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Diagnosing equilibrium quantum phase transitions via out-of-time-order correlations and multiple quantum coherences

Robert J. Lewis-Swan, Sean R. Muleady, Ana María Rey

Published Jun 1, 2020• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We propose a new method to characterize equilibrium quantum phase transitions in terms of the spectrum of multiple quantum coherence (MQC) intensities, a special type of out-of-time-order correlation. Using the iconic Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick and transverse-field Ising models as illustrative examples, we show that an abrupt change in coherence and entanglement of the ground state across a quantum phase transition is clearly observable in the MQC spectrum. Furthermore, we develop a robust protocol to obtain the MQC intensities across the ground state phase diagram, which is accessible to a broad range of current experiments as it relies on standard quasi-adiabatic quenches without the requirement of time-reversing the dynamics.

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Detecting equilibrium and dynamical quantum phase transitions via out-of-time-ordered correlators

Markus Heyl, Frank Pollmann, Balázs Dóra

Out-of-time-ordered (OTO) correlators have developed into a central concept quantifying quantum information transport, information scrambling and quantum chaos. In this work we show that such OTO correlator can also be used to dynamically detect equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium phase transitions. We study OTO correlators of an order parameter around quantum critical points both in equilibrium and after a quantum quench by focusing on variants of transverse field Ising models, including the integrable one as well as non-integrable and long-range extensions. We find that the asymptotic long-time value of the OTO correlator signals the equilibrium critical points and ordered phases, and can serve as a putative order parameter for a dynamical quantum phase transition. This also implies that the late time value of the OTO commutator of the order parameter reaches a sizable value in the disordered phase even in the presence of well defined quasiparticles, in much the same way as is expected in chaotic systems. We discuss how our findings can be observed in current experiments of trapped ions or Rydberg atoms.

•Jan 5, 2018•3 citations
We propose a new method to characterize equilibrium quantum phase transitions in terms of the spectrum of multiple quantum coherence (MQC) intensities, a special type of out-of-time-order correlation. Using the iconic Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick and transverse-field Ising models as illustrative examples, we show that an abrupt change in coherence and entanglement of the ground state across a quantum phase transition is clearly observable in the MQC spectrum. Furthermore, we develop a robust protocol to obtain the MQC intensities across the ground state phase diagram, which is accessible to a broad range of current experiments as it relies on standard quasi-adiabatic quenches without the requirement of time-reversing the dynamics.
We propose a new dynamical method to connect equilibrium quantum phase transitions and quantum coherence using out-of-time-order correlations (OTOCs). Adopting the iconic Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick and transverse-field Ising models as illustrative examples, we show that an abrupt change in coherence and entanglement of the ground state across a quantum phase transition is observable in the spectrum of multiple quantum coherence intensities, which are a special type of OTOC. We also develop a robust protocol to obtain the relevant OTOCs using quasi-adiabatic quenches through the ground state phase diagram. Our scheme allows for the detection of OTOCs without time reversal of coherent dynamics, making it applicable and important for a broad range of current experiments where time reversal cannot be achieved by inverting the sign of the underlying Hamiltonian.
Excited-state quantum phase transitions extend the quantum phase transition concept beyond the ground state and offer insights into the complex behavior of quantum systems. In the present work we assess the use of the multiple quantum coherence spectrum as a valid tool to probe excited-state quantum phase transitions within the framework of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model. The time dependence and the long-time average of the multiple quantum coherence spectrum reveal the intricate dynamics that stems from the existence of singularities in the excited-state spectrum of a quantum many-body system.
Out-of-time-ordered (OTO) correlators have developed into a central concept quantifying quantum information transport, information scrambling, and quantum chaos. In this Letter, we show that such an OTO correlator can also be used to dynamically detect equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium phase transitions in Ising chains. We study OTO correlators of an order parameter both in equilibrium and after a quantum quench for different variants of transverse-field Ising models in one dimension, including the integrable one as well as nonintegrable and long-range extensions. We find for all the studied models that the OTO correlator in ground states detects the quantum phase transition. After a quantum quench from a fully polarized state, we observe numerically for the short-range models that the asymptotic long-time value of the OTO correlator signals still the equilibrium critical points and ordered phases. For the long-range extension, the OTO correlator instead determines a dynamical quantum phase transition in the model. We discuss how our findings can be observed in current experiments of trapped ions or Rydberg atoms.
Understanding the interplay between quantum coherence and non-Hermitian features would enable the devising of quantum technologies based on dissipative systems. In turn, quantum coherence can be characterized in terms of the language of multiple quantum coherences (MQCs) originally developed in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), nowadays applied to the detection of quantum chaos and to the study of criticality in many-body quantum systems. Here, we show the usefulness of MQCs for probing equilibrium phase transitions in non-Hermitian systems. To do so, we investigate the connection of quantum coherences and critical points for several paradigmatic non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. For a non-Hermitian two-level system, MQCs witness the parity-symmetry-breaking phase transition from the unbroken to the broken phase. Furthermore, for the non-Hermitian transverse field Ising model, MQCs capture the Yang-Lee phase transition in which the ground state energy acquires a nonzero imaginary component. For the disordered Hatano-Nelson (HN) model with periodic boundary conditions, MQCs testify the emergence of mobility edges in the spectrum of this model. In addition, MQCs signal the topological phase transition exhibited by the complex energy spectra of the disorder-free HN model. Finally, we comment on experimentally probing phase transitions in NMR systems, realizing non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Our results have applications to non-Hermitian quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics, and in the study of the non-Hermitian skin effect.
Quantum many-body systems in equilibrium can be effectively characterized using the framework of quantum statistical mechanics. However, there still exist a lot of questions regarding how to understand the nonequilibrium dynamical behavior of quantum many-body systems, which are not accessible with the thermodynamic description. Experiments in quantum simulators are opening up a route toward the generation of quantum states beyond the equilibrium paradigm. As an example, in closed quantum many-body systems, dynamical quantum phase transitions act as phase transitions in time, with physical quantities becoming nonanalytic at a critical time, extending important principles such as universality to the nonequilibrium realm. Here, in a solid-state quantum simulator, we report the experimental detection of out-of-time-order correlators in the presence of nonequilibrium phase transitions with the transverse field Ising model, which are a central concept to quantify quantum information scrambling and quantum chaos. Through measuring the multiple quantum spectra, we eventually observe the buildup of quantum correlation. Further applications of this protocol could potentially enable studies of other exotic phenomena such as many-body localization and tests of the holographic duality between quantum and gravitational systems.
Out-of-time-ordered (OTO) correlators have developed into a central concept quantifying quantum information transport, information scrambling and quantum chaos. In this work we show that such OTO correlator can also be used to dynamically detect equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium phase transitions. We study OTO correlators of an order parameter around quantum critical points both in equilibrium and after a quantum quench by focusing on variants of transverse field Ising models, including the integrable one as well as non-integrable and long-range extensions. We find that the asymptotic long-time value of the OTO correlator signals the equilibrium critical points and ordered phases, and can serve as a putative order parameter for a dynamical quantum phase transition. This also implies that the late time value of the OTO commutator of the order parameter reaches a sizable value in the disordered phase even in the presence of well defined quasiparticles, in much the same way as is expected in chaotic systems. We discuss how our findings can be observed in current experiments of trapped ions or Rydberg atoms.