title: Quantum relaxation after a quench in systems with boundaries.
abstract: We study the time dependence of the magnetization profile, m(l)(t), of a large finite open quantum Ising chain after a quench. We observe a cyclic variation, in which starting with an exponentially decreasing period the local magnetization arrives to a quasistationary regime, which is followed by an exponentially fast reconstruction period. The nonthermal behavior observed at near-surface sites turns over to thermal behavior for bulk sites. In addition to the standard time and length scales a nonstandard time scale is identified in the reconstruction period.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, H-1525 Budapest, Post Office Box 49, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iglói
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rieger
mesh_terms: D008280:Magnetics; D011789:Quantum Theory