Measurement-Only Dynamical Phase Transitions in Spin-1 Chains

arXiv:2609.26941 · quant-ph · Submitted 2026-09-22 · Read on arXiv

quant-ph

Submitted: 2026-09-22

Updated: 2026-09-22

Comments: 24 pages, 14 figures

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: We study measurement-only dynamics in an interacting spin-1 chain, using forced, normalized local projections rather than Born-rule-sampled measurement outcomes.

Terminology

Entanglement — 63× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
Area Law — 19× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
Fidelity — 8× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Entanglement Entropy — 5× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Phase Transitions — 5× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Quantum Circuits — 5× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Anisotropy — 3× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
Topological Order — 3× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Frustration — 2× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Symmetry Breaking — 2× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
Accuracy — 1× in this paper · explained in 1 episode
Anyons — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Degeneracy — 1× in this paper · explained in 3 episodes
Quantization — 1× in this paper · explained in 12 episodes
Quantum Physics — 1× in this paper · explained in 10 episodes
Quantum Zeno Effect — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes
Reinforcement Learning — 1× in this paper · explained in 4 episodes
Universality Class — 1× in this paper · explained in 2 episodes

Abstract

We study measurement-only dynamics in an interacting spin-1 chain, using forced, normalized local projections rather than Born-rule-sampled measurement outcomes. Starting from the nearest-neighbor (NN) Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki (AKLT) Haldane symmetry-protected topological state, we show that competing local projectors drive this order toward three distinct dynamical phases: a featureless topologically trivial product state, an explicitly dimerized valence-bond-solid state, and a topologically trivial next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) AKLT state consisting of two interwoven Haldane chains. Using matrix product state and exact statevector simulations, we identify continuous transitions among these phases and characterize them using nonlocal string order parameters, local dimer order, and entanglement scaling. For the NN-NNN AKLT model, finite-size signatures are consistent with an intervening extended critical regime rather than a single direct transition. These results extend studies of monitored topology to a bosonic SPT and show that local projections can control both topological and valence-bond-solid order.

Measurement-Only Dynamical Phase Transitions in Spin-1 Chains

Terminology

Abstract

Sources

Related papers