Entanglement asymmetry and the quantum Mpemba effect Filiberto Ares (SISSA, Trieste, Italy)
Abstract: One of the most fundamental questions connecting quantum and statistical physics is how a closed many-body quantum system, evolving unitarily, locally relaxes to a stationary state. The approach to equilibrium is exceedingly complex and can be probed in a myriad of ways. In this seminar, we will address this question through the lens of entanglement asymmetry. This is a recently introduced, information-based observable that quantifies how much a symmetry is broken within a subsystem. As an illustration, we will consider the case where a symmetry explicitly broken by the initial state is dynamically restored. Remarkably, we find that the more the symmetry is initially broken, the faster it is restored, a quantum analogue of the Mpemba effect. We will further discuss the conditions under which this phenomenon occurs and present direct experimental evidence from a trapped-ion quantum simulator.