Under the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), quantum-quenched systems equilibrate towards canonical, thermal ensembles. While at first glance the ETH might seem a very strong hypothesis, we show that it is indeed not only sufficient but also necessary for thermalization. More specifically, we consider systems coupled to baths with well-defined macroscopic temperature and show that whenever all product states thermalize then the ETH must hold. Our result definitively settles the question of determining whether a quantum system has a thermal behavior, reducing it to checking whether its Hamiltonian satisfies the ETH.
DE PALMA, G., SERAFINI, A., GIOVANNETTI, V., Cramer, M. (2015). Necessity of Eigenstate Thermalization. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 115(22), 220401-220401 [10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.220401].
Necessity of Eigenstate Thermalization
DE PALMA, GIACOMO
Primo
;
2015
Abstract
Under the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), quantum-quenched systems equilibrate towards canonical, thermal ensembles. While at first glance the ETH might seem a very strong hypothesis, we show that it is indeed not only sufficient but also necessary for thermalization. More specifically, we consider systems coupled to baths with well-defined macroscopic temperature and show that whenever all product states thermalize then the ETH must hold. Our result definitively settles the question of determining whether a quantum system has a thermal behavior, reducing it to checking whether its Hamiltonian satisfies the ETH.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
