Quantum phase transitions (QPT) and excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPT) in algebraic models are briefly discussed, in particular those occurring in the U(3) model of bending vibrations of molecules. Experimental evidence in the water molecule, H 2 O, is presented.
Abstract We review the effects of excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) in interacting many-body systems with finite numbers of collective degrees of freedom. We classify typical ESQPT signatures in the spectra of energy eigenstates with respect to the underlying classical dynamics and outline a variety of quantum systems in which they occur. We describe thermodynamic and dynamic consequences of ESQPTs, like those in microcanonical thermodynamics, quantum quench dynamics, and in the response to nearly adiabatic or periodic driving. We hint at some generalizations of the ESQPT concept in periodic lattices and in resonant tunneling systems.
Background: Composed systems have become of great interest in the framework of ground-state quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and many of their properties have been studied in detail. However, in these systems, the study of the so-called excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) has not received so much attention.Purpose: A quantum analysis of the ESQPTs in the two-fluid Lipkin model is presented in this work. The study is performed through the Hamiltonian diagonalization for selected values of the control parameters in order to cover the most interesting regions of the system phase diagram.Method: A Hamiltonian that resembles the consistent-Q Hamiltonian of the interacting boson model (IBM) is diagonalized for selected values of the parameters. Properties such as the density of states, the Peres lattices, the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution, and the participation ratio are analyzed.Results: An overview of the spectrum of the two-fluid Lipkin model for selected positions in the phase diagram has been obtained. The location of the excited-state quantum phase transition can be easily singled out with the Peres lattice, with the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution, with Poincar\'e sections, or with the participation ratio.Conclusions: This study completes the analysis of QPTs for the two-fluid Lipkin model, extending the previous study to excited states. The ESQPT signatures in composed systems behave in the same way as in single ones, although the evidences of their presence can be sometimes blurred. The Peres lattice turns out to be a convenient tool to look into the position of the ESQPT and to define the concept of phase in the excited states realm.