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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

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Closed and open system dynamics in a fermionic chain with a microscopically specified bath: relaxation and

Nicholas Sedlmayr¹, Jie Ren, Florian Gebhard

¹Department of Physics and Research Center OPTIMAS, Technical University Kaiserslautern, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Physical Review Letters

|March 26, 2013

Summary

This study explores thermalization in quantum systems. We found prethermalization and full thermalization in a fermionic chain, with a Fermi momentum distribution observed even with a simplified bath.

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Area of Science:

Quantum physics
Condensed matter physics
Statistical mechanics

Background:

Investigating thermalization in quantum systems is crucial for understanding their long-term behavior.
Noninteracting fermionic chains coupled to baths serve as a simplified yet insightful model system.

Purpose of the Study:

To study the thermalization dynamics of a one-dimensional noninteracting fermionic chain coupled to bath sites.
To analyze the time evolution of observables after a quantum quench.
To understand the role of density and bath-chain coupling on thermalization.

Main Methods:

Utilizing the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm for numerical simulations.
Analyzing the time evolution of quantum observables.
Comparing numerical results with coupled equations of motion for low densities.

Main Results:

For low densities, intermediate time dynamics are quantitatively described by coupled equations of motion.
At higher densities, local observables exhibit prethermalization at intermediate times and full thermalization to the grand canonical ensemble at long times.
A Fermi momentum distribution in equilibrium is observed in the chain, even with weak bath-chain coupling.

Conclusions:

The study reveals distinct thermalization behaviors (prethermalization and full thermalization) depending on particle density.
The findings highlight the importance of bath-chain coupling strength in achieving equilibrium states.
The model successfully captures essential features of thermalization in quantum many-body systems.