Spin diffusion from an inhomogeneous quench in an integrable system

Ljubotina, Marko (author), Žnidarič, Marko (author), Prosen, Tomaž (author)

Generalized hydrodynamics predicts universal ballistic transport in integrable lattice systems when prepared in generic inhomogeneous initial states. However, the ballistic contribution to transport can vanish in systems with additional discrete symmetries. Here we perform large scale numerical simulations of spin dynamics in the anisotropic Heisenberg XXZ spin 1/2 chain starting from an inhomogeneous mixed initial state which is symmetric with respect to a combination of spin reversal and spatial reflection. In the isotropic and easy-axis regimes we find non-ballistic spin transport which we analyse in detail in terms of scaling exponents of the transported magnetization and scaling profiles of the spin density. While in the easy-axis regime we find accurate evidence of normal diffusion, the spin transport in the isotropic case is clearly super-diffusive, with the scaling exponent very close to 2/3, but with universal scaling dynamics which obeys the diffusion equation in nonlinearly scaled time.

• Language: English
• Keywords: quantum mechanics, integrable systems, spin diffusion
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: 6 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, art. no. 16117
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-94366
• UDC: 530.145
• ISSN on article: 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms16117
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3115108
• Publication date in RUL: 09.08.2017

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Nature communications
• Shortened title: Nat. Commun.
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2315876

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 09.08.2017

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kvantna mehanika, integrabilni sistemi, spinska difuzija

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 694544
• Name: Open many-body non-equilibrium systems
• Acronym: OMNES