Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the ergodic subspaces of the state spaces of isolated quantum systems. We prove a new ergodic theorem for closed quantum systems which shows that the equilibrium state of the system takes the form of a grand canonical density matrix involving a complete commuting set of observables including the Hamiltonian. The result obtained, which is derived for a generic finite-dimensional quantum system, shows that the equilibrium state arising from unitary evolution is always expressible in the canonical form, without the consideration of a system-bath decomposition.
Authors: Dorje C Brody, Daniel W Hook, Lane P Hughston
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2129393756