Asymmetry dynamics and nonequilibrium symmetry-breaking phase transitions

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2606.07188v1
• Date: Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:56:16 GMT
• Title: Asymmetry dynamics and nonequilibrium symmetry-breaking phase transitions
• Abstract summary: In classical settings, the Mpemba effect occurs when a hotter system cools faster than an initially colder one.<n>In quantum systems, this effect can be reinterpreted exploiting the concept of symmetries.<n>A quantum Mpemba effect arises when a more asymmetric state restores the symmetry faster than a less asymmetric one.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: In classical settings, the Mpemba effect occurs when a hotter system cools faster than an initially colder one. In quantum systems, this effect can be reinterpreted exploiting the concept of symmetries, with the asymmetry of a subsystem playing the role of temperature. A quantum Mpemba effect arises when a more asymmetric state restores the symmetry faster than a less asymmetric one. Previous work mainly focuses on closed systems characterized by thermal equilibration and Hamiltonian symmetries. In this paper, we analyze the dynamics of asymmetry in an open quantum many-body system featuring symmetry breaking and uncover dynamical behavior that appears to be unique to these settings. In the symmetric phase, we demonstrate the existence of a quantum Mpemba effect, which emerges as a direct consequence of a non-monotonic evolution of the asymmetry. In the broken-symmetry phase, we analyze the imbalance between the system's ability to increase or to decrease its asymmetry. Our results extend the notion of quantum Mpemba effects to open quantum many-body systems exhibiting symmetry-breaking phase transitions and establish them as a platform for observing and controlling anomalous relaxation phenomena.

Related papers

• Symmetry Constrained Quantum Error Mitigation for the Schwinger Model [39.146761527401424]
  We exploit the parity and fermion-number symmetries of a gauge theory under depolarising noise.<n>We investigate symmetry verification under digital quantum simulation.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-08-21T13:49:11Z)
• Nonlocal Quantum Phase Transitions [33.770751858416325]
  We show that entanglement shared between environmental modes can induce a correlated symmetry breaking in remote systems.<n>We consider the regime in which remote environmental modes are prepared in broadband entangled states.<n>While these correlations manifest locally only as effective thermal fluctuations, at the global level they give rise to an emergent nonlocal phase transition.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-06-23T18:15:06Z)
• Observation and Modulation of the Quantum Mpemba Effect on a Superconducting Quantum Processor [22.152087534616076]
  In non-equilibrium quantum many-body systems, the quantum Mpemba effect (QME) emerges as a counterintuitive phenomenon.<n>We report the observation and control of QME using a superconducting processor featuring a unique fully connected, tunable-coupling architecture.<n>Our study provides the first demonstration of flexible QME modulation on a superconducting platform with multiple controllable parameters.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-11T07:35:26Z)
• A resource theoretical unification of Mpemba effects: classical and quantum [37.69303106863453]
  The Mpemba effect originally referred to the observation that, under certain thermalizing dynamics, initially hotter samples can cool faster than colder ones.<n>This work demonstrates that resource theories, widely employed in information theory, provide a unified organizing principle to frame Mpemba physics.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-22T19:28:16Z)
• Kubo-Martin-Schwinger relation for energy eigenstates of SU(2)-symmetric quantum many-body systems [41.94295877935867]
  We show that non-Abelian symmetries may alter conventional thermodynamics.<n>This work helps extend into nonequilibrium physics the effort to identify how non-Abelian symmetries may alter conventional thermodynamics.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-09T19:46:47Z)
• Controlling Symmetries and Quantum Criticality in the Anisotropic Coupled-Top Model [32.553027955412986]
  We investigate the anisotropic coupled-top model, which describes the interactions between two large spins along both $x-$ and $y-$directions.<n>We can manipulate the system's symmetry, inducing either discrete $Z$ or continuous U(1) symmetry.<n>The framework provides an ideal platform for experimentally controlling symmetries and investigating associated physical phenomena.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-02-13T15:14:29Z)
• Symmetry Breaking Dynamics in Quantum Many-Body Systems [7.254372430169653]
  Entanglement asymmetry has emerged as a powerful tool for characterizing symmetry breaking in quantum many-body systems.<n>In this Letter, we explore how symmetry is dynamically broken through the lens of entanglement asymmetry in two distinct scenarios.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-01-23T08:17:07Z)
• Oscillatory dissipative tunneling in an asymmetric double-well potential [32.65699367892846]
  Chemical research will benefit from a fully adjustable, asymmetric double-well equipped with precise measurement capabilities of the tunneling rates.<n>We show a quantum simulator system that consists of a continuously driven Kerr parametric oscillator with a third order non-linearity that can be operated in the quantum regime to create a fully asymmetric double-well.<n>Our work is a first step for the development of analog molecule simulators of proton transfer reactions based on quantum superconducting circuits.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-09-19T22:43:07Z)
• Multiple crossing during dynamical symmetry restoration and implications for the quantum Mpemba effect [0.0]
  We show how, by tuning the initial state, the symmetry dynamics in free fermionic systems can display much richer behaviour than seen previously. In particular, for certain classes of initial states, including ground states of free fermionic models with long-range couplings, the entanglement asymmetry can exhibit multiple crossings.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-05-07T15:57:45Z)
• Entanglement asymmetry and quantum Mpemba effect in two-dimensional free-fermion systems [0.0]
  The quantum Mpemba effect is the counter-intuitive non-equilibrium phenomenon wherein the dynamic restoration of a broken symmetry occurs more rapidly when the initial state exhibits a higher degree of symmetry breaking. Here we focus on a two-dimensional free-fermion lattice employing the entanglement asymmetry as a measure of symmetry breaking. We find that the quantum Mpemba effect is strongly affected by the size of the system in the transverse dimension, with the potential to either enhance or spoil the phenomenon depending on the initial states.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-03-07T13:38:40Z)
• Entanglement asymmetry and quantum Mpemba effect in the XY spin chain [0.0]
  Entanglement asymmetry is a quantity introduced to measure how much a symmetry is broken in a part of an extended quantum system. We study the entanglement asymmetry at equilibrium taking the ground state of the XY spin chain. We find that the power law governing symmetry restoration depends discontinuously on whether the initial state is critical or not.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-11T14:10:53Z)
• Entanglement asymmetry as a probe of symmetry breaking [0.0]
  In extended quantum systems, quantifying how much a symmetry is broken is intrinsically bound to the subsystem of interest. We introduce a subsystem measure of symmetry breaking that we dub entanglement asymmetry. We find, expectedly, that larger is the subsystem, slower is the restoration, but also the counterintuitive result that more the symmetry is initially broken, faster it is restored.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-07-29T14:03:30Z)
• Quantum asymmetry and noisy multi-mode interferometry [55.41644538483948]
  Quantum asymmetry is a physical resource which coincides with the amount of coherence between the eigenspaces of a generator. We show that the asymmetry may emphincrease as a result of a emphdecrease of coherence inside a degenerate subspace.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-07-23T07:30:57Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.