Quench Dynamics in Confined 1+1-Dimensional Systems

Abstract: We present a framework for investigating the response of conformally-invariant confined 1+1-dimensional systems to a quantum quench. While conformal invariance is generally destroyed in a global quantum quench, systems that can be described as or mapped to integrable deformations of a CFT may present special instances where a conformal field theory-based analysis could provide useful insight into the non-equilibrium dynamics. We investigate this possibility by considering a quench analogous to that of the Quantum Newton's Cradle experiment [Nature 440, 900 (2006)] and demonstrating qualitative agreement between observables derived in the CFT framework and those of the experimental system. We propose that this agreement may be a feature of the proximity of the experimental system to an integrable deformation of a c=1 CFT.