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Chinese Physics B

Quantum Phase Transitions in Three-Level Dicke Model under Different Gauge Constructions with a Non-Hermitian Extension

Ni Liu, Xinyu Jia, J.-Q. Liang

Published Jul 21, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We study in this paper the quantum phase transition (QPT) from normal phase (NP) to superradiant phase (SP) for $N$ three-level atoms in a single-mode optical cavity for both Hermitian and non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, where the $\Xi$-type three-level atom is described by spin-1 pseudo-spin operators. The long standing gauge-choice ambiguity of $\mathbf{A} \cdot \mathbf{p}$ and $\mathbf{d} \cdot \mathbf{E}$ called respectively the Coulomb and dipole gauges is reconciled by the time-dependent gauge transformation on the Schrödinger equation. Both $\mathbf{A} \cdot \mathbf{p}$ and $\mathbf{d} \cdot \mathbf{E}$ interactions are included in the unified gauge, which is truly gauge equivalent to the minimum coupling principle. The Coulomb and dipole interactions are just the special cases of unified gauge. Remarkably three interactions lead to the same results under the resonant condition of field-atom frequencies, while significant difference appears in red and blue detunings. The QPT is analyzed in terms of spin-coherentstate variational method, which indicates the abrupt changes of energy spectrum, average photon number as well as the atomic population at the critical point of interaction constant. Crucially, we reveal the sensitive dependence on the initial optical-phase, which is particularly useful to test the validity of three gauges experimentally. The non-Hermitian atom-field interaction results in the exceptional point (EP), beyond which the semiclassical energy function becomes complex. However the energy spectrum of variational ground state is real in the absence of EP, and does not become complex. The superradiant state is unstable due to the non-Hermitian interaction induced photon-number loss. Thus only the NP exists in the nonHermitian Dicke Model Hamiltonian.

DOI
10.1088/1674-1056/ae8da7

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Abstract We study in this paper the quantum phase transition (QPT) from normal phase (NP) to superradiant phase (SP) for NNN three-level atoms in a single-mode optical cavity for both Hermitian and non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, where the Ξ\XiΞ-type three-level atom is described by spin-1 pseudo-spin operators. The long standing gauge-choice ambiguity of A⋅p\mathbf{A} \cdot \mathbf{p}A⋅p and d⋅E\mathbf{d} \cdot \mathbf{E}d⋅E called respectively the Coulomb and dipole gauges is reconciled by the time-dependent gauge transformation on the Schrödinger equation. Both A⋅p\mathbf{A} \cdot \mathbf{p}A⋅p and d⋅E\mathbf{d} \cdot \mathbf{E}d⋅E interactions are included in the unified gauge, which is truly gauge equivalent to the minimum coupling principle. The Coulomb and dipole interactions are just the special cases of unified gauge. Remarkably three interactions lead to the same results under the resonant condition of field-atom frequencies, while significant difference appears in red and blue detunings. The QPT is analyzed in terms of spin-coherentstate variational method, which indicates the abrupt changes of energy spectrum, average photon number as well as the atomic population at the critical point of interaction constant. Crucially, we reveal the sensitive dependence on the initial optical-phase, which is particularly useful to test the validity of three gauges experimentally. The non-Hermitian atom-field interaction results in the exceptional point (EP), beyond which the semiclassical energy function becomes complex. However the energy spectrum of variational ground state is real in the absence of EP, and does not become complex. The superradiant state is unstable due to the non-Hermitian interaction induced photon-number loss. Thus only the NP exists in the nonHermitian Dicke Model Hamiltonian.
Macroscopic quantum states, quantum phase transition for NNN three-level atoms in an optical cavity -- Gauge principle and non-Hermitian Hamiltonian
We study in this paper the quantum phase transition (QPT) from normal phase (NP) to superradiant phase (SP) for NNN three-level atoms in a single-mode optical cavity for both Hermitian and non Hermitian Hamiltonians, where the ΞΞΞ-type three-level atom is described by spin-111 pseudo-spin operators. The long standing gauge-choice ambiguity of A⋅p\mathbf{A\cdot p}A⋅p and d⋅E\mathbf{d\cdot E}d⋅E called respectively the Coulomb and dipole gauges is resolved by the time-dependent gauge transformation on the Schrödinger equation. Both A⋅p\mathbf{A\cdot p}A⋅p and d⋅E\mathbf{d\cdot E}d⋅E interactions are included in the unified gauge, which is truly gauge equivalent to the minimum coupling principle. The Coulomb and dipole interactions are just the special cases of unified gauge. Remarkably three interactions lead to the same results under the resonant condition of field-atom frequencies, while significant difference appears in red and blue detunings. The QPT is analyzed in terms of spin coherent-state variational method, which indicates the abrupt changes of energy spectrum, average photon number as well as the atomic population at the critical point of interaction constant. Crucially, we reveal the sensitive dependence on the initial optical-phase, which is particularly useful to test the validity of three gauges experimentally. The non-Hermitian atom-field interaction results in the exceptional point (EP), beyond which the semiclassical energy function becomes complex. However the energy spectrum of variational ground state is real in the absence of EP, and does not become complex. The superradiant state is unstable due to the non-Hermitian interaction induced photon-number loss. Thus only the NP exists in the non-Hermitian Dicke Model Hamiltonian.
Dicke model, as an important many-body model in quantum optics, describes the interaction between multiple identical two-level atoms and a quantized electromagnetic field. This spin-boson model shows collective phenomena in light-matter interaction systems and can undergo a second-order quantum phase transition from a normal phase to a superradiant phase when the coupling strength between the two-level atoms and the optical field exceeds a critical value. Dicke model embodies unique many-body quantum theories. And it has been widely studied and obtained many significant research results in quantum information, quantum process, and other quantum systems. Meanwhile, Dicke model also has wide applications in quantum optics and condensed matter physics. The extended Dicke model, describing the interaction of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity, provides a remarkable platform for studying extraordinary quantum phase transitions in theory and experiment. Based on the recent experiment on non-Hermitian coupling between two long-lived atomic spin waves in an optical cavity, in this work we use spin-coherent-state variational method and present the macroscopic quantum-state energy of the non-Hermitian Dicke model. The spin coherent state variational method has an advantage in the theoretical research of macroscopic quantum states, especially in the normal and the inverted pseudospin states. In the variational method, optical coherent states and atomic extremum spin coherent states are used as the trial wave functions. A Hermitian transformation operator is proposed to diagonalize the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, which is different from the ordinary quantum mechanics where the transformation operator must be unitary. Herein, the energy function is not necessarily real in the entire coupling region. Beyond an exceptional point, the spectrum becomes complex and introducing biorthogonal sets of atomic extremum states is necessary to evaluate the average quantities. The normal phase (for the zero average photon number) possesses real energy and atomic population. The non-Hermitian interaction destroys the superradiant phase (for the stable nonzero average photon number) and leads to the absence of quantum phase transition. However, the introduced atom-photon interaction, which is induced by the pump field experimentally, can change the situation, dramatically. The pump field can balance the loss by the non-Hermitian atom-photon interaction to achieve the superradiant phase. An interesting double exceptional point are observed in the energy functional. There is the real spectrum below the first exceptional point and beyond the second exceptional point, while there is a complex spectrum between these two exceptional points. The superradiant phase appears only beyond a critical value, which is related to the nonlinear interaction and the pump laser. A new and inverted quantum phase transition from the superradiant phase to the normal phase, is observed by modulating the atom-field coupling strength. The superradiant phase of the population inversion state appears for a negative effective frequency and a large atom-photon interaction. The influence of the dissipative coupling may be observed in cold atom experiment in an optical cavity. All the parameters adopted in this work are the actual experimental parameters.
We investigate in this paper the macroscopic quantum states of multiple atoms in an optical cavity with non-Hermitian coupling motivated by recent experiments. The tunable atom-photon nonlinear interaction is included to demonstrate the variety of quantum phases in the realistic realization of Dicke phase transition with cold atoms. The energies of macroscopic quantum states are obtained in terms of the spin-coherent-state variational method, in which the nonunitary operator of the similarity transformation is used to diagonalize the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, which is pseudo-Hermitian below the exceptional point (EP). The superradiant phase (SP) and related quantum phase transition (QPT) disappear completely for the non-Hermitian Dicke model (DM) because of imaginary coupling, which leads to instability of states with nonzero photons. The situation is dramatically changed by including the nonlinear atom-photon interaction generated by the pump field. It is found that the second EP emerges at a higher value of coupling. The spectrum is complex between the two EPs and real otherwise. Phase diagrams are obtained for red and blue cavity pump field detunings, showing explicitly the revival of the SP and QPT, respectively. However, the QPT from the SP to the normal phase with the increase of coupling is opposite to the transition in the normal DM. The critical property of the Berry phase indicates the first-order nature of the QPT, which again is different from the DM, where the QPT is known as the second order.
We in this paper study the macroscopic quantum states of a P T -symmetric Non-Hermitian Hamiltonian for N quantum-dots of two imaginary-levels in an optical cavity. The eigenstate energies are obtained in terms of spin-coherent-state variational method, in which P T -symmetric but non-unitary operator is used to diagonalize the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Biorthogonal sets of the trial wave functions necessarily appear as a consequence of non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. In the normal phase of zero photon-number average energies are imaginary called the P T -symmetry broken state, while the atomic population is real showing the unstable nature of the system. The energy of superradiant phase (SP) is real called unbroken symmetry state, however the atomic population is pure imaginary. The electrons in SP oscillate between upper and lower levels stimulated by the cavity field. The quantum phase transition from broken to unbroken symmetry states occurs at critical values of the atom-field coupling and nonlinear atom-photon interaction.
Dicke model describes a collective interaction between the two-level atoms and the light cavity and has been predicted to show a peculiar quantum phase transition, which is a second-order phase transition from a normal phase (in a weak-coupling strength) to a superradiant phase (in a strong-coupling strength). The model plays an important role in illustrating the quantum ground-state properties of many-body macroscopic quantum states. In the experiment, Dicke quantum phase transition in an open system could be formed by a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. This experiment on the Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in the optical cavity have opened new frontiers, which could combine the cold atoms with quantum optics and makes it possible to enter into the strongly coupled regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. In strong coupled regime, the atoms exchange the photons many times before spontaneous emission and cavity losses set in. It has become a hot research topic in recent years and plays an important role in many fields of modern physics, such as condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, etc. It can be applied to the manipulation of the geometric phase and entanglement in quantum information and computing. Quantum phase transition has been widely studied for the Dicke model as a typical example. Many different research methods about the mean-field approximation have been used to analyze the ground state properties of the Dicke model. In this paper, we study the ground state properties of two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a single-mode cavity. Meanwhile, the associated quantum phase transition is described by the spin-coherent-state variational method, whose advantage is that the ground state energy and wave function can be obtained without the thermodynamic limit. By taking the average in the boson coherent state, we obtain an equivalent effective pesudospin Hamiltonian, which will be diagonalized by using the spin coherent state. Finally, we can obtain the energy functional, which is the basics of the variation to obtain the numerical solution of photon number and the expression of the atomic number and the ground state energy. This paper presents a rich phase diagram, which can be manipulated by changing the atom-field coupling imbalance between two components and the atom-field frequency detuning. While in the single-mode Dicke model there exist only the normal phase and the superradiation phase. When the frequency of one component atom is zero or the frequency of the two component atoms are equal in optical cavity, the system returns to the standard Dicke model, in which there occurs the second-order phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase by adjusting the atom-field coupling. In conclusion, we discover that the stimulated radiation comes from the collective state of atomic population inversion, which does not exist in the single-mode Dicke model. Meanwhile, the new stimulated-radiation state S and S, which can only be produced by one component of the atom, are observed in the two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in the single-mode optical cavity. By adjusting the atom-field coupling imbalance and the atom-field frequency detuning (the blue or red detuning), the order of the superradiation state and the stimulated-radiation states can be exchanged between the two components of the atom.
Abstract In this article, we use the spin coherent state transformation and the ground state variational method to theoretically calculate the ground function. In order to consider the influence of the atom-atom interaction on the extended Dicke model’s ground state properties, the mean photon number, the scaled atomic population and the average ground energy are displayed. Using the self-consistent field theory to solve the atom-atom interaction, we discover the system undergoes a first-order quantum phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase, but a famous Dicke-type second-order quantum phase transition without the atom-atom interaction. Meanwhile, the atom-atom interaction makes the phase transition point shift to the lower atom-photon collective coupling strength.