Long time dynamics of a single particle extended quantum walk on a one dimensional lattice with complex hoppings: a generalized hydrodynamic description

TL;DR

This paper investigates the long-time behavior of a single-particle quantum walk on a 1D lattice with complex hoppings, revealing hydrodynamic descriptions, phase transitions, and anomalous scaling near extremal fronts.

Contribution

It introduces a hydrodynamic framework for complex quantum walks, characterizes phase transitions like Lifshitz transitions, and analyzes anomalous sub-diffusive scaling.

Findings

Existence of a global quasi-stationary state described by hydrodynamics.

Identification of Lifshitz transition changing causal cone topology.

Observation of anomalous sub-diffusive scaling near extremal fronts.

Abstract

We study the continuous time quantum walk of a single particle (initially localized at a single site) on a one-dimensional spatial lattice with complex nearest neighbour and next-nearest neighbour hopping amplitudes. Complex couplings lead to chiral propagation and a causal cone structure asymmetric about the origin. We provide a hydrodynamic description for quantum walk dynamics in large space time limit. We find a global "quasi-stationary state" which can be described in terms of the local quasi-particle densities satisfying Euler type of hydrodynamic equation and is characterized by an infinite set of conservation laws satisfied by scaled cumulative position moments. Further, we show that there is anomalous sub-diffusive scaling near the extremal fronts, which can be described by higher order hydrodynamic equations. The long time behaviour for any complex next-nearest neighbour hopping with a non-zero real component is similar to that of purely real hopping (apart from asymmetric distribution). There is a critical coupling strength at which there is a Lifshitz transition where the topology of the causal structure changes from a regime with one causal cone to a regime with two nested causal cones. On the other hand, for purely imaginary next-nearest neighbour hopping, there is a transition from one causal cone to a regime with two partially overlapping cones due to the existence of degenerate maximal fronts (moving with the same maximal velocity). The nature of the Lifshitz transition and the scaling behaviour (both) at the critical coupling strength is different in the two cases.