Evolution of order and chaos across a first-order quantum phase transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates how order and chaos evolve in a quantum phase transition within an interacting boson model, revealing distinct dynamical behaviors in different phases and the persistence of regular quantum states despite complex surroundings.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the classical and quantum dynamics across a first-order quantum phase transition, highlighting the coexistence and separation of order and chaos.

Findings

Regular dynamics confined to the deformed phase

Chaotic behavior associated with the spherical phase

Persistence of regular quantum bands above the phase barrier

Abstract

We study the evolution of the dynamics across a generic first order quantum phase transition in an interacting boson model of nuclei. The dynamics inside the phase coexistence region exhibits a very simple pattern. A classical analysis reveals a robustly regular dynamics confined to the deformed region and well separated from a chaotic dynamics ascribed to the spherical region. A quantum analysis discloses regular bands of states in the deformed region, which persist to energies well above the phase-separating barrier, in the face of a complicated environment. The impact of kinetic collective rotational terms on this intricate interplay of order and chaos is investigated.