Quantum Mpemba Effect Induced by Non-Markovian Exceptional Points

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel mechanism for the quantum Mpemba effect driven by non-Markovian exceptional points, expanding understanding of non-equilibrium quantum dynamics beyond traditional Markovian models.

Contribution

It proposes and verifies a new method to realize the quantum Mpemba effect in non-Markovian systems using exceptional points, demonstrated in an exactly solvable quantum harmonic oscillator model.

Findings

Non-Markovian exceptional points can induce the quantum Mpemba effect.

The mechanism is verified in a practical, exactly solvable quantum harmonic oscillator model.

The work offers new insights into non-equilibrium quantum dynamics and energy transfer.

Abstract

Quantum Mpemba effect describes an anomalous phenomenon of accelerated relaxation which is of fundamental interest in the field of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Conventional theories on this phenomenon strongly rely on the Born-Markovian approximation resulting in a Lindblad-type master equation whose evolution is governed by a Liouvillian superoperator. It has been demonstrated that exceptional points of the Liouvillian superoperator can induce the Mpemba effect in Markovian regimes. Moving beyond this Markovian limit, we here propose a mechanism for realizing the quantum Mpemba effect in a general non-Markovian relaxation process by means of non-Markovian exceptional points. We verify the feasibility of this mechanism within a dissipative quantum harmonic oscillator model, which is exactly solvable and experimentally practical. Providing new insight into the interesting non-equilibrium dynamics, our work paves a way to accelerate the transfer of energy and information in quantum systems.