Supercurrent survival under a Rosen-Zener quench of hard-core bosons

Abstract

We study the survival of supercurrents in a system of impenetrable bosons on a lattice, subject to a quantum quench from its critical superfluid phase to an insulating phase. We show that the evolution of the current when the quench follows a Rosen-Zener profile is exactly solvable. This allows us to analyze a quench of arbitrary rate, from a sudden destruction of the superfluid to a slow opening of a gap. The decay and oscillations of the current are analytically derived and studied numerically along with the momentum distribution after the quench. In the case of small supercurrent boosts ν, we find that the current surviving at long times is proportional to ν3. © 2007 The American Physical Society.