Analytical results for the unusual Grüneisen ratio in the quantum Ising model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

Abstract

The Grüneisen ratio (GR) has emerged as a superb tool for the diagnosis of quantum phase transitions, which diverges algebraically upon approaching critical points of continuous phase transitions. However, this paradigm has been challenged recently by observations of a finite GR for self-dual criticality and divergent GR at symmetry-enhanced first-order transitions. To unveil the fascinating GR further, we exemplify the idea by studying an exactly solvable quantum Ising model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, which harbors a ferromagnetic phase, a paramagnetic phase, and a chiral Luttinger liquid. Although the self-dual criticality of the ferromagnetic--paramagnetic transition is undermined by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, we find that the GR at the transition is still finite albeit with an increasing value, signifying a proximate self-dual relation. By contrast, the GR at the transition between the gapped ferromagnetic phase and the gapless Luttinger liquid diverges and changes its sign when crossing the first-order transition. This implies that the GR could also probe the first-order transition between the gapped and gapless phases.