Quantum Physics Research Reveals Insights into Thermalization in Quantum Systems

Researchers at the Institute of Physics have published a new study on the dynamics of thermalization in quantum many-body systems. The study, titled "Chaotic and quantum dynamics in driven-dissipative bosonic chains," provides a detailed analysis of the thermalization process in a Bose-Hubbard chain, a system used in circuit quantum electrodynamics. The research, published in Communications Physics, has uncovered a new stage in the thermalization process, which they call the "prethermal" domain.

Key Takeaways:

• The study investigates the thermalization process in a Bose-Hubbard chain, a system used in circuit quantum electrodynamics.
• The research reveals a two-stage thermalization process, with phase coherence being lost quickly and amplitude relaxation occurring over longer distances.
• The system exhibits an extended hydrodynamic regime, characterized by anomalous temperature profiles, which the researchers designate as the "prethermal" domain.
• At stronger drives, the system enters a nonthermal, non-chaotic finite-momentum condensate, characterized by sub-Poissonian photon statistics and a spatially modulated phase profile.
• The research suggests that similar mechanisms are likely to emerge in a broad class of extended driven-dissipative systems.

Statistics:

• The study was supported by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Forderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung.
• The research was published in Communications Physics, volume 8, issue 1, pages 1-13.
• The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Institute of Physics, including Filippo Ferrari, Fabrizio Minganti, Camille Aron, and Vincenzo Savona.

Sources:

• Ferrari, F., Minganti, F., Aron, C., and Savona, V. "Chaotic and quantum dynamics in driven-dissipative bosonic chains." Communications Physics, vol. 8, no. 1, 2025, p. 1-13, doi: 10.1038/s42005-025-02314-8.