The measurement of dynamic correlation functions of quantum systems is complicated by measurement backaction. To facilitate such measurements we introduce a protocol, based on weak ancilla-system couplings, that is applicable to arbitrary (pseudo)spin systems and arbitrary equilibrium or nonequilibrium initial states. Different choices of the coupling operator give access to the real and imaginary parts of the dynamic correlation function. This protocol reduces disturbances due to the early time measurements to a minimum, and we quantify the deviation of the measured correlation functions from the theoretical, unitarily-evolved ones. Implementations of the protocol in trapped ions and other experimental platforms are discussed. For spin-1/2 models and single-site observables we prove that measurement backaction can be avoided altogether, allowing for the use of ancilla-free protocols.
Within the ultimate goal of classifying universality in quantum many-body dynamics, understanding the relation between out-of-equilibrium and equilibrium criticality is a crucial objective. Models with power-law interactions exhibit rich well-understood critical behavior in equilibrium, but the out-of-equilibrium picture has remained incomplete, despite recent experimental progress. We construct the rich dynamical phase diagram of free-fermionic chains with power-law hopping and pairing and provide analytic and numerical evidence showing a direct connection between nonanalyticities of the return rate and zero crossings of the string order parameter. Our results may explain the experimental observation of so-called accidental dynamical vortices, which appear for quenches within the same topological phase of the Haldane model, as reported by Fläschner et al. [Nat. Phys. 14, 265 (2018)]. Our work is readily applicable to modern ultracold-atom experiments, not least because state-of-the-art quantum gas microscopes can now reliably measure the string order parameter, which, as we show, can serve as an indicator of dynamical criticality.
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