Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Letter

Dynamic scaling and Family-Vicsek universality in SU(N) quantum spin chains

Cătălin Paşcu Moca1,2,3,*, Balázs Dóra2,3, Doru Sticlet4, Angelo Valli2,5,6, Tomaž Prosen7,8, and Gergely Zaránd2,5

  • *Contact author: mocap@uoradea.ro

Phys. Rev. B 113, L020405 – Published 9 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/434y-71cd

Abstract

The Family-Vicsek scaling is a fundamental framework for understanding surface growth in nonequilibrium classical systems, providing a universal description of temporal surface roughness evolution. Whether such scaling extends to strongly correlated quantum many-body systems—where dynamics are governed by unitarity, conservation laws, and quantum statistics—remains an open question. Here, we investigate the infinite-temperature dynamics of one-dimensional SU(N) spin chains, focusing on the well-known SU(2) XXZ model and the SU(3) Izergin-Korepin model. We compute the quantum analog of classical surface roughness using the second cumulant of spin fluctuations and demonstrate Family-Vicsek scaling with respect to time and subsystem size. Crucially, we show that the scaling behavior is controlled by both integrability and non-Abelian global symmetries. We identify distinct transport regimes characterized by the dynamical exponent z: (i) ballistic transport with z=1, (ii) superdiffusive transport with the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang exponent z=3/2, and (iii) diffusive transport with the Edwards-Wilkinson exponent z=2. Notably, breaking integrability always drives the system into the diffusive regime. Our results demonstrate that Family-Vicsek scaling extends beyond classical systems, and emerges across quantum many-body models with SU(N) symmetry.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation