Relaxation and Thermalization after a Quantum Quench: Why Localization is Important

TL;DR

This paper investigates how localization affects thermalization in quantum systems after a quench, showing that local observables thermalize well while many-body operators may deviate due to localization effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates analytically and numerically that localization influences the validity of the generalized Gibbs ensemble in describing stationary states after a quantum quench.

Findings

GGE accurately predicts local observable averages.

Many-body operators can deviate from GGE predictions due to localization.

Localization impacts thermalization depending on the observable considered.

Abstract

We study the unitary dynamics and the thermalization properties of free-fermion-like Hamiltonians after a sudden quantum quench, extending the results of S. Ziraldo et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 247205 (2012)]. With analytical and numerical arguments, we show that the existence of a stationary state and its description with a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE) depend crucially on the observable considered (local versus extensive) and on the localization properties of the final Hamiltonian. We present results on two one-dimensional (1D) models, the disordered 1D fermionic chain with long-range hopping and the disordered Ising/XY spin chain. We analytically prove that, while time averages of one-body operators are perfectly reproduced by GGE (even for finite-size systems, if time integrals are extended beyond revivals), time averages of many-body operators might show clear deviations from the GGE prediction when disorder-induced localization of the eigenstates is at play.