Exact Fisher zeros and thermofield dynamics across a quantum critical point

Abstract

By setting the inverse temperature $\beta$ loose to occupy the complex plane, Michael E. Fisher showed that the zeros of the complex partition function $Z$, if approaching the real $\beta$ axis, reveal a thermodynamic phase transition. More recently, Fisher zeros have been used to mark the dynamical phase transition in quench dynamics. The success of Fisher zeros however seems limited, and it is unclear how they can be employed to shed light on quantum phase transitions or the non-unitary dynamics of open quantum systems. Here we answer this question by a comprehensive analysis of the (analytically continued) one-dimensional transverse field Ising model. We exhaust all the Fisher zeros to show that in the thermodynamic limit they congregate into a remarkably simple pattern in the form of continuous open or closed lines. These Fisher lines evolve smoothly as the coupling constant is tuned, and a qualitative change identifies the quantum critical point. By exploiting the connection between $Z$ and the thermofield double states, we obtain analytical expressions for the short- and long-time dynamics of the survival amplitude and the scaling of recurrence time at the quantum critical point. We further point out $Z$ can be realized and probed in monitored quantum circuits. The analytical results are corroborated by numerical tensor renormalization group which elevates the approach outlined here to a powerful tool for interacting quantum systems.