Nonequilibrium phase transition in a driven-dissipative quantum antiferromagnet

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates nonequilibrium phase transitions in a driven-dissipative 2D quantum antiferromagnet, revealing a nonthermal transition with critical scaling and implications for quantum materials and polariton condensates.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed numerical analysis of dynamical phases and phase transitions in a driven-dissipative quantum antiferromagnet, highlighting a nonthermal transition with critical behavior.

Findings

Identification of a nonthermal phase transition characterized by magnon distribution change.

Observation of critical scaling and slowing down at the transition.

Implications for experimental realization in quantum materials and polariton systems.

Abstract

A deeper theoretical understanding of driven-dissipative interacting systems and their nonequilibrium phase transitions is essential both to advance our fundamental physics understanding and to harness technological opportunities arising from optically controlled quantum many-body states. This paper provides a numerical study of dynamical phases and the transitions between them in the nonequilibrium steady state of the prototypical two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet with drive and dissipation. We demonstrate a nonthermal transition that is characterized by a qualitative change in the magnon distribution, from subthermal at low drive to a generalized Bose-Einstein form including a nonvanishing condensate fraction at high drive. A finite-size analysis reveals static and dynamical critical scaling at the transition, with a discontinuous slope of the magnon number versus driving field strength and critical slowing down at the transition point. Implications for experiments on quantum materials and polariton condensates are discussed.