Pre-thermalization via self-driving and external driving of extensive subsystems

Abstract

We investigate the non-equilibrium states of an interacting multi-component quantum system when only an extensive subsystem is quantum-quenched or driven from the ground state. As a concrete example, we consider a system where two XXZ spin chains are coupled to a transverse field Ising (TFI) chain, and only the transverse field in the TFI chain is quantum-quenched or periodically driven in time, starting from an initially ordered state. This system is studied using density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulations and various entanglement entropy diagnostics. In the case of quantum quenching, when the transverse field is suddenly switched on to become the largest energy scale, the resulting internal dynamics leads to a pre-thermal steady state with persistent oscillating magnetization (`self-driving') and emergent conservation laws. Upon applying the time-dependent drive to the TFI chain (`external driving'), sufficiently fast drive gives rise to a pre-thermal steady state with finite magnetization, whereas a slow drive generates a high-temperature disordered state. We briefly discuss the experimental implementation of our protocol in organic materials with quantum-tunneling hydrogen atoms.