Universality, robustness, and limits of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis in open quantum systems
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Contributors
Abstract
The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) underpins much of our modern understanding of the thermalization of closed quantum many-body systems. Here, we investigate the statistical properties of observables in the eigenbasis of the Lindbladian operator of a Markovian open quantum system. We demonstrate the validity of a Lindbladian ETH ansatz through extensive numerical simulations of several physical models. To highlight the robustness of Lindbladian ETH, we consider what we dub the dilute-click regime of the model, in which one postselects only quantum trajectories with a finite fraction of quantum jumps. The average dynamics are generated by a nontrace-preserving Liouvillian, and we show that the Lindbladian ETH ansatz still holds in this case. On the other hand, the no-click limit is a singular point at which the Lindbladian reduces to a doubled non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and Lindbladian ETH breaks down.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | L012101 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Physical Review E |
| Volume | 113 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2026 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |