Tuning the universality class of a quantum process by Trotterization
arXiv:2607.14663
The authors numerically study a discretized quantum contact process and show that the choice of Trotterization can shift the system’s universality class from a quantum one to the classical directed percolation class, a change driven by quantum interference effects.
Abstract
We numerically analyze a discretized version of the quantum contact process, a non-equilibrium model having a competition between a coherent infection process and a dissipative recovery process. Previously, the continuous-time version has been discussed to have a phase transition in a novel quantum universality class, while experimental investigations of a related process have pointed towards the transition being in the classical directed percolation class. We demonstrate that these differences stem from details of the discretization of the process and construct a systematic way to continuously interpolate between these results. Finally, we provide evidence that the modification of the universality class is due to destructive interference effects, showing a clear quantum-mechanical origin.
6 pages, 4 figures