Oscillating-mode gap: an indicator of phase transition in open quantum many-body systems

Abstract: It presents a significant challenge to elucidate the relationship between the phases of open quantum many-body systems and the spectral structure of their governing Liouvillian, which determines how the density matrix evolves. Previous studies have focused on the Liouvillian gap, defined as the decay rate of the most slowly-decaying mode, as a key indicator of dissipative phase transition, noting its closure in symmetry-broken phases and opening in disordered phases. In this work, we propose an additional spectral gap, termed the oscillating-mode gap, defined as the decay rate of the most slowly-decaying oscillating mode. Through the analysis of a prototype dissipative boson system, we demonstrate the necessity of both the Liouvillian gap and the oscillating-mode gap for the comprehensive characterization of the system's phases and the transitions between them.