Detecting quantum phase transitions in a frustrated spin chain via transfer learning of a quantum classifier algorithm

The classification of phases and the detection of phase transitions are central and challenging tasks in diverse fields. Within physics, these rely on the identification of order parameters and the analysis of singularities in the free energy and its derivatives. Here, we propose an alternative framework to identify quantum phase transitions. Using the axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model as a benchmark, we show how machine learning can detect three phases (ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, and a cluster of the antiphase with the floating phase). Employing supervised learning, we demonstrate the feasibility of transfer learning. Specifically, a machine trained only with nearest-neighbor interactions can learn to identify a new type of phase occurring when next-nearest-neighbor interactions are introduced. We also compare the performance of common classical machine learning methods with a version of the quantum nearest neighbors (QNN) algorithm.