The Kibble-Zurek (KZ) mechanism describes the scaling behavior when driving a system across a continuous symmetry-breaking transition. Previous studies have shown that the KZ-like scaling behavior also lies in the topological transitions in the Qi-Wu-Zhang model (2D) and the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model (1D), although symmetry breaking does not exist in these systems. Both models with linear band crossings yield $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\simeq}1$ and $z\ensuremath{\simeq}1$. A natural question is whether different critical exponents can emerge in topological transitions beyond the linear band crossings. In this paper, we look into the KZ behavior in a topological 2D checkerboard lattice with a quadratic band crossing. We investigate from dual perspectives: momentum distribution of the Berry curvature in clean systems for simplicity, and real-space analysis of domain-like local Chern marker configurations in disordered systems, which is a more intuitive analog to conventional KZ description. In equilibrium, we find the correlation length diverges at the transition with a power $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\simeq}1/2$. Then, by slowly quenching the system across the topological phase transition, we find that the freeze-out time
tf and the unfrozen length scale $\ensuremath{\xi}({t}_{\mathrm{f}})$ both satisfy the KZ scaling, verifying $z\ensuremath{\simeq}2$. We subsequently explore KZ behavior in topological phase transitions with other higher-order band crossings and find the relationship between the critical exponents and the order. Our results extend the understanding of the KZ mechanism and nonequilibrium topological phase transitions.
Even though no local order parameter in the sense of the Landau theory exists for topological quantum phase transitions in Chern insulators, the highly nonlocal Berry curvature exhibits critical behavior near a quantum critical point. We investigate the critical properties of its real space analog, the local Chern marker, in weakly disordered Chern insulators. Because of disorder, inhomogeneities appear in the spatial distribution of the local Chern marker. Their size exhibits power-law scaling with the critical exponent matching the one extracted from the Berry curvature of a clean system. We drive the system slowly through such a quantum phase transition. The characteristic size of inhomogeneities in the nonequilibrium postquench state obeys the Kibble-Zurek scaling. In this setting, the local Chern marker thus does behave in a similar way as a local order parameter for a symmetry breaking second order phase transition. The Kibble-Zurek scaling also holds for the inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of excitations and of the orbital polarization.
Abstract Disorders and long-range hoppings can induce exotic phenomena in condensed matter and artificial systems. We study the topological and dynamical properties of the quasiperiodic Su–Schrier–Heeger model with long-range hoppings. It is found that the interplay of quasiperiodic disorder and long-range hopping can induce topological Anderson insulator phases with non-zero winding numbers ω = 1 , 2 , and the phase boundaries can be consistently revealed by the divergence of zero-energy mode localization length. We also investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics by ramping the long-range hopping along two different paths. The critical exponents extracted from the dynamical behavior agree with the Kibble–Zurek mechanic prediction for the path with W = 0.90 . In particular, the dynamical exponent of the path crossing the multicritical point is numerical obtained as 1 / 6 ∼ 0.167 , which agrees with the unconventional finding in the previously studied XY spin model. Besides, we discuss the anomalous and non-universal scaling of the defect density dynamics of topological edge states in this disordered system under open boundary condictions.
The long-range Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, in which the second nearest-neighbor hopping is taken into account, exhibits a topological phase diagram that contains winding numbers
w=0,1, and 2. In the clean system, the change in winding number stems from the band-touching phenomenon. In the presence of disorder, the renormalization of energy band and Fermi level results in the nonzero density of states in the energy gap. These midgap states cause the crossover phenomenon and the divergence of localization length at a critical disorder strength
Uc in the finite SSH system. In this study, we numerically computed the mean winding number and localization length for the disordered SSH system. We find that the disorder is able to drive phase transitions between different mean winding numbers: $w=0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$, $0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2$, $1\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2$, and $2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$ in the weak disorder regime. By investigating the wave function distribution and the self-energy, the nonzero mean winding numbers correspond to the so-called topological Anderson insulating (TAI) phases. The finite size scaling for the mean winding number in the TAI phase is shown. For describing the phase transitions in the thermodynamic limit, we apply the criterion of band gap closure resulting from the broadening of energy band and Fermi level to determine the critical disorder strength. The critical disorder strength for self-consistent Born approximation (SCBA)
UcSCBA and that for first Born approximation (FBA)
UcFBA are numerically calculated.
UcSCBA is found to match with
Uc qualitatively. Nonetheless, SCBA indicates the different roles of band shifts and Fermi level broadening near the topological phase transitions. Band shift/Fermi level broadening is more dominant for the transitions from low-to-high/high-to-low winding number. Interestingly, for the transition from bulk insulator to TAI,
UcFBA is quantitatively closer to
Uc than
UcSCBA as long as the renormalized band gap is zero within FBA.
We study the critical properties of the topological Anderson phase transition in a strongly disordered Chern insulator, separating the topological phase from a trivial Anderson insulator. We show that the transition is characterized by a non-zero electrical conductance and by the emergence of a critical length scale in the real-space profile of the local Chern marker. From this, we extract the correlation-length and the dynamical critical exponents, which are consistent with those of non-interacting models of the integer quantum Hall effect. We then ramp the disorder strength across the transition and study the ensuing dynamics. In contrast to clean topological systems, we find that the excitation density does not follow the Kibble-Zurek scaling. The non-equilibrium length scale associated with the local Chern marker is decoupled from the generation of excitations. For studied system sizes, we find it to be close to the Kibble-Zurek prediction for the topological-to-trivial quench, while it deviates from it for the reverse direction.
Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) uses critical scaling to predict density of topological defects and other excitations created in second order phase transitions. We point out that simply inserting asymptotic critical exponents deduced from the immediate vicinity of the critical point to obtain KZM predictions can lead to results that are inconsistent with a more careful KZM-like analysis based on causality -- on the comparison of the relaxation time of the order parameter with the time "distance" from the critical point. As a result, scaling of quench-generated excitations with quench rates can exhibit behavior that is locally (i.e., in the neighborhood of any given quench rate) well approximated by the power law, but with exponents that depend on that rate, and that are quite different from the naive prediction based on the critical exponents relevant for asymptotically long quench times. Kosterlitz-Thouless scaling (that governs e.g. Mott insulator to superfluid transition in the Bose-Hubbard model in one dimension) is investigated as an example of this phenomenon.