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Time-resolved detection of spin-spatial-coupling-induced dynamical phase transitions

J. O. Austin-Harris*, Z. N. Hardesty-Shaw, C. Binegar, P. Sigdel, N. Rago, T. Bilitewski, and Y. Liu†

  • *Contact author: jared.o.austin@okstate.edu
  • †Contact author: yingmei.liu@okstate.edu
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 023326 – Published 28 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bl8c-sdhy

Abstract

We demonstrate the time-resolved detection of dynamical phase transitions (DPTs) in lattice-confined spinor gases subject to a priori unknown time-variant interactions, via the temporal behaviors of both the system energy and spinor phases extracted from the observed spin dynamics. Using this technique, we describe the observed nonequilibrium spin dynamics, governed by intricate spin-spatial couplings, across a range of conditions. This work also introduces a diagnostic tool that can quickly identify DPTs without requiring observations over at least a full period of the spin dynamics. Our approach can naturally extend to other complex systems subject to time-dependent parameters, such as Floquet systems under driven magnetic fields, driven interactions, or spin-flopping fields, with potential applications in the study of DPTs in nonintegrable models.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 023326– Published 28 August, 2026
  • Received 3 April 2026
  • Accepted 10 August 2026
Article part of CHORUS
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