A Numerical Study of the Random Transverse-Field Ising Spin Chain

We present exact results for the ground-state and thermodynamic properties of the spin-1/2 $XX$ chain with three-site interactions in a random (Lorentzian) transverse field. We discuss the influence of randomness on the quantum critical behavior known to be present in the nonrandom model. We find that at zero temperature the characteristic features of the quantum phase transition, such as kinks in the magnetization versus field curve, are smeared out by randomness. However, a...

In quantum spin systems obeying hyperscaling, the probability distribution of the total magnetization takes on a universal scaling form at criticality. We obtain this scaling function exactly for the ground state and first excited state of the critical quantum Ising spin chain. This is achieved through a remarkable relation to the partition function of the anisotropic Kondo problem, which can be computed by exploiting the integrability of the system.

We study nonlinear response in quantum spin systems {near infinite-randomness critical points}. Nonlinear dynamical probes, such as two-dimensional (2D) coherent spectroscopy, can diagnose the nearly localized character of excitations in such systems. {We present exact results for nonlinear response in the 1D random transverse-field Ising model, from which we extract information about critical behavior that is absent in linear response. Our analysis yields exact scaling forms...

In a disordered system one can either consider a microcanonical ensemble, where there is a precise constraint on the random variables, or a canonical ensemble where the variables are chosen according to a distribution without constraints. We address the question as to whether critical exponents in these two cases can differ through a detailed study of the random transverse-field Ising chain. We find that the exponents are the same in both ensembles, though some critical ampli...

We give a short non-technical introduction to the Ising model, and review some successes as well as challenges which have emerged from its study in probability and mathematical physics. This includes the infinite-volume theory of phase transitions, and ideas like scaling, renormalization group, universality, SLE, and random symmetry breaking in disordered systems and networks. This note is based on a talk given on 15 August 2024, as part of the Ising lecture during the 11th B...

In random quantum magnets, like the random transverse Ising chain, the low energy excitations are localized in rare regions and there are only weak correlations between them. It is a fascinating question whether these correlations are completely irrelevant in the sense of the renormalization group. To answer this question, we calculate the distribution of the excitation energy of the random transverse Ising chain in the disordered Griffiths phase with high numerical precision...

Using rigorous analytical analysis and exact numerical data for the spin-1/2 transverse Ising chain we discuss the effects of regular alternation of the Hamiltonian parameters on the quantum phase transition inherent in the model.

We consider the spin-1/2 Ising chain in a regularly alternating transverse field to examine the effects of regular alternation on the quantum phase transition inherent in the quantum Ising chain. The number of quantum phase transition points strongly depends on the specific set of the Hamiltonian parameters but never exceeds 2p where p is the period of alternation. Calculating the spin correlation functions numerically (for long chains of up to 5400 sites) and determining the...

We revisit the one-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising spin-chain with a finite number of spins and periodic boundaries and derive analytically and verify numerically its various stationary and dynamical properties at different temperatures. In particular, we determine the probability distributions of magnetization, the number of domain walls, and the corresponding residence times for different chain lengths and magnetic fields. While we study finite systems at thermal equilibriu...

We study the quantum phase transition in the two-dimensional random Ising model in a transverse field by Monte Carlo simulations. We find results similar to those known analytically in one-dimension: the dynamical exponent is infinite and, at the critical point, the typical correlation function decays with a stretched exponential dependence on distance. Away from the critical point, there may be different exponents for the divergence of the average and typical correlation len...