arXiv subjects

Andrea Pizzi

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Pizzi.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Bridging the gap between classical and quantum many-body information dynamics

The fundamental question of how information spreads in closed quantum many-body systems is often addressed through the lens of the bipartite entanglement entropy, a quantity that describes correlations in a comprehensive (nonlocal) way. Among the most striking features of the entanglement entropy are its unbounded linear growth in the thermodynamic limit, its asymptotic extensivity in finite-size systems, and the possibility of measurement-induced phase transitions, all of which have no obvious classical counterpart. Here, we show how these key qualitative features emerge naturally also in classical information spreading, as long as one treats the classical many-body problem on par with the quantum one, that is, by explicitly accounting for the exponentially large classical probability distribution. Our analysis is supported by extensive numerics on prototypical cellular automata and Hamiltonian systems, for which we focus on the classical mutual information and also introduce a `classical entanglement entropy'. Our study sheds light on the nature of information spreading in classical and quantum systems, and opens new avenues for quantum-inspired classical approaches across physics, information theory, and statistics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

Classical approaches to prethermal discrete time crystals in one, two, and three dimensions

We provide a comprehensive account of prethermal discrete time crystals within classical Hamiltonian dynamics, complementing and extending our recent work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 140602 (2021)]. Considering power-law interacting spins on one-, two-, and three-dimensional hypercubic lattices, we investigate the interplay between dimensionality and interaction range in the stabilization of these non-equilibrium phases of matter that break the discrete time-translational symmetry of a periodic drive.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Classical Prethermal Phases of Matter

Systems subject to a high-frequency drive can spend an exponentially long time in a prethermal regime, in which novel phases of matter with no equilibrium counterpart can be realized. Due to the notorious computational challenges of quantum many-body systems, numerical investigations in this direction have remained limited to one spatial dimension, in which long-range interactions have been proven a necessity. Here, we show that prethermal non-equilibrium phases of matter are not restricted to the quantum domain. Studying the Hamiltonian dynamics of a large three-dimensional lattice of classical spins, we provide the first numerical proof of prethermal phases of matter in a system with short-range interactions. Concretely, we find higher-order as well as fractional discrete time crystals breaking the time-translational symmetry of the drive with unexpectedly large integer as well as fractional periods. Our work paves the way towards the exploration of novel prethermal phenomena by means of classical Hamiltonian dynamics with virtually no limitations on the system's geometry or size, and thus with direct implications for experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Higher-order and fractional discrete time crystals in clean long-range interacting systems

Discrete time crystals are periodically driven systems characterized by a response with periodicity $nT$, with $T$ the period of the drive and $n>1$. Typically, $n$ is an integer and bounded from above by the dimension of the local (or single particle) Hilbert space, the most prominent example being spin-$1/2$ systems with $n$ restricted to $2$. Here we show that a clean spin-$1/2$ system in the presence of long-range interactions and transverse field can sustain a huge variety of different `higher-order' discrete time crystals with integer and, surprisingly, even fractional $n > 2$. We characterize these (arguably prethermal) non-equilibrium phases of matter thoroughly using a combination of exact diagonalization, semiclassical methods, and spin-wave approximations, which enable us to establish their stability in the presence of competing long- and short-range interactions. Remarkably, these phases emerge in a model with continous driving and time-independent interactions, convenient for experimental implementations with ultracold atoms or trapped ions.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2021

Seasonal epidemic spreading on small-world networks: Biennial outbreaks and classical discrete time crystals

We study seasonal epidemic spreading in a susceptible-infected-removed-susceptible (SIRS) model on smallworld graphs. We derive a mean-field description that accurately captures the salient features of the model, most notably a phase transition between annual and biennial outbreaks. A numerical scaling analysis exhibits a diverging autocorrelation time in the thermodynamic limit, which confirms the presence of a classical discrete time crystalline phase. We derive the phase diagram of the model both from mean-field theory and from numerics. Our work offers new perspectives by demonstrating that small-worldness and non-Markovianity can stabilize a classical discrete time crystal, and by linking recent efforts to understand such dynamical phases of matter to the century-old problem of biennial epidemics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

Bistability and time crystals in long-ranged directed percolation

Stochastic processes govern the time evolution of a huge variety of realistic systems throughout the sciences. A minimal description of noisy many-particle systems within a Markovian picture and with a notion of spatial dimension is given by probabilistic cellular automata, which typically feature time-independent and short-ranged update rules. Here, we propose a simple cellular automaton with power-law interactions that gives rise to a bistable phase of long-ranged directed percolation whose long-time behaviour is not only dictated by the system dynamics, but also by the initial conditions. In the presence of a periodic modulation of the update rules, we find that the system responds with a period larger than that of the modulation for an exponentially (in system size) long time. This breaking of discrete time translation symmetry of the underlying dynamics is enabled by a self-correcting mechanism of the long-ranged interactions which compensates noise-induced imperfections. Our work thus provides a firm example of a classical discrete time crystal phase of matter and paves the way for the study of novel non-equilibrium phases in the unexplored field of `Floquet probabilistic cellular automata'.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

To heat or not to heat: time crystallinity and finite-size effects in clean Floquet systems

A cornerstone assumption that most literature on discrete time crystals has relied on is that homogeneous Floquet systems generally heat to a featureless infinite temperature state, an expectation that motivated researchers in the field to mostly focus on many-body localized systems. Some works have however shown that the standard diagnostics for time crystallinity apply equally well to clean settings without disorder. This fact raises the question whether an homogeneous discrete time crystal is possible in which the originally expected heating is evaded. Studying both a localized and an homogeneous model with short-range interactions, we clarify this issue showing explicitly the key differences between the two cases. On the one hand, our careful scaling analysis confirms that, in the thermodynamic limit and in contrast to localized discrete time crystals, homogeneous systems indeed heat. On the other hand, we show that, thanks to a mechanism reminiscent of quantum scars, finite-size homogeneous systems can still exhibit very crisp signatures of time crystallinity. A subharmonic response can in fact persist over timescales that are much larger than those set by the integrability-breaking terms, with thermalization possibly occurring only at very large system sizes (e.g., of hundreds of spins). Beyond clarifying the emergence of heating in disorder-free systems, our work casts a spotlight on finite-size homogeneous systems as prime candidates for the experimental implementation of nontrivial out-of-equilibrium physics.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2019

Period-$n$ discrete time crystals and quasicrystals with ultracold bosons

We investigate the out-of-equilibrium properties of a system of interacting bosons in a ring lattice. We present a Floquet driving that induces clockwise (counterclockwise) circulation of the particles among the odd (even) sites of the ring which can be mapped to a fully connected model of clocks of two counter-rotating species. The clock-like motion of the particles is at the core of a period-$n$ discrete time crystal where $L=2n$ is the number of lattice sites. In presence of a "staircase-like" on-site potential, we report the emergence of a second characteristic timescale in addition to the period $n$-tupling. This new timescale depends on the microscopic parameters of the Hamiltonian and is incommensurate with the Floquet period, underpinning a dynamical phase we call 'time quasicrystal'. The rich dynamical phase diagram also features a thermal phase and an oscillatory phase, all of which we investigate and characterize. Our simple, yet rich model can be realized with state-of-the-art ultracold atoms experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Quench-induced dynamical phase transitions and $π$-synchronization in the Bose-Hubbard Model

We investigate the non-equilibrium behavior of a fully-connected (or all-to-all coupled) Bose-Hubbard model after a Mott to superfluid quench, in the limit of large boson densities and for an arbitrary number $V$ of lattice sites, with potential relevance in experiments ranging from cold atoms to superconducting qubits. By means of the truncated Wigner approximation, we predict that crossing a critical quench strength the system undergoes a dynamical phase transition between two regimes that are characterized at long times either by an inhomogeneous population of the lattice (i.e. macroscopical self-trapping) or by the tendency of the mean-field bosonic variables to split into two groups with phase difference $π$, that we refer to as $π$-synchronization. We show the latter process to be intimately connected to the presence, only for $V \ge 4$, of a manifold of infinitely many fixed points of the dynamical equations. Finally, we show that no fine-tuning of the model parameters is needed for the emergence of such $π$-synchronization, that is in fact found to vanish smoothly in presence of an increasing site-dependent disorder, in what we call a synchronization crossover.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗