2021/01/07 by Andrew D. King, Cristian D. Batista, Jack Raymond +7
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Ferrimagnetism #Magnetic field #Magnetization #Metastability #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture #Quantum annealing #Quantum computer #Quantum fluctuation #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Quantum simulator #Statistical physics #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.str-el #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/prxquantum.2.030317
published as PRX Quantum 2, 030317 (2021)
arxiv created 2021/01/07 · openalex created_date 2021/01/18 · openalex publication_date 2021/07/30 · arxiv updated 2021/08/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Geometrically frustrated spin-chain compounds such as Ca 3 Co 2 O 6 exhibit extremely slow relaxation under a changing magnetic field. Consequently, both low-temperature laboratory experiments and Monte Carlo simulations have shown peculiar out-of-equilibrium magnetization curves, which arise from trapping in metastable configurations. In this work, we simulate this phenomenon in a superconducting quantum annealing processor, allowing us to probe the impact of quantum fluctuations on both the equilibrium and dynamics of the system. Increasing the quantum fluctuations with a transverse field reduces the impact of metastable traps in out-of-equilibrium samples and aids the development of three-sublattice ferrimagnetic (up-up-down) long-range order with magnetization 1/3. At equilibrium, we identify a finitetemperature shoulder in the 1/3-to-saturated phase transition, promoted by quantum fluctuations but with an entropic origin. This work demonstrates the viability of dynamical as well as equilibrium studies of frustrated magnetism using large-scale programmable quantum systems and is therefore an important step toward programmable simulation of dynamics in materials using quantum hardware.