Exploring dynamical phase transitions and prethermalization with quantum noise of excitations

Pietro Smacchia, Michael Knap, Eugene Demler, Alessandro Silva

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dynamical phase transitions can occur in isolated quantum systems that are brought out of equilibrium by sudden parameter changes. We discuss the characterization of such dynamical phase transitions based on the statistics of produced excitations. We consider both the O(N) model in the large-N limit and a spin model with long-range interactions and show that the dynamical criticality of their prethermal steady states manifests most dramatically not in the average number of excitations but in their higher moments. We argue that the growth of defect fluctuations carries unique signatures of the dynamical criticality, irrespective of the precise details of the model. Our theoretical results should be relevant to quantum quench experiments with ultracold bosonic atoms in optical lattices.

Original languageEnglish
Article number205136
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume91
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - 26 May 2015
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Exploring dynamical phase transitions and prethermalization with quantum noise of excitations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this