No Arabic abstract
We investigate the dissipative dynamics yielded by the Lindblad equation within the coexistence region around a first order phase transition. In particular, we consider an exactly-solvable fullyconnected quantum Ising model with n-spin exchange (n > 2) - the prototype of quantum first order phase transitions - and several variants of the Lindblad equations. We show that physically sound results, including exotic non-equilibrium phenomena like the Mpemba effect, can be obtained only when the Lindblad equation involves jump operators defined for each of the coexisting phases, whether stable or metastable.
The many-body physics at quantum phase transitions shows a subtle interplay between quantum and thermal fluctuations, emerging in the low-temperature limit. In this review, we first give a pedagogical introduction to the equilibrium behavior of systems in that context, whose scaling framework is essentially developed by exploiting the quantum-to-classical mapping and the renormalization-group theory of critical phenomena at continuous phase transitions. Then we specialize to protocols entailing the out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics, such as instantaneous quenches and slow passages across quantum transitions. These are mostly discussed within dynamic scaling frameworks, obtained by appropriately extending the equilibrium scaling laws. We review phenomena at first-order quantum transitions as well, whose peculiar scaling behaviors are characterized by an extreme sensitivity to the boundary conditions, giving rise to exponentials or power laws for the same bulk system. In the last part, we cover aspects related to the effects of dissipative interactions with an environment, through suitable generalizations of the dynamic scaling at quantum transitions. The presentation is limited to issues related to, and controlled by, the quantum transition developed by closed many-body systems, treating the dissipation as a perturbation of the critical regimes, as for the temperature at the zero-temperature quantum transition. We focus on the physical conditions giving rise to a nontrivial interplay between critical modes and various dissipative mechanisms, generally realized when the involved mechanism excites only the low-energy modes of the quantum transitions.
The physics of highly excited Rydberg atoms is governed by blockade or exclusion interactions that hinder the excitation of atoms in the proximity of a previously excited one. This leads to cooperative effects and a relaxation dynamics displaying space-time heterogeneity similar to what is observed in the relaxation of glass-forming systems. Here we establish theoretically the existence of a glassy dynamical regime in an open Rydberg gas, associated with phase coexistence at a first-order transition in dynamical large deviation functions. This transition occurs between an active phase of low density in which dynamical processes take place on short timescales, and an inactive phase in which excited atoms are dense and the dynamics is highly arrested. We perform a numerically exact study and develop a mean-field approach that allows to understand the mechanics of this phase transition. We show that radiative decay --- which becomes experimentally relevant for long times --- moves the system away from dynamical phase coexistence. Nevertheless, the dynamical phase transition persists and causes strong fluctuations in the observed dynamics.
Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) belongs to a class of models and computational algorithms developed to address mesoscale problems in complex fluids and soft matter in general. It is based on the notion of particles that represent coarse-grained portions of the system under study and allow, therefore, to reach time and length scales that would be otherwise unreachable from microscopic simulations. The method has been conceptually refined since its introduction almost twenty five years ago. This perspective surveys the major conceptual improvements in the original DPD model, along with its microscopic foundation, and discusses outstanding challenges in the field. We summarize some recent advances and suggests avenues for future developments.
We study the dynamics of the fluctuations of the variance $s$ of the order parameter of the Gaussian model, following a temperature quench of the thermal bath. At each time $t$, there is a critical value $s_c(t)$ of $s$ such that fluctuations with $s>s_c(t)$ are realized by condensed configurations of the systems, i.e., a single degree of freedom contributes macroscopically to $s$. This phenomenon, which is closely related to the usual condensation occurring on average quantities, is usually referred to as {it condensation of fluctuations}. We show that the probability of fluctuations with $s<inf_t [s_c(t)]$, associated to configurations that never condense, after the quench converges rapidly and in an adiabatic way towards the new equilibrium value. The probability of fluctuations with $s>inf_t [s_c(t)]$, instead, displays a slow and more complex behavior, because the macroscopic population of the condensing degree of freedom is involved.
Smoothed Dissipative Particle Dynamics (SDPD) is a mesoscopic method which allows to select the level of resolution at which a fluid is simulated. In this work, we study the consistency of the resulting thermodynamic properties as a function of the size of the mesoparticles, both at equilibrium and out of equilibrium. We also propose a reformulation of the SDPD equations in terms of energy variables. This increases the similarities with Dissipative Particle Dynamics with Energy conservation and opens the way for a coupling between the two methods. Finally, we present a numerical scheme for SDPD that ensures the conservation of the invariants of the dynamics. Numerical simulations illustrate this approach.