Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of harmonically trapped bosons. (21st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: García-March, Miguel Ángel; Fogarty, Thomás; Campbell, Steve; Busch, Thomas; Paternostro, Mauro
• Is Part Of: New journal of physics. Volume 18:Number 10(2016:Oct.)
• Publication Date: 2016-10-21
• Subjects: quantum thermodynamics -- quantum gases -- entanglement -- non-equilibrium dynamics; Physics -- Periodicals; Physics; Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/18/10/103035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-2630

Abstract

Abstract: We apply the framework of non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics to the physics of quenched small-sized bosonic quantum gases in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. We show that dynamical orthogonality can occur in these few-body systems with strong interactions after a quench and we find its occurrence analytically for an infinitely repulsive pair of atoms. We further show this phenomena is related to the fundamental excitations that dictate the dynamics from the spectral function. We establish a clear qualitative link between the amount of (irreversible) work performed on the system and the establishment of entanglement. We extend our analysis to multipartite systems by examining the case of three trapped atoms. We show the initial (pre-quench) interactions play a vital role in determining the dynamical features, while the qualitative features of the two particle case appear to remain valid. Finally, we propose the use of the atomic density profile as a readily accessible indicator of the non-equilibrium properties of the systems in question.