Nonequilibrium symmetry-protected topological order: emergence of semilocal Gibbs ensembles

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Fagotti, Maurizio, Marić, Vanja, Zadnik, Lenart
Format: Preprint
Published: 2022
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author Fagotti, Maurizio
Marić, Vanja
Zadnik, Lenart
author_facet Fagotti, Maurizio
Marić, Vanja
Zadnik, Lenart
contents We consider nonequilibrium time evolution in quantum spin chains after a global quench. Usually a nonequilibium quantum many-body system locally relaxes to a (generalised) Gibbs ensemble built from conserved operators with quasilocal densities. Here we exhibit explicit examples of local Hamiltonians that possess conservation laws with densities that are not quasilocal but act as such in the symmetry-restricted space where time evolution occurs. Because of them, the stationary state emerging at infinite time can exhibit exceptional features. We focus on a specific example with a spin-flip symmetry, which is the commonest global symmetry encountered in spin-$1/2$ chains. Among the exceptional properties, we find that, at late times, the excess of entropy of a spin block triggered by a local perturbation in the initial state grows logarithmically with the subsystem's length. We establish a connection with symmetry-protected topological order in equilibrium at zero temperature and study the melting of the order induced either by a (symmetry-breaking) rotation of the initial state or by an increase of the temperature.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2205_02221
institution arXiv
publishDate 2022
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nonequilibrium symmetry-protected topological order: emergence of semilocal Gibbs ensembles
Fagotti, Maurizio
Marić, Vanja
Zadnik, Lenart
Statistical Mechanics
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
We consider nonequilibrium time evolution in quantum spin chains after a global quench. Usually a nonequilibium quantum many-body system locally relaxes to a (generalised) Gibbs ensemble built from conserved operators with quasilocal densities. Here we exhibit explicit examples of local Hamiltonians that possess conservation laws with densities that are not quasilocal but act as such in the symmetry-restricted space where time evolution occurs. Because of them, the stationary state emerging at infinite time can exhibit exceptional features. We focus on a specific example with a spin-flip symmetry, which is the commonest global symmetry encountered in spin-$1/2$ chains. Among the exceptional properties, we find that, at late times, the excess of entropy of a spin block triggered by a local perturbation in the initial state grows logarithmically with the subsystem's length. We establish a connection with symmetry-protected topological order in equilibrium at zero temperature and study the melting of the order induced either by a (symmetry-breaking) rotation of the initial state or by an increase of the temperature.
title Nonequilibrium symmetry-protected topological order: emergence of semilocal Gibbs ensembles
topic Statistical Mechanics
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.02221