2021/11/09 by Javad Kazemi, Hendrik Weimer, Kazemi, Javad +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Quantum many-body systems #Theoretical and Computational Physics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2111.05352
openalex publication_date 2021/11/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We analyze the long-time evolution of open quantum many-body systems using a variational approach. For the dissipative Ising model, where mean-field theory predicts a wide region of bistable behavior, we find genuine bistability only at a singular point, confirming the previously suggested picture of a first order transition. The situation is dramatically different when considering a majority-voter model including three-body interactions, where we find bistable behavior in an extended region, owing to the breaking of detailed balance in the the effective description of the system. In this model, genuine bistability persists even when quantum fluctuations are added.