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arXiv:1910.01503

Energy exchange and entropy for quasi-free fermionic semigroups

Andreys Simon

Published Oct 3, 2019• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We consider a model of quantum dynamical semigroup on a finite dimensional fermionic space, obtained as the continuous-time limit of a repeated interactions model between a system and several thermal baths, with a dynamic driven by quadratic Hamiltonians. We assume that there is a globally conserved observable which can be expressed as a sum of energies on the system and on each baths, and we study the energy fluxes between the baths and the system. First, we consider only the mean energy fluxes, and prove that every thermal machines on quasi-free fermions in trivial, in the sense that it is not possible to extract energy from the coolest bath, even when we dispose of several other baths at different temperatures. Then, we consider an unraveling of the semigroup as a random process, and we study the large deviations of the energy fluxes, following Jaksic, Pillet and Westrich (2014). We reduce the computation of the cumulant generating functional to the resolution of a Riccati equation (which is formally similar to the study of large deviations in classical networks of harmonic oscillators). We apply it to the numerical computation of the rate function for energy exchanges in a fermionic chain, and show that larger fluctuations are observed on a longer chain.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1910.01503

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We consider a model of quantum dynamical semigroup on a finite dimensional fermionic space, obtained as the continuous-time limit of a repeated interactions model between a system and several thermal baths, with a dynamic driven by quadratic Hamiltonians. We assume that there is a globally conserved observable which can be expressed as a sum of energies on the system and on each baths, and we study the energy fluxes between the baths and the system. First, we consider only the mean energy fluxes, and prove that every thermal machines on quasi-free fermions in trivial, in the sense that it is not possible to extract energy from the coolest bath, even when we dispose of several other baths at different temperatures. Then, we consider an unraveling of the semigroup as a random process, and we study the large deviations of the energy fluxes, following Jaksic, Pillet and Westrich (2014). We reduce the computation of the cumulant generating functional to the resolution of a Riccati equation (which is formally similar to the study of large deviations in classical networks of harmonic oscillators). We apply it to the numerical computation of the rate function for energy exchanges in a fermionic chain, and show that larger fluctuations are observed on a longer chain.
We study a class of dynamical semigroups [Formula: see text] that emerge, by a Feynman–Kac type formalism, from a random quantum dynamical system [Formula: see text] driven by a Markov chain [Formula: see text]. We show that the almost sure large time behavior of the system can be extracted from the large [Formula: see text] asymptotics of the semigroup, which is in turn directly related to the spectral properties of the generator [Formula: see text]. As a physical application, we consider the case where the [Formula: see text]’s are the reduced dynamical maps describing the repeated interactions of a system [Formula: see text] with thermal probes [Formula: see text]. We study the full statistics of the entropy in this system and derive a fluctuation theorem for the heat exchanges and the associated linear response formulas.
We study the dynamics of the statistics of the energy transferred across a point along a quantum chain which is prepared in the inhomogeneous initial state obtained by joining two identical semi-infinite parts thermalized at two different temperatures. In particular, we consider the transverse field Ising and harmonic chains as prototypical models of noninteracting fermionic and bosonic excitations, respectively. Within the so-called hydrodynamic limit of large space-time scales we first discuss the mean values of the energy density and current, and then, aiming at the statistics of fluctuations, we calculate exactly the scaled cumulant generating function of the transferred energy. From the latter, the evolution of the associated large deviation function is obtained. A natural interpretation of our results is provided in terms of a semiclassical picture of quasiparticles moving ballistically along classical trajectories. Similarities and differences between the transferred energy scaled cumulant and the large deviation functions in the cases of noninteracting fermions and bosons are discussed.
We consider a model consisting of a finite number of quantum dots each of which confines a spinless electron. We zoom in on a single quantum dot containing an electron of interest treating it as being strongly coupled to the surrounding finite bath of electrons. The fermionic bath is embedded in a bosonic Markovian bath. The master equation for the fermion of interest interacting with the fermionic bath is derived. Based on the master equation for this system, the reduced dynamics and thermalization of the spinless electron is studied. We start with a description of the Hamiltonian of the entire system which we call total Hamiltonian. Because the electron of interest is strongly coupled to the surrounding fermionic bath, we treat the Hamiltonian consisting of the electron of interest, the fermionic bath and the interaction between them as the system Hamiltonian. Then using techniques of linear algebra, we diagolize the system Hamiltonian making it appear in what we are calling quasi-fermionic picture. After this, we take the diagonalized system Hamiltonian back to the total Hamiltonian. We then use this total Hamiltonian to switch to the interaction picture. Since the general expression of the Markovian quantum master equation is in terms of the interaction Hamiltonian, we now substitute our interaction Hamiltonian into it and begin from there to derive the quantum master equation of our system. In the next step, we solve the derived quantum master equation casting the solution in Kraus representation. Using the explicit form of the Kraus operators and initial conditions, the density matrix of the reduced system is obtained in the quasifermionic picture. We then transform to the original fermionic picture and trace out the fermionic bath coming out with the density matrix of the electron of interest. We then check the normalization of the density matrix of the electron of interest by calculating the trace and then use it to calculate the mean number of fermions. The mean number of fermions is then plotted against time for different coupling strengths and varying numbers of fermions in the fermionic bath to visually check the dynamics and thermalization of the fermion of interest.
The Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH) has played a major role in understanding thermodynamic phenomena in closed quantum systems. However, its connection to the timescale of thermalization for open system dynamics has remained elusive. This paper establishes a rigorous link between ETH and fast thermalization to the global Gibbs state. Specifically, we demonstrate fast thermalization for a system coupled weakly to a bath of quasi-free Fermions that we refresh periodically. To describe the joint evolution, we derive a finite-time version of Davies' generator with explicit error bounds and resource estimates. Our approach exploits a critical feature of ETH: operators in the energy basis can be modeled by independent random matrices in a near-diagonal band. This gives quantum expanders at nearby eigenstates of the Hamiltonian and reduces the problem to a one-dimensional classical random walk on the energy eigenstates. Our results explain finite-time thermalization in chaotic open quantum systems.
Exact results are derived on the averaged dynamics of a class of random quantum-dynamical systems in continuous space. Each member of the class is characterized by a Hamiltonian which is the sum of two parts. While one part is deterministic, time-independent and quadratic, the Weyl-Wigner symbol of the other part is a homogeneous Gaussian random field which is delta correlated in time, but smoothly correlated in position and momentum. The averaged dynamics of the resulting white-noise system is shown to be a monotone mixing increasing quantum-dynamical semigroup. Its generator is computed explicitly. Typically, in the course of time the mean energy of such a system grows linearly to infinity. In the second part of the paper an extended model is studied, which, in addition, accounts for dissipation by coupling the white-noise system linearly to a quantum-mechanical harmonic heat bath. It is demonstrated that, under suitable assumptions on the spectral density of the heat bath, the mean energy then saturates for long times.
We study thermalisation and the possible occurrence of the Mpemba effect in a closed quantum setting that mimics the interaction of a system with thermal reservoirs coupled only at its boundaries. Specifically, we consider a tripartite geometry in which a finite chain, initially prepared at a finite temperature, is suddenly connected on both sides to two semi-infinite chains of the same nature held at a different temperature. These outer chains act as thermal baths, while the full system evolves unitarily under a homogeneous Hamiltonian. This setup provides a simple quantum realisation of a temperature quench and closely resembles the original scenario in which the classical Mpemba effect was first observed. We focus on two paradigmatic free-fermion models, the XX chain and the transverse-field Ising chain, which respectively preserve and break the global U(1)U(1)U(1) particle-number symmetry. As a probe of relaxation, we consider the Frobenius distance between the time-evolved reduced density matrix of the central subsystem and its stationary state, which is the thermal state at the bath temperature. Exploiting the free-fermionic structure of both models, the dynamics remains Gaussian and the Frobenius distance can be expressed exactly in terms of two-point correlation functions. Combining this representation with generalised hydrodynamics, we derive analytical predictions for the Frobenius distance in the hydrodynamic limit, providing a complete characterisation of the thermalisation process. Using these results, we investigate the possible occurrence of the Mpemba effect. We find that, despite the genuine non-equilibrium dynamics displayed by the system, no Mpemba effect arises in this setting. Our analysis identifies a broad class of boundary-driven thermalisation protocols in which relaxation is fully characterised analytically and exhibits no anomalous acceleration of equilibration.