Detecting Quantum Phase Transitions in Spin Chains

Quantum entanglement is a unique physical property that distinguishes quantum systems from classical systems. Entanglement in spin chain models has potential application in quantum information processing. Studying quantum phase transitions of such models from the quantum information point of view is the foundation of quantum physics and an effective means in understanding and applying quantumness. This method achieves extensive research and rapid development because no a priori knowledge of symmetry of the system is needed. However, some key issues have not been effectively addressed, such as the determination of order parameters and the effectiveness and universality of each detector. Therefore, we focus on the performance of entanglement and its related quantum correlations in the characterization of quantum phase transitions under different conditions. The natural connection between quantum correlation and quantum phase transitions is mainly discussed, and a general context and the possible direction of its development are sorted out to provide help for the deep understanding of quantumness and the improvement of research methods of quantum phase transition. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.