Meson Mass Sets Onset Time of Anomalous Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions

TL;DR

This paper reveals a power-law relationship between the onset time of anomalous dynamical quantum phase transitions and meson mass in confined regimes, linking quantum criticality to mesonic properties.

Contribution

It demonstrates a direct connection between meson mass and anomalous DQPT onset time, advancing understanding of far-from-equilibrium quantum critical phenomena.

Findings

Onset time of anomalous DQPTs scales with meson mass.

Relation becomes clearer near quantum critical points.

Highlights the role of mesons in classifying exotic criticality.

Abstract

Dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) have been established as a rigorous framework for investigating far-from-equilibrium quantum many-body criticality. Although initially thought to be trivially connected to an order parameter flipping sign, a certain kind of \textit{anomalous} DQPTs have been discovered that exhibit no direct connection to the order parameter and have been shown to arise in the presence of confinement. Here, we show in two paradigmatic models how the onset time of anomalous DQPTs is directly connected, through a power law, to the meson mass in the confined regime of a global symmetry-broken phase. This relation becomes more prominent the closer the initial parameters are to the equilibrium quantum critical point, where a relativistic quantum field theory emerges. Our findings draw a direct connection between mesons and anomalous DQPTs, highlighting the power of the latter to classify exotic far-from-equilibrium criticality.