Fabian H. L. Essler

Quantum quench in the transverse-field Ising chain.

We consider the time evolution of observables in the transverse-field Ising chain after a sudden quench of the magnetic field. We provide exact analytical results for the asymptotic time and distance dependence of one- and two-point correlation functions of the order parameter. We employ two complementary approaches based on asymptotic evaluations of determinants and form-factor sums. We prove that the stationary value of the two-point correlation function is not thermal, but can be described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE). The approach to the stationary state can also be understood in terms of a GGE. We present a conjecture on how these results generalize to particular quenches in other integrable models.

Time evolution of local observables after quenching to an integrable model.

We consider quantum quenches in integrable models. We argue that the behavior of local observables at late times after the quench is given by their expectation values with respect to a single representative Hamiltonian eigenstate. This can be viewed as a generalization of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis to quantum integrable models. We present a method for constructing this representative state by means of a generalized thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (GTBA). Going further, we introduce a framework for calculating the time dependence of local observables as they evolve towards their stationary values. As an explicit example we consider quantum quenches in the transverse-field Ising chain and show that previously derived results are recovered efficiently within our framework.

Bethe Ansatz Solution of the Asymmetric Exclusion Process with Open Boundaries

We derive the Bethe ansatz equations describing the complete spectrum of the transition matrix of the partially asymmetric exclusion process with the most general open boundary conditions. For totally asymmetric diffusion we calculate the spectral gap, which characterizes the approach to stationarity at large times. We observe boundary induced crossovers in and between massive, diffusive, and Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling regimes.

The One-Dimensional Hubbard Model: Index

The description of a solid at a microscopic level is complex, involving the interaction of a huge number of its constituents, such as ions or electrons. It is impossible to solve the corresponding many-body problems analytically or numerically, although much insight can be gained from the analysis of simplified models. An important example is the Hubbard model, which describes interacting electrons in narrow energy bands, and which has been applied to problems as diverse as high-Tc superconductivity, band magnetism and the metalinsulator transition. Remarkably, the one-dimensional Hubbard model can be solved exactly using the Bethe ansatz method. The resulting solution has become a laboratory for theoretical studies of non-perturbative effects in strongly correlated electron systems. Many methods devised to analyse such effects have been applied to this model, both to provide complementary insight into what is known from the exact solution and as an ultimate test of their quality. This book presents a coherent, self-contained account of the exact solution of the Hubbard model in one dimension. The early chapters develop a self-contained introduction to Bethe’s ansatz and its application to the one-dimensional Hubbard model, and will be accessible to beginning graduate students with a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. The later chapters address more advanced topics, and are intended as a guide for researchers to some of the more recent scientific results in the field of integrable models. The authors are distinguished researchers in the field of condensed matter physics and integrable systems, and have contributed significantly to the present understanding of the one-dimensional Hubbard model. Fabian Essler is a University Lecturer in Condensed Matter Theory at Oxford University. Holger Frahm is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Hannover. Frank Göhmann is a Lecturer at Wuppertal University, Germany. Andreas Klümper is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Wuppertal University. Vladimir Korepin is Professor at the Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, and author of Quantum Inverse Scattering Method and Correlation Functions (Cambridge, 1993).

New exactly solvable model of strongly correlated electrons motivated by high-Tc superconductivity

We present a new model describing strongly correlated electrons on a general {ital d}-dimensional lattice. It is an extended Hubbard model and it contains the {ital t}-{ital J} model as a special case. The model naturally describes local electron pairs, which can move coherently at arbitrary momentum. By using an {eta}-pairing mechanism we can construct eigenstates of the Hamiltonian with off-diagonal long-range order. In the attractive case the exact ground state is superconducting in any number of dimensions. On a one-dimensional lattice, the model is exactly solvable by Bethe ansatz.

Quantum quench in the transverse field Ising chain: I. Time evolution of order parameter correlators

We consider the time evolution of observables in the transverse-field Ising chain after a sudden quench of the magnetic field. We provide exact analytical results for the asymptotic time and distance dependence of one- and two-point correlation functions of the order parameter. We employ two complementary approaches based on asymptotic evaluations of determinants and form-factor sums. We prove that the stationary value of the two-point correlation function is not thermal, but can be described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE). The approach to the stationary state can also be understood in terms of a GGE. We present a conjecture on how these results generalize to particular quenches in other integrable models.

Quantum quenches in the transverse field Ising chain: II. Stationary state properties

We consider the stationary state properties of the reduced density matrix as well as spin–spin correlation functions after a sudden quantum quench of the magnetic field in the transverse field Ising chain. We demonstrate that stationary state properties are described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble. We discuss the approach to the stationary state at late times.

Representations of the quadratic algebra and partially asymmetric diffusion with open boundaries

We consider the one-dimensional partially asymmetric exclusion model with open boundaries. The model describes a system of hard-core particles that hop stochastically in both directions with different rates. At both boundaries particles are injected and extracted. By means of the method of Derrida et al the stationary probability measure can be expressed as a matrix-product state involving two matrices forming a Fock-like representation of a general quadratic algebra. We obtain the representations of this algebra, which were unknown in the mathematical literature and use the two-dimensional one to derive exact expressions for the density profile and correlation functions. Using the correspondence between the stochastic model and a quantum spin chain, we obtain exact correlation functions for a spin- Heisenberg XXZ chain with non-diagonal boundary terms. Generalizations to other reaction - diffusion models are discussed.

Complete Generalized Gibbs Ensembles in an Interacting Theory

In integrable many-particle systems, it is widely believed that the stationary state reached at late times after a quantum quench can be described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE) constructed from their extensive number of conserved charges. A crucial issue is then to identify a complete set of these charges, enabling the GGE to provide exact steady-state predictions. Here we solve this long-standing problem for the case of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain by explicitly constructing a GGE which uniquely fixes the macrostate describing the stationary behavior after a general quantum quench. A crucial ingredient in our method, which readily generalizes to other integrable models, are recently discovered quasilocal charges. As a test, we reproduce the exact postquench steady state of the Néel quench problem obtained previously by means of the Quench Action method.

Quench dynamics and relaxation in isolated integrable quantum spin chains

We review the dynamics after quantum quenches in integrable quantum spin chains. We give a pedagogical introduction to relaxation in isolated quantum systems, and discuss the description of the steady state by (gen- eralized) Gibbs ensembles. When then turn to general features in the time evolution of local observables after the quench, using a simple model of free fermions as an example. In the second part we present an overview of recent progress in describing quench dynamics in two key paradigms for quantum integrable models, the transverse field Ising chain and the anisotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain.