Metastability is a quintessential feature of first-order quantum phase transitions, which is lost either by dynamical instability or by nucleating bubbles of a true vacuum through quantum tunneling. By considering a drive across the first-order quantum phase transition in the quantum Ising chain in the presence of both transverse and longitudinal fields, we reveal multiple regions in the parameter space where the initial metastable state loses its metastability in successive stages. The mechanism responsible is found to be semidegenerate resonant tunnelings to states with specific bubble sizes. We show that such dynamics of quantized bubble nucleations can be understood in terms of Landau-Zener transitions, which provide quantitative predictions of nucleation probabilities for different bubble sizes.

• Received 13 March 2021
• Accepted 26 May 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.103.L220302