Asymmetry Amplification by a Nonadiabatic Passage through a Critical Point

Abstract

We propose and solve a minimal model of dynamic passage through a second-order phase transition in the presence of symmetry breaking interactions and no dissipation. Our model generalizes the Hamiltonian dynamics of the Painleve'-2 equation to the case with many degrees of freedom, while maintaining the integrability property. The evolution eventually leads to a highly asymmetric state, no matter how weak the symmetry breaking parameter of the Hamiltonian is. This suggests a potential mechanism for strong asymmetry in the production of quasi-particles with nearly identical characteristics. The model's integrability also yields exact exponents for the scaling of the density of the nonadiabatically excited quasi-particles.