Boundary driven-dissipative XXZ spin chains: exact solutions and novel dissipative phase transitions

Non-equilibrium steady states in driven-dissipative quantum systems reveal a range of fascinating phenomena, from exotic entanglement patterns to the emergence of novel phases. Recent advances in experimental quantum simulation have enabled direct probing of such non-equilibrium states [1,2].

In our work, we study a paradigmatic system: an interacting XXZ spin chain subject to a coherent Rabi drive on one end, and loss on the other. We derive an exact solution of the non-equilibrium steady state of this system, and use it to show that it exhibits a unique continuous dissipative phase transition as a function of the boundary drive amplitude [3]. This phase transition has no analogue in the closed system or in more studied incoherently driven models. Our findings enhance the understanding of interacting dissipative system, and suggest new directions for future quantum simulation experiments.

[1] X. Mi et al., Science 383, 1332 (2024).

[2] Botao Du, et al.,Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 060601Boundary driven-dissipative XXZ spin chains: exact solutions and novel dissipative phase transitions

[3] Mingxing Yao, et al., arxiv 2407.12750 [quant-ph] (2024).