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Quantum phase transitions in systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom

Michal Kloc

Published Sep 18, 2018• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

In the thesis we investigate and classify critical phenomena in the extended Dicke model (EDM) which describes the interaction between two-level atoms and a single-mode bosonic field (schematic model for cavity quantum electrodynamics). The model belongs to the class of so-called finite models, which keep the number of degrees of freedom f constant independently on the size of the system N . The important property of these systems is that the thermodynamic limit N → ∞ coincides with the classical limit ħ → 0. This allows us to study various quantum critical phenomena, in particular the ground-state quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and the excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs), by means of semiclassical methods. Using the semiclassical approach we identify and classify the QPTs and ESQPTs in various settings of the EDM and make a link to thermal phase transitions. We study the entanglement properties of both the ground state and the excited states as a function of the atom-field interaction strength. In the integrable version of the EDM we make a link between the ESQPT and monodromy, and discuss its effect on classical dynamics. The fate of monodromy under a non-integrable perturbation is observed. The dynamical consequences of the ESQPTs are examined using quantum quenches. The influence of the...

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In the thesis we investigate and classify critical phenomena in the extended Dicke model (EDM) which describes the interaction between two-level atoms and a single-mode bosonic field (schematic model for cavity quantum electrodynamics). The model belongs to the class of so-called finite models, which keep the number of degrees of freedom f constant independently on the size of the system N . The important property of these systems is that the thermodynamic limit N → ∞ coincides with the classical limit ħ → 0. This allows us to study various quantum critical phenomena, in particular the ground-state quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and the excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs), by means of semiclassical methods. Using the semiclassical approach we identify and classify the QPTs and ESQPTs in various settings of the EDM and make a link to thermal phase transitions. We study the entanglement properties of both the ground state and the excited states as a function of the atom-field interaction strength. In the integrable version of the EDM we make a link between the ESQPT and monodromy, and discuss its effect on classical dynamics. The fate of monodromy under a non-integrable perturbation is observed. The dynamical consequences of the ESQPTs are examined using quantum quenches. The influence of the...
We study the nonintegrable Dicke model and its integrable approximation, the Tavis-Cummings model, as functions of both the coupling constant and the excitation energy. Excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPT) are found analyzing the density of states in the semiclassical limit and comparing it with numerical results for the quantum case in large Hilbert spaces, taking advantage of efficient methods recently developed. Two different ESQPTs are identified in both models, which are signaled as singularities in the semiclassical density of states; one static ESQPT occurs for any coupling, whereas a dynamic ESQPT is observed only in the superradiant phase. The role of the unstable fixed points of the Hamiltonian semiclassical flux in the occurrence of the ESQPTs is discussed and determined. Numerical evidence is provided that shows that the semiclassical results describe very well the tendency of the quantum energy spectrum for any coupling in both models. Therefore, the semiclassical density of states can be used to study the statistical properties of the fluctuation in the spectra, a study that is presented in a companion paper.
Singularities in quantum spectra - ground state and excited-state quantum phase transitions - are often connected with singularities in the classical limit of the system and have influence on other properties, such as quantum entanglement, as well. In the first part of the thesis we study quantum phase transitions within the U(2)-based Lipkin model. The relation between quasistationary points of the classical potential and the respective singularities in the spectrum is shown. In the second part, a system of two-level atoms interacting with electromagnetic field in an optical cavity is studied within two simplified models (non-integrable Dicke model and its integrable approximation known as Jaynes-Cummings model). The behaviour of quantum entanglement in these models is shown with a focus on the vicinity of the singular points. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Abstract The thermodynamical properties of a generalized Dicke model are calculated and related with the critical properties of its energy spectrum, namely the quantum phase transitions (QPT) and excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPT). The thermal properties are calculated both in the canonical and the microcanonical ensembles. The latter deduction allows for an explicit description of the relation between thermal and energy spectrum properties. While in an isolated system the subspaces with different pseudospin are disconnected, and the whole energy spectrum is accessible, in the statistical ensemble the situation is radically different. The multiplicity of the lowest energy states for each pseudospin completely dominates the thermal behavior, making the set of degenerate states with the smallest pseudospin at a given energy the only ones playing a role in the thermal properties. As a result, the states in the region with positive thermal energy cannot be thermally populated because their negligible probability, making that energy region thermally unreachable at finite temperatures. The quantum phase transitions of the lowest energy states, from a normal to a superradiant phase, produce the thermal transition. The other critical phenomena, the ESQPTs occurring at excited energies, have no manifestation in the thermodynamics, although their effects could be seen in finite size corrections. A new superradiant phase is found, which only exists in the generalized model, and can be relevant in finite size systems.
Phase transitions are fundamental phenomena in physics, characterized by abrupt changes in the properties of a system. While classical phase transitions occur due to thermal fluctuations, quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are driven by quantum fluctuations at zero temperature. In this work, we explore the presence of QPTs in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems using the Time-Dependent Variational Principle (TDVP), a semi-classical approach for analyzing complex quantum systems. Beginning with the Rabi model, where a single qubit interacts with a single-mode cavity field, we examine the influence of counter-rotating terms on the system's ground state properties. Subsequently, we extend our analysis to the Jaynes-Cummings model, where rotating-wave approximation applies, and finally, to the Dicke model, which considers the collective interaction of multiple qubits with a bosonic mode. For each model, we derive analytical expressions for the ground state properties and identify critical coupling strengths indicative of phase transitions. Our findings reveal second-order quantum phase transitions, including superradiant phases with distinct ground state behaviors, emphasizing the utility of TDVP in understanding QPTs across a variety of systems.
The critical value of the atom-field coupling strength in the Dicke model, for a finite number of atoms interacting with photons in a cavity, is determined by means of semiclassical (via coherent states and symmetry-adapted states) and exact solutions. These procedures allow in turn for the determination of the phase transitions in the model, and coincide in the thermodynamic limit. For the three cases mentioned above, a universal parametric curve is obtained for the expectation values of the first quadrature of the electromagnetic field, as a function of the atomic relative population, valid for all values of the atom-field coupling parameter, and valid for the ground-and first-excited states.