Supercurrent survival under Rosen-Zener quench of hard core bosons

Abstract

We study the survival of super-currents in a system of impenetrable bosons subject to a quantum quench from its critical superfluid phase to an insulating phase. We show that the evolution of the current when the quench follows a Rosen-Zener profile is exactly solvable. This allows us to analyze a quench of arbitrary rate, from a sudden destruction of the superfluid to a slow opening of a gap. The decay and oscillations of the current are analytically derived, and studied numerically along with the momentum distribution after the quench. In the case of small supercurrent boosts $\nu$, we find that the current surviving at long times is proportional to $\nu^3$.