Work

Multicriticality in stochastic dynamics protected by self-duality

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In light of the recent interest in finding multicritical behavior in stochastic systems, we compute the trajectory phase diagram of one-dimensional kinetically constrained models (KCMs), demonstrating the existence of dynamical phases separated by lines of self-duality. We further reveal that multicritical points delimit first-order from continuous active-inactive transition lines. For illustration, we consider four representative KCMs in detail: the domain-wall (DW), Fredrickson-Andersen (FA), the DW East, the ZZZ-FA, and the XOR-FA models. Via exact diagonalization and tensor network methods we achieve three goals: (i) we find that dynamical phases and their transitions can be related by duality arguments in a broad class of KCMs, (ii) we establish the presence of multicritical points on their self-dual lines, and (iii) we intertwine concepts related to dualities of quantum spin systems, classical stochastic dynamics, and large deviation theory.

Source: Physical review. E

DOI: 10.1103/g1mv-p72z

Authors: Konstantinos Sfairopoulos, Luke Causer, Juan P. Garrahan

Institution: University of Nottingham

Language: English

Topic: Theoretical and Computational Physics

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Leverhulme Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Awards: Sulis: An EPSRC platform for ensemble computing delivered by HPC Midlands+, Novel non-equilibrium states of matter in periodically driven spin systems: from time crystals to integrated thermal machines, G6033383381