Dynamical quantum phase transitions in the dissipative Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model with proposed realization in optical cavity QED

We present an optical cavity QED configuration that is described by a dissipative version of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model of an infinitely coordinated spin system. This open quantum system exhibits both first- and second-order nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions as a single, effective field parameter is varied. Light emitted from the cavity offers measurable signatures of the critical behavior, including that of the spin-spin entanglement.     

Nonequilibrium quantum criticality in open electronic systems

A theory is presented of quantum criticality in open (coupled to reservoirs) itinerant-electron magnets, with nonequilibrium drive provided by current flow across the system. Both departures from equilibrium at conventional (equilibrium) quantum critical points and the physics of phase transitions induced by the nonequilibrium drive are treated. Nonequilibrium-induced phase transitions are found to have the same leading critical behavior as conventional thermal phase transitions.     

Conservative ensembles for nonequilibrium lattice-gas systems

We show how to set up a constant particle ensemble for the steady state of nonequilibrium lattice-gas systems which originally are defined on a constant rate ensemble. We focus on nonequilibrium systems in which particles are created and annihilated on the sites of a lattice and described by a master equation. We consider also the case in which a quantity other than the number of particle is conserved. The conservative ensembles can be useful in the study of phase transitions and critical phenomena particularly discontinuous phase transitions.     

Geometric phase contribution to quantum nonequilibrium many-body dynamics

We study the influence of geometry of quantum systems underlying space of states on its quantum many-body dynamics. We observe an interplay between dynamical and topological ingredients of quantum nonequilibrium dynamics revealed by the geometrical structure of the quantum space of states. As a primary example we use the anisotropic XY ring in a transverse magnetic field with an additional time-dependent flux. In particular, if the flux insertion is slow, nonadiabatic transitions in the dynamics are dominated by the dynamical phase. In the opposite limit geometric phase strongly affects transition probabilities. This interplay can lead to a nonequilibrium phase transition between these two regimes. We also analyze the effect of geometric phase on defect generation during crossing a quantum-critical point.     

A quantum walk in phase space with resonator-assisted double quantum dots

We implement a quantum walk in phase space with a new mechanism based on the superconducting resonator-assisted double quantum dots.By analyzing the hybrid system,we obtain the necessary factors implementing a quantum walk in phase space:the walker,coin,coin flipping and conditional phase shift.The coin flipping is implemented by adding a driving field to the resonator.The interaction between the quantum dots and resonator is used to implement conditional phase shift.Furthermore,we show that with different driving fields the quantum walk in phase space exhibits a ballistic behavior over 25 steps and numerically analyze the factors influencing the spreading of the walker in phase space.     

Observation of the ground-state geometric phase in a Heisenberg XY model

Geometric phases play a central role in a variety of quantum phenomena, especially in condensed matter physics. Recently, it was shown that this fundamental concept exhibits a connection to quantum phase transitions where the system undergoes a qualitative change in the ground state when a control parameter in its Hamiltonian is varied. Here we report the first experimental study using the geometric phase as a topological test of quantum transitions of the ground state in a Heisenberg XY spin model. Using NMR interferometry, we measure the geometric phase for different adiabatic circuits that do not pass through points of degeneracy.     

Replacing energy by von Neumann entropy in quantum phase transitions

We propose that quantum phase transitions are generally accompanied by non-analyticities of the von Neumann (entanglement) entropy. In particular, the entropy is non-analytic at the Anderson transition, where it exhibits unusual fractal scaling. We also examine two dissipative quantum systems of considerable interest to the study of decoherence and find that non-analyticities occur if and only if the system undergoes a quantum phase transition.     

Oscillations and fluctuations in a dissipative spin system

A dissipative spin system, which is also considered to be a model for optical fluorescence, is investigated from the viewpoint of Brownian motion of spins. The most probable path and the fluctuations are determined by the quantum mechanical version of the system size expansion method. For the most probable path, the flow lines as well as the time evolutions are obtained exactly. This system exhibits a sort of nonequilibrium phase transition as the strength of an external field exceeds the dissipation. The fluctuations show unusual behaviour associated with the Volterra-like oscillations above threshold.     

The upper bound function of nonadiabatic dynamics in parametric driving quantum systems

The adiabatic control is a powerful technique for many practical applications in quantum state engineering, light-driven chemical reactions and geometrical quantum computations. This paper reveals a speed limit of nonadiabatic transition in a general time-dependent parametric quantum system that leads to an upper bound function which lays down an optimal criteria for the adiabatic controls. The upper bound function of transition rate between instantaneous eigenstates of a time-dependent system is determined by the power fluctuations of the system relative to the minimum gap between the instantaneous levels. In a parametric Hilbert space, the driving power corresponds to the quantum work done by the parametric force multiplying the parametric velocity along the parametric driving path. The general two-state time-dependent models are investigated as examples to calculate the bound functions in some general driving schemes with one and two driving parameters. The calculations show that the upper bound function provides a tighter real-time estimation of nonadiabatic transition and is closely dependent on the driving frequencies and the energy gap of the system. The deviations of the real phase from Berry phase on different closed paths are induced by the nonadiabatic transitions and can be efficiently controlled by the upper bound functions. When the upper bound is adiabatically controlled, the Berry phases of the electronic spin exhibit nonlinear step-like behaviors and it is closely related to topological structures of the complicated parametric paths on Bloch sphere.     

Tuned transition from quantum to classical for macroscopic quantum states

The boundary between the classical and quantum worlds has been intensely studied. It remains fascinating to explore how far the quantum concept can reach with use of specially fabricated elements. Here we employ a tunable flux qubit with basis states having persistent currents of 1 μA carried by a million pairs of electrons. By tuning the tunnel barrier between these states we see a crossover from quantum to classical. Released from nonequilibrium, the system exhibits spontaneous coherent oscillations. For high barriers the lifetime of the states increases dramatically while the tunneling period approaches the phase coherence time and the oscillations fade away.     

Self-Similarity Breaking: Anomalous Nonequilibrium Finite-Size Scaling and Finite-Time Scaling

Symmetry breaking plays a pivotal role in modern physics.Although self-similarity is also a symmetry,and appears ubiquitously in nature,a fundamental question arises as to whether self-similarity breaking makes sense or not.Here,by identifying an important type of critical fluctuation,dubbed‘phases fluctuations’,and comparing the numerical results for those with self-similarity and those lacking self-similarity with respect to phases fluctuations,we show that self-similarity can indeed be broken,with significant consequences,at least in nonequilibrium situations.We find that the breaking of self-similarity results in new critical exponents,giving rise to a violation of the well-known finite-size scaling,or the less well-known finite-time scaling,and different leading exponents in either the ordered or the disordered phases of the paradigmatic Ising model on two-or three-dimensional finite lattices,when subject to the simplest nonequilibrium driving of linear heating or cooling through its critical point.This is in stark contrast to identical exponents and different amplitudes in usual critical phenomena.Our results demonstrate how surprising driven nonequilibrium critical phenomena can be.The application of this theory to other classical and quantum phase transitions is also anticipated.     

A characteristic critical quantity in nonequilibrium phase transitions

The bit-number variance, a generalization of specific heat, which was already introduced in earlier papers [7-10] is discussed, with respect to the critical behaviour in equilibrium-and nonequilibrium phase transitions. In the considered mean field examples it shows a uniform behaviour dependent on to which of two classes the system belongs. With it a new characteristic critical quantity is found appropriate for the comparison of different nonequilibrium phase transitions. New arguments are given with respect to the connection between critical correlations and the bit-number cumulants.     

Dynamic stimulation of quantum coherence in systems of lattice bosons

Thermal fluctuations tend to destroy long-range phase correlations. Consequently, bosons in a lattice will undergo a transition from a phase-coherent superfluid as the temperature rises. Contrary to common intuition, however, we show that nonequilibrium driving can be used to reverse this thermal decoherence. This is possible because the energy distribution at equilibrium is rarely optimal for the manifestation of a given quantum property. We demonstrate this in the Bose-Hubbard model by calculating the nonequilibrium spatial correlation function with periodic driving. We show that the nonequilibrium phase boundary between coherent and incoherent states at finite bath temperatures can be made qualitatively identical to the familiar zero-temperature phase diagram, and we discuss the experimental manifestation of this phenomenon in cold atoms.     

Yang-Lee theory for a nonequilibrium phase transition

To analyze phase transitions in a nonequilibrium system, we study its grand canonical partition function as a function of complex fugacity. Real and positive roots of the partition function mark phase transitions. This behavior, first found by Yang and Lee under general conditions for equilibrium systems, can also be applied to nonequilibrium phase transitions. We consider a one-dimensional diffusion model with periodic boundary conditions. Depending on the diffusion rates, we find real and positive roots and can distinguish two regions of analyticity, which can be identified with two different phases. In a region of the parameter space, both of these phases coexist. The condensation point can be computed with high accuracy.     

Ultrafast spin dynamics and critical behavior in half-metallic ferromagnet: Sr2FeMoO6

We propose a measurement setup for detecting quantum noise over a wide frequency range using inelastic transitions in a tunable two-level system as a detector. The frequency-resolving detector consists of a double quantum dot which is capacitively coupled to the leads of a nearby mesoscopic conductor. The inelastic current through the double quantum dot is calculated in response to equilibrium and nonequilibrium current fluctuations in the nearby conductor, including zero-point fluctuations at very low temperatures. As a specific example, the fluctuations across a quantum point contact are discussed.     

Stochastic synchronization in a spatially distributed system with 1/<Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis> power spectrum

A spatially distributed system of two nonlinear stochastic equations, which models 1/f fluctuations in the interaction of nonequilibrium phase transitions, is investigated numerically. It has been shown that, for a high intensity of white noise, noise-induced synchronization in the form of a nonequilibrium phase transition is observed in the system. The critical point of the noise-induced transition corresponds to the information entropy peak.     

Coupled phase transitions under periodic perturbation

The influence of periodic perturbation on the system of two nonlinear stochastic equations, which model low-frequency pulsations in crisis and transient modes of heat-and-mass transfer with phase transitions, has been investigated by numerical methods. When studying the influence of the periodic perturbation on the system, a researcher should largely take into account the phase diagram. It is shown that nonequilibrium phase transitions from asymmetric cycles of phase trajectories to centrally symmetric ones occur in the absence of noise. These transitions are accompanied by the stochastic resonance response, which enhances as the frequency of the external periodic force decreases.     

Phase transitions and relaxation characteristics of Quantum Magnets and Quantum Glasses

An overview is presented of the phase changes as well as certain relaxation characteristics of model quantum magnets, magnetic glasses and proton glasses. Although the systems considered are quite varied, they are connected by the common themes of tunneling, transverse Ising model, long-ranged interactions and above all, the occurrence of quantum phase transitions. Because the interactions are long-ranged, mean-field theory is eminently suitable for analyzing both the equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties. Wherever pertinent, detailed comparisons with experimental data have been presented.     

A non-linear stochastic differential equation: Exact critical statics and dynamics

The nonlinear stochastic differential equation we present is a generalization of a class of equations describing various physical and chemical systems coupled to external sources of noise.The static behaviour of this system exhibits first and second order nonequilibrium transitions which are purely induced by the external noise. Exact analytical expressions for the time dependent solutions are found.