Global entanglement characterization of a quantum phase transition

Classical phase transitions are driven by temperature fluctuations. By contrast, the fluctuations in quantum phase transitions are driven by the uncertainty principle and occur at zero temperature. We analyze the quantum phase transition in a well-known model (quantum Ising in a transverse field) and characterize it in terms of multipartite entanglement. This characterization is successful and corroborated by other independent analytical results.