Rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition to a strong-coupling critical point

Abstract

We investigate the effects of quenched disorder on first-order quantum phase transitions on the example of the $N$-color quantum Ashkin-Teller model. By means of a strong-disorder renormalization group, we demonstrate that quenched disorder rounds the first-order quantum phase transition to a continuous one for both weak and strong coupling between the colors. In the strong coupling case, we find a distinct type of infinite-randomness critical point characterized by additional internal degrees of freedom. We investigate its critical properties in detail, and we discuss broader implications for the fate of first-order quantum phase transitions in disordered systems.

5 pages, 4 figures

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• Strong-randomness infinite-coupling phase in a random quantum spin chain
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• Numerical evidence of the double-Griffiths phase of the random quantum Ashkin-Teller chain
• Quantum Communication Networks Enhanced by Distributed Quantum Memories
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• Activated scaling in disorder rounded first-order quantum phase transitions
• Numerical evidence of a super-universality of the 2D and 3D random quantum Potts models
• Emerging critical behavior at a first-order phase transition rounded by disorder
• Improved Matrix Product Operator Renormalization Group: application to the N-color random Ashkin-Teller chain
• Interplay of Quantum and Thermal Fluctuations in Two-Dimensional Randomly Pinned Charge Density Waves