Remnant Geometric Hall Response in a Quantum Quench

Justin H. Wilson, Justin C. W. Song, and Gil Refael
Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 235302 – Published 30 November 2016
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Abstract

Out-of-equilibrium systems can host phenomena that transcend the usual restrictions of equilibrium systems. Here, we unveil how out-of-equilibrium states, prepared via a quantum quench in a two-band system, can exhibit a nonzero Hall-type current—a remnant Hall response—even when the instantaneous Hamiltonian is time reversal symmetric (in contrast to equilibrium Hall currents). Interestingly, the remnant Hall response arises from the coherent dynamics of the wave function that retain a remnant of its quantum geometry postquench, and can be traced to processes beyond linear response. Quenches in two-band Dirac systems are natural venues for realizing remnant Hall currents, which exist when either mirror or time-reversal symmetry are broken (before or after the quench). Its long time persistence, sensitivity to symmetry breaking, and decoherence-type relaxation processes allow it to be used as a sensitive diagnostic of the complex out-of-equilibrium dynamics readily controlled and probed in cold-atomic optical lattice experiments.

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  • Received 29 March 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.235302

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Justin H. Wilson1,*, Justin C. W. Song1,2,†, and Gil Refael1,2

  • 1Institute of Quantum Information and Matter and Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 2Walter Burke Institute of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

  • *jwilson@caltech.edu
  • Present address: Division of Physics and Applied Physics, Nanyang Technological University and Institute of High Performance Computing Singapore. justinsong@ntu.edu.sg

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Issue

Vol. 117, Iss. 23 — 2 December 2016

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