Breakdown of adiabaticity in topological quantum liquids

Abstract

We study the temporal behavior of topological quantum fluids with strong long-range couplings under slow external perturbations, whose rate $\delta$ approaches the quasi-static limit $\delta\to 0$. As expected, due to strong long-range interactions, the system lies in the mean-field universality and the density of defects for drives across the quantum critical point is adiabatic $n_{\rm exc}\propto \delta^{2}$. However, if the drive is instead terminated precisely at the edge of the topological non-trivial phase, the number of generated excitations becomes extensive $n_{\rm exc}\propto O(1)$. This result fundamentally breaks the established universal behavior observed in local topological quantum fluids and demonstrates a novel mechanism for the breakdown of adiabaticity in fermionic systems with strong long-range interactions.