Dynamics of a quantum phase transition in the Bose-Hubbard model: Kibble-Zurek mechanism and beyond

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model during a quantum phase transition, comparing numerical results with experiments, analyzing the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, and exploring critical exponents and post-quench evolution.

Contribution

It provides a detailed numerical analysis of the Bose-Hubbard model dynamics, revealing discrepancies with Kibble-Zurek scaling and identifying new important timescales and coarsening behavior.

Findings

Numerical and experimental results agree fairly well but differ from Kibble-Zurek scaling.

Identifies a new important time, $t_{\rm eq}$, where oscillations begin.

Calculates critical exponents and describes the post-quench evolution.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model by using time-dependent Gutzwiller methods. In particular, we vary the parameters in the Hamiltonian as a function of time, and investigate the temporal behavior of the system from the Mott insulator to the superfluid (SF) crossing a second-order phase transition. We first solve a time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for the experimental setup recently done by Braun et.al. [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 112, 3641 (2015)] and show that the numerical and experimental results are in fairly good agreement. However, these results disagree with the Kibble-Zurek scaling. From our numerical study, we reveal a possible source of the discrepancy. Next, we calculate the critical exponents of the correlation length and vortex density in addition to the SF order parameter for a Kibble-Zurek protocol. We show that beside the "freeze" time $\hat{t}$, there exists another important time, $t_{\rm eq}$, at which an oscillating behavior of the SF amplitude starts. From calculations of the exponents of the correlation length and vortex density with respect to a quench time $\tQ$, we obtain a physical picture of a coarsening process. Finally, we study how the system evolves after the quench. We give a global picture of dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model.