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Quantum quenches in the thermodynamic limit
1Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|May 20, 2014
Summary
We developed a computational method to study quantum quenches in lattice systems. Thermalization occurs in nonintegrable systems but fails in integrable ones, with a phase transition separating these behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Condensed matter theory
- Computational physics
Background:
- Studying quantum quenches is crucial for understanding non-equilibrium dynamics in quantum systems.
- Simulating these dynamics in the thermodynamic limit presents significant computational challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel linked-cluster based computational approach for studying quantum quenches.
- To investigate thermalization in one-dimensional lattice systems within the thermodynamic limit.
Main Methods:
- Development of a linked-cluster based computational technique.
- Application of the method to one-dimensional lattice models.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of thermalization in the nonintegrable regime of one-dimensional lattices.
- Evidence for the failure of thermalization at integrability in the thermodynamic limit.
- Identification of a phase transition-like behavior separating integrable and nonintegrable regimes.
Conclusions:
- The linked-cluster approach provides a viable method for studying quantum quenches in the thermodynamic limit.
- Integrability plays a critical role in determining thermalization in quantum lattice systems.
- A distinct boundary exists between thermalizing and non-thermalizing behaviors in these systems.
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