Abstract
The quantum variance of an observable is a fundamental quantity in quantum mechanics, and the variance provides additional information other than the average itself. By examining the relation between the particle-current variance (δ J)² and the average current J in both closed and open interacting fermionic systems, we show the emergence of a multi-valued Lissajous curve between δ J and J due to interactions. As a closed system we considered the persistent current in a benzene-like lattice enclosing an effective magnetic flux and solved it by exact diagonalization. For the open system, the steady-state current flowing through a few lattice sites coupled to two particle reservoirs was investigated using a Lindblad equation. In both cases, interactions open a loop and change the topology of the corresponding δ J-J Lissajous curve, showing that this effect is model-independent. We finally discuss how the predicted phenomena can be observed in ultracold atoms, thus offering an alternative way of probing the dynamics of many-body systems.