Professor Fabian Essler

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

During the last decade a host of experiments has established the existence of highly unconventional states of matter in a variety of low dimensional quantum systems. These include equilibrium states characterized by topological properties as well as stationary states in out of equilibrium situations. Both of these give access to hitherto unexplored areas of many-body quantum physics. The key aim of the workshop was to bring together experts in several different research areas revolving around novel quantum states of matter.