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arXiv:2012.12256 · Physical Review Letters

Exact Thermalization Dynamics in the “Rule 54” Quantum Cellular Automaton

Katja Klobas, Bruno Bertini, Lorenzo Piroli

Published Apr 19, 2021• 107 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the quantum cellular automaton known as "Rule 54." For a class of low-entangled initial states, we provide an analytic description of the effect of the global evolution on finite subsystems in terms of simple quantum channels, which gives access to the full thermalization dynamics at the microscopic level. As an example, we provide analytic formulas for the evolution of local observables and Rényi entropies. We show that, in contrast to other known examples of exactly solvable quantum circuits, Rule 54 does not behave as a simple Markovian bath on its own parts, and displays typical nonequilibrium features of interacting integrable many-body quantum systems such as finite relaxation rate and interaction-induced dressing effects. Our study provides a rare example where the full thermalization dynamics can be solved exactly at the microscopic level.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.126.160602

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Characterizing nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum many-body systems is a challenging frontier of physics. In this Letter, we systematically construct solvable nonintegrable quantum circuits that exhibit exact hidden Markovian subsystem dynamics. This feature thus enables accurately calculating local observables for arbitrary evolution time. Utilizing the influence matrix method, we show that the influence of the time-evolved global system on a finite subsystem can be analytically described by sequential, time-local quantum channels acting on the subsystem with an ancilla of finite Hilbert space dimension. The realization of exact hidden Markovian property is facilitated by a solvable condition on the underlying two-site gates in the quantum circuit. We further present several concrete examples with varying local Hilbert space dimensions to demonstrate our approach.

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We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the quantum cellular automaton known as "Rule 54." For a class of low-entangled initial states, we provide an analytic description of the effect of the global evolution on finite subsystems in terms of simple quantum channels, which gives access to the full thermalization dynamics at the microscopic level. As an example, we provide analytic formulas for the evolution of local observables and Rényi entropies. We show that, in contrast to other known examples of exactly solvable quantum circuits, Rule 54 does not behave as a simple Markovian bath on its own parts, and displays typical nonequilibrium features of interacting integrable many-body quantum systems such as finite relaxation rate and interaction-induced dressing effects. Our study provides a rare example where the full thermalization dynamics can be solved exactly at the microscopic level.
We study the entanglement dynamics generated by quantum quenches in the quantum cellular automaton Rule 54. We consider the evolution from a recently introduced class of solvable initial states. States in this class relax (locally) to a one-parameter family of Gibbs states and the thermalisation dynamics of local observables can be characterised exactly by means of an evolution in space. Here we show that the latter approach also gives access to the entanglement dynamics and derive exact formulas describing the asymptotic linear growth of all Rényi entropies in the thermodynamic limit and their eventual saturation for finite subsystems. While in the case of von Neumann entropy we recover exactly the predictions of the quasiparticle picture, we find no physically meaningful quasiparticle description for other Rényi entropies. Our results apply to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous quenches.
We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the quantum cellular automaton Rule 54 using a time-channel approach. We exhibit a family of (non-equilibrium) product states for which we are able to describe exactly the full relaxation dynamics. We use this to prove that finite subsystems relax to a one-parameter family of Gibbs states. We also consider inhomogeneous quenches. Specifically, we show that when the two halves of the system are prepared in two different solvable states, finite subsystems at finite distance from the centre eventually relax to the non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) predicted by generalised hydrodynamics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first exact description of the relaxation to a NESS in an interacting system and, therefore, the first independent confirmation of generalised hydrodynamics for an inhomogeneous quench.
Abstract We review recent results on an exactly solvable model of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, specifically the classical rule 54 reversible cellular automaton and some of its quantum extensions. We discuss the exact microscopic description of nonequilibrium dynamics as well as the equilibrium and nonequilibrium stationary states. This allows us to obtain a rigorous handle on the corresponding emergent hydrodynamic description, which is treated as well. Specifically, we focus on two different paradigms of rule 54 dynamics. Firstly, we consider a finite chain driven by stochastic boundaries, where we provide exact matrix product descriptions of the nonequilibrium steady state, most relevant decay modes, as well as the eigenvector of the tilted Markov chain yielding exact large deviations for a broad class of local and extensive observables. Secondly, we treat the explicit dynamics of macro-states on an infinite lattice and discuss exact closed form results for dynamical structure factor, multi-time-correlation functions and inhomogeneous quenches. Remarkably, these results prove that the model, despite its simplicity, behaves like a regular fluid with coexistence of ballistic (sound) and diffusive (heat) transport. Finally, we briefly discuss quantum interpretation of rule 54 dynamics and explicit results on dynamical spreading of local operators and operator entanglement.
Studies of integrable systems have profoundly deepened the fundamental understanding of quantum many-body physics. While equilibrium properties such as ground states and thermodynamics can often be characterized efficiently, accurately characterizing nonequilibrium integrable dynamics remains a significant challenge. Here, we develop an influence matrix bootstrap approach for exactly solving nonequilibrium dynamics. This approach begins with an ansatz consisting of a set of local tensor relations, termed generalized zipper conditions, and uses finite-time data to construct exact solutions of local dynamics that extend to arbitrarily long times. We demonstrate this approach in the "Rule 201" quantum cellular automaton, an integrable Trotterization of the PXP Hamiltonian. This uncovers a rich landscape of nonequilibrium behavior exhibiting initial-state dependence. As an example, we investigate the fate of persistent oscillating dynamics under local non-integrable perturbations, and present analytical results for non-thermal relaxation constrained by conservation laws. We also obtain numerically exact results for entanglement growth across a broad class of initial states. Furthermore, from an information-theoretic perspective, we identify a refined structure of multitime correlations termed the hidden Markov orde}: the memory encoded in the dynamics separates into finite-length and long-range distributed components, which becomes transparent in an exact split-index matrix-product-state representation of the influence matrix. Our approach enables unified investigations of nonthermalizing and thermalizing regimes of nonequilibrium dynamics within a single analytically tractable model, and can be tested experimentally in state-of-the-art quantum simulators such as Rydberg atom arrays.
We investigate the entanglement dynamics of the Rule 54 quantum cellular automaton subject to stochastic projective measurements. Rule 54 is an interacting integrable model whose closed dynamics are exactly described by a semiclassical quasiparticle picture: entangled soliton pairs propagate ballistically and scatter elastically, generating entanglement at a rate determined analytically by the thermodynamic entropy density and the dressed quasiparticle velocity. We study how this picture is modified when measurements are interleaved with the unitary evolution, comparing two protocols that differ in their relationship to the conserved soliton charge. For measurements in the computational basis (Z-basis), which commute with the conserved charge, we derive an exact analytical prediction for the entanglement decay: the quasiparticle ansatz is modified by a measurement-induced exponential envelope exp(−4γt) , where γ is the measurement rate. This prediction is validated through finite-size scaling collapse across system sizes and measurement rates, with excellent agreement between analytics and Matrix Product State simulations. For measurements in the X-basis, which do not commute with the conserved charge, measurements act simultaneously as a source and a sink of entanglement through a quasiparticle reseeding mechanism. Our numerical results are consistent with a measurement-induced phase transition at a finite critical rate, in sharp contrast to the Z-basis case where any nonzero measurement rate drives the system to an area-law phase. A preliminary finite-size scaling analysis yields γc = 0.370 ± 0.004 (pc ≈ 0.31) and ν = 0.97 ± 0.03, though a complete characterization of the universality class requires larger system sizes.
Characterizing nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum many-body systems is a challenging frontier of physics. In this Letter, we systematically construct solvable nonintegrable quantum circuits that exhibit exact hidden Markovian subsystem dynamics. This feature thus enables accurately calculating local observables for arbitrary evolution time. Utilizing the influence matrix method, we show that the influence of the time-evolved global system on a finite subsystem can be analytically described by sequential, time-local quantum channels acting on the subsystem with an ancilla of finite Hilbert space dimension. The realization of exact hidden Markovian property is facilitated by a solvable condition on the underlying two-site gates in the quantum circuit. We further present several concrete examples with varying local Hilbert space dimensions to demonstrate our approach.