Geometric phase contribution to quantum non-equilibrium many-body dynamics (1108.4611v2)

Abstract: We study the influence of geometry of quantum systems underlying space of states on its quantum many-body dynamics. We observe an interplay between dynamical and topological ingredients of quantum non-equilibrium dynamics revealed by the geometrical structure of the quantum space of states. As a primary example we use the anisotropic XY ring in a transverse magnetic field with an additional time-dependent flux. In particular, if the flux insertion is slow, non-adiabatic transitions in the dynamics are dominated by the dynamical phase. In the opposite limit geometric phase strongly affects transition probabilities. We show that this interplay can lead to a non-equilibrium phase transition between these two regimes. We also analyze the effect of geometric phase on defect generation during crossing a quantum critical point.