Quantum Discord as a Probe of Topological Transitions in the Spin-1/2 XX Chain with Four-Spin Interaction

Quantum Discord as a Probe of Topological Transitions in the Spin-1/2 XX Chain with Four-Spin Interaction | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quantum Discord as a Probe of Topological Transitions in the Spin-1/2 XX Chain with Four-Spin Interaction S. Katibzadah, S. Mahdavifar, B. Haghdoust, F. Khastehdel Fumani, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7201962/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Quantum Information Processing → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We investigate the ground-state quantum correlations in the spin-1/2 XX chain with anisotropic four-spin interaction (AFSI), employing an exact analytical approach via fermionization. The phase diagram of the system hosts three distinct quantum critical lines that separate non-trivial topological phases characterized by winding numbers ν = ±1 and ν = ±3. To probe the system’s critical behavior and topological nature, we analyze two key quantum correlation measures: concurrence and quantum discord between nearest-neighbor spin pairs. Our results reveal that while concurrence is limited in detecting all critical lines particularly in phases with higher winding numbers, quantum discord successfully identifies all quantum phase transitions, either through cusps or discontinuities in its first derivative. Furthermore, quantum discord assumes larger values in topological phases with lower winding numbers, suggesting that the structure and localization of quantum correlations are influenced by topological order. These findings underscore the effectiveness of quantum discord as a robust diagnostic tool for both criticality and topology in many-body quantum systems. Our results offer valuable insight for advancing correlation-based techniques in quantum information science and highlight the potential role of topological spin chains in future quantum technologies. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Quantum Information Processing → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 11 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 01 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 19 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 28 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7201962","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":498179554,"identity":"22d0587f-a3b5-4728-bfb9-6bb9b80bc756","order_by":0,"name":"S. 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The phase diagram of the system hosts three distinct quantum critical lines that separate non-trivial topological phases characterized by winding numbers ν = ±1 and ν = ±3. To probe the system’s critical behavior and topological nature, we analyze two key quantum correlation measures: concurrence and quantum discord between nearest-neighbor spin pairs. Our results reveal that while concurrence is limited in detecting all critical lines particularly in phases with higher winding numbers, quantum discord successfully identifies all quantum phase transitions, either through cusps or discontinuities in its first derivative. Furthermore, quantum discord assumes larger values in topological phases with lower winding numbers, suggesting that the structure and localization of quantum correlations are influenced by topological order. These findings underscore the effectiveness of quantum discord as a robust diagnostic tool for both criticality and topology in many-body quantum systems. 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