Effective Theory for Domain Wall Melting

POSTER

Abstract

A variety of recent studies have shed light on the far from equilibrium behavior of quantum systems. Research suggests that this field of study may produce unfamiliar dynamical realizations of quantum states. It has been shown that in some cases a time evolving quantum state is equivalent to the ground state of an “effective” Hamiltonian where the time enters as a parameter. Here, we study the dynamical behavior of noninteracting fermions in a one-dimensional lattice starting from a “domain wall” initial state. As the system equilibrates, we look at the distribution of particles as well as correlations between particles in the system. We then compare the actual time evolving state of the system to the ground state of the effective Hamiltonian to study how long this description is valid, and when and where it breaks down using the trace distance between the full density matrices of the two systems. We generally expect that the description is valid in a given region as long as the boundary effects do not propagate into the region.

Authors

  • Ryan Cadigan

    Bucknell University

  • Shahab Derakhshan

    Drexel University, Univ of Delaware, Princeton University, Naval Surface Warfare Center\Carderock Division\West Bethesda site, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Georgetown Univ., Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Deleware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada-Reno, university of Delaware, Contributors, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University, Choice Research Group, Univ of the Sciences in Philadephia, Rutgers Univ, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Chemistry, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, Bucknell University, Towson University, University of Maryland, College of William and Mary, Naval Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Villanova University, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brescia, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Potsdam, Delaware State University DE, NIH Bethesda MD, Wilmington Friends School DE, University Of Rochester NY, Delaware State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy,West Virginia University, The National Energy Technology Laboratory, Non-tenure track professor at research institution, Government Sponsored Laboratory, Research and Development at Industrial Company, Tenure-track Professor at 4 yr college, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lehigh Univ, Johns Hopkins Univ, NIST, GMU, GWU, Lock Haven University of PA, Univ of Maryland-Balt County; Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Univ of Maryland-Balt County, Pennsylvania State University, BAE Systems, Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire 03061, Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506-6315, California State University, Long Beach