Quantum Critical Scaling under Periodic Driving

Abstract Universality is key to the theory of phase transitions, stating that the equilibrium properties of observables near a phase transition can be classified according to few critical exponents. These exponents rule an universal scaling behaviour that witnesses the irrelevance of the model’s mic...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Salvatore Lorenzo, Jamir Marino, Francesco Plastina, G. Massimo Palma, Tony J. G. Apollaro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06025-1
Description
Summary:Abstract Universality is key to the theory of phase transitions, stating that the equilibrium properties of observables near a phase transition can be classified according to few critical exponents. These exponents rule an universal scaling behaviour that witnesses the irrelevance of the model’s microscopic details at criticality. Here we discuss the persistence of such a scaling in a one-dimensional quantum Ising model under sinusoidal modulation in time of its transverse magnetic field. We show that scaling of various quantities (concurrence, entanglement entropy, magnetic and fidelity susceptibility) endures up to a stroboscopic time τ bd , proportional to the size of the system. This behaviour is explained by noticing that the low-energy modes, responsible for the scaling properties, are resilient to the absorption of energy. Our results suggest that relevant features of the universality do hold also when the system is brought out-of-equilibrium by a periodic driving.
ISSN:2045-2322