Locally controlled arrested thermalization

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ma, Ken K. W., Changlani, Hitesh J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Ma, Ken K. W.
Changlani, Hitesh J.
author_facet Ma, Ken K. W.
Changlani, Hitesh J.
contents The long-time dynamics of quantum systems, typically, but not always, results in a thermal steady state. The microscopic processes that lead to or circumvent this fate are of interest, since everyday experience tells us that not all spatial regions of a system heat up or cool down uniformly. This motivates the question: under what conditions can one slow down or completely arrest thermalization locally? Is it possible to construct realistic Hamiltonians and initial states such that a local region is effectively insulated from the rest, or acts like a barrier between two or more regions? We answer this in the affirmative by outlining the conditions that govern the flow of energy and entropy between subsystems. Using these ideas we provide a representative example for how simple few-body states can be used to engineer a ``thermal switch" between interacting regions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2306_07319
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Locally controlled arrested thermalization
Ma, Ken K. W.
Changlani, Hitesh J.
Statistical Mechanics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Quantum Physics
The long-time dynamics of quantum systems, typically, but not always, results in a thermal steady state. The microscopic processes that lead to or circumvent this fate are of interest, since everyday experience tells us that not all spatial regions of a system heat up or cool down uniformly. This motivates the question: under what conditions can one slow down or completely arrest thermalization locally? Is it possible to construct realistic Hamiltonians and initial states such that a local region is effectively insulated from the rest, or acts like a barrier between two or more regions? We answer this in the affirmative by outlining the conditions that govern the flow of energy and entropy between subsystems. Using these ideas we provide a representative example for how simple few-body states can be used to engineer a ``thermal switch" between interacting regions.
title Locally controlled arrested thermalization
topic Statistical Mechanics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.07319