Quench Dynamics in a Model with Tuneable Integrability Breaking

Journal article

We consider quantum quenches in an integrable quantum chain with tuneable-integrability-breaking interactions. In the case where these interactions are weak, we demonstrate that at intermediate times after the quench local observables relax to a prethermalized regime, which can be described by a density matrix that can be viewed as a deformation of a generalized Gibbs ensemble. We present explicit expressions for the approximately conserved charges characterizing this ensemble. We do not find evidence for a crossover from the prethermalized to a thermalized regime on the time scales accessible to us. Increasing the integrability-breaking interactions leads to a behaviour that is compatible with eventual thermalization.

Authors: Essler, F; Kehrein, S; Manmana, SR; Robinson, N

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Journal: Physical Review B
• Volume: 89
• Issue: 16
• Article number: 165104
• Publication date: 2014-04-01
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.165104
• EISSN: 1550-235X
• ISSN: 1098-0121
• Keywords: cond-mat.stat-mech; quant-ph