Quantum quenches in isolated quantum glasses out of equilibrium

S. J. Thomson (1) , Pierfrancesco Urbani (1) , M. Schiró (1)

1 IPHT - Institut de Physique Théorique - UMR CNRS 3681

In this work, we address the question of how a closed quantum system thermalises in the presence of a random external potential. By investigating the quench dynamics of the isolated quantum spherical p-spin model, a paradigmatic model of a mean-field glass, we aim to shed new light on this complex problem. Employing a closed-time Schwinger-Keldysh path integral formalism, we first initialise the system in a random, infinite-temperature configuration and allow it to equilibrate in contact with a thermal bath before switching off the bath and performing a quench. We find evidence that increasing the strength of either the interactions or the quantum fluctuations can act to lower the effective temperature of the isolated system and stabilise glassy behaviour.

Domains: Physics [physics]

S. J. Thomson, Pierfrancesco Urbani, M. Schiró. Quantum quenches in isolated quantum glasses out of equilibrium. Physical Review Letters, 2020, 125, pp.120602. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.120602⟩. ⟨cea-02395083⟩