Entanglement-enabled Criticality in One-dimensional Quantum Contact Process
Abstract
The contact process is a paradigmatic example of nonequilibrium dynamics, with broad applications ranging from chemistry to sociology. Its quantum counterpart, the quantum contact process (QCP), extends the classical model to include coherent processes. Despite sustained interest, the nature of the transition in the one-dimensional (1D) QCP remains debatable. Here, combining Liouvillian spectral analysis, the tensor jump method, exact quantum jump Monte Carlo, and truncated Wigner simulations, we show that 1D QCP undergoes a continuous absorbing-state phase transition, with critical exponents distinct from the classical case. We further find Liouvillian gap closes well below the critical point, highlighting that spectral gap analysis alone cannot distinguish a phase transition from metastability in the QCP. Crucially, the 1D QCP is weakly entangled, yet even this weak entanglement is indispensable for capturing the correct critical behavior, whereas semiclassical methods artificially stabilize the active state and predict a spurious first-order transition. Our work establishes the quantum origin of the phase transition in the 1D QCP and underscores the essential role of entanglement in dissipative quantum many-body systems.
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BibTeX
@misc{xiang2026entanglementenabled,
title = {{Entanglement-enabled Criticality in One-dimensional Quantum Contact Process}},
author = {Ya-Xin Xiang and Tianyi Yan and Weibin Li and Yu-Qiang Ma},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.30681},
eprint = {2608.30681},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30681},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Entanglement-enabled Criticality in One-dimensional Quantum Contact Process
AU - Ya-Xin Xiang
AU - Tianyi Yan
AU - Weibin Li
AU - Yu-Qiang Ma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.30681
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30681
AB - The contact process is a paradigmatic example of nonequilibrium dynamics, with broad applications ranging from chemistry to sociology. Its quantum counterpart, the quantum contact process (QCP), extends the classical model to include coherent processes. Despite sustained interest, the nature of the transition in the one-dimensional (1D) QCP remains debatable. Here, combining Liouvillian spectral analysis, the tensor jump method, exact quantum jump Monte Carlo, and truncated Wigner simulations, we show that 1D QCP undergoes a continuous absorbing-state phase transition, with critical exponents distinct from the classical case. We further find Liouvillian gap closes well below the critical point, highlighting that spectral gap analysis alone cannot distinguish a phase transition from metastability in the QCP. Crucially, the 1D QCP is weakly entangled, yet even this weak entanglement is indispensable for capturing the correct critical behavior, whereas semiclassical methods artificially stabilize the active state and predict a spurious first-order transition. Our work establishes the quantum origin of the phase transition in the 1D QCP and underscores the essential role of entanglement in dissipative quantum many-body systems.
ER -