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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Thermalization in a coherently driven ensemble of two-level systems.
Igor Lesanovsky1, Beatriz Olmos, Juan P Garrahan
1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
Physical Review Letters
|September 28, 2010
Summary
We found that a driven chain of two-level systems can thermalize due to strong interactions. This quantum thermalization phenomenon can be observed in experiments with Rydberg atoms and used for thermometry.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Condensed matter physics
- Atomic physics
Background:
- Investigating quantum systems with strong interactions is crucial for understanding emergent phenomena.
- Driven mesoscopic systems offer a controllable platform for studying quantum dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the coherent quantum time evolution of a driven mesoscopic chain of two-level systems.
- To investigate the emergence of thermalization in such systems.
- To propose experimental methods for observing and utilizing this thermalization.
Main Methods:
- The study employs a Hamiltonian that combines classical lattice gas interactions with a non-classical driving term.
- Numerical simulations track the quantum time evolution from an initial product state.
Main Results:
- A transition to thermalization is observed beyond a critical interaction strength.
- The system thermalizes with respect to observables of the classical lattice gas.
- A method for experimentally determining the temperature of the thermal state is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Coherent quantum dynamics can lead to thermalization in driven mesoscopic systems.
- Rydberg atoms, ions, or polar molecules are suitable for experimental realization.
- The proposed thermometry method can probe internal degrees of freedom in cold Rydberg gases.
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