Exact ground state for a class of matrix Hamiltonian models: quantum phase transition and universality in the thermodynamic limit

By using a recently proposed probabilistic approach, we determine the exact ground state of a class of matrix Hamiltonian models characterized by the fact that in the thermodynamic limit the multiplicities of the potential values assumed by the system during its evolution are distributed according to a multinomial probability density. The class includes i) the uniformly fully connected models, namely a collection of states all connected with equal hopping coefficients and in the presence of a potential operator with arbitrary levels and degeneracies, and ii) the random potential systems, in which the hopping operator is generic and arbitrary potential levels are assigned randomly to the states with arbitrary probabilities. For this class of models we find a universal thermodynamic limit characterized only by the levels of the potential, rescaled by the ground-state energy of the system for zero potential, and by the corresponding degeneracies (probabilities). If the degeneracy (probability) of the lowest potential level tends to zero, the ground state of the system undergoes a quantum phase transition between a normal phase and a frozen phase with zero hopping energy. In the frozen phase the ground state condensates into the subspace spanned by the states of the system associated with the lowest potential level.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figure

Continuous- and discrete-time Glauber dynamics. First- and second-order phase transitions in mean-field Potts models

As is known, at the Gibbs-Boltzmann equilibrium, the mean-field $q$-state Potts model with a ferromagnetic coupling has only a first order phase transition when $q\geq 3$, while there is no phase transition for an antiferromagnetic coupling. The same equilibrium is asymptotically reached when one considers the continuous time evolution according to a Glauber dynamics. In this paper we show that, when we consider instead the Potts model evolving according to a discrete-time dynamics, the Gibbs-Boltzmann equilibrium is reached only when the coupling is ferromagnetic while, when the coupling is anti-ferromagnetic, a period-2 orbit equilibrium is reached and a stable second-order phase transition in the Ising mean-field universality class sets in for each component of the orbit. We discuss the implications of this scenario in real-world problems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Ising spin glass models versus Ising models: an effective mapping at high temperature III. Rigorous formulation and detailed proof for general graphs

Recently, it has been shown that, when the dimension of a graph turns out to be infinite dimensional in a broad sense, the upper critical surface and the corresponding critical behavior of an arbitrary Ising spin glass model defined over such a graph, can be exactly mapped on the critical surface and behavior of a non random Ising model. A graph can be infinite dimensional in a strict sense, like the fully connected graph, or in a broad sense, as happens on a Bethe lattice and in many random graphs. In this paper, we firstly introduce our definition of dimensionality which is compared to the standard definition and readily applied to test the infinite dimensionality of a large class of graphs which, remarkably enough, includes even graphs where the tree-like approximation (or, in other words, the Bethe-Peierls approach), in general, may be wrong. Then, we derive a detailed proof of the mapping for all the graphs satisfying this condition. As a byproduct, the mapping provides immediately a very general Nishimori law.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, made statements in Sec. 10 cleare

Asymptotic lower bound for the gap of Hermitian matrices having ergodic ground states and infinitesimal off-diagonal elements

Given a $M\times M$ Hermitian matrix $\mathcal{H}$ with possibly degenerate eigenvalues $\mathcal{E}_1 < \mathcal{E}_2 < \mathcal{E}_3< \dots$, we provide, in the limit $M\to\infty$, a lower bound for the gap $\mu_2 = \mathcal{E}_2 - \mathcal{E}_1$ assuming that (i) the eigenvector (eigenvectors) associated to $\mathcal{E}_1$ is ergodic (are all ergodic) and (ii) the off-diagonal terms of $\mathcal{H}$ vanish for $M\to\infty$ more slowly than $M^{-2}$. Under these hypotheses, we find $\varliminf_{M\to\infty} \mu_2 \geq \varlimsup_{M\to\infty} \min_{n} \mathcal{H}_{n,n}$. This general result turns out to be important for upper bounding the relaxation time of linear master equations characterized by a matrix equal, or isospectral, to $\mathcal{H}$. As an application, we consider symmetric random walks with infinitesimal jump rates and show that the relaxation time is upper bounded by the configurations (or nodes) with minimal degree.Comment: 5 page

Effective field theory for models defined over small-world networks. First and second order phase transitions

We present an effective field theory method to analyze, in a very general way, models defined over small-world networks. Even if the exactness of the method is limited to the paramagnetic regions and to some special limits, it provides, yielding a clear and immediate (also in terms of calculation) physical insight, the exact critical behavior and the exact critical surfaces and percolation thresholds. The underlying structure of the non random part of the model, i.e., the set of spins filling up a given lattice L_0 of dimension d_0 and interacting through a fixed coupling J_0, is exactly taken into account. When J_0\geq 0, the small-world effect gives rise, as is known, to a second-order phase transition that takes place independently of the dimension d_0 and of the added random connectivity c. When J_0<0, a different and novel scenario emerges in which, besides a spin glass transition, multiple first- and second-order phase transitions may take place. As immediate analytical applications we analyze the Viana-Bray model (d_0=0), the one dimensional chain (d_0=1), and the spherical model for arbitrary d_0.Comment: 28 pages, 18 figures; merged version of the manuscripts arXiv:0801.3454 and arXiv:0801.3563 conform to the published versio

Ising spin glass models versus Ising models: an effective mapping at high temperature II. Applications to graphs and networks

By applying a recently proposed mapping, we derive exactly the upper phase boundary of several Ising spin glass models defined over static graphs and random graphs, generalizing some known results and providing new ones.Comment: 11 pages, 1 Postscript figur

The Lattice β\beta-function of Quantum Spin Chains

We derive the lattice $\beta$-function for quantum spin chains, suitable for relating finite temperature Monte Carlo data to the zero temperature fixed points of the continuum nonlinear sigma model. Our main result is that the asymptotic freedom of this lattice $\beta$-function is responsible for the nonintegrable singularity in $\theta$, that prevents analytic continuation between $\theta=0$ and $\theta=\pi$.Comment: 10 page

Analytical probabilistic approach to the ground state of lattice quantum systems: exact results in terms of a cumulant expansion

We present a large deviation analysis of a recently proposed probabilistic approach to the study of the ground-state properties of lattice quantum systems. The ground-state energy, as well as the correlation functions in the ground state, are exactly determined as a series expansion in the cumulants of the multiplicities of the potential and hopping energies assumed by the system during its long-time evolution. Once these cumulants are known, even at a finite order, our approach provides the ground state analytically as a function of the Hamiltonian parameters. A scenario of possible applications of this analyticity property is discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure

First- and second-order phase transitions in Ising models on small world networks, simulations and comparison with an effective field theory

We perform simulations of random Ising models defined over small-world networks and we check the validity and the level of approximation of a recently proposed effective field theory. Simulations confirm a rich scenario with the presence of multicritical points with first- or second-order phase transitions. In particular, for second-order phase transitions, independent of the dimension d_0 of the underlying lattice, the exact predictions of the theory in the paramagnetic regions, such as the location of critical surfaces and correlation functions, are verified. Quite interestingly, we verify that the Edwards-Anderson model with d_0=2 is not thermodynamically stable under graph noise.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl

Exact Monte Carlo time dynamics in many-body lattice quantum systems

On the base of a Feynman-Kac--type formula involving Poisson stochastic processes, recently a Monte Carlo algorithm has been introduced, which describes exactly the real- or imaginary-time evolution of many-body lattice quantum systems. We extend this algorithm to the exact simulation of time-dependent correlation functions. The techniques generally employed in Monte Carlo simulations to control fluctuations, namely reconfigurations and importance sampling, are adapted to the present algorithm and their validity is rigorously proved. We complete the analysis by several examples for the hard-core boson Hubbard model and for the Heisenberg model