| In this dissertation, we address several problems in condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, and quantum chaos from the perspective of the quantum information-theoretic notion of state distinguishability, as measured though evaluation of the appropriate fidelity measure.;We find that the fidelity susceptibility, a measure for the response of the fidelity to infinitesimal changes of the Hamiltonian parameters, serves as a useful tool for studying the effects of disorder on quantum phase transitions. We study in detail the phase diagram of the well-known one-dimensional random quantum XY chain. Through an analysis of the fidelity susceptibility's finite-size scaling and statistics for this model, we find that the fidelity approach reflects large variation between average and typical behavior, may detect the presence of Griffiths phases, and indicates the modifications to the phase diagram due to disorder.;For this same model, though without disorder, we evaluate the dynamics following a sudden Hamiltonian quench using the Loschmidt echo, a form of the fidelity that compares the initial state with the time-evolved state. Through a central limit theorem-type argument we find that the long-time statistics of the Loschmidt echo takes one of two universal forms, even at finite temperature, depending on the system's proximity to the quantum critical lines.;Finally, for a canonical model exhibiting quantum chaos, the hydrogen atom in a uniform external magnetic field, we evaluate the operator fidelity susceptibility (OFS) between unitary operators generating the dynamics. We find that the part of the OFS which corresponds to the variation of the Hamiltonian eigenvectors serves to indicate the transition from the regular perturbative and n-mixing regimes to the quantum chaotic regime. |
