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Main Authors: Novotný, Jakub, Střeleček, Jan, Stránský, Pavel, Cejnar, Pavel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.06849
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author Novotný, Jakub
Střeleček, Jan
Stránský, Pavel
Cejnar, Pavel
author_facet Novotný, Jakub
Střeleček, Jan
Stránský, Pavel
Cejnar, Pavel
contents Motivated by the advance of dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs), we analyze the zeros of the complex-time survival (Loschmidt) amplitude in finite quantum systems and develop a general framework for their approximation based on the stability of zeros of holomorphic functions. We show that the large-scale properties of the distribution of zeros are governed by the envelope of the energy distribution of the initial state and can be constructed from chains of periodic zeros associated with its dominant contributions. In this picture, zeros reach the real-time axis when two or more eigenstates become equally populated at the maximum of the envelope, providing a finite-size precursor of DQPTs. We apply the method to quenched ground states in the Ising model with tunable interaction range and demonstrate close agreement between the approximate and exact distributions of zeros. We prove that the approximate construction becomes exact for BCS ground-state quenches in two-band models. To describe short-time dynamics, we introduce a minimal Gaussian model with a nearly equidistant spectrum. Slow dephasing continuously deforms the initial zero pattern into the asymptotic two-level structure, explaining anomalous DQPTs as a delayed approach of zeros to the real-time axis. Our results identify the energy envelope as the key ingredient shaping dynamical critical behavior and provide a universal interpretation of the whole zero distribution of the complex-time survival amplitude.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_06849
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Tracing complex zeros of the quantum survival amplitude: How the energy distribution controls dynamical phase transitions
Novotný, Jakub
Střeleček, Jan
Stránský, Pavel
Cejnar, Pavel
Quantum Physics
Motivated by the advance of dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs), we analyze the zeros of the complex-time survival (Loschmidt) amplitude in finite quantum systems and develop a general framework for their approximation based on the stability of zeros of holomorphic functions. We show that the large-scale properties of the distribution of zeros are governed by the envelope of the energy distribution of the initial state and can be constructed from chains of periodic zeros associated with its dominant contributions. In this picture, zeros reach the real-time axis when two or more eigenstates become equally populated at the maximum of the envelope, providing a finite-size precursor of DQPTs. We apply the method to quenched ground states in the Ising model with tunable interaction range and demonstrate close agreement between the approximate and exact distributions of zeros. We prove that the approximate construction becomes exact for BCS ground-state quenches in two-band models. To describe short-time dynamics, we introduce a minimal Gaussian model with a nearly equidistant spectrum. Slow dephasing continuously deforms the initial zero pattern into the asymptotic two-level structure, explaining anomalous DQPTs as a delayed approach of zeros to the real-time axis. Our results identify the energy envelope as the key ingredient shaping dynamical critical behavior and provide a universal interpretation of the whole zero distribution of the complex-time survival amplitude.
title Tracing complex zeros of the quantum survival amplitude: How the energy distribution controls dynamical phase transitions
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.06849