Slow quenches in a quantum Ising chain; dynamical phase transitions and topology

Abstract

We study the slow quenching dynamics (characterized by an inverse rate, $τ^{-1}$) of a one-dimensional transverse Ising chain with nearest neighbor ferromagentic interactions across the quantum critical point (QCP) and analyze the Loschmidt overlap {measured using the subsequent temporal evolution of the final wave function (reached at the end of the quenching) with the final time-independent Hamiltonian}. Studying the Fisher zeros of the corresponding generalized "partition function", we probe non-analyticities manifested in the rate function of the return probability known as dynamical phase transitions (DPTs). In contrast to the sudden quenching case, we show that DPTs survive {in the subsequent temporal evolution following the quenching across two critical points of the model for a sufficiently slow rate; furthermore, an interesting "lobe" structure of Fisher zeros emerge.} We have also made a connection to topological aspects studying the dynamical topological order parameter ($ν_D(t)$), as a function of time ($t$) {measured from the instant when the quenching is complete. Remarkably, the time evolution of $ν_D(t)$ exhibits drastically different behavior following quenches across a single QCP and two QCPs. } {In the former case, $ν_D (t)$ increases step-wise by unity at every DPT (i.e., $Δν_D =1$). In the latter case, on the other hand, $ν_D(t)$ essentially oscillates between 0 and 1 (i.e., successive DPTs occur with $Δν_D =1$ and $Δν_D =-1$, respectively), except for instants where it shows a sudden jump by a factor of unity when two successive DPTs carry a topological charge of same sign.

10 pages, 8 figures