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arXiv:1507.07474 · Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment

A hydrodynamic approach to non-equilibrium conformal field theories

Denis Bernard, Benjamin Doyon

Published Mar 1, 2016• 69 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We develop a hydrodynamic approach to non-equilibrium conformal field theory. We study non-equilibrium steady states in the context of one-dimensional conformal field theory perturbed by the irrelevant operator. By direct quantum computation, we show, to first order in the coupling, that a relativistic hydrodynamic emerges, which is a simple modification of one-dimensional conformal fluids. We show that it describes the steady state and its approach, and we provide the main characteristics of the steady state, which lies between two shock waves. The velocities of these shocks are modified by the perturbation and equal the sound velocities of the asymptotic baths. Pushing this approach further, we are led to conjecture that the approach to the steady state is generically controlled by the power law t −1/2 , and that the widths of the shocks increase with time according to t 1/3 .

DOI
10.1088/1742-5468/2016/03/033104

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Abstract We develop a hydrodynamic approach to non-equilibrium conformal field theory. We study non-equilibrium steady states in the context of one-dimensional conformal field theory perturbed by the irrelevant operator. By direct quantum computation, we show, to first order in the coupling, that a relativistic hydrodynamic emerges, which is a simple modification of one-dimensional conformal fluids. We show that it describes the steady state and its approach, and we provide the main characteristics of the steady state, which lies between two shock waves. The velocities of these shocks are modified by the perturbation and equal the sound velocities of the asymptotic baths. Pushing this approach further, we are led to conjecture that the approach to the steady state is generically controlled by the power law t −1/2 , and that the widths of the shocks increase with time according to t 1/3 .
Abstract We provide a pedagogical review of the main ideas and results in non-equilibrium conformal field theory and connected subjects. These concern the understanding of quantum transport and its statistics at and near critical points. Starting with phenomenological considerations, we explain the general framework, illustrated by the example of the Heisenberg quantum chain. We then introduce the main concepts underlying conformal field theory (CFT), the emergence of critical ballistic transport, and the CFT scattering construction of non-equilibrium steady states. Using this we review the theory for energy transport in homogeneous one-dimensional critical systems, including the complete description of its large deviations and the resulting (extended) fluctuation relations. We generalize some of these ideas to one-dimensional critical charge transport and to the presence of defects, as well as beyond one-dimensional criticality. We describe non-equilibrium transport in free-particle models, where connections are made with generalized Gibbs ensembles, and in higher-dimensional and non-integrable quantum field theories, where the use of the powerful hydrodynamic ideas for non-equilibrium steady states is explained. We finish with a list of open questions. The review does not assume any advanced prior knowledge of conformal field theory, large-deviation theory or hydrodynamics.
Just as non-relativistic fluids, oftentimes we find relativistic fluids in situations where random fluctuations cannot be ignored, with thermal and turbulent fluctuations being the most relevant examples. Because of the theory's inherent nonlinearity, fluctuations induce deep and complex changes in the dynamics of the system. The Martin-Siggia-Rose technique is a powerful tool that allows us to translate the original hydrodynamic problem into a quantum field theory one, thus taking advantage of the progress in the treatment of quantum fields out of equilibrium. To demonstrate this technique, we shall consider the thermal fluctuations of the spin two modes of a relativistic fluid, in a theory where hydrodynamics is derived by taking moments of the Boltzmann equation under the relaxation time approximation.
The evolution of quantum gases, released from traps, are studied through hydrodynamics, both analytically and numerically, in one and two dimensions. In particular, we demonstrate the existence of long time self-similar solutions of the Euler equations, for the density and velocity fields, and derive the scaling exponents as well as the scaling functions. We find that the expanding gas develops a shock front and the size of the cloud grows in time as a powerlaw. We relate the associated exponent to that appearing in the corresponding equation of state of the quantum gas. Furthermore, we study the relaxation dynamics of a trapped quantum gas and show that the resulting steady state is in excellent agreement with that derived analytically. Our hydrodynamic approach is versatile and can be used to unravel several other far-from-equilibrium collective phenomenon of extreme nature, relevant to the growing experimental interests in quantum gases.
We construct non-equilibrium steady states in the Klein–Gordon theory in arbitrary space dimension d following a local quench. We consider the approach where two independently thermalized semi-infinite systems, with temperatures and , are connected along a -dimensional hypersurface. A current-carrying steady state, described by thermally distributed modes with temperatures and for left and right-moving modes, respectively, emerges at late times. The non-equilibrium density matrix is the exponential of a non-local conserved charge. We obtain exact results for the average energy current and the complete distribution of energy current fluctuations. The latter shows that the long-time energy transfer can be described by a continuum of independent Poisson processes, for which we provide the exact weights. We further describe the full time evolution of local observables following the quench. Averages of generic local observables, including the stress-energy tensor, approach the steady state with a power-law in time, where the exponent depends on the initial conditions at the connection hypersurface. We describe boundary conditions and special operators for which the steady state is reached instantaneously on the connection hypersurface. A semiclassical analysis of freely propagating modes yields the average energy current at large distances and late times. We conclude by comparing and contrasting our findings with results for interacting theories and provide an estimate for the timescale governing the crossover to hydrodynamics. As a modification of our Klein–Gordon analysis we also include exact results for free Dirac fermions.
Non-equilibrium steady states (NESS) describe particularly simple and stationary non-equilibrium situations. A possibility to obtain such states is to consider the asymptotic evolution of two infinite heat baths brought into thermal contact. In this work we generalise corresponding results of Doyon~et.~al. (J.\ Phys.\ A 18 (2015) no.9) for free Klein-Gordon fields in several directions. Our analysis is carried out directly at the level of correlation functions and in the algebraic approach to QFT. We discuss non-trivial chemical potentials, condensates, inhomogeneous linear models and homogeneous interacting ones. We shall not consider a sharp contact at initial time, but a smooth transition region. As a consequence, the states we construct will be of Hadamard type, and thus sufficiently regular for the perturbative treatment of interacting models. Our analysis shows that perturbatively constructed interacting NESS display thermodynamic properties similar to the ones of the NESS in linear models. In particular, perturbation theory appears to be insufficient to describe full thermalisation in non-linear QFT. Notwithstanding, we find that the NESS for linear and interacting models is stable under small perturbations, which is one of the characteristic features of equilibrium states.