Quantum Quench of the "Speed of Light": Quantum Dynamical Universality Classes and Short-time Universal Behavior

Abstract: A long-lived prethermal state may emerge upon a sudden quench of a quantum system. In this paper, we study a quantum quench of an initial {\it critical} state, and show that the resulting prethermal state exhibits a genuinely quantum and dynamical universal behavior. Specifically, we consider a scenario where the "speed of light" characterizing the propagation of local perturbations is suddenly quenched at criticality. We also find that the system approaches the prethermal state in a universal way described by a new exponent that characterizes a kind of quantum aging.