Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Out-of-equilibrium quantum systems'

Thermalization, the evolution of an interacting many-body system towards a thermal Gibbs ensemble after initialization in an arbitrary non-equilibrium state, is currently a phenomenon of great interest, both in theory and experiment. As the time evolution of a quantum system is unitary, the proposed mechanism of thermalization in quantum many-body systems corresponds to the so-called eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) and the typicality of eigenstates. Although this formally solves the contradiction of thermalizing but unitary dynamics in a closed quantum many-body system, it does neither make any statement on the dynamical process of thermalization itself nor in which way the coupling of the system to an environment can hinder or modify the relaxation dynamics. In this thesis, we address both the question whether or not a quantum system driven away from equilibrium is able to relax to a thermal state, which fulfills detailed balance, and if one can identify universal behavior in the non-equilibrium relaxation dynamics. As a first realization of driven quantum systems out of equilibrium, we investigate a system of Ising spins, interacting with the quantized radiation field in an optical cavity. For multiple cavity modes, this system forms a highly entangled and frustrated state with infinite correlation times, known as a quantum spin glass. In the presence of drive and dissipation, introduced by coupling the intra-cavity radiation field to the photon vacuum outside the cavity via lossy mirrors, the quantum glass state is modified in a universal manner. For frequencies below the photon loss rate, the dissipation takes over and the system shows the universal behavior of a dissipative spin glass, with a characteristic spectral density $\\mathcal{A}(\\omega)\\sim\\sqrt{\\omega}$. On the other hand, for frequencies above the loss rate, the system retains the universal behavior of a zero temperature, quantum spin glass. Remarkably, at the glass transition, the two subsystems of spins and photons thermalize to a joint effective temperature, even in the presence of photon loss. This thermalization is a consequence of the strong spin-photon interactions, which favor detailed balance in the system and detain photons from escaping the cavity. In the thermalized system, the features of the spin glass are mirrored onto the photon degrees of freedom, leading to an emergent photon glass phase. Exploiting the inherent photon loss of the cavity, we make predictions of possible measurements on the escaping photons, which contain detailed information of the state inside the cavity and allow for a precise, non-destructive measurement of the glass state. As a further set of non-equilibrium systems, we consider one-dimensional quantum fluids driven out of equilibrium, whose universal low energy theory is formed by the so-called Luttinger Liquid description, which, due to its large degree of universality, is of intense theoretical and experimental interest. A set of recent experiments in research groups in Vienna, Innsbruck and Munich have probed the non-equilibrium time-evolution of one-dimensional quantum fluids for different experimental realizations and are pushing into a time regime, where thermalization is expected. From a theoretical point of view, one-dimensional quantum fluids are particular interesting, as Luttinger Liquids are integrable and therefore, due to an infinite number of constants of motion, do not thermalize. The leading order correction to the quadratic theory is irrelevant in the sense of the renormalization group and does therefore not modify static correlation functions, however, it breaks integrability and will therefore, even if irrelevant, induce a completely different non-equilibrium dynamics as the quadratic Luttinger theory alone. In this thesis, we derive for the first time a kinetic equation for interacting Luttinger Liquids, which describes the time evolution of the excitation densities for arbitrary initial states. The resonant character of the interaction makes a straightforward derivation of the kinetic equation, using Fermi\'s golden rule, impossible and we have to develop non-perturbative techniques in the Keldysh framework. We derive a closed expression for the time evolution of the excitation densities in terms of self-energies and vertex corrections. Close to equilibrium, the kinetic equation describes the exponential decay of excitations, with a decay rate $\\sigma^R=\\mbox\\Sigma^R$, determined by the self-energy at equilibrium. However, for long times $\\tau$, it also reveals the presence of dynamical slow modes, which are the consequence of exactly energy conserving dynamics and lead to an algebraic decay $\\sim\\tau^$ with $\\eta_D=0.58$. The presence of these dynamical slow modes is not contained in the equilibrium Matsubara formalism, while they emerge naturally in the non-equilibrium formalism developed in this thesis. In order to initialize a one-dimensional quantum fluid out of equilibrium, we consider an interaction quench in a model of interacting, dispersive fermions in Chap.~\\ref. In this scenario, the fermionic interaction is suddenly changed at time $t=0$, such that for $t>0$ the system is not in an eigenstate and therefore undergoes a non-trivial time evolution. For the quadratic theory, the stationary state in the limit $t\\rightarrow\\infty$ is a non-thermal, or prethermal, state, described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE). The GGE takes into account for the conservation of all integrals of motion, formed by the eigenmodes of the Hamiltonian. On the other hand, in the presence of non-linearities, the final state for $t\\rightarrow\\infty$ is a thermal state with a finite temperature $T>0$. . The spatio-temporal, dynamical thermalization process can be decomposed into three regimes: A prequench regime on the largest distances, which is determined by the initial state, a prethermal plateau for intermediate distances, which is determined by the metastable fixed point of the quadratic theory and a thermal region on the shortest distances. The latter spreads sub-ballistically $\\sim t^$ in space with $0<\\alpha<1$ depending on the quench. Until complete thermalization (i.e. for times $t<\\infty$), the thermal region contains more energy than the prethermal and prequench region, which is expressed in a larger temperature $T_{t}>T_$, decreasing towards its final value $T_$. As the system has achieved local detailed balance in the thermalized region, energy transport to the non-thermal region can only be performed by the macroscopic dynamical slow modes and the decay of the temperature $T_{t}-T_\\sim t^$ again witnesses the presence of these slow modes. The very slow spreading of thermalization is consistent with recent experiments performed in Vienna, which observe a metastable, prethermal state after a quench and only observe the onset of thermalization on much larger time scales. As an immediate indication of thermalization, we determine the time evolution of the fermionic momentum distribution after a quench from non-interacting to interacting fermions. For this quench scenario, the step in the Fermi distribution at the Fermi momentum $k\\sub$ decays to zero algebraically in the absence of a non-linearity but as a stretched exponential (the exponent being proportional to the non-linearity) in the presence of a finite non-linearity. This can serve as a proof for the presence or absence of the non-linearity even on time-scales for which thermalization can not yet be observed. Finally, we consider a bosonic quantum fluid, which is driven away from equilibrium by permanent heating. The origin of the heating is atomic spontaneous emission of laser photons, which are used to create a coherent lattice potential in optical lattice experiments. This process preserves the system\'s $U(1)$-invariance, i.e. conserves the global particle number, and the corresponding long-wavelength description is a heated, interacting Luttinger Liquid, for which phonon modes are continuously populated with a momentum dependent rate $\\partial_tn_q\\sim\\gamma |q|$. In the dynamics, we identify a quasi-thermal regime for large momenta, featuring an increasing time-dependent effective temperature. In this regime, due to fast phonon-phonon scattering, detailed balance has been achieved and is expressed by a time-local, increasing temperature. The thermal region emerges locally and spreads in space sub-ballistically according to $x_t\\sim t^{4/5}$. For larger distances, the system is described by an non-equilibrium phonon distribution $n_q\\sim |q|$, which leads to a new, non-equilibrium behavior of large distance observables. For instance, the phonon decay rate scales universally as $\\gamma_q\\sim |q|^{5/3}$, with a new non-equilibrium exponent $\\eta=5/3$, which differs from equilibrium. This new, universal behavior is guaranteed by the $U(1)$ invariant dynamics of the system and is insensitive to further subleading perturbations. The non-equilibrium long-distance behavior can be determined experimentally by measuring the static and dynamic structure factor, both of which clearly indicate the exponents for phonon decay, $\\eta=5/3$ and for the spreading of thermalization $\\eta_T=4/5$. Remarkably, even in the presence of this strong external drive, the interactions and their aim to achieve detailed balance are strong enough to establish a locally emerging and spatially spreading thermal region. The physical setups in this thesis do not only reveal interesting and new dynamical features in the out-of-equilibrium time evolution of interacting systems, but they also strongly underline the high degree of universality of thermalization for the classes of models studied here. May it be a system of coupled spins and photons, where the photons are pulled away from a thermal state by Markovian photon decay caused by a leaky cavity, a one-dimensional fermionic quantum fluid, which has been initialized in an out-of-equilibrium state by a quantum quench or a one-dimensional bosonic quantum fluid, which is driven away from equilibrium by continuous, external heating, all of these systems at the end establish a local thermal equilibrium, which spreads in space and leads to global thermalization for $t\\rightarrow\\infty$. This underpins the importance of thermalizing collisions and endorses the standard approach of equilibrium statistical mechanics, describing a physical system in its steady state by a thermal Gibbs ensemble.

Cette thèse porte sur l'étude de propriétés dynamiques de modèles quantiques portés hors équilibre. Nous introduisons en particulier des modèles généraux de type spin-boson, qui décrivent par exemple l'interaction lumière-matière ou certains phénomènes de dissipation. Nous contribuons au développement d'une approche stochastique exacte permettant de d'écrire la dynamique hors équilibre du spin dans ces modèles. Dans ce contexte, l'effet de l'environnement bosonique est pris en compte par l'intermédiaire des degrés de liberté stochastiques supplémentaires, dont les corrélations temporelles dépendent des propriétés spectrales de l'environnement bosonique. Nous appliquons cette approche à l'étude de phénomènes à N-corps, comme par exemple la transition de phase dissipative induite par un environnement bosonique de type ohmique. Des phénomènes de synchronisation spontanée, et de transition de phase topologique sont aussi identifiés. Des progrès sont aussi réalisés dans l'étude de la dynamique dans les réseaux de systèmes lumière-matière couplés. Ces développements théoriques sont motivés par les progrès expérimentaux récents, qui permettent d'envisager une étude approfondie de ces phénomènes. Cela inclut notamment les systèmes d'atomes ultra-froids, d'ions piégés, et les plateformes d'électrodynamique en cavité et en circuit. Nous intéressons aussi à la physique des systèmes hybrides comprenant des dispositifs à points quantiques mésoscopiques couplés à un résonateur électromagnétique. L'avènement de ces systèmes permet de mesures de la formation d'états à N-corps de type Kondo grâce au résonateur; et d'envisager des dispositifs thermoélectriques
This thesis deals with the study of dynamical properties of out-of-equilibrium quantum systems. We introduce in particular a general class of Spin-Boson models, which describe for example light-matter interaction or dissipative phenomena. We contribute to the development of a stochastic approach to describe the spin dynamics in these models. In this context, the effect of the bosonic environment is encapsulated into additional stochastic degrees of freedom whose time-correlations are determined by spectral properties of the bosonic environment. We use this approach to study many-body phenomena such as the dissipative quantum phase transition induced by an ohmic bosonic environment. Synchronization phenomena as well as dissipative topological transitions are identified. We also progress in the study of arrays of interacting light-matter systems. These theoretical developments follow recent experimental achievements, which could ensure a quantitative study of these phenomena. This notably includes ultra-cold atoms, trapped ions and cavity and circuit electrodynamics setups. We also investigate hybrid systems comprising electronic quantum dots coupled to electromagnetic resonators, which enable us to provide a spectroscopic analysis of many-body phenomena linked to the Kondo effect. We also introducethermoelectric applications in these devices

Cette thèse présente une étude des propagations des corrélations dans les systèmes avec interaction de longue portée. La dynamique des observables locales ne peut pas être décrite avec les méthodes utilisées pour la physique statistique à l’équilibre et les approches complètement nouvelles doivent être développées. Différentes bornes sur l’évolution temporelle des corrélations ont été dérivées, mais la dynamique réelle trouvée dans des données expérimentales et numériques est beaucoup plus compliquée avec différents régimes de propagation. Une approche plus spécifique est donc nécessaire pour comprendre ces phénomènes. Nous présentons une méthode analytique pour décrire l’évolution temporelle d’observables génériques dans des systèmes décrits par des hamiltoniens quadratiques avec interactions de courte et longue portée. Grâce ces expressions, la propagation des observables peut être interprétée comme la propagation des excitations du système. Nous appliquons cette méthode générique à un modèle de spins et on obtient trois régimes différents. Ils peuvent être directement expliqués qualitativement et quantitativement par les divergences du spectre des excitations. Le résultat le plus important est le fait que la propagation, là où elle n’est pas instantanée, est au plus balistique, voir plus lente, alors les bornes permettent une propagation significativement plus rapide. On applique les mêmes expressions analytiques à un système de bosons sur un réseau avec interaction de longue et courte portée. Nous étudions les corrélations à deux corps qui ont un comportement toujours balistique et les corrélations à un corps qui ont un comportement plus riche. Cet effet peut être expliqué en calculant la contribution aux deux observables des différentes excitations qui déterminent les parties du spectre contribuant à l’observable. Ces résultats démontrent que la propagation des observables n’est pas déterminée uniquement par le spectre des excitations mais également par des quantités qui dépendent de l’observable et qui peuvent changer complètement le régime de propagation
In this thesis we present our results on the propagation of correlations in long-range interacting quantum systems. The dynamics of local observables in these systems cannot be described with the standard methods used in equilibrium statistical physics and completely new methods have to be developed. Several bounds on the time evolution of correlations have been derived for these systems. However the propagation found in experimental and numerical results is completely different and several regimes are present depending on the long-range character of the interactions. Here we present analytical expressions to describe the time evolution of generic observables in systems where the Hamiltonian takes a quadratic form with long- and short-range interactions. These expressions describe the spreading of local observables as the spreading of the fundamental excitations of the system. We apply these expressions to a spin model finding three different propagation regimes. They can be described qualitatively et quantitatively by the divergences in the energy spectrum. The most important result is that the propagation is at most ballistic, but it can be also significantly slower, where the general bounds predict a propagation faster than ballistic. This points out that the bounds are not able to describe properly the propagation, but a more specific approach is needed. We then move to a system of lattice bosons interacting via long-range interactions. In this case we study two different observables finding completely different results for the same interactions: the spreading of two-body correlations is always ballistic while the one of the one-body correlations ranges from faster-than-ballistic to ballistic. Using our general analytic expressions we find that different parts of the spectrum contribute differently to different observables determining the previous differences. This points out that an observable-dependent notion of locality, missing in the general bounds, have to be developed to correctly describe the time evolution

Dans cette thèse nous étudions théoriquement de systèmes dissipatifs pompés,décrits par une équation maîtresse de Lindblad. En particulier, nous adressons les problématiques liés à l’émergence de phénomènes critiques. Nous présentons une théorie générale reliant les transitions de phase du premier et deuxième ordres aux propriétés spectrales du superopérateur liouvillien. Dans la région critique, nous déterminons la forme générale de l’état stationnaire et de la matrice propre du liouvillien associée à son gap spectral. Nous discutons aussi l’utilisation de trajectoires quantiques individuelles afin de révéler l’apparition des transitions de phase. En ayant dérivé une théorie générale, nous étudions le modèle de Kerr en présence de pompage à un photon (cohérent) et à deux photons (paramétrique) ainsi que de dissipation. Nous explorons les propriétés dynamiques d’une transition de phase du premier ordre dans un modèle de Bose-Hubbard dissipatif et d’une de second ordre dans un modèle XYZ dissipatif d’Heisenberg. Enfin, nous avons considéré la physique des cavités soumises à de la dissipation à un et deux photons ainsi qu’un pompage à deux photons, obtenu par ingénierie de réservoirs. Nous avons démontré que l’état stationnaire unique est un mélange statistique de deux états chats de Schrödinger, malgré de fortes pertes à un photon.Nous proposons et étudions un protocole de rétroaction pour la génération d’états chat purs
In this thesis we theoretically study driven-dissipative nonlinear systems, whosedynamics is capture by a Lindblad master equation. In particular, we investigate theemergence of criticality in out-of-equilibrium dissipative systems. We present a generaland model-independent spectral theory relating first- and second-order dissipative phasetransitions to the spectral properties of the Liouvillian superoperator. In the critical region,we determine the general form of the steady-state density matrix and of the Liouvillianeigenmatrix whose eigenvalue defines the Liouvillian spectral gap. We discuss the relevanceof individual quantum trajectories to unveil phase transitions. After these general results,we analyse the inset of criticality in several models. First, a nonlinear Kerr resonator in thepresence of both coherent (one-photon) and parametric (two-photon) driving and dissipation.We then explore the dynamical properties of the coherently-driven Bose-Hubbard and of thedissipative XYZ Heisenberg model presenting a first-order and a second-order dissipativephase transition, respectively. Finally, we investigate the physics of photonic Schrödingercat states in driven-dissipative resonators subject to engineered two-photon processes andone-photon losses. We propose and study a feedback protocol to generate a pure cat-likesteady state

One of the most relevant aspects of thermodynamics is its universality. Its prescriptions are ubiquitous in the characterizaton of the energy transfer between systems at equilibrium, even at the nanoscale, where quantum effects start to become important. In these models the energy balance is completely described in terms of universal quantities, like the Helmoltz free energy and the Boltzmann entropy, while the probabilistic fluctations of work, heat end particle number are tipically negligible making equilibirum thermodynamics essentially a deterministic theory. There are, however, plenty of fields in which the equilibrium approach is too limiting, for instance when dealing with steady state and driven heat engines, researching efficient quantum probes in metrology and even studying decoherence phenomena in quantum computation. In the non equilibrium scenario many specific details, usually negligible in the standard approach, become relevant and a more accurate knowledge of the dynamics is necessary to improve the capacity of controlling, measuring and manipulating energy, whose puctuations also become larger and larger making the theory intrinsecally stochastic. The characterization of out of equilibrium quantum system is the principal aim of this manuscript, which encompasses several aspects of the field. A perturbative expansion for slowly driven master equations is derived, reproducing the quasi static equilibrium trajectory for infinitely slow modulations and providing a compact formula for calculating the deviations on such a behavior. The expansion turns also to be succesful for the description of low dissipation heat engines, providing interesting connections between some celebrated efficiencies at maximum power (like the Schmiedl Seifert and Curzon Ahlborn ones [34, 37]) and the spectral density of the baths inducing thermalization.

Ma thèse de doctorat était consacrée à l'étude des systèmes quantiques à plusieurs corps dissipatifs et pilotés. Ces systèmes représentent des plateformes naturelles pour explorer des questions fondamentales sur la matière dans des conditions de non-équilibre, tout en ayant un impact potentiel sur les technologies quantiques émergentes. Dans cette thèse, nous discutons d'une décomposition spectrale de fonctions de Green de systèmes ouverts markoviens, que nous appliquons à un modèle d'oscillateur quantique de van der Pol. Nous soulignons qu’une propriété de signe des fonctions spectrales des systèmes d’équilibre ne s’imposait pas dans le cas de systèmes ouverts, ce qui produisait une surprenante "densité d’états négative", avec des conséquences physiques directes. Nous étudions ensuite la transition de phase entre une phase normale et une phase superfluide dans un système prototype de bosons dissipatifs forcés sur un réseau. Cette transition est caractérisée par une criticité à fréquence finie correspondant à la rupture spontanée de l'invariance par translation dans le temps, qui n’a pas d’analogue dans des systèmes à l’équilibre. Nous discutons le diagramme de phase en champ moyen d'une phase isolante de Mott stabilisée par dissipation, potentiellement pertinente pour des expériences en cours. Nos résultats suggèrent qu'il existe un compromis entre la fidélité de la phase stationnaire à un isolant de Mott et la robustesse d'une telle phase à taux de saut fini. Enfin, nous présentons des développements concernant la théorie du champ moyen dynamique (DMFT) pour l’étude des systèmes à plusieurs corps dissipatifs et forcés. Nous introduisons DMFT dans le contexte des modèles dissipatifs et forcés et nous développons une méthode pour résoudre le problème auxiliaire d'une impureté couplée simultanément à un environnement markovien et à un environnement non-markovien. À titre de test, nous appliquons cette nouvelle méthode à un modèle simple d’impureté fermionique
My PhD was devoted to the study of driven-dissipative quantum many-body systems. These systems represent natural platforms to explore fundamental questions about matter under non-equilibrium conditions, having at the same time a potential impact on emerging quantum technologies. In this thesis, we discuss a spectral decomposition of single-particle Green functions of Markovian open systems, that we applied to a model of a quantum van der Pol oscillator. We point out that a sign property of spectral functions of equilibrium systems doesn't hold in the case of open systems, resulting in a surprising ``negative density of states", with direct physical consequences. We study the phase transition between a normal and a superfluid phase in a prototype system of driven-dissipative bosons on a lattice. This transition is characterized by a finite-frequency criticality corresponding to the spontaneous break of time-translational invariance, which has no analog in equilibrium systems. Later, we discuss the mean-field phase diagram of a Mott insulating phase stabilized by dissipation, which is potentially relevant for ongoing experiments. Our results suggest that there is a trade off between the fidelity of the stationary phase to a Mott insulator and robustness of such a phase at finite hopping. Finally, we present some developments towards using dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) for studying driven-dissipative lattice systems. We introduce DMFT in the context of driven-dissipative models and developed a method to solve the auxiliary problem of a single impurity, coupled simultaneously to a Markovian and a non-Markovian environment. As a test, we applied this novel method to a simple model of a fermionic, single-mode impurity

Quasi-one-dimensional quantum models are ideal for theoretically exploring the physical phenomena associated with strong correlations. In this thesis we study three examples where strong correlations play an important role in the static or dynamic properties of the system. Firstly, we examine the behaviour of a doped fermionic two-leg ladder in which umklapp interactions are present. Such interactions arise at special band fillings and can be induced by the formation of charge density wave order in an array of two-leg ladders with long-range (three-dimensional) interactions. For the umklapp which arises from the half-filling of one of the bands, we show that the low-energy theory has a number of phases, including a strong coupling regime in which the dominant fluctuations are superconducting in nature. These superconducting fluctuations carry a finite wave vector – they are the one-dimensional analogue of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconductivity. In a second example, we consider a quantum spin model which captures the essential one-dimensional physics of CoNb₂O₆, a quasi-one-dimensional Ising ferromagnet. Motivated by high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering experiments, we calculate the dynamical structure in the paramagnetic phase and show that a small misalignment of the transverse field can lead to quasi-particle breakdown – a surprising broadening in the single particle mode observed in experiment. Finally, we study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of a model with tuneable integrability breaking. When integrability is broken by the presence of weak interactions, we show that the system relaxes to a non-thermal state on intermediate time scales, the so-called “prethermalization plateau”. We describe the approximately stationary behaviour in this regime by constructing a generalised Gibbs ensemble with charges deformed to leading order in perturbation theory. Expectation values of these charges are time-independent, but interestingly the charges do not commute with the Hamiltonian to leading order in perturbation theory. Increasing the strength of the integrability breaking interactions leads to behaviour compatible with thermalisation. In each case we use a combination of perturbative analytical calculations and non-perturbative numerical computations to study the problem at hand.

Les atomes ultrafroids constituent depuis une vingtaine d’années un domaine fructueux pour l’étude de la physique à N corps. Cependant l’inhomogénéité des nuages atomiques, induite par les méthodes de piégeage utilisées habituellement, constitue une limite pour les études portant sur de grandes échelles de longueur. Nous reportons ici la mise en place d’un nouveau dispositif expérimental, combinant un potentiel modulable à bords raides et fond plat dans le plan atomique, avec un confinement versatile dans la troisième direction. Nous nous intéressons à différentes excitations du système, premièrement des degrés de liberté internes des atomes via leur interaction avec la lumière, puis deuxièmement de leur mouvement collectif avec la propagation de phonons. La répartition des atomes dans un plan est particulièrement adaptée aux études de diffusion de la lumière. Elle permet en effet de sonder de fortes densités atomiques, entraînant de fortes interactions dipôle-dipôle induites, tout en gardant un signal transmis suffisant pour effectuer des mesures. Nous avons mesuré la déviation au comportement d’un atome isolé pour de la lumière proche de résonance lorsque la densité atomique est modifiée. Nous avons également étudié la diffusion de photons dans un disque d’atomes en injectant de la lumière seulement au centre du disque. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés aux excitations collectives du gaz. Nous avons mesuré la vitesse du son dans le milieu, qui est liée à la fraction superfluide du système, et comparé nos résultats aux prédictions d’un modèle hydrodynamique à deux fluides. En utilisant une géométrie adaptée, nous avons en outre étudié la dynamique de retour à l’équilibre d’un système isolé, en imageant la phase du condensat de Bose-Einstein résultant de la fusion de jusqu’à douze condensats
Ultracold atoms have proven to be a powerful platform for studying many-body physics. However the inhomegeneity of atomic clouds induced by potentials commonly used to trap the atoms constitutes a limitation for studies probing large length scales. Here we present the implementation of a new versatile setup to study two-dimensional Bose gases, combining a tunable in-plane box potential with a strong and efficient confinement along the third direction. We study different excitations of the system, either of internal degrees of freedom of the atoms with light scattering, or of their collective motion with phonon propagation. The slab geometry is particularly well suited for light scattering studies. It allows one to probe high atomic densities, leading to strong induced dipole-dipole interactions, while keeping a good enough light transmission for measurements. We monitor the deviation from the single atom behavior for near resonant light by varying the atomic density. We additionally monitor the spreading of photons inside the slab by injecting light only at the center of a disk of atoms. We also investigate collective excitations of the atomic gas. We measure the speed of sound which is linked to the superfluid density of the cloud and compare our results to a two-fluid hydrodynamic model predictions. Using a relevant geometry, we additionally study how an isolated system goes back to equilibrium. This is done by imaging the phase of the resulting Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) after merging up to twelve BECs

Suivant les progrès technologiques de la révolution industrielle, la thermodynamique classique a été développée au XIXème siècle dans le but de comprendre la conversion de la chaleur en travail intervenant dans les machines thermiques nouvellement élaborées. Les travaux de Boltzmann apportèrent une autre révolution conceptuelle avec la physique statistique. Il démontra l’origine microscopique des lois de la thermodynamique, celles-ci ne décrivant en fait que le comportement macroscopique de systèmes pour lesquels la thermalisation locale est plus rapide que toutes les autres échelles de temps. Cependant, conséquemment à l’intérêt grandissant pour les nanotechnologies, il est aujourd’hui possible de manipuler des systèmes microscopiques pour lesquels la thermalisation est plus lente que les échelles de temps associés aux flux d’électrons. Une avancée technologique majeure dans ce domaine provient de l’utilisation de boîtes quantiques, des dispositifs nanométriques permettant de confiner les électrons sur des distances si petites qu’ils se répartissent sur des niveaux d’énergie discrets. Il est alors évidemment indispensable de prendre en compte les effets quantiques pour l’étude de ce type de systèmes, c’est-à-dire de concevoir des outils théoriques alliant thermodynamique et mécanique quantique.Les problèmes de thermodynamique quantique sont souvent abordés dans le cadre de la théorie des systèmes quantiques ouverts. L’idée générale de ce formalisme est d’étudier la dynamique d’un « petit » système quantique lorsqu’il est couplé à un autre système supposé bien plus « gros » et représentant l’environnement. On démontre alors que l’évolution temporelle du petit système peut être décrite par une équation maîtresse dans la limite où il est faiblement couplé à l’environnement. Cependant, il semble intuitivement qu’une machine pourra délivrer une puissance plus importante dans un contexte de fort couplage-Pour les problèmes de transport électronique, le formalisme de Landauer-Büttiker permet de décrire le régime de fort couplage. Dans ce cadre, les électrons sont supposés ne subir que des processus de diffusion élastique dans le système central. Toutes les propriétés thermoélectriques de la machine peuvent alors être caractérisées grâce aux propriétés de transmission du diffuseur. Cependant, ce formalisme souffre aussi d’une importante limitation, la structure de bandes des réservoirs étant ignorée.Ici nous avons choisi d’adopter un point de vue différent pour aborder le régime de fort couplage en étudiant un modèle exactement résoluble. Nous analysons donc le modèle de Fano-Anderson décrivant un niveau discret couplé à un continuum. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de la densité d’états des réservoirs. On démontre en effet que, sous certaines conditions, des états liés discrets apparaissent dans les bandes interdites des réservoirs. Ces états jouent un rôle prépondérant sur la dynamique du niveau discret à temps longs : leur contribution dépend de la préparation initiale du système et peut donner lieu à des oscillations permanentes de l’occupation du niveau discret.Nous commençons par expliciter la solution exacte du modèle en nous concentrant particulièrement son comportement à temps longs. Nous analysons ensuite deux cas particuliers. En premier lieu, nous nous intéressons aux propriétés de transport d’une boîte quantique à un niveau couplée à un semi-conducteur présentant une unique bande interdite. Un état lié apparaît dans cette bande lorsque le couplage au réservoir dépasse une valeur critique ce qui affecte fortement les propriétés de transport du système. Nous étudions ensuite le cas de réservoirs décrit par un modèle de liaisons fortes dont la densité d’états ne comporte qu’une bande finie d’énergie. Nous montrons qu’un niveau discret couplé à un tel réservoir se comporte comme un système à plusieurs niveaux, sa densité d’états locale et sa transmission présentant de multiples résonances
Following the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, classical thermodynamics was developed in the 19th century in order to understand the conversion of heat into work in newly designed machines. The works of Boltzmann brought another conceptual revolution with statistical mechanics. He demonstrated the microscopical origin of the laws of thermodynamics which actually only describe the macroscopic behaviour of systems in which local thermalization is faster than all other timescales. However, following the growing interest for nanotechnologies, it is now possible to manipulate microscopic systems in which thermalization is slower than the timescales for electron flow. A major technological advance in this field stems from the use of quantum dots, nanoscale devices which confine electrons on such small scales that they spread on discrete energy levels. It is then essential to take into account quantum effects for the study of this type of systems, that is to say to design theoretical tools combining thermodynamics and quantum mechanics.Problems of quantum thermodynamics are often tackled in the framework of the theory of open quantum systems. The general idea of this formalism is to study the dynamics of a “small” quantum system when it is coupled to another much bigger representing the environment. One can then show that the time evolution of the small system can be described by a master equation in the limit where it is weakly coupled to the environment. However, it intuitively seems that the power output of machine would be higher in the context of strong coupling.For problems of electronic transport, the Landauer-Büttiker formalism allows to describe the strong-coupling regime. In this framework, electrons are assumed to solely undergo elastic scattering processes in the central system. All the thermoelectric properties of the machine can then be characterized thanks to the transmission properties of the scatterer. However, this formalism has an important limitation; it ignores the band structure of the reservoirs.Here we have chosen to adopt a different viewpoint to tackle the strong-coupling regime by studying an exactly soluble model. We therefore analyze the Fano-Anderson model describing a discrete level coupled to a continuum. We are particularly interested by the influence of the reservoirs’ band structure. One can indeed show that, under certain conditions, discrete bound states appear in the band gaps of the reservoirs. This state play an important rôle on the dynamics of the discrete at long times: their contribution depends on the initial preparation of the system and gives rise to persistent oscillations of the occupation of the discrete level.We start by deriving the exact solution of the model especially focusing on its long-time behaviour. We then analyze two special cases. First, we study the transport properties of a single-level quantum dot coupled to a semiconductor with single a band gap. A bound state appears in this gap when the coupling to the reservoir exceeds a critical value. We show that this greatly affects the transport properties of the device. We then study the case of reservoirs described by a tight-binding model which density of states consists of a single finite-range energy band. We show that a discrete level coupled to such reservoir behaves like a many-level system as its local density of states and transmission function exhibits multiple resonances

Um dos problemas mais importantes que precisa ser resolvido, tanto pela física de partículas como pela cosmologia, é a existência de assimetria bariônica. Entre os cenários mais atrativos para a geração dinâmica da assimetria bariônica (Bariogênese) encontra- se a denominada Leptogênese. Nesse cenário, cria-se uma assimetria leptônica que será convertida em assimetria bariônica por processos não perturbativos mediados por sphalerons. Na realização mais simples da Leptogênese, que será estudada nesta dissertação, neutrinos pesados de mão direita, produzidos termicamente, decaem violando CP, gerando um assimetria leptônica nesses decaimentos. O principal atrativo deste cenário é que conecta duas escalas aparentemente diferentes: a escala da geração de assimetria leptônica e a escala das massas e oscilações dos neutrinos ativos mediante o mecanismo de See-Saw. O estudo usual da Leptogênese utiliza equações de Boltzmann para determinar a evolução temporal da assimetria. Porém, a equação de Boltzmann é uma equação semiclássica, dado que envolve, por um lado, uma função clássica no espaço de fases, a função de distribuição, mas, por outro, os termos de colisão envolvem quantidades obtidas na teoria quântica de campos à temperatura nula. Em particular, a formulação de Boltzmann não permite descrever fenômenos quânticos como oscilações coerentes e efeitos de decoêrencia e interferência. Uma descrição quântica completa da evolução da assimetria leptônica na leptogênese deve, de fato, ser obtida no contexto da teoria quântica de campos fora do equilíbrio térmico. O formalismo de Schwinger-Keldysh permite realizar isso. Nesta dissertação descreveremos a leptogênese no formalismo de Schwinger-Keldysh para o caso em que são adicionados ao espectro de partículas do Modelo Padrão três neutrinos de mão direita, sem fazer qualquer suposição sobre a hierarquia de massas.
One of the most important problems that is needed to solve by the Elementary Particle Physics as well as by the Cosmology is the existence of baryonic asymmetry. Among the most attractive scenarios of dynamic generation of baryonic asymmetry (Baryogenesis) is the so-called Leptogenesis. In that scenario, a leptonic asymmetry is treated in such a way that it will be converted in baryonic asymmetry by non-perturbative processes mediated by sphalerons. In the simplest realization of Leptogenesis, that will be studied in this disertation, heavy right-handed neutrinos, produzed thermally, decay violating CP generating a leptonic asymmetry in these decays. The principal attractive of this scenario is that it connects two apparently different scales, the scale of leptonic asymmetry generation and the scale of masses and oscillations of the active neutrinos through the See-Saw mechanism. The usual study of the leptogenesis uses Boltzmann equations in order to determine the temporal evolution of the asymmetry. However, the Boltzmann equation is a semiclassical equations, since, on one side, it is formulated for a classical function in phases space, the distribution function, but, on the other hand, the collision term involves quantities obtained in the Quantum Field Theory at zero temperature. In particular, Boltzmann formulation does not allow to describe quantum phenomena such coherent oscillations and effects of decoherence and interference. Indeed, a proper quantum description of the evolution of the leptonic asymmetry must be obtained in the context of the Non-Equilibrium Quantum Field Theory. The Schwinger-Keldysh formalism allows to perform this. In this dissertation, leptogenesis is described using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism for the case in which there are three right-handed neutrinos without a definite mass hierarchy.

L'étude menée dans cette thèse concerne la dynamique de systèmes quantiques hors de l'équilibre, et plus particulièrement leurs propriétés d'intrication. En effet, l'intrication est devenue un concept fondamental dans la physique moderne, grâce notamment au développement de l'information quantique. Nous avons dans un premier temps étudié la dynamique d'un modèle de bosons sur réseau après la trempe de leur potentiel de confinement. Dans la limite de coeur dur, nous avons développé une théorie hydrodynamique qui reproduit parfaitement les différents comportements observés. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à la dynamique de deux spins défauts couplés à une chaîne d'Ising. Dans un premier temps, ces défauts ont été préparés dans un état séparable. Nous avons dans ce cas établi une formule donnant l'évolution temporelle de la matrice de densité réduite, qui nous a permis d'avoir accès à l'intrication créée par l'intermédiaire du couplage à la chaîne. Puis, nous avons considéré le cas de deux spins défauts initialement intriqués, et nous avons étudié l'influence d'un environnement hors de l'équilibre sur leurs propriétés de désintrication. Finalement, la dernière partie de cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude d'un système couplé à un environnement décrit par le processus d'interactions répétées. Nous avons étudié la relaxation du système dans deux régimes temporels différents. Pour des temps courts, l'état est bien décrit par un état stationnaire hors équilibre, dans lequel nous avons mis en évidence les propriétés d’échelle de certaines observables. Enfin, pour des temps longs, le système atteint un état stationnaire d'équilibre composé d'un produit d'états de Bell
The study carried in this thesis concerns the dynamics of out-Of-Equilibrium quantum systems, and more particularly their entanglement properties. Indeed, entanglement became a fundamental concept in modern physics, especially with the development of quantum information. We have in a first part studied the dynamics of a model of bosons on a lattice after the quench of their trapping potential. In the hard-Core limit, we developed an hydrodynamical theory which perfectly reproduced the observed behavior. Then, we have looked at the dynamics of two defect spins coupled to an Ising chain. When these defects have been prepared into a separable state, we have established a formula giving the evolution of the reduced density matrix, allowing us to have access to the entanglement create through the coupling to the chain. We considered then the case of two initially entangled defect spins, and we studied the influence of a non-Equilibrium environment on the disentanglement properties. Finally, the last part of this thesis is devoted to the study of a system coupled to an environment by means of the repeated interactions process. We studied the relaxation of the system in two different time regimes. For short times, the state is well described by a non-Equilibrium-Steady-State, in which we highlighted the scaling properties of some observables. For long times, the system reaches an equilibrium steady state made of a product of Bell states

Les travaux présentés dans ce manuscrit de thèse portent sur la construction d'une nouvelle expérience d'atomes froids de strontium 84, depuis ses balbutiements jusqu'à l'obtention des pièges magnéto-optiques sur la raie large à 461 nm, puis sur la raie étroite à 689 nm.Les études menées avec cette expérience porteront sur la dynamique de relaxation de gaz quantiques placés initialement en situation hors-équilibre. Pour réaliser de telles expériences, un microscope à atomes sera mis en place prochainement et permettra de mesurer des fonctions de corrélations spatiales à partir de la répartition des atomes dans le piège optique bidimensionnel. C'est pourquoi, en parallèle du montage, des travaux ont été réalisés pour mettre au point un algorithme de reconstruction, indispensable au traitement des futures images obtenues par ce microscope. Ce manuscrit de thèse a pour objectif de détailler et justifier aussi précisément que possible les choix expérimentaux qui ont été effectués et de présenter le stade actuel d'avancement de l'algorithme de reconstruction d'images. Il reste encore quelques étapes de construction avant que le dispositif expérimental soit achevé: ajouter une chambre dans laquelle les mesures auront lieu, mettre en place le système d'imagerie et monter le système optique qui permettra de transporter les atomes entre les chambres à vide, les confiner dans un plan, d'effectuer la transition vers un condensat de Bose-Einstein et enfin les soumettre à un réseau optique bidimensionnel
This manuscript presents the first steps of a new ultracold atoms experiment using strontium 84. The aim of this experiment is to study the relaxation dynamics of quantum gases initially prepared in an out-of-equilibrium state. This experiment will include a quantum gas microscope, allowing us to measure spatial correlation functions in two-dimensionnal systems. The current state of the construction allows us to generate both magneto-optical trap of strontium: along its wide transition at 461 nm and its narrow transition at 689 nm. Concurrently with the experimental setup, we carried out works on a reconstruction algorithm required for the future data processing of the microscope images. This manuscript details experimental aspects, justifying their choices, and presents the current state of work on the reconstruction algorithm. There are still steps to complete the experimental setup: add a chamber where we will make the measurements to the vaccuum system, set up the quantum gaz microscope and all the required optics to transport the atomic clouds between two vaccuum chambers, to reach Bose-Einstein condensation and to confine the atoms in two-dimensionnal optical traps

La possibilità di controllare le proprietà elettroniche on-demand su una scala di tempo ultraveloce rappresenta una delle sfide più intriganti verso la realizzazione di dispositivi fotonici ed elettronici di nuova generazione. Stimolata da questo, negli ultimi decenni la ricerca scientifica ha concentrato la propria attenzione su diverse piattaforme a stato solido. Tra tutte, nanostrutture dielettriche (e metamateriali) e materiali correlati si presentano come i più promettenti candidati per la realizzazione di dispositivi dotati di nuove funzionalità. Al di là delle caratteristiche specifiche che rendono i dielettrici più adatti ad applicazioni in fotonica e i materiali correlati ai dispositivi elettronici, entrambe le categorie manifestano nuove funzionalità se soggetti ad uno stimolo esterno sotto forma di impulsi di luce con durata più breve della scala di tempo caratteristica del rilassamento dei gradi di libertà interni al sistema. Infatti, lo stato fuori equilibrio raggiunto a seguito di una foto-eccitazione presenta proprietà elettroniche ed ottiche di gran lunga differenti da quelle all'equilibrio. Pertanto, l'obiettivo di questo lavoro di tesi consiste nello sviluppo di nuovi metodi ed approcci sperimentali in grado di indurre, misurare e controllare nuove funzionalità in materiali complessi su una scala di tempo ultraveloce.
The possibility to control the electronic properties on-demand on an ultrafast time scale represents one of the most exciting challenges towards the realization of new generation photonic and electronic devices. Triggered by this, in the last decades the research activity focused its attention to different solid-state platforms. Among all, dielectric nanostructures (and metamaterials) and correlated materials represent the most promising candidate for the implementation of devices endowed by new functionalities. Apart from the specific features making dielectrics more suitable for photonic applications and correlated materials for electronic devices, both categories exhibit new functionalities if subjected to an external stimulus in the form of excitation light pulses shorter than the relaxation timescale of the internal degrees of freedom of the system. Indeed, the out-of-equilibrium state achieved upon photoexcitation exhibits electronic and optical properties highly different from those at equilibrium. Therefore, the aim of this thesis work consists in the development of new methods and experimental approaches capable to induce, measure, and control new functionalities in complex materials on an ultrafast time scale.

Recent advances in experimental condensed matter physics suggest a powerful new paradigm for the realization of exotic phases of quantum matter in the laboratory. Rather than conducting an exhaustive search for materials that realize these phases at low temperatures, it may be possible to design quantum systems that exhibit the desired properties. With the numerous advances made recently in the fields of cold atomic gases, superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, it appears that we will soon have a host of platforms that can be used to put exotic theoretical predictions to the test. In this dissertation, I will highlight two ways in which theorists can interact productively with this fast-emerging field. First, there is a growing interest in driving quantum systems out of equilibrium in order to induce novel topological phases where they would otherwise never appear. In particular, systems driven by time-periodic perturbations—known as “Floquet systems”—offer fertile ground for theoretical investigation. This approach to designer quantum matter brings its own unique set of challenges. In particular, Floquet systems explicitly violate conservation of energy, providing no notion of a ground state. In the first part of my dissertation, I will present research that addresses this problem in two ways. First, I will present studies of open Floquet systems, where coupling to an external reservoir drives the system into a steady state at long times. Second, I will discuss examples of isolated quantum systems that exhibit signatures of topological properties in their finite-time dynamics. The second part of this dissertation presents another way in which theorists can benefit from the designer approach to quantum matter; in particular, one can design analytically tractable theories of exotic phases. I will present an exemplar of this philosophy in the form of coupled-wire constructions. In this approach, one builds a topological state of matter from the ground up by coupling together an array of one-dimensional quantum wires with local interactions. I will demonstrate the power of this technique by showing how to build both Abelian and non-Abelian topological phases in three dimensions by coupling together an array of quantum wires.