Eur. Phys. J. B (2024) 97: 102
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-024-00740-1

Editorial

Unquenched—a memoir on non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems: honoring Amit Dutta

¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, 769008, Rourkela, India
² Department of Physics, BITS Pilani-Hyderabad Campus, 500078, Secunderabad, Telangana, India
³ Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, 502284, Hyderabad, India
⁴ Department of Physics, Boston University, 02215, Boston, MA, USA
⁵ ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
⁶ Nonequilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR), 2-1 Hirosawa, 351-0198, Wako, Saitama, Japan
⁷ Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

^a shrdha1987@gmail.com, sharmas@nitrkl.ac.in

Received: 15 May 2024
Accepted: 26 June 2024
Published online: 15 July 2024

Abstract

This short review explores the physics journey of Professor Amit Dutta, illuminating his collaborative contributions with students and peers. We mainly focus on standard approaches to understanding non-equilibrium quantum dynamics and ground-state criticality using quantum informatic measures like ground-state fidelity, the Loschmidt echo and/or the decoherence factor. Using Floquet theory as a tool, we also discuss the dynamics of hard-core bosonic chain, shedding light on the phenomenon of dynamical localization and different analytically approachable limits of Floquet theory. The review further extends to probe the physics of topological phase transitions in driven/quenched systems, where we mainly focus on the non-equilibrium response of topological systems and topological state preparation. Finally, we also discuss late-time quantum dynamics leading to the thermalization of open and closed systems, where we review contemporary approaches to the applicability of thermodynamic principles in microscopic quantum systems and the macroscopic emergence of statistical mechanics in driven/quenched ergodic systems. Throughout this memoir, Professor Amit Dutta’s important scientific contributions are mentioned for their impact on advancing our understanding of quantum dynamics and statistical mechanics.