The dynamics and prethermalization of one dimensional quantum systems probed through the full distributions of quantum noise

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that quantum noise correlations can effectively characterize the non-equilibrium dynamics and prethermalization phenomena in one-dimensional quantum systems, providing analytical tools for their study.

Contribution

It introduces analytical expressions for the evolution of full distribution functions of quantum noise in 1D systems, extending their application to non-equilibrium dynamics and prethermalization.

Findings

Quantum noise reveals non-equilibrium dynamics in 1D systems.

Analytical expressions for distribution functions during evolution.

Observation of prethermalization where transient states mimic thermal equilibrium.

Abstract

Quantum noise correlations have been employed in several areas in physics including condensed matter, quantum optics and ultracold atom to reveal non-classical states of the systems. So far, such analysis mostly focused on systems in equilibrium. In this paper, we show that quantum noise is also a useful tool to characterize and study the non-equilibrium dynamics of one dimensional system. We consider the Ramsey sequence of one dimensional, two-component bosons, and obtain simple, analytical expressions of time evolutions of the full distribution functions for this strongly-correlated, many-body system. The analysis can also be directly applied to the evolution of interference patterns between two one dimensional quasi-condensates created from a single condensate through splitting. Using the tools developed in this paper, we demonstrate that one dimensional dynamics in these systems exhibits the phenomenon known as "prethermalization", where the observables of {\it non-equilibrium}, long-time transient states become indistinguishable from those of thermal {\it equilibrium} states.