磁性量子相变

量子相变广泛存在于关联电子材料体系中,与非常规超导和奇异金属行为有着紧密的联系。近年来,人们对量子相变的认识正在不断深入,不同类型的量子相变相继被发现。揭示量子相变的普适分类,发展和完善量子相变理论,探索量子临界点附近的呈展量子态及其产生机理是当前量子相变研究的热点。文章简要介绍磁性量子相变的一些最新研究进展以及面临的挑战。     

Picturing quantum phase transitions

We discuss the quantum phase transitions (QPT) in N-spin chains from the point of view of collective observables. We show that the measurement space representation is a convenient tool for the analysis of phase transitions, allowing the determination of an appropriate set of macroscopic order parameters (for a given Hamiltonian). Quantum correlations in the vicinity of the critical points are analyzed both in the ground states and low temperature thermal states.     

Superconducting phase transitions in quantum dots

In NdN and SdS nanostructures, anomalous ground states with a non-integer average number of electrons in the quantum dots d occur. These states correspond to pair or single-electron superconductivity and are separated from states with a definite (integer) number of electrons by, as a rule, second-order phase transitions. The characteristic features of the pair and single-electron superconducting Josephson current in SdS are discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 9, 618–623 (10 November 1996)     

Self-duality in superconductor-insulator quantum phase transitions

It is argued that close to a Coulomb interacting quantum critical point the interaction between two vortices in a disordered superconducting thin film separated by a distance r changes from logarithmic in the mean-field region to 1/r in the region dominated by quantum critical fluctuations. This gives support to the charge-vortex duality picture of the observed reflection symmetry in the current-voltage characteristics on both sides of the transition.     

Effects of quantum entanglement in phase transitions

Starting with the canonical ensemble over the space of pure quantum states, we obtain an integral representation for the associated partition function. This is used to calculate the magnetisation of a system of N spin- particles. The results suggest the existence of a first order phase transition that occurs at zero temperature in the absence of spin-spin interactions.     

Theory of smeared quantum phase transitions

We present an analytical strong-disorder renormalization group theory of the quantum phase transition in the dissipative random transverse-field Ising chain. For Ohmic dissipation, we solve the renormalization flow equations analytically, yielding asymptotically exact results for the low-temperature properties of the system. We find that the interplay between quantum fluctuations and Ohmic dissipation destroys the quantum critical point by smearing. We also determine the phase diagram and the behavior of observables in the vicinity of the smeared quantum phase transition.     

Mechanical and dielectric dissipation related to phase transitions

Abstract

(1) First Order Phase Transition There always appear two dielectric loss and/or two mechanical dissipation peaks (P₂ and P₃ ) related to domain walls in many martensitic and ferroic materials. The P₂ near T_c (or M_s ) originates from first-order phase transition or phase-like transition and shows static hysteresis character, but in a certain frequency range (kHz) manifests relaxation behavior, with t—t ₀exp[? B/(T_c—T)]. The transient componant of P₂ is also reviewed.

(2) Glass Transition The peak P ₃ at kHz often appears near a freezing temperature Tf as in KDP, TGS and occasionally in Mn-Cu at Hz, with T = T ₀exp[U/(T- Tf)], a Vogel-Fulcher relation, showing a “Transition” type of glass-transition of domain wall. Whereas the glass-transition in C₆₀ crystal obeys the Arrhenius relation, exibiting “Kinetic” type of glass-transition.

(3) Flux Melting The peak just below T_c was measured for melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 +}δ superconductors in an applied magnetic field and various frequencies. The peak hight satisfies the power law Q ^?1 ∝ ω ^?n (1 < n < 2), being explained by the melting and viscous motion of flux.     

Percolation quantum phase transitions in diluted magnets

We show that the interplay of geometric criticality and quantum fluctuations leads to a novel universality class for the percolation quantum phase transition in diluted magnets. All critical exponents involving dynamical correlations are different from the classical percolation values, but in two dimensions they can nonetheless be determined exactly. We develop a complete scaling theory of this transition, and we relate it to recent experiments in La2Cu(1-p)(Zn,Mg)(p)O4. Our results are also relevant for disordered interacting boson systems.     

保真率与量子相变

量子相变是量子多体理论中的一个重要概念,保真度则是量子信息学的重要概念.文章简单介绍了一个量子系统的基态对系统参量的响应,即保真率,在量子相变中的行为.作为理解量子相变的一个新的视角,保真度方法的优势在于它是一个纯粹的几何学量,所以在研究相变过程中不需要考虑任何预设的序参量.文章用通俗的语言介绍了基态保真度、保真率、量子绝热维度以及它们的物理意义.为便于理解,文章以Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick模型与Kitaev蜂巢模型为例,对保真率在这两个模型中的性质做了简单介绍.     

Weak first-order superfluid-solid quantum phase transitions

We study superfluid-solid zero-temperature transitions in two-dimensional lattice boson-spin models using worm-algorithm Monte Carlo simulations. We observe that such transitions are typically first order with the exception of special high-symmetry points which require fine-tuning in the Hamiltonian parameter space. We present evidence that the superfluid-checkerboard solid and superfluid-valence-bond solid transitions at half-integer filling factor are extremely weak first-order transitions and in small systems can be confused with continuous or high-symmetry points.     

AC-field-induced quantum phase transitions in density of states

We investigate the joint effects of the intralead electron interaction and an externalalternating gate voltage on the time-averaged local density of states (DOSs) of a quantumdot coupled to two Luttinger-liquid leads in the Kondo regime. A rich dependence of theDOSs on the driving amplitude and intralead interaction is demonstrated. We show that thefeature is quite different for different interaction strengths in the presence of the acfield. It is shown that the photon-assisted transport processes cause an additionalsplitting of the Kondo peak or dip, which exhibits photon-assisted single-channel (1CK) ortwo-channel Kondo (2CK) physics behavior. The phase transition between photon-assisted 1CKand 2CK physics occurs when the interaction strength is moderately strong. The inelasticchannels associated with photon-assisted electron tunneling can dominate electrontransport for weak interaction when the ac amplitude is greater than the frequency by oneorder of magnitude. In the limit of strong interaction the DOSs scale as a power-lawbehavior which is strongly affected by the ac field.     

Disorder-induced rounding of certain quantum phase transitions

We study the influence of quenched disorder on quantum phase transitions in systems with overdamped dynamics. For Ising order-parameter symmetry disorder destroys the sharp phase transition by rounding because a static order parameter can develop on rare spatial regions. This leads to an exponential dependence of the order parameter on the coupling constant. At finite temperatures the static order on the rare regions is destroyed. This restores the phase transition and leads to a double-exponential relation between critical temperature and coupling strength. We discuss the behavior based on Lifshitz-tail arguments and illustrate the results by simulations of a model system.     

Microscopic description of nuclear quantum phase transitions

The relativistic mean-field framework, extended to include correlations related to restoration of broken symmetries and to fluctuations of the quadrupole deformation, is applied to a study of shape transitions in Nd isotopes. It is demonstrated that the microscopic self-consistent approach, based on global effective interactions, can describe not only general features of transitions between spherical and deformed nuclei, but also the singular properties of excitation spectra and transition rates at the critical point of quantum shape phase transition.     

Multipartite entanglement signature of quantum phase transitions

We derive a general relation between the nonanalyticities of the ground state energy and those of a subclass of the multipartite generalized global entanglement (GGE) measure defined by de Oliveira et al. [Phys. Rev. A 73, 010305(R) (2006)] for many-particle systems. We show that GGE signals both a critical point location and the order of a quantum phase transition (QPT). We also show that GGE allows us to study the relation between multipartite entanglement and QPTs, suggesting that multipartite but not bipartite entanglement is favored at the critical point. Finally, using GGE we were able, at a second-order QPT, to define a diverging entanglement length (EL) in terms of the usual correlation length. We exemplify this with the XY spin-1/2 chain and show that the EL is half the correlation length.     

Information-theoretic differential geometry of quantum phase transitions

The manifold of coupling constants parametrizing a quantum Hamiltonian is equipped with a natural Riemannian metric with an operational distinguishability content. We argue that the singularities of this metric are in correspondence with the quantum phase transitions featured by the corresponding system. This approach provides a universal conceptual framework to study quantum critical phenomena which is differential geometric and information theoretic at the same time.     

Excited state quantum phase transitions in many-body systems

Phenomena analogous to ground state quantum phase transitions have recently been noted to occur among states throughout the excitation spectra of certain many-body models. These excited state phase transitions are manifested as simultaneous singularities in the eigenvalue spectrum (including the gap or level density), order parameters, and wave function properties. In this article, the characteristics of excited state quantum phase transitions are investigated. The finite-size scaling behavior is determined at the mean-field level. It is found that excited state quantum phase transitions are universal to two-level bosonic and fermionic models with pairing interactions.     

Two-point versus multipartite entanglement in quantum phase transitions

We analyze correlations between subsystems for an extended Hubbard model exactly solvable in one dimension, which exhibits a rich structure of quantum phase transitions (QPTs). The T = 0 phase diagram is exactly reproduced by studying singularities of single-site entanglement. It is shown how comparison of the latter quantity and quantum mutual information allows one to recognize whether two-point or shared quantum correlations are responsible for each of the occurring QPTs. The method works in principle for any number D of degrees of freedom per site. As a by-product, we are providing a benchmark for direct measures of bipartite entanglement; in particular, here we discuss the role of negativity at the transition.     

Fluctuation-driven quantum phase transitions in clean itinerant ferromagnets

The quantum phase transition in clean itinerant ferromagnets is analyzed. It is shown that soft particle-hole modes invalidate Hertz's mean-field theory for d< or =3. A renormalized mean-field theory predicts a fluctuation-induced first order transition for 1相似文献   

Nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions in the Dicke model

We establish a set of nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions in the Dicke model by considering a monochromatic nonadiabatic modulation of the atom-field coupling. For weak driving the system exhibits a set of sidebands which allow the circumvention of the no-go theorem which otherwise forbids the occurrence of superradiant phase transitions. At strong driving we show that the system exhibits a rich multistable structure and exhibits both first- and second-order nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions.     

Kitaev模型与拓扑量子相变

文章通过在一种准一维路径上引入自旋算符的约当-维格纳（Jordan—Wigner）变换，证明了Kitaev自旋模型完全等价于一个不含任何非物理自由度的自由Majorana费米子模型。通过对偶变换，进一步证明了这个系统中存在的量子相变可用非定域的拓扑序参量来描述；并且，这些非定域的拓扑序参量在对偶空间变成为定域的朗道类型的序参量。文章作者的工作揭示了传统的量子相变和拓扑量子相变的内在关系，扩展了朗道二级相变理论的适用范围。