Nonlinear current response of an isolated system of interacting fermions

Abstract

Nonlinear real-time response of interacting particles is studied on the example of a one-dimensional tight-binding model of spinless fermions driven by electric field. Using equations of motion and numerical methods we show that for a non-integrable case at finite temperatures the major effect of nonlinearity can be taken into account within the linear response formalism extended by a renormalization of the kinetic energy due to the Joule heating. On the other hand, integrable systems show on constant driving a different universality with a damped oscillating current whereby the frequency is related but not equal to the Bloch oscillations.