Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments
The usual paradigm of open quantum systems falls short when the environment is actually coupled to additional fields or components that drive it out of equilibrium. Here we explore the simplest such scenario, by considering a two level system coupled to a first thermal reservoir that in turn couples...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aba7f4 |
| _version_ | 1827873068207308800 |
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| author | Andreu Anglés-Castillo Mari Carmen Bañuls Armando Pérez Inés De Vega |
| author_facet | Andreu Anglés-Castillo Mari Carmen Bañuls Armando Pérez Inés De Vega |
| author_sort | Andreu Anglés-Castillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The usual paradigm of open quantum systems falls short when the environment is actually coupled to additional fields or components that drive it out of equilibrium. Here we explore the simplest such scenario, by considering a two level system coupled to a first thermal reservoir that in turn couples to a second thermal bath at a different temperature. We derive a master equation description for the system and show that, in this situation, the dynamics can be especially rich. In particular, we observe prethermalization, a transitory phenomenon in which the system initially approaches thermal equilibrium with respect to the first reservoir, but after a longer time converges to the thermal state dictated by the temperature of the second environment. Using analytical arguments and numerical simulations, we analyze the occurrence of this phenomenon, and how it depends on temperatures and coupling strengths. The phenomenology gets even richer if the system is placed between two such non-equilibrium environments. In this case, the energy current through the system may exhibit transient features and even switch direction, before the system eventually reaches a non-equilibrium steady state. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:32:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-406fc6ecc9fc4c71bd5a4a77736e5605 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:32:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-406fc6ecc9fc4c71bd5a4a77736e56052023-08-08T15:26:20ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302020-01-0122808306710.1088/1367-2630/aba7f4Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environmentsAndreu Anglés-Castillo0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2883-4851Mari Carmen Bañuls1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6419-6610Armando Pérez2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6713-9483Inés De Vega3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1873-9503Departamento de Física Teórica & IFIC, Universidad de Valencia-CSIC , 46100 Burjassot (Valencia) SpainMax-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik , Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany; Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) , Schellingstr. 4, D-80799 München, GermanyDepartamento de Física Teórica & IFIC, Universidad de Valencia-CSIC , 46100 Burjassot (Valencia) SpainDepartment of Physics and Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich , GermanyThe usual paradigm of open quantum systems falls short when the environment is actually coupled to additional fields or components that drive it out of equilibrium. Here we explore the simplest such scenario, by considering a two level system coupled to a first thermal reservoir that in turn couples to a second thermal bath at a different temperature. We derive a master equation description for the system and show that, in this situation, the dynamics can be especially rich. In particular, we observe prethermalization, a transitory phenomenon in which the system initially approaches thermal equilibrium with respect to the first reservoir, but after a longer time converges to the thermal state dictated by the temperature of the second environment. Using analytical arguments and numerical simulations, we analyze the occurrence of this phenomenon, and how it depends on temperatures and coupling strengths. The phenomenology gets even richer if the system is placed between two such non-equilibrium environments. In this case, the energy current through the system may exhibit transient features and even switch direction, before the system eventually reaches a non-equilibrium steady state.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aba7f4open quantum systemsprethermalizationmaster equations |
| spellingShingle | Andreu Anglés-Castillo Mari Carmen Bañuls Armando Pérez Inés De Vega Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments New Journal of Physics open quantum systems prethermalization master equations |
| title | Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments |
| title_full | Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments |
| title_fullStr | Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments |
| title_short | Prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non-equilibrium environments |
| title_sort | prethermalization of quantum systems interacting with non equilibrium environments |
| topic | open quantum systems prethermalization master equations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aba7f4 |
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