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Post-thermalization via information spreading in open quantum systems
Krzysztof Ptaszyński1, Massimiliano Esposito2
1Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 60-179 Poznań, Poland.
Physical Review. E
|August 17, 2022
Summary
The environment can exhibit complex dynamics, termed post-thermalization, even after a system has thermalized. This occurs due to the environment
Area of Science:
- Quantum thermodynamics
- Statistical mechanics
- Open quantum systems
Background:
- Thermalization in open quantum systems typically focuses on system relaxation.
- The dynamics of the macroscopic environment during thermalization are often overlooked.
- Previous studies hinted at non-trivial environmental dynamics post-system thermalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenomenon of post-thermalization in open quantum systems.
- To analyze the dynamics of the environment beyond system relaxation.
- To provide a detailed simulation and explanation of environmental post-thermalization.
Main Methods:
- Full dynamics simulation of various systems coupled to their environments.
- Analysis of von Neumann entropy changes in the environment.
- Investigating the role of system-bath correlations.
Main Results:
- Confirmed non-trivial environmental dynamics (post-thermalization) occurring at longer timescales than system relaxation.
- Explained post-thermalization as a reconversion of system-bath correlations into intra-environment correlations.
- Identified suppression of reconversion in systems with non-Markovian dynamics or interactions.
Conclusions:
- Post-thermalization is a significant phenomenon in open quantum systems, revealing complex environmental behavior.
- The reconversion of correlations is a key mechanism driving post-thermalization.
- System properties like non-Markovianity and interactions can influence or suppress post-thermalization.
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