Quantum phase transition in a non-Hermitian XY spin chain with global complex transverse field

Abstract: In this work, we investigate the quantum phase transition in a non-Hermitian XY spin chain. The phase diagram shows that the critical points of Ising phase transition expand into a critical transition zone after introducing a non-Hermitian effect. By analyzing the non-Hermitian gap and long-range correlation function, one can distinguish different phases by means of different gap features and decay properties of correlation function, a tricky problem in traditional XY model. Furthermore, the results reveal the relationship among different regions of the phase diagram, non-Hermitian energy gap and long-range correlation function.