EPJ Quantum Technol. (2014) 1: 12
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt12

Research

Propagation of quantum correlations after a quench in the Mott-insulator regime of the Bose-Hubbard model

⁵ Fakultät für Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstrasse 1, Duisburg, 47057, Germany
⁶ Department of Physics, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, V6T 1Z1, Canada

^* e-mail: konstantin.krutitsky@uni-due.de

Received: 30 April 2014
Accepted: 28 July 2014
Published online: 3 September 2014

Abstract

We study a quantum quench in the Bose-Hubbard model where the tunneling rate J is suddenly switched from zero to a finite value in the Mott regime. In order to solve the many-body quantum dynamics far from equilibrium, we consider the reduced density matrices for a finite number of lattice sites and split them up into on-site density operators, i.e., the mean field, plus two-point and three-point correlations etc. Neglecting three-point and higher correlations, we are able to numerically simulate the time-evolution of the on-site density matrices and the two-point quantum correlations (e.g., their effective light-cone structure) for a comparably large number 𝒪(10₃) of lattice sites.