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arXiv · 2205.03443

Theory of dynamical phase transitions in quantum systems with symmetry-breaking eigenstates

Ángel L. Corps·Armando Relaño
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Abstract

We present a theory for the two kinds of dynamical quantum phase transitions, termed DPT-I and DPT-II, based on a minimal set of symmetry assumptions. In the special case of collective systems with infinite-range interactions, both are triggered by excited-state quantum phase transitions. For quenches below the critical energy, the existence of an additional conserved charge, identifying the corresponding phase, allows for a nonzero value of the dynamical order parameter characterizing DPTs-I, and precludes the main mechanism giving rise to nonanalyticities in the return probability, trademark of DPTs-II. We propose a statistical ensemble describing the long-time averages of order parameters in DPTs-I, and provide a theoretical proof for the incompatibility of the main mechanism for DPTs-II with the presence of this additional conserved charge. Our results are numerically illustrated in the fully-connected transverse-field Ising model, which exhibits both kinds of dynamical phase transitions. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our theory to systems with finite-range interactions, where the phenomenology of excited-state quantum phase transitions is absent. We illustrate our findings by means of numerical calculations with experimentally relevant initial states.

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Ángel L. Corps, Armando Relaño. 2022-05-06. Theory of dynamical phase transitions in quantum systems with symmetry-breaking eigenstates. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.130.100402

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