It is usually expected that a hotter system will take more time to cool down than a colder system. Nevertheless, this is not always true. Sometimes, a hotter system cools down faster than a cold system. This strange effect is called the Mpemba effect, and it has been known since the time of Aristoteles when people used hot water to prepare ice instead of cold water quickly. Moreover, the microscopic mechanisms behind this strange effect are still under debate. This project aims to study the Mpemba effect in quantum systems that violate time-reversal symmetry, such as those under a magnetic field. The dynamics of these systems present what is known as exceptional points, which are singularities in the dynamic behavior and provide the thermalization of systems with unique features. Preliminary evidence indicates that systems with exceptional points will present the Mpemba effect. Using a microscopic thermalization model, we will explore the conditions for the Mpemba effect to happen and learn about the basic microscopic mechanism behind this unique effect. During the project, the students will learn open quantum systems theory, which is the basic theoretical framework used to describe thermalization processes and noise and decoherence in quantum computers.
Prerequisites: Basic programming skills in any language (python, mathematica, matlab, etc) and basic quantum mechanics
References:
Lu, Z., & Raz, O. (2017). Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of the Markovian Mpemba effect and its inverse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(20), 5083-5088
Chatterjee, A. K., Takada, S., & Hayakawa, H. (2023). Multiple quantum Mpemba effect: exceptional points and oscillations. arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.01347.
