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

Physical Review

Irreversibility in Heisenberg Spin Systems. I. General Formalism and Kinetic Equations in the High-Temperature Limit

Pierre M. V. Résibois, Michel De Leener

Published Dec 2, 1966• 114 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Starting from the von Neumann equation for the spin density matrix of a Heisenberg system, we analyze the perturbation expansion of the spin autocorrelation function by the diagrammatic technique previously applied to quantum gases. We demonstrate a number of theorems which allow us to express this perturbation series in terms of renormalized graphs only; we then derive a kinetic equation for the autocorrelation function. The main feature of this equation is that the kernel, which is highly nonlinear in the autocorrelation function itself, tends to zero in the limit of long times. The results, which are exact in the high-temperature region and in the Weiss limit (number of neighbors $Z\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$), allow us to consider the behavior of the autocorrelation function for times both short and long. This model is a typical example of a system with a discrete unperturbed spectrum showing an irreversible behavior.

DOI
10.1103/physrev.152.305

Related papers

Irreversibility in Heisenberg Spin Systems. III. Kinetic Equations for the Autocorrelation Function at Finite Temperature

Pierre M. V. Résibois, Michel De Leener

Recently the authors have derived kinetic equations describing the behavior of the spin autocorrelation function ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$ in a Heisenberg system at infinite temperature. In the present paper, this derivation is extended to finite temperatures (above the critical point). It is shown that, in the Weiss limit where the number of neighbors $Z\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$, the effects of the equilibrium (Ornstein-Zernicke) correlations present in the system at the initial time can be entirely incorporated within an effective temperature-dependent interaction which governs the temporal behavior of the autocorrelation function (af). A non-Markoffian kinetic equation is obtained in which the kernel is highly nonlinear in the complete af ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$; this contrasts with the infinite-temperature case, where the kernel was a functional of the direct af only. This new feature leads to simple approximations near the critical point, as will be discussed in detail in the next paper of this series.

Physical Review•Feb 10, 1969•73 citations

Irreversibility in Heisenberg Spin Systems. II. Approximate Solution of the High-Temperature Kinetic Equations

Michel De Leener, Pierre M. V. Résibois

A systematic approximation scheme is proposed that permits solution of the kinetic equations, recently derived by the authors, describing the high-temperature behavior of the spin autocorrelation function ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{\mathrm{ab}}(t)$. A numerical solution and approximate analytical expressions are given in the first approximation and the importance of the neglected terms is discussed. It is shown that the direct autocorrelation function has an approximate Gaussian behavior for short times and decays then to zero through damped oscillations. A diffusion equation is derived for the short-wave-number Fourier components of ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{\mathrm{ab}}(t)$. We also compare this theory with previous work on the subject.

Physical Review•Dec 2, 1966•33 citations

Irreversibility in Heisenberg Spin Systems. IV. Time-Dependent Fluctuations at the Curie Point

Michel De Leener, Pierre M. V. Résibois

We propose an approximate solution of the kinetic equations, recently derived by the authors, for the spin autocorrelation function ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$ of ferromagnets at the critical point. It is shown that, even for small wave numbers and long times, ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$ never reaches a diffusion regime, but decays to zero through damped oscillations. We also compare this theory with previous work on the subject.

Physical Review•Feb 10, 1969•13 citations

High-temperature spin dynamics in the Heisenberg chain: Magnon propagation and emerging Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling in the zero-magnetization limit

Felix Weiner, Peter Schmitteckert, Soumya Bera +1 more

The large-scale dynamics of quantum integrable systems is often dominated by ballistic modes due to the existence of stable quasiparticles. We here consider as an archetypical example for such a system the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ XXX Heisenberg chain that features magnons and their bound states. An interesting question, which we here investigate numerically, arises with respect to the fate of ballistic modes at finite temperatures in the limit of zero magnetization $m=0$. At a finite magnetization density $m$, the spin-autocorrelation function $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}(x,t)$ (at high temperatures) typically exhibits a trimodal behavior with left- and right-moving quasiparticle modes and a broad center peak with slower dynamics. The broadening of the fastest propagating modes exhibits a subdiffusive ${t}^{1/3}$ scaling at large magnetization densities $m\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\frac{1}{2}$, familiar from noninteracting models; it crosses over into a diffusive scaling ${t}^{1/2}$ upon decreasing the magnetization to smaller values. The behavior of the center peak appears to exhibit a crossover from transient superdiffusion to ballistic relaxation at long times. In the limit $m\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$, the weight carried by the propagating peaks tends to zero; the residual dynamics is carried only by the central peak; it is sub-ballistic and characterized by a dynamical exponent $z$ close to the value $\frac{3}{2}$ familiar from Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling. We confirm that, employing elaborate finite-time extrapolations, that the spatial scaling of the correlator $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}$ is in excellent agreement with KPZ-type behavior and analyze the corresponding corrections.

arXiv:1908.11432•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jan 13, 2020•38 citations

Diagrammatic representation of the two-spin correlation function for the generalized heisenberg model

Eugene Stanley, M. Howard Lee

We consider a “generalized Heisenberg model”, with a Hamiltonian given by ℋ︁(D) = –JΣij S(D)j, where the quantities Si are isotropically-interacting D-dimensional classical spins and the summation is restricted to nearest-neighbor pairs of sites <i,j>. Thus when D = 1, 2, and 3, this model reduces to the S = 1/2 Ising, plane rotator, and classical Heisenberg models which are useful for describing phase transitions in, respectively, liquid-gas systems, Bose fluids, and magnetic materials. Unfortunately this Hamiltonian is exactly soluble only in the limit D → ∞, in which case the solution corresponds to the spherical model of Berlin and Kac. For finite D, we must consider approximation procedures in order to obtain any useful information. In this paper we develop a diagrammatic representation, valid for arbitrary D, for successive terms in the high-temperature expansions of the free energy and the spin-spin correlation function—from which we can obtain series expansions for all the thermodynamic properties of the system.

International Journal of Quantum Chemistry•Jun 18, 2009•3 citations

Two-Time Spin-Pair Correlation Function of the Heisenberg Magnet at Infinite Temperature

Tsuyoshi Horiguchi, Tohru Morita

The two-time spin-pair autocorrelation function $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{0},t)$ and the Fourier-space transform $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$ of the two-time spin-pair correlation function $\ensuremath{\sigma}({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{R}}}_{\mathrm{if}},t)$, are expressed in terms of the "friction function" occurring in the generalized Langevin equation for the spin operator ${s}_{i}^{\ensuremath{\sim}}$ and its Fourier-space transform ${S}_{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}}^{z}$, respectively. The friction function is determined in the form of a product of a Gaussian distribution function and a power series as a function of time $t$ for the isotropic Heisenberg magnet and the $\mathrm{XY}$ magnet of spin \textonehalf{} at infinite temperature. By truncating the power series to the exactly known term, satisfactory results are obtained for $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$ of the isotropic Heisenberg magnet of the linear chain and sc lattice. Satisfactory results for $\ensuremath{\sigma}({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{R}}}_{\mathrm{if}},t)$ are achieved by taking an inverse Fourier-space transform of the thus determined $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$.

Physical review. B, Solid state•Mar 1, 1973•10 citations
Starting from the von Neumann equation for the spin density matrix of a Heisenberg system, we analyze the perturbation expansion of the spin autocorrelation function by the diagrammatic technique previously applied to quantum gases. We demonstrate a number of theorems which allow us to express this perturbation series in terms of renormalized graphs only; we then derive a kinetic equation for the autocorrelation function. The main feature of this equation is that the kernel, which is highly nonlinear in the autocorrelation function itself, tends to zero in the limit of long times. The results, which are exact in the high-temperature region and in the Weiss limit (number of neighbors Z\ensuremath→\ensuremath∞Z\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}Z\ensuremath→\ensuremath∞), allow us to consider the behavior of the autocorrelation function for times both short and long. This model is a typical example of a system with a discrete unperturbed spectrum showing an irreversible behavior.
Recently the authors have derived kinetic equations describing the behavior of the spin autocorrelation function ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$ in a Heisenberg system at infinite temperature. In the present paper, this derivation is extended to finite temperatures (above the critical point). It is shown that, in the Weiss limit where the number of neighbors $Z\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$, the effects of the equilibrium (Ornstein-Zernicke) correlations present in the system at the initial time can be entirely incorporated within an effective temperature-dependent interaction which governs the temporal behavior of the autocorrelation function (af). A non-Markoffian kinetic equation is obtained in which the kernel is highly nonlinear in the complete af ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{q}(t)$; this contrasts with the infinite-temperature case, where the kernel was a functional of the direct af only. This new feature leads to simple approximations near the critical point, as will be discussed in detail in the next paper of this series.
A systematic approximation scheme is proposed that permits solution of the kinetic equations, recently derived by the authors, describing the high-temperature behavior of the spin autocorrelation function ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{\mathrm{ab}}(t)$. A numerical solution and approximate analytical expressions are given in the first approximation and the importance of the neglected terms is discussed. It is shown that the direct autocorrelation function has an approximate Gaussian behavior for short times and decays then to zero through damped oscillations. A diffusion equation is derived for the short-wave-number Fourier components of ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{\mathrm{ab}}(t)$. We also compare this theory with previous work on the subject.
The large-scale dynamics of quantum integrable systems is often dominated by ballistic modes due to the existence of stable quasiparticles. We here consider as an archetypical example for such a system the spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ XXX Heisenberg chain that features magnons and their bound states. An interesting question, which we here investigate numerically, arises with respect to the fate of ballistic modes at finite temperatures in the limit of zero magnetization m=0m=0m=0. At a finite magnetization density mmm, the spin-autocorrelation function $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}(x,t)$ (at high temperatures) typically exhibits a trimodal behavior with left- and right-moving quasiparticle modes and a broad center peak with slower dynamics. The broadening of the fastest propagating modes exhibits a subdiffusive t1/3{t}^{1/3}t1/3 scaling at large magnetization densities $m\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\frac{1}{2}$, familiar from noninteracting models; it crosses over into a diffusive scaling t1/2{t}^{1/2}t1/2 upon decreasing the magnetization to smaller values. The behavior of the center peak appears to exhibit a crossover from transient superdiffusion to ballistic relaxation at long times. In the limit $m\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$, the weight carried by the propagating peaks tends to zero; the residual dynamics is carried only by the central peak; it is sub-ballistic and characterized by a dynamical exponent zzz close to the value 32\frac{3}{2}23​ familiar from Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling. We confirm that, employing elaborate finite-time extrapolations, that the spatial scaling of the correlator $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}$ is in excellent agreement with KPZ-type behavior and analyze the corresponding corrections.
We consider a “generalized Heisenberg model”, with a Hamiltonian given by ℋ︁(D) = –JΣij S(D)j, where the quantities Si are isotropically-interacting D-dimensional classical spins and the summation is restricted to nearest-neighbor pairs of sites <i,j>. Thus when D = 1, 2, and 3, this model reduces to the S = 1/2 Ising, plane rotator, and classical Heisenberg models which are useful for describing phase transitions in, respectively, liquid-gas systems, Bose fluids, and magnetic materials. Unfortunately this Hamiltonian is exactly soluble only in the limit D → ∞, in which case the solution corresponds to the spherical model of Berlin and Kac. For finite D, we must consider approximation procedures in order to obtain any useful information. In this paper we develop a diagrammatic representation, valid for arbitrary D, for successive terms in the high-temperature expansions of the free energy and the spin-spin correlation function—from which we can obtain series expansions for all the thermodynamic properties of the system.
The two-time spin-pair autocorrelation function $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{0},t)$ and the Fourier-space transform $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$ of the two-time spin-pair correlation function $\ensuremath{\sigma}({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{R}}}_{\mathrm{if}},t)$, are expressed in terms of the "friction function" occurring in the generalized Langevin equation for the spin operator ${s}_{i}^{\ensuremath{\sim}}$ and its Fourier-space transform ${S}_{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}}^{z}$, respectively. The friction function is determined in the form of a product of a Gaussian distribution function and a power series as a function of time ttt for the isotropic Heisenberg magnet and the XY\mathrm{XY}XY magnet of spin \textonehalf{} at infinite temperature. By truncating the power series to the exactly known term, satisfactory results are obtained for $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$ of the isotropic Heisenberg magnet of the linear chain and sc lattice. Satisfactory results for $\ensuremath{\sigma}({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{R}}}_{\mathrm{if}},t)$ are achieved by taking an inverse Fourier-space transform of the thus determined $I(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},t)$.