XY Chain

Purpose and Hamiltonian

The anisotropic XY chain isolates $XX$ and $YY$ exchange:

$$ H=-J\sum_i\left[\frac{1+\gamma}{2}X_iX_{i+1} +\frac{1-\gamma}{2}Y_iY_{i+1}\right]-g\sum_iZ_i. $$

coupling is $J$, anisotropy is $\gamma$, and field is $g$. $\gamma=0$ gives equal $XX$ and $YY$ couplings.

Basis and use

The dense computational-basis matrix has dimension $2^N$.

from quantum_lattice_models import xy_chain

H = xy_chain(n_sites=5, coupling=1.0, anisotropy=0.3, field=0.2)

Parameters

Builder Parameter Type Default Constraint
xy_chain n_sites int 4 >= 1
xy_chain coupling float 1.0
xy_chain anisotropy float 0.3
xy_chain field float 0.0
xy_chain periodic bool False

User notes

The field sign differs from the general Heisenberg builder: this model uses $-g\sum Z_i$. Check conventions when comparing parameterizations.

Related: Ising chains, XXZ chain.