Dynamics of a quantum phase transition in a quantum annealer - Adolfo Del Campo Echevarria

The dynamics of a quantum phase transition is nonadiabatic and characterized by the formation of topological defects. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) quantifies the breakdown of adiabaticity by predicting a universal law for the average defect density as a function of the rate at which the transition is crossed. Universal features beyond the KZM are found in the fluctuations of the defect number. We shall present these and other predictions beyond KZM and report their test in quantum annealing devices.