Expedited thermalization dynamics in incommensurate systems

We study the thermalization dynamics of a quantum system embedded in an incommensurate potential and coupled to a Markovian thermal reservoir. The dephasing induced by the bath drives the system toward an infinite-temperature steady state, erasing all initial information-including signatures of localization. We find that initially localized states can relax to the homogeneous steady state faster than delocalized states. Moreover, low-temperature initial states thermalize to infinite temperature more rapidly than high-temperature states---a phenomenon reminiscent of the Mpemba effect, in which hotter liquids freeze faster than colder ones. The slowest relaxation mode in the Liouvillian spectrum plays a critical role in the expedited thermalization for localized or cold initial states. Our results reveal that the combination of disordered structure and environmental dissipation may lead to nontrivial thermalization behavior, which advances both the conceptual framework of the Mpemba effect and the theoretical understanding of nonequilibrium processes in dissipative disordered systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical review. A/Physical review, A
Published
2025-09-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/9qkm-35y1
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Quantum many-body systems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
7.48

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article

Expedited thermalization dynamics in incommensurate systems

Lei Pan, Xiang-Ping Jiang, Zijun Wei, Mingdi Xu
6 citations
Physical review. A/Physical review, A
Quantum many-body systems
7.48
article

Expedited thermalization dynamics in incommensurate systems

Lei Pan, Xiang-Ping Jiang, Zijun Wei, Mingdi Xu
article en
6 citations

Abstract

We study the thermalization dynamics of a quantum system embedded in an incommensurate potential and coupled to a Markovian thermal reservoir. The dephasing induced by the bath drives the system toward an infinite-temperature steady state, erasing all initial information-including signatures of localization. We find that initially localized states can relax to the homogeneous steady state faster than delocalized states. Moreover, low-temperature initial states thermalize to infinite temperature more rapidly than high-temperature states---a phenomenon reminiscent of the Mpemba effect, in which hotter liquids freeze faster than colder ones. The slowest relaxation mode in the Liouvillian spectrum plays a critical role in the expedited thermalization for localized or cold initial states. Our results reveal that the combination of disordered structure and environmental dissipation may lead to nontrivial thermalization behavior, which advances both the conceptual framework of the Mpemba effect and the theoretical understanding of nonequilibrium processes in dissipative disordered systems.

Physical review. A/Physical review, AVol. 112(4)
Hangzhou Normal University (CN), Nankai University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Quantum many-body systems
7.48
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Expedited thermalization dynamics in incommensurate systems — Lei Pan, Xiang-Ping Jiang, et al. · Physical review. A/Physical review, A (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS