{"paper":{"title":"Criticality around the Spinodal Point of First-Order Quantum Phase Transitions","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"First-order quantum phase transitions develop second-order criticality at their spinodal points through an effective projected Hamiltonian.","cross_cats":["quant-ph"],"primary_cat":"cond-mat.stat-mech","authors_text":"Chiao Wang, Fan Zhang, H. T. Quan","submitted_at":"2026-05-07T15:36:48Z","abstract_excerpt":"Universality and scaling are hallmarks of second-order phase transitions but are generally unexpected in first-order quantum phase transitions (FOQPTs). We present a microscopic theory showing that quantum criticality can emerge around the quantum spinodal point of FOQPTs where metastability disappears. We demonstrate that, at this instability, resonant local excitations dynamically decouple a Hilbert subspace characterized by an emergent discrete translational symmetry. Projecting the original Hamiltonian onto this subspace yields an effective Hamiltonian that exhibits a genuine second-order "},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"We present a microscopic theory showing that quantum criticality can emerge around the quantum spinodal point of FOQPTs where metastability disappears... Projecting the original Hamiltonian onto this subspace yields an effective Hamiltonian that exhibits a genuine second-order quantum phase transition (SOQPT) and the Kibble-Zurek scaling.","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"That resonant local excitations dynamically decouple a Hilbert subspace characterized by an emergent discrete translational symmetry, allowing a projection that produces a genuine SOQPT.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"Quantum criticality emerges around the spinodal point of first-order quantum phase transitions via resonant excitations that decouple a subspace, yielding an effective Hamiltonian with second-order quantum phase transition and Kibble-Zurek scaling.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"First-order quantum phase transitions develop second-order criticality at their spinodal points through an effective projected Hamiltonian.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"8425db9f0c737ea731abce5559b789d23744ac00834820726eab7db26f01090c"},"source":{"id":"2605.06436","kind":"arxiv","version":2},"verdict":{"id":"eff5d286-4ab0-4a5a-b7aa-d18a4ace647a","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-08T04:46:04.313902Z","strongest_claim":"We present a microscopic theory showing that quantum criticality can emerge around the quantum spinodal point of FOQPTs where metastability disappears... Projecting the original Hamiltonian onto this subspace yields an effective Hamiltonian that exhibits a genuine second-order quantum phase transition (SOQPT) and the Kibble-Zurek scaling.","one_line_summary":"Quantum criticality emerges around the spinodal point of first-order quantum phase transitions via resonant excitations that decouple a subspace, yielding an effective Hamiltonian with second-order quantum phase transition and Kibble-Zurek scaling.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"That resonant local excitations dynamically decouple a Hilbert subspace characterized by an emergent discrete translational symmetry, allowing a projection that produces a genuine SOQPT.","pith_extraction_headline":"First-order quantum phase transitions develop second-order criticality at their spinodal points through an effective projected Hamiltonian."},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2605.06436/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[{"name":"claim_evidence","ran_at":"2026-05-20T12:22:03.955999Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"ai_meta_artifact","ran_at":"2026-05-20T07:42:40.662143Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"doi_title_agreement","ran_at":"2026-05-19T18:31:19.034259Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"doi_compliance","ran_at":"2026-05-19T12:39:19.795845Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0}],"snapshot_sha256":"8dcaa25a69eb82c7b40d089e86cb40c357b5b3b885332b4566c390533c993f8f"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}