Chaos and thermalization in small quantum systems

Chaos and ergodicity are the cornerstones of statistical physics and thermodynamics. While classically even small systems like a particle in a two-dimensional cavity, can exhibit chaotic behavior and thereby relax to a microcanonical ensemble, quantum systems formally can not. Recent theoretical breakthroughs and, in particular, the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) however indicate that quantum systems can also thermalize. In fact ETH provided us with a framework connecting microscopic models and macroscopic phenomena, based on the notion of highly entangled quantum states. Such thermalization was beautifully demonstrated experimentally by A. Kaufman et. al. who studied relaxation dynamics of a small lattice system of interacting bosonic particles. By directly measuring the entanglement entropy of subsystems, as well as other observables, they showed that after the initial transient time the system locally relaxes to a thermal ensemble while globally maintaining a zero-entropy pure state.Comment: Perspectiv

On non-coercive mixed problems for parameter-dependent elliptic operators

We consider a (generally, non-coercive) mixed boundary value problem in a bounded domain $D$ of ${\mathbb R}^n$ for a second order parameter-dependent elliptic differential operator $A (x,\partial, \lambda)$ with complex-valued essentially bounded measured coefficients and complex parameter $\lambda$. The differential operator is assumed to be of divergent form in $D$, the boundary operator $B (x,\partial)$ is of Robin type with possible pseudo-differential components on $\partial D$. The boundary of $D$ is assumed to be a Lipschitz surface. Under these assumptions the pair $(A (x,\partial, \lambda),B)$ induces a holomorphic family of Fredholm operators $L(\lambda): H^+(D) \to H^- (D)$ in suitable Hilbert spaces $H^+(D)$ , $H^- (D)$ of Sobolev type. If the argument of the complex-valued multiplier of the parame\-ter in $A (x,\partial, \lambda)$ is continuous and the coefficients related to second order derivatives of the operator are smooth then we prove that the operators $L(\lambda)$ are conti\-nu\-ously invertible for all $\lambda$ with sufficiently large modulus $|\lambda|$ on each ray on the complex plane $\mathbb C$ where the differential operator $A (x,\partial, \lambda)$ is parameter-dependent elliptic. We also describe reasonable conditions for the system of root functions related to the family $L (\lambda)$ to be (doubly) complete in the spaces $H^+(D)$, $H^- (D)$ and the Lebesgue space $L^2 (D)$

Integrable Floquet dynamics

We discuss several classes of integrable Floquet systems, i.e. systems which do not exhibit chaotic behavior even under a time dependent perturbation. The first class is associated with finite-dimensional Lie groups and infinite-dimensional generalization thereof. The second class is related to the row transfer matrices of the 2D statistical mechanics models. The third class of models, called here "boost models", is constructed as a periodic interchange of two Hamiltonians - one is the integrable lattice model Hamiltonian, while the second is the boost operator. The latter for known cases coincides with the entanglement Hamiltonian and is closely related to the corner transfer matrix of the corresponding 2D statistical models. We present several explicit examples. As an interesting application of the boost models we discuss a possibility of generating periodically oscillating states with the period different from that of the driving field. In particular, one can realize an oscillating state by performing a static quench to a boost operator. We term this state a "Quantum Boost Clock". All analyzed setups can be readily realized experimentally, for example in cod atoms.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures; revised version. Submission to SciPos

Universal Dynamics Near Quantum Critical Points

We give an overview of the scaling of density of quasi-particles and excess energy (heat) for nearly adiabatic dynamics near quantum critical points (QCPs). In particular we discuss both sudden quenches of small amplitude and slow sweeps across the QCP. We show close connection between universal scaling of these quantities with the scaling behavior of the fidelity susceptibility and its generalizations. In particular we argue that the Kibble-Zurek scaling can be easily understood using this concept. We discuss how these scalings can be derived within the adiabatic perturbation theory and how using this approach slow and fast quenches can be treated within the same framework. We also describe modifications of these scalings for finite temperature quenches and emphasize the important role of statistics of low-energy excitations. In the end we mention some connections between adiabatic dynamics near critical points with dynamics associated with space-time singularities in the metrics, which naturally emerges in such areas as cosmology and string theory.Comment: 19 pages, Contribution to the book "Developments in Quantum Phase Transitions", edited by Lincoln Carr; revised version, acknowledgement adde

Efficiency bounds for nonequilibrium heat engines

We analyze the efficiency of thermal engines (either quantum or classical) working with a single heat reservoir like atmosphere. The engine first gets an energy intake, which can be done in arbitrary non-equilibrium way e.g. combustion of fuel. Then the engine performs the work and returns to the initial state. We distinguish two general classes of engines where the working body first equilibrates within itself and then performs the work (ergodic engine) or when it performs the work before equilibrating (non-ergodic engine). We show that in both cases the second law of thermodynamics limits their efficiency. For ergodic engines we find a rigorous upper bound for the efficiency, which is strictly smaller than the equivalent Carnot efficiency. I.e. the Carnot efficiency can be never achieved in single reservoir heat engines. For non-ergodic engines the efficiency can be higher and can exceed the equilibrium Carnot bound. By extending the fundamental thermodynamic relation to nonequilibrium processes, we find a rigorous thermodynamic bound for the efficiency of both ergodic and non-ergodic engines and show that it is given by the relative entropy of the non-equilibrium and initial equilibrium distributions.These results suggest a new general strategy for designing more efficient engines. We illustrate our ideas by using simple examples.Comment: updated version, 16 pages, 3 figure