TY - JOUR

T1 - Dynamical typicality of embedded quantum systems

AU - Ithier, Gregoire

AU - Benaych-Georges, Florent

PY - 2017/7/10

Y1 - 2017/7/10

N2 - We consider the dynamics of an arbitrary quantum system coupled to a large arbitrary and fully quantum mechanical environment through a random interaction. We establish analytically and check numerically the typicality of this dynamics, in other words the fact that the reduced density matrix of the system has a self-averaging property. This phenomenon, which lies in a generalized central limit theorem, justifies rigorously averaging procedures over certain classes of random interactions and can explain the absence of sensitivity to microscopic details of irreversible processes such as thermalisation. It provides more generally a new ergodic principle for embedded quantum systems.

AB - We consider the dynamics of an arbitrary quantum system coupled to a large arbitrary and fully quantum mechanical environment through a random interaction. We establish analytically and check numerically the typicality of this dynamics, in other words the fact that the reduced density matrix of the system has a self-averaging property. This phenomenon, which lies in a generalized central limit theorem, justifies rigorously averaging procedures over certain classes of random interactions and can explain the absence of sensitivity to microscopic details of irreversible processes such as thermalisation. It provides more generally a new ergodic principle for embedded quantum systems.

KW - Dynamical

KW - Typicality

KW - Thermalisation

KW - QUANTUM

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevA.96.012108

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevA.96.012108

M3 - Article

VL - 96

SP - 1

EP - 7

JO - Physical Review A

JF - Physical Review A

SN - 1050-2947

IS - 1

M1 - 012108

ER -