Defect production in nonequilibrium phase transitions: Experimental investigation of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in a two-qubit quantum simulator

Abstract

Systems passing through quantum critical points at finite rates have a finite probability of undergoing transitions between different eigenstates of the instantaneous Hamiltonian. This mechanism was proposed by Kibble as the underlying mechanism for the formation of topological defects in the early universe and by Zurek for condensed matter systems. Here, we use a system of nuclear spins as an experimental quantum simulator undergoing a non-equilibrium quantum phase transition. The experimental data confirm the validity of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism of defect formation.

References in corpus (3)

• Kibble-Zurek Mechanism in a Spin-1 Bose-Einstein Condensate
• Detection of quantum critical points by a probe qubit
• Direct observation of quantum criticality in Ising spin chains

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Nonadiabatic Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana transitions, dynamics, and interference
• Dynamical critical scaling of long-range interacting quantum magnets
• Decondensation in non-equilibrium photonic condensates: when less is more
• Observation of generalized Kibble-Zurek mechanism across a first-order quantum phase transition in a spinor condensate
• Kibble-Zurek mechanism from different angles: The transverse XY model and subleading scalings
• SU(3) Landau-Zener interferometry with a transverse periodic drive
• Master equation approach to the three-state open Majorana model
• Separation of the Kibble-Zurek Mechanism from Quantum Criticality
• Observation of heat scaling across a first-order quantum phase transition in a spinor condensate
• Degenerate Landau-Zener model in the presence of quantum noise