Finite-time universality in nonequilibrium CFT

TL;DR

This paper establishes a universal relation in conformal field theory linking initial temperature profiles to heat-wave propagation, providing a benchmark for identifying nonuniversal nonequilibrium dynamics.

Contribution

It offers an algebraic derivation of heat transport results in CFT, extending the universality to broader nonequilibrium states and proposing benchmarks for other models.

Findings

Universal correspondence between initial temperature and heat waves in CFT

Algebraic derivation applicable to any unitary CFT

Extension to larger classes of nonequilibrium states

Abstract

Recently, remarkably simple exact results were presented about the dynamics of heat transport in the local Luttinger model for nonequilibrium initial states defined by position-dependent temperature profiles. We present mathematical details on how these results were obtained. We also give an alternative derivation using only algebraic relations involving the energy-momentum tensor which hold true in any unitary conformal field theory (CFT). This establishes a simple universal correspondence between initial temperature profiles and the resulting heat-wave propagation in CFT. We extend these results to larger classes of nonequilibrium states. It is proposed that such universal CFT relations provide benchmarks to identify nonuniversal properties of nonequilibrium dynamics in other models.