Non-Gaussian distribution of collective operators in quantum spin chains
Maria Moreno-CardonerCentre for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKJacob ShersonDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Ny Munkegade 120, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, DenmarkGabriele De ChiaraCentre for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
2016en
ABI
Abstract
We numerically analyse the behavior of the full distribution of collective observables in quantum spin chains. While most of previous studies of quantum critical phenomena are limited to the first moments, here we demonstrate how quantum fluctuations at criticality lead to highly non-Gaussian distributions. Interestingly, we show that the distributions for different system sizes collapse on the same curve after scaling for a wide range of transitions: first and second order quantum transitions and transitions of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless type. We propose and analyse the feasibility of an experimental reconstruction of the distribution using light-matter interfaces for atoms in optical lattices or in optical resonators.
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