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    Criticality of the configuration-space statistical geometry

    Yu-Jing Liu1, Wen-Yu Su1, Yong-Feng Yang1, Nvsen Ma2,1,*, and Chen Cheng1,†

    • 1Lanzhou Center for Theoretical Physics, Key Laboratory of Quantum Theory and Applications of MoE, Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics of Gansu Province, and Gansu Provincial Research Center for Basic Disciplines of Quantum Physics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
    • 2School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

    • *Contact author: nvsenma@buaa.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: chengchen@lzu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 174424 – Published 20 May, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gwfc-9rmb

    Abstract

    While phases and phase transitions are conventionally described by local order parameters in real space, we present a unified framework that characterizes phase transitions through the geometry of configuration space, defined by the statistics of pairwise distances rH between configurations. Focusing on the concrete example of Ising spins, we establish crucial analytical links between this geometry and fundamental real-space observables, i.e., the magnetization and two-point spin-correlation functions. This link unveils the universal scaling law in the configuration space: the standard deviation of the normalized distances exhibits universal criticality as Var(rH)∼L−2β/ν, provided that the system satisfies 4β/ν<d. We validate this scaling with stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the transverse-field Ising model (TFIM). Furthermore, we propose configuration-space diagnostics that go beyond local real-space observables. First, the distribution probability P(rH) parametrized by the transverse field h forms a one-dimensional manifold. Information-geometric analyses, particularly the Fisher information defined on this manifold, successfully pinpoint the TFIM phase transition, regardless of the measurement basis. Second, for the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Heisenberg model, a parity index derived from P(rH) successfully characterizes the symmetry-protected topological phase and its transition. Our work establishes configuration-space geometry as a novel perspective on quantum criticality, revealing how macroscopic universal phenomena are encoded within its global statistical features.

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