Thermalization and its breakdown in isolated quantum systems
- Degree Grantor:
- University of California, Santa Barbara. Physics
- Degree Supervisor:
- Matthew P. A. Fisher
- Place of Publication:
- [Santa Barbara, Calif.]
- Publisher:
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Creation Date:
- 2016
- Issued Date:
- 2016
- Topics:
- Theoretical physics and Condensed matter physics
- Keywords:
- Eigenstate thermalization hypothesis,
Quantum mechanics,
Statistical mechanics, and
Thermalization - Genres:
- Online resources and Dissertations, Academic
- Dissertation:
- Ph.D.--University of California, Santa Barbara, 2016
- Description:
A very fundamental problem in quantum statistical mechanics involves whether---and how---an isolated quantum system will reach thermal equilibrium after waiting a long time. In quantum systems that do thermalize, the long-time expectation value of any "reasonable" operator will match its predicted value in the canonical ensemble. The Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH) posits that this thermalization occurs at the level of each individual energy eigenstate; in fact, any single eigenstate in a microcanonical energy window will predict the expectation values of such operators exactly. In the first part of this dissertation, we identify, for a generic model system, precisely which operators satisfy ETH, as well as limits to the information contained in a single eigenstate. Remarkably, our results strongly suggest that a single eigenstate can contain information about energy densities---and therefore temperatures---far away from the energy density of the eigenstate.
Additionally, we study the possible breakdown of quantum thermalization in a model of itinerant electrons on a one-dimensional chain, with both spin and charge degrees of freedom. This model exhibits peculiar properties in the entanglement entropy, the apparent scaling of which is modified from a "volume law" to an "area law" after performing a partial, site-wise measurement on the system. These properties and others suggest that this model realizes a new, non-thermal phase of matter, known as a Quantum Disentangled Liquid (QDL). The putative existence of this phase has striking implications for the foundations of quantum statistical mechanics.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (159 pages)
- Format:
- Text
- Collection(s):
- UCSB electronic theses and dissertations
- Other Versions:
- http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:10159806
- ARK:
- ark:/48907/f3gt5n8r
- ISBN:
- 9781369147346
- Catalog System Number:
- 990046968400203776
- Copyright:
- James Garrison, 2016
- Rights:
- In Copyright
- Copyright Holder:
- James Garrison
File | Description |
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Access: Public access | |
Garrison_ucsb_0035D_13084.pdf | pdf (Portable Document Format) |