Spin Winding and Topological Nature of Transitions in Jaynes-Cummings Model with Stark Non-linear Coupling

Abstract

Besides exploring novel transition patterns, acquiring a full understanding of the transition nature is an ultimate pursuit in studies of phase transitions. The fundamental models of light-matter interactions manifest single-qubit topological phase transitions, which is calling for an analytical demonstration apart from numerical studies. We present a rigorous study for topological transitions in Jaynes-Cummings Model generally with Stark non-linear Coupling. In terms of the properties of Hermite polynomials, we show that the topological structure of the eigen wave function has an exact correspondence to the spin winding by nodes, which yields a full spin winding without anti-winding nodes. The spurious fractional contribution to the winding number of the winding angle at infinity is found to be actually integer. Thus, the phase transitions in the model have a nature of topological phase transitions and the excitation number is endowed as a topological quantum number. The principal transition establishes a paradigmatic case that a transition is both symmetry-breaking Landau class of transition and symmetry-protected topological class of transition simultaneously, while conventionally these two classes of transitions are incompatible due to the contrary symmetry requirements. We also give an understanding for the origin of unconventional topological transitions in the presence of counter-rotating terms. Our results may provide a deeper insight for the few-body phase transitions in light-matter interactions.