Quantum spin chains with multiple dynamics

Xiao Chen, Eduardo Fradkin, William Witczak-Krempa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Many-body systems with multiple emergent time scales arise in various contexts, including classical critical systems, correlated quantum materials, and ultracold atoms. We investigate such nontrivial quantum dynamics in a different setting: a spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic chain. It has a solvable entangled ground state, but a gapless excitation spectrum that is poorly understood. By using large-scale density matrix renormalization group simulations, we find that the lowest excitations have a dynamical exponent z that varies from 2 to 3.2 as we vary a coupling in the Hamiltonian. We find an additional gapless mode with a continuously varying exponent 2≤z<2.7, which establishes the presence of multiple dynamics. In order to explain these striking properties, we construct a continuum wave function for the ground state, which correctly describes the correlations and entanglement properties. We also give a continuum parent Hamiltonian, but show that additional ingredients are needed to capture the excitations of the chain. By using an exact mapping to the nonequilibrium dynamics of a classical spin chain, we find that the large dynamical exponent is due to subdiffusive spin motion. Finally, we discuss the connections to other spin chains and to a family of quantum critical models in two dimensions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number180402
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume96
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 6 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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