical Point

Han-Chuan Kou, Peng Li, Zhi-Han Zhang +1 more

We investigate dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) generated by a two-step linear quench with a finite waiting time at the equilibrium critical point. The waiting stage leads to the accumulation of a dynamical phase that depends on the waiting time and directly reflects the critical spectral structure. In the transverse Ising chain, this accumulated phase modifies the critical structure of DQPTs from a single-critical-mode (SCM) regime to a multiple-critical-mode (MCM) regime. We analytically and numerically determine the boundary between the two regimes. Along this boundary, the waiting time approaches a constant in the sudden-quench limit, whereas in the slow-quench limit it follows Kibble--Zurek (KZ) scaling with the quench time. In the SCM regime, the rate function exhibits a conventional linear singularity, $r(t)-r(t^{*})\propto |t-t^{*}|^α$, with the critical exponent $α=1$ near the critical time. At the SCM--MCM boundary, this exponent changes to $α=1/2$, leading to a divergent first derivative of the rate function. Additional discrete parameter lines with $α=1/2$ also appear within the MCM regime in the parameter plane spanned by the waiting and quench times. Our findings establish a direct connection between the accumulated dynamical phase and the critical structure of DQPTs, further supported by an extended Su--Schrieffer--Heeger (SSH) model.

quant-pharXiv:2610.14591•Oct 13, 2026•0 citations

Dynamical quantum phase transitions through the lens of mode dynamics

Akash Mitra, Shashi C. L. Srivastava

We study the mode dynamics of a generic quadratic fermionic Hamiltonian under a sudden quench protocol in momentum space. Modes with zero energy at any given time, $t$, are referred to as dynamical critical modes. Among all zero-energy modes, spin-flip symmetry is restored in the eigenvector corresponding to selected zero-energy modes. This symmetry restoration is used to define the dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT). This shows that the occurrence of these dynamical critical modes is necessary but not sufficient for a DQPT. We show that the conditions on the quench protocol and time for such dynamical symmetry restoration are the same as the divergence of the rate function and integer jump in the dynamical topological order parameter, which have been the traditional identifiers of a DQPT. This perspective also naturally explains when one or both of DQPT and ground-state quantum phase transitions will occur.

cond-mat.stat-mechCross-listedarXiv:2603.05284•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Mar 6, 2026•1 citation

Relation between equilibrium quantum phase transitions and dynamical quantum phase transitions in two-band systems

Yumeng Zeng, Shu Chen

The dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT) is an important concept in nonequilibrium critical phenomena; however, its relation to the equilibrium quantum phase transition (EQPT) remains obscure. Substantial evidence has suggested that quenching across the underlying equilibrium phase boundary is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for the existence of the DQPT. In this work, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the occurrence of DQPTs in two-band systems by introducing the quench fidelity, which is defined as the fidelity between the ground-state wave functions of the prequench and postquench Hamiltonian, and elaborate it by taking the one-dimensional anisotropic XY model as an example. The relation between EQPTs and DQPTs is analyzed in detail in terms of the quench fidelity.

arXiv:2411.07181•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jul 22, 2025•5 citations

Dynamical quantum phase transition in quantum spin chains with gapless phases

Kaiyuan Cao, Zhong Ming, Peiqing Tong

The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) in quantum spin chains with gapless phases after a sudden quench are studied. We mainly consider the general systems with asymmetrical quasiparticle excitation spectra and obtain the general expression of the Loschmidt echo as well as the general conditions for the occurrence of DQPTs. As two examples, we study the DQPTs in the \emph{XY} chains with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and \emph{XZY-YZX} type of three-site interaction. It's found that the DQPTs may not occur in the quench across the quantum phase transitions regardless of whether the quench is from the gapless phase to gapped phase or from the gapped phase to gapless phase. This is different from the DQPTs in the case of quench from the gapped phase to gapped phase, in which the DQPTs will always appear. Besides, we also analyze the different reasons for the absence of DQPTs in the quench from the gapless phase and the gapped phase.

arXiv:2106.00191•Jun 1, 2021•1 citation

Dynamical quantum phase transition in periodic quantum Ising chains

Kaiyuan Cao, Ming Zhong, Peiqing Tong

Abstract The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) after a sudden quench in periodic quantum Ising chains (QICs) are studied. We obtain the formulas of the Loschmidt echo and the Fisher zeros of the Loschmidt amplitude in the periodic QIC. It is found that for the quench across the quantum phase transitions (QPTs), the periodic QICs have richer DQPTs than that in the homogeneous QIC, and the number of critical times of the DQPTs are dependent on the specifical parameter of the pre- and post-quench Hamiltonian. For instance, in the period-two QIC, there is one critical time for the quench from the FM phase to the PM phase, and three critical times for the quench from the PM phase to the FM phase. In the period-three QIC, there may have three or four critical times for the quench from FM phase to the PM phase, but may have two or three critical times for the quench from PM to the FM phase. The reason is that the periodic QICs have multiple quasiparticle excitation spectra, and the Fisher zeros of the periodic systems consist of several separated branches, which is different from that in the homogeneous QIC. For different quenches across the QPTs, different branches will intersect with the imaginary axis, which correspond to different critical times. Our conclusion also provides insight in the property of the DQPT in the inhomogeneous systems.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Jul 21, 2022•5 citations
Previous investigations of dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT) have predominantly focused on sudden quench protocols. In this work, we systematically explore the fate of DQPT from the sudden to the slow quench regime. We establish that DQPT remains robust under slow quenching when the protocol crosses an equilibrium quantum phase transition. Conversely, we show that accidental DQPTs,which occur when the pre and post quench Hamiltonians reside in the same equilibrium phase, can be filtered out in the slow quench limit. This demonstrates that slow quenches can reveal the intrinsic connection between DQPT and equilibrium quantum phase transitions, thereby enabling DQPT to serve as a dynamical probe for identifying equilibrium quantum critical points. We illustrate these findings with examples from the XY chain, the Aubry-André model, and the trimer Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model.
Understanding the properties of far-from-equilibrium quantum systems is becoming a major challenge of both fundamental and applied physics. For instance, the lack of thermalization in integrable and (many body) localized systems provides new insights in the understanding of the relaxation dynamics of quantum phases. On a more applicative side, the possibility of exploiting the properties of far-from-equilibrium states, for example in pump-probe experiments, opens unprecedented scenarios. The effort in providing a classification of far-from-equilibrium phases, in terms of local or topological order parameters, is hence intense. In this context, the concept of Dynamical Quantum Phase Transition (DQPT) has been introduced. A DQPT is (roughly) defined as a zero of the Loschmidt-Echo as a function of time and represents a natural non-equilibrium counterpart of a thermal phase transition. Here, we investigate the DQPTs occurring in the quantum xy chain subject to a quantum quench of finite duration. We show that the number of distinct DQPTs can vary as the duration of the quantum quench is varied. However, the parity of such number only depends on the pre-quench and post-quench Hamiltonians and is related to a topological invariant.
We investigate dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) generated by a two-step linear quench with a finite waiting time at the equilibrium critical point. The waiting stage leads to the accumulation of a dynamical phase that depends on the waiting time and directly reflects the critical spectral structure. In the transverse Ising chain, this accumulated phase modifies the critical structure of DQPTs from a single-critical-mode (SCM) regime to a multiple-critical-mode (MCM) regime. We analytically and numerically determine the boundary between the two regimes. Along this boundary, the waiting time approaches a constant in the sudden-quench limit, whereas in the slow-quench limit it follows Kibble--Zurek (KZ) scaling with the quench time. In the SCM regime, the rate function exhibits a conventional linear singularity, r(t)−r(t∗)∝∣t−t∗∣αr(t)-r(t^{*})\propto |t-t^{*}|^αr(t)−r(t∗)∝∣t−t∗∣α, with the critical exponent α=1α=1α=1 near the critical time. At the SCM--MCM boundary, this exponent changes to α=1/2α=1/2α=1/2, leading to a divergent first derivative of the rate function. Additional discrete parameter lines with α=1/2α=1/2α=1/2 also appear within the MCM regime in the parameter plane spanned by the waiting and quench times. Our findings establish a direct connection between the accumulated dynamical phase and the critical structure of DQPTs, further supported by an extended Su--Schrieffer--Heeger (SSH) model.
We study the mode dynamics of a generic quadratic fermionic Hamiltonian under a sudden quench protocol in momentum space. Modes with zero energy at any given time, ttt, are referred to as dynamical critical modes. Among all zero-energy modes, spin-flip symmetry is restored in the eigenvector corresponding to selected zero-energy modes. This symmetry restoration is used to define the dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT). This shows that the occurrence of these dynamical critical modes is necessary but not sufficient for a DQPT. We show that the conditions on the quench protocol and time for such dynamical symmetry restoration are the same as the divergence of the rate function and integer jump in the dynamical topological order parameter, which have been the traditional identifiers of a DQPT. This perspective also naturally explains when one or both of DQPT and ground-state quantum phase transitions will occur.
The dynamical quantum phase transition (DQPT) is an important concept in nonequilibrium critical phenomena; however, its relation to the equilibrium quantum phase transition (EQPT) remains obscure. Substantial evidence has suggested that quenching across the underlying equilibrium phase boundary is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for the existence of the DQPT. In this work, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the occurrence of DQPTs in two-band systems by introducing the quench fidelity, which is defined as the fidelity between the ground-state wave functions of the prequench and postquench Hamiltonian, and elaborate it by taking the one-dimensional anisotropic XY model as an example. The relation between EQPTs and DQPTs is analyzed in detail in terms of the quench fidelity.
The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) in quantum spin chains with gapless phases after a sudden quench are studied. We mainly consider the general systems with asymmetrical quasiparticle excitation spectra and obtain the general expression of the Loschmidt echo as well as the general conditions for the occurrence of DQPTs. As two examples, we study the DQPTs in the \emph{XY} chains with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and \emph{XZY-YZX} type of three-site interaction. It's found that the DQPTs may not occur in the quench across the quantum phase transitions regardless of whether the quench is from the gapless phase to gapped phase or from the gapped phase to gapless phase. This is different from the DQPTs in the case of quench from the gapped phase to gapped phase, in which the DQPTs will always appear. Besides, we also analyze the different reasons for the absence of DQPTs in the quench from the gapless phase and the gapped phase.
Abstract The dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) after a sudden quench in periodic quantum Ising chains (QICs) are studied. We obtain the formulas of the Loschmidt echo and the Fisher zeros of the Loschmidt amplitude in the periodic QIC. It is found that for the quench across the quantum phase transitions (QPTs), the periodic QICs have richer DQPTs than that in the homogeneous QIC, and the number of critical times of the DQPTs are dependent on the specifical parameter of the pre- and post-quench Hamiltonian. For instance, in the period-two QIC, there is one critical time for the quench from the FM phase to the PM phase, and three critical times for the quench from the PM phase to the FM phase. In the period-three QIC, there may have three or four critical times for the quench from FM phase to the PM phase, but may have two or three critical times for the quench from PM to the FM phase. The reason is that the periodic QICs have multiple quasiparticle excitation spectra, and the Fisher zeros of the periodic systems consist of several separated branches, which is different from that in the homogeneous QIC. For different quenches across the QPTs, different branches will intersect with the imaginary axis, which correspond to different critical times. Our conclusion also provides insight in the property of the DQPT in the inhomogeneous systems.