Spectral analysis of the adjoint propagator in a suitable Hilbert space (and Lie algebra) of quantum observables in Heisenberg picture is discussed as an alternative approach to characterize infinite temperature dynamics of non-linear quantum many-body systems or quantum fields, and to provide a bridge between ergodic properties of such systems and the results of classical ergodic theory. We begin by reviewing some recent analytic and numerical results along this lines. In some cases the Heisenberg dynamics inside the subalgebra of the relevant quantum observables can be mapped explicitly into the (conceptually much simpler) Schrödinger dynamics of a single one-(or few)-dimensional quantum particle. The main body of the paper is concerned with an application of the proposed method in order to work out explicitly the general spectral measures and the time correlation functions in a quantum Ising spin 1/2 chain in a periodically kicking transversal magnetic field, including the results for the simpler autonomous case of a static magnetic field in the appropriate limit. The main result, being a consequence of a purely continuous non-trivial part of the spectrum, is that the general time-correlation functions decay to their saturation values as t-3/2.
Spectral analysis of the adjoint propagator in a suitable Hilbert space (and Lie algebra) of quantum observables in Heisenberg picture is discussed as an alternative approach to characterize infinite temperature dynamics of non-linear quantum many-body systems or quantum fields, and to provide a bridge between ergodic properties of such systems and the results of classical ergodic theory. We begin by reviewing some recent analytic and numerical results along this lines. In some cases the Heisenberg dynamics inside the subalgebra of the relevant quantum observables can be mapped explicitly into the (conceptually much simpler) Schrödinger dynamics of a single one-(or few)-dimensional quantum particle. The main body of the paper is concerned with an application of the proposed method in order to work out explicitly the general spectral measures and the time correlation functions in a quantum Ising spin 1/2 chain in a periodically kicking transversal magnetic field, including the results for the simpler autonomous case of a static magnetic field in the appropriate limit. The main result, being a consequence of a purely continuous non-trivial part of the spectrum, is that the general time-correlation functions decay to their saturation values as t-3/2.
We study a generic but simple nonintegrable quantum many-body system of locally interacting particles, namely, a kicked-parameter (t,V) model of spinless fermions on a one-dimensional lattice (equivalent to a kicked Heisenberg XX-Z chain of 1/2 spins). The statistical properties of the dynamics (quantum ergodicity and quantum mixing) and the nature of quantum transport in the thermodynamic limit are considered as the kick parameters (which control the degree of nonintegrability) are varied. We find and demonstrate ballistic transport and nonergodic, nonmixing dynamics (implying infinite conductivity at all temperatures) in the integrable regime of zero or very small kick parameters, and more generally and importantly, also in the nonintegrable regime of intermediate values of kicked parameters, whereas only for sufficiently large kick parameters do we recover quantum ergodicity and mixing implying normal (diffusive) transport. We propose an order parameter (charge stiffness D) which controls the phase transition from nonmixing and nonergodic dynamics (ordered phase, D>0) to mixing and ergodic dynamics (disordered phase, D=0) in the thermodynamic limit. Furthermore, we find exponential decay of time correlation functions in the regime of mixing dynamics. The results are obtained consistently within three different numerical and analytical approaches: (i) time evolution of a finite system and direct computation of time correlation functions, (ii) full diagonalization of finite systems and statistical analysis of stationary data, and (iii) algebraic construction of quantum invariants of motion of an infinite system, in particular the time-averaged observables.
Using an efficient one and two qubit gate simulator operating on graphical processing units, we investigate ergodic properties of a quantum Ising spin model on a two-dimensional lattice, which is periodically driven by a δ -pulsed transverse magnetic field. We consider three different dynamical properties: (i) level density, (ii) level spacing distribution of the Floquet quasienergy spectrum, and (iii) time-averaged autocorrelation function of magnetization components. Varying the parameters of the model, we found transitions between ordered (non-ergodic) and quantum chaotic (ergodic) phases, but the transitions between flat and non-flat spectral density do not correspond to transitions between ergodic and non-ergodic local observables. Even more surprisingly, we found good agreement of level spacing distribution with the Wigner surmise of random matrix theory for almost all values of parameters except where the model is essentially non-interacting, even in regions where local observables are not ergodic or where spectral density is non-flat. These findings question the versatility of the interpretation of level spacing distribution in many-body systems and stress the importance of the concept of locality.
A general relation is derived, which expresses the fidelity of quantum dynamics, measuring the stability of time evolution to small static variation in the Hamiltonian, in terms of ergodicity of an observable generating the perturbation as defined by its time correlation function. Fidelity for ergodic dynamics is predicted to decay exponentially on time scale proportional to delta(-2), delta approximately strength of perturbation, whereas faster, typically Gaussian decay on shorter time scale proportional delta(-1) is predicted for integrable, or generally nonergodic dynamics. This result needs the perturbation delta to be sufficiently small such that the fidelity decay time scale is larger than any (quantum) relaxation time, e.g., mixing time for mixing dynamics, or averaging time for nonergodic dynamics (or Ehrenfest time for wave packets in systems with chaotic classical limit). Our surprising predictions are demonstrated in a quantum Ising spin-(1/2) chain periodically kicked with a tilted magnetic field where we find finite parameter-space regions of nonergodic and nonintegrable motion in the thermodynamic limit.
A key goal of quantum chaos is to establish a relationship between widely observed universal spectral fluctuations of clean quantum systems and random matrix theory (RMT).Most prominent features of such RMT behavior with respect to a random spectrum, both encompassed in spectral pair correlation function, are statistical suppression of small level spacings (correlation hole) and enhanced stiffness of the spectrum at large spectral ranges.For single particle systems with fully chaotic classical counterparts, the problem has been partly solved by Berry [Proc.R. Soc.London, A400, 229 (1985)] within the so-called diagonal approximation of semiclassical periodic-orbit sums, while the derivation of the full RMT spectral form factor K(t) (Fourier transform of spectral pair correlation function), from semiclassics has been completed by Müller et al. [Phys.Rev. Lett.93, 014103 (2004)].In recent years, the questions of long-time dynamics at high energies, for which the full many-body energy spectrum becomes relevant, are coming at the forefront even for simple many-body quantum systems, such as locally interacting spin chains.Such systems display two universal types of behaviour which are termed as the 'many-body localized phase' and 'ergodic phase'.In the ergodic phase, the spectral fluctuations are excellently described by RMT, even for very simple interactions and in the absence of any external source of disorder.Here we provide a clear theoretical explanation for these observations.We compute K(t) in the leading two orders in t and show its agreement with RMT for non-integrable, time-reversal invariant many-body systems without classical counterparts, a generic example of which are Ising spin 1/2 models in a periodically kicking transverse field.In particular, we relate K(t) to partition functions of a class of twisted classical Ising models on a ring of size t, hence the leading order RMT behavior K(t)2t is a consequence of translation and reflection symmetry of the Ising partition function.