87 research outputs found
A study on non-equilibrium dynamics in classical and quantum systems
Get PDFThe theory of statistical mechanics provides a powerful conceptual framework within which the relevant (macroscopic) features of systems at equilibrium can be described. As there is currently no equivalent capable of encompassing the much richer class of non-equilibrium phenomena, research in this direction proceeds mainly on an instance-by-instance basis. The aim of this Thesis is to
describe in some detail three such attempts, which involve different dynamical aspects of classical and quantum systems. As summarised below, each of the last three Chapters of this document delves into one of these different topics, while Chapter 2 provides a brief introduction on the study of non-equilibrium dynamics. In Chapter 3 we investigate the purely relaxational dynamics of classical critical ferromagnetic systems in the proximity of surfaces, paying particular attention to the effects that the latter induce on the early stages of the evolution following an abrupt change in the temperature of the sample.
When the latter ends close enough to the critical value which separates the paramagnetic from the ferromagnetic phase, it effectively introduces a temporal boundary which can be treated as if it were a surface. Within this picture, we highlight the emergence of novel effects near the effective edge formed by the intersection of the two spatial and temporal boundaries. Our findings are apparently in disagreement with previous predictions which were based on the assumption that the presence of such an edge would not affect the scaling behaviour of observables; in order to explain this discrepancy, we propose an alternative for the original power-counting argument which, at least, correctly predicts the emergence of novel field-theoretical divergences in our one-loop calculations. We show that said singularities are associated with the scaling at the edge. Moreover, by encoding our findings in a boundary renormalisation group framework, we argue that the new predicted behaviour represents a universal feature associated to the short-distance expansion of the order parameter of the transition near the edge; we also calculate explicitly its anomalous dimension at the first-order in a dimensional expansion. As a qualitative feature, this anomalous dimension depends on the type of phase transition occurring at the surface. We exploit this fact in order to provide numerical support to our predictions via Monte Carlo simulations of
the dynamical behaviour of a three-dimensional Ising model. The main results reported in Chap. 3 have appeared in Ref. [1]. In Chapter 4 we revisit the Euclidean mapping to imaginary times which has been recently
proposed [2, 3] as an alternative for approaching the problem of quantum dynamics following a quench. This is expected to allow one to reformulate the original problem as a static one confined in a film geometry. We show that this interpretation actually holds only if the initial state of the dynamics is pure. Statistical mixtures, instead, intertwine the effects due to the two boundaries,
which therefore cannot be regarded as being independent. We emphasize that, although the aforementioned reinterpretation as a confined static problem fails, one is still able, in principle, to write down and solve the corresponding equations. We also discuss in some detail the relation between this approach and the real-time field-theoretical one which makes use of the two-time Keldysh contour. For this purpose, we study the analytical structure of relevant observables — such as correlation functions — in the complex plane of times, identifying a subdivision of this domain into several sectors which depend on the ordering of the imaginary parts of the involved time coordinates.
Within each of these subdomains, the analytic continuation to the real axis provides in principle a different result. This feature allows one to reconstruct from the Euclidean formalism all possible non-time-ordered functions, which in particular include all those which can be calculated via the Keldysh two-time formalism. Moreover, we give a prescription on how to retrieve response
functions, discussing some simple examples and rationalising some recent numerical data obtained for one of these observables in a one-dimensional quantum Ising chain [4]. We also highlight the emergence of a light-cone effect fairly similar to the one previously found for correlation functions [2], which therefore provides further confirmation to the fact that information travels across the system in the form of the entanglement of quasi-particles produced by the quenching procedure. We have reported part of this analysis in Ref. [5].
Chapter 5 presents part of our recent work on effective relaxation in quantum systems following a quench and on the observed prethermalisation. We analyse the effects caused by the introduction of a long-range integrability-breaking interaction in the early stages of the dynamics of an otherwise integrable quantum spin chain following a quench in the magnetic field. By
employing a suitable transformation, we redefine the theory in terms of a fully-connected model of hard-core bosons, which allows us to exploit the (generically) low density of excitations for rendering our model exactly solvable (in a numerical sense, i.e., by numerically diagonalising an
exact matrix). We verify that, indeed, as long as the parameters of the quench are not too close to the critical point, the low-density approximation captures the dynamical features of the elementary operators, highlighting the appearance of marked plateaux in their dynamics, which we reinterpret
as the emergence of a prethermal regime in the original model. As expected, the latter behaviour is reflected also on extensive observables which can be constructed as appropriate combinations of the mode populations. For these quantities, the typical approach to the quasi-stationary value is algebraic with exponent a ≈ 3, independently of the size of the system, the strength of the interaction and the amplitude of the magnetic field (as long as it is kept far from the critical point). The plateaux mentioned above last until a recurrence time — which can be approximately identified with tR ≈ N/2 for single modes and t′R ≈ N/4 for extensive quantities — after which quantum oscillations due to the finite size of the chain reappear. Our procedure allows us to shed some light over prethermal features without having to considerably limit the size of the system, which we can choose to be quite large, as we discuss in Ref. [6]
Response functions after a quantum quench
No full textThe response of physical systems to external perturbations can be used to probe both their equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics. While response and correlation functions are related in equilibrium by fluctuation-dissipation theorems, out of equilibrium they provide complementary information on the dynamics. In the past years, a method has been devised to map the quantum dynamics of an isolated extended system after a quench onto a static theory with boundaries in imaginary time; up to now, however, the focus was entirely on symmetrized correlation functions. Here we provide a prescription which, in principle, allows one to retrieve the whole set of relevant dynamical quantities characterizing the evolution, including linear response functions. We illustrate this construction with some relevant examples, showing in the process the emergence of light-cone effects similar to those observed in correlation functions
Critical relaxation and the combined effects of spatial and temporal boundaries
Get PDFWe revisit here the problem of the collective non-equilibrium dynamics of a classical statistical system at a critical point and in the presence of surfaces. The effects of breaking separately space- and time-translational invariance are well understood, hence we focus here on the emergence of a non-trivial interplay between them. For this purpose, we consider a semi-infinite model with O(n)-symmetry and purely dissipative dynamics which is prepared in a disordered state and then suddenly quenched to its critical temperature. We determine the short-distance behaviour of its response function within a perturbative approach which does not rely on any a priori assumption on the scaling form of this quantity
decertification
No full textThis article examines the reasons that drive companies to leave Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000)—the main auditable corporate social responsibility standard—and which alternative paths they undertake after the abandonment. As decertification from SA8000 is an under-researched phenomenon, an exploratory approach based on the analysis of 15 multi-country/industry companies has been adopted. Findings show that firms leave SA8000 for several reasons including the reduction of commercial advantages, paperwork overload, and complexities in orders and suppliers management. Our investigation recognizes decertification drivers that are recurring in other standards as well as new ones specific to SA8000. For what concerns the post-decertification paths, we observe that firms pursue three distinct exit strategies (i.e., adoption of an alternative initiative/standard; no adoption of any alternative social standard/initiative, but still respect some SA8000 requirements; no adoption of any alternative social standard/initiative and stop taking care of SA8000 requirements)
Prethermalization from a low-density Holstein-Primakoff expansion
Get PDFWe consider the non-equilibrium dynamics arising after a quench of the transverse magnetic field of a quantum Ising chain, together with the sudden switch-on of a long-range interaction term. The dynamics after the quantum quench is mapped onto a fully-connected model of hard-core bosons, after a suitable combination of a Holstein-Primakoff transformation and of a low-density expansion in the quasi-particles injected by the quench. This mapping holds for a broad class of initial states and for quenches which do not cross the critical point of the transverse field Ising model. We then study the algebraic relaxation in time of a number of observables towards a metastable, pre-thermal state, which becomes the asymptotic steady state in the thermodynamic limit
Prethermalization in a Nonintegrable Quantum Spin Chain after a Quench
No full textWe study the dynamics of a quantum Ising chain after the sudden introduction of a nonintegrable long-range interaction. Via an exact mapping onto a fully connected lattice of hard-core bosons, we show that a prethermal state emerges and we investigate its features by focusing on a class of physically relevant observables. In order to gain insight into the eventual thermalization, we outline a diagrammatic approach which complements the study of the previous quasistationary state and provides the basis for a self-consistent solution of the kinetic equation. This analysis suggests that both the temporal decay towards the prethermal state and the crossover to the eventual thermal one may occur algebraically
Efficient QR Updating Factorization for Sensorless Synchronous Motor Drive Based on High Frequency Voltage Injection
No full textThe conventional methods for estimating the rotor position of permanent magnet synchronous machines, at low speed range and characterized by rotor saliency, rely on high frequency voltage injection in the stator windings. Ordinarily, the rotor position estimation is achieved through the demodulation of the high frequency current response. In this paper, an alternative method is presented for detecting rotor position from the rotating high frequency injection current response. The proposed ellipse fitting technique is not affected by signal processing delay effects and it requires the tuning of only one parameter, called forgetting factor, making the studied method suitable for industrial application thanks to its minimal setup effort. The inverse problem related to the ellipse fitting is solved implementing a QR recursive least squares algorithm. Efficient updating QR factorization has been adopted because of its features in terms of numerical stability and required limited computational effort. The proposed sensorless control scheme is validated by means of many experiments
Industry 4.0 and Policies: A Classification
No full textThis paper propose a classification framework of national Industry 4.0 policies based on previous contributions applied to different contexts. The sample selected for the study consists of the world’s top 12 manufacturing countries and includes both developing and developed countries. (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States).
The analysis reveals some differences (e.g. in terms of technologies, sectors and instruments) and similarities (e.g. in terms of economic objectives). The study provides policy makers with a framework of industrial 4.0 policies within which to identify and adapt the most appropriate interventions and actions
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