Work

Bath-Induced Zeno Localization in Driven Many-Body Quantum Systems

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: We study a quantum interacting spin system subject to an external drive and coupled to a thermal bath of vibrational modes, uncorrelated for different spins, serving as a model for dynamic nuclear polarization protocols. We show that even when the many-body eigenstates of the system are ergodic, a sufficiently strong coupling to the bath may effectively localize the spins due to many-body quantum Zeno effect. Our results provide an explanation of the breakdown of the thermal mixing regime experimentally observed above 4-5 K in these protocols.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.120603

Authors: Thibaud Maimbourg, Denis M. Basko, Markus Holzmann, Alberto Rosso

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modèles Statistiques, Laboratoire de Physique et Modélisation des Milieux Condensés, Université Grenoble Alpes

Language: English

Topic: Quantum many-body systems

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche

Award: Thermalization and localization in many-body quantum systems: theoretical understanding and experimental signatures