Quantum Pontus--Mpemba Effect in Dissipative Quasiperiodic Chains

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that quasiperiodic chains can be engineered to accelerate relaxation in open quantum systems by using a two-step protocol that redistributes spectral weight, reducing overall relaxation time.

Contribution

It introduces a protocol-based method to accelerate quantum relaxation in quasiperiodic chains by spectral weight redistribution, independent of static properties.

Findings

Two-step protocol shortens relaxation time compared to direct evolution.

Acceleration persists with long-range hopping and different initial states.

Spectral analysis shows redistribution of spectral weight suppresses slow decay modes.

Abstract

We investigate how quasiperiodic spatial structure enables protocol-induced acceleration in open quantum systems by analyzing the Pontus-Mpemba effect in one-dimensional chains subject to Markovian dephasing. The dynamics are governed by a Lindblad superoperator that drives all initial states toward a maximally mixed infinite-temperature steady state, isolating dynamical mechanisms from static equilibrium properties. Considering two representative quasiperiodic models, namely a tight-binding chain with a mosaic potential and its extension with power-law long-range hopping, we show that a properly engineered two-step protocol, in which the system is first steered to a finite temperature intermediate state, yields a strictly shorter overall relaxation time than direct evolution from the same initial configuration. This protocol-induced acceleration persists for both initially localized and extended eigenstates and remains robust in the presence of long-range hopping. A Liouvillian spectral analysis reveals that the mechanism originates from a redistribution of spectral weight that suppresses overlap with the slowest decay modes, rather than from any modification of the decay spectrum itself. Our results establish quasiperiodic chains as a controlled setting for engineering relaxation pathways through Liouvillian spectral structure.