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arXiv:2608.27944 · Physical Review A

Quantum geometric bounds at finite temperature for one-dimensional chiral systems

Peng He, Hai-Tao Ding, Yu-Guo Liu

cond-mat.mes-hallquant-phSubmitted Aug 28, 2026• Announced Aug 31, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

The geometry and topology of quantum states are intimately related at zero temperature through exact bounds that constrain geometric quantities from below by topological invariants. At finite-temperature, however, the analogous relations remain unclear. Here we establish rigorous geometric lower bounds for one-dimensional (1D) chiral-symmetric systems at finite temperature within the Uhlmann's framework for mixed states. We show that the Bures length is bounded by a continuous geometric phase angle. We further derive a temperature-dependent bound that interpolates between the zero-temperature limit and a trivial high-temperature regime. Our results are verified analytically and numerically using the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model and the spinless Kitaev chain model. Finally, we discuss potential ways to detect the geometry of the density matrix in quantum circuits, with the quantum imaginary time evolution (QITE) method.

Comments
9 pages, 3 figures

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The geometry and topology of quantum states are intimately related at zero temperature through exact bounds that constrain geometric quantities from below by topological invariants. At finite-temperature, however, the analogous relations remain unclear. Here we establish rigorous geometric lower bounds for one-dimensional (1D) chiral-symmetric systems at finite temperature within the Uhlmann's framework for mixed states. We show that the Bures length is bounded by a continuous geometric phase angle. We further derive a temperature-dependent bound that interpolates between the zero-temperature limit and a trivial high-temperature regime. Our results are verified analytically and numerically using the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model and the spinless Kitaev chain model. Finally, we discuss potential ways to detect the geometry of the density matrix in quantum circuits, with the quantum imaginary time evolution (QITE) method.
We compare three complementary diagnostics for mixed Gaussian states at nonzero temperature, focusing on the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain and its inversion-symmetric extension. While the ensemble geometric phase, a mixed-state generalization of the Zak phase, remains well defined at nonzero temperature, the modulus of the corresponding expectation value vanishes in the thermodynamic limit, limiting its practical use. To develop diagnostics suitable for large systems, we introduce local twist operators acting on neighboring sites, whose expectation values provide local indicators of the underlying topological phase. The topological phase is identified from the relative magnitude of these expectation values, which only requires measuring two local expectation values at nonzero temperature, together with one additional nonlocal expectation value when next-nearest-neighbor hopping is included. In addition, we generalize the local chiral marker to mixed Gaussian states, fully determined by its single-particle correlation matrix, with a nonzero purity gap in their effective single-particle Hamiltonian. The presence of a purity gap ensures that the correlation matrix can be flattened to an effective projector. Evaluating the chiral marker with respect to the band-flattened correlation matrix yields a real-space topological invariant that coincides with the winding number in the zero-temperature limit. The ensemble geometric phase, the local twist operators, and the local chiral marker provide complementary methods to characterize topology in the SSH chain beyond pure states.
Topological properties of quantum systems at finite temperatures, described by mixed states, pose significant challenges due to the triviality of the Uhlmann bundle. By inserting the density matrix into the Chern character, we introduce the thermal Uhlmann-Chern number, a generalization of the Chern number that reduces to the pure-state value in the zero-temperature limit and vanishes at infinite temperature, providing a framework to study the temperature-dependent evolution of topological features in mixed states. We provide, for the first time, a rigorous mathematical proof that the first- and higher-order Uhlmann-Chern numbers converge to the corresponding Chern numbers in the zero-temperature limit, differing only by a factor of 1/D1/D1/D for DDD-fold degenerate ground states. We demonstrate the utility of this framework through applications to a two-level system, the coherent state model, the 2D Haldane model, and a four-band model, highlighting the temperature-dependent behavior of topological invariants. Our results establish a robust bridge between the topological properties of pure and mixed states, offering new insights into finite-temperature topological phases.
We study the Schwinger model at finite-temperature regime using a quantum-classical hybrid algorithm. The preparation of thermal state on quantum circuit presents significant challenges. To address this, we adopt the Thermal Pure Quantum (TPQ) state approach and apply the Quantum Imaginary Time Evolution (QITE) algorithm to implement the necessary imaginary time evolution. We first compute the chiral condensate in the massless Schwinger model, verifying its consistency with the analytical solution. We then simulate the massive Schwinger model with non-zero topological θ\thetaθ-term to investigate the temperature and θ\thetaθ-dependence of the chiral condensate. Our method works well even at non-zero θ\thetaθ regime, while the conventional lattice Monte Carlo method suffers from the sign problem in this system.
The Uhlmann process is built on the density matrix of a mixed quantum state and offers a way to characterize topological properties at finite temperatures. We analyze an ideal spin-jjj quantum paramagnet in a magnetic field undergoing an Uhlmann process and derive general formulas of the Uhlmann phase and Loschmidt amplitude for arbitrary jjj as the system traverses a great circle in the parameter space. A quantized jump of the Uhlmann phase signifies a topological quantum phase transition (TQPT) of the underlying process, which is accompanied by a zero of the Loschmidt amplitude. The exact results of j=12j=\frac{1}{2}j=21​ and j=1j=1j=1 systems show topological regimes that survive only at finite temperatures but not at zero temperature, and the number of TQPTs is associated with the winding number in the parameter space. Our results pave the way for future studies on finite-temperature topological properties, and possible experimental protocols and implications for atomic simulators and digital simulations are discussed.
Dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) probe the nonequilibrium evolution of quantum systems, unveiling their geometric and topological characteristics. In this study, we introduce the concepts of parallel quench and dynamic geometrical order parameter (DGOP) for nonband models without momentum-space structure, where these quantities capture the geometric shifts associated with DQPTs. At zero temperature, the DGOP corresponds to the Pancharatnam geometric phase, while at finite temperatures, it extends to the interferometric geometric phase. We further generalize the dynamic topological order parameter (DTOP) to finite-temperature band models, examining its behavior in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Our analysis shows that thermal fluctuations and boundary effects at finite temperatures disrupt the quantization of the DTOP, yet it retains signatures of topological transitions. These findings deepen the understanding of geometric and topological properties in quantum dynamics, illuminating DQPTs across both nonband and band frameworks.
We investigate the Uhlmann phase, a generalization of the celebrated Berry phase, for Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) at finite temperature. The Uhlmann phase characterizes topological properties of mixed states, in contrast to the Berry phase, which is defined for pure states at zero temperature. Using the SU(1,1)\text{SU}(1,1)SU(1,1) symmetry of the Bogoliubov Hamiltonian, we derive a general formula for the Uhlmann phase of BECs. Numerical calculations reveal that the Uhlmann phase can differ from the Berry phase in the zero-temperature limit, contrary to previous studies. As the temperature increases, the Uhlmann phase exhibits a winding behavior, and we relate the total winding degree to the Berry phase. This winding indicates that the Uhlmann phase takes values on a Riemann surface. Furthermore, we propose an experimental scheme to measure the Uhlmann phase of BECs by purifying the density matrix using an atomic interferometer.