Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Quantum entanglement growth is commonly summarized by a single entropy, obscuring where correlations reside in the exponentially large Schmidt spectrum and how they form. Here, we introduce Schmidt-scale concentration and dominant Schmidt scale, two coordinates that locate the probability maximum across logarithmic windows in ordered Schmidt-rank space. Applied to quenches of a random-field spin chain, these coordinates distinguish rapid transport of the dominant scale to higher Schmidt rank at weak disorder from strongly suppressed transport despite continued logarithmic entropy growth at strong disorder. The disorder-averaged dynamics exhibit an ordered hierarchy: entropy production peaks first, spectral roughness and exact nonlocal magic peak next, and dominant-Schmidt-scale transport becomes typical only after a substantial delay. Moreover, a solvable head--tail model and controlled numerical experiments reveal the physical origin of this hierarchy: the spectral path determines the order of events, local dynamics on active exchange bonds set their early timing, and intra-subsystem many-body dressing further delays dominant-Schmidt-scale transport. These results establish the Schmidt-scale coordinates as powerful dynamical probes for uncovering fine-grained entanglement structures distinguishing entanglement production, entanglement-spectrum reorganization, and dominant-Schmidt-scale transport beyond entropy alone.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Zhang, Shi-Xin, Liu, Shuo, Chen, Yu-Qin
Language: English
Topic: Quantum many-body systems
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Princeton University, European Commission, Science Foundation Ireland, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Science and Technology Major Project, Science Challenge Project, Division of Materials Research
Awards: G1746067696, Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Theory Center, G2860873523, G3182461407, G3333170272, G3604104899, G4420508381, G4828743664, Predicting Zero-Magnetic-Field Fractional Topological States in Twisted Graphene Systems, G5605931684, G5947738484, G5974671110, G6536552022, Princeton Center for Complex Materials, G8907185049
OpenAlex ID: W7212047803