The quantum Mpemba effects
arXiv:2502.08087 · doi:10.1038/s42254-025-00838-0
Abstract
The Mpemba effect, where a hotter system can equilibrate faster than a cooler one, has long been a subject of fascination in classical physics. In the past few years, significant theoretical and experimental progress has been made in understanding its occurrence in both classical and quantum systems. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the Mpemba effect in quantum systems, with a focus on both open and isolated dynamics which give rise to distinct manifestations of this anomalous non-equilibrium phenomenon. We discuss key theoretical frameworks, highlight experimental observations, and explore the fundamental mechanisms that give rise to anomalous relaxation behaviors. Particular attention is given to the role of quantum fluctuations, integrability, and symmetry in shaping equilibration pathways. Finally, we outline open questions and future directions.
arXiv comment14 pages, 4 figures
References in corpus (62)
- Chaos and Quantum Thermalization
- Thermalization and its mechanism for generic isolated quantum systems
- Relaxation in a Completely Integrable Many-Body Quantum System: An Ab Initio Study of the Dynamics of the Highly Excited States of Lattice Hard-Core Bosons
- Evolution of Entanglement Entropy in One-Dimensional Systems
- Quantum Resource Theories
- Quantum Zeno Effect and the Many-body Entanglement Transition
- Entanglement and thermodynamics after a quantum quench in integrable systems
- Unitary-projective entanglement dynamics
- Entanglement dynamics after quantum quenches in generic integrable systems
- Anomalous cooling and heating - the Mpemba effect and its inverse
- Measuring the quality of a quantum reference frame: the relative entropy of frameness
- When the Hotter Cools More Quickly: Mpemba Effect in Granular Fluids
- Exponentially faster cooling in a colloidal system
- Entanglement asymmetry as a probe of symmetry breaking
- Entanglement and charge-sharpening transitions in U(1) symmetric monitored quantum circuits
- Exponentially accelerated approach to stationarity in Markovian open quantum systems through the Mpemba effect
- Tradeoff between extractable mechanical work, accessible entanglement, and ability to act as a reference system, under arbitrary superselection rules
- The Mpemba effect in spin glasses is a persistent memory effect
- Microscopic origin of the quantum Mpemba effect in integrable systems
- Quantum Mpemba effect in a quantum dot with reservoirs
- Lindblad dissipative dynamics in presence of phase coexistence
- Symmetry restoration and quantum Mpemba effect in symmetric random circuits
- Topological transitions with continuously monitored free fermions
- Entanglement asymmetry and quantum Mpemba effect in the XY spin chain
- Pre-Cooling Strategy Allows Exponentially Faster Heating
- Entanglement entropy and superselection sectors I. Global symmetries
- Observation of quantum strong Mpemba effect
- Entanglement asymmetry and quantum Mpemba effect in two-dimensional free-fermion systems
- Thermodynamics of the quantum Mpemba effect
- Lack of symmetry restoration after a quantum quench: an entanglement asymmetry study
- Multiple quantum Mpemba effect: exceptional points and oscillations
- Mpemba effects in open nonequilibrium quantum systems
- Entropic order parameters for the phases of QFT
- Hyper-acceleration of quantum thermalization dynamics by bypassing long-lived coherences: An analytical treatment
- Relaxation shortcuts through boundary coupling
- Non-equilibrium entanglement asymmetry for discrete groups: the example of the XY spin chain
- Multiple crossing during dynamical symmetry restoration and implications for the quantum Mpemba effect
- Entangled multiplets, asymmetry, and quantum Mpemba effect in dissipative systems
- Quenches across the self-organization transition in multimode cavities
- Accelerating relaxation through Liouvillian exceptional point
- Non-Markovian Quantum Mpemba effect
- Mpemba effect and phase transitions in the adiabatic cooling of water before freezing
- Anomalous cooling and overcooling of active systems
- Landau Theory for the Mpemba Effect Through Phase Transitions
- On the Contractivity of Hilbert-Schmidt distance under open system dynamics
- The quantum Mpemba effect in free-fermionic mixed states
- Thermomajorization Mpemba Effect
- Translation symmetry restoration under random unitary dynamics
- Non-equilibrium dynamics of charged dual-unitary circuits
- Shortcuts of freely relaxing systems using equilibrium physical observables
- Quenching from superfluid to free bosons in two dimensions: entanglement, symmetries, and quantum Mpemba effect
- Photonic Mpemba effect
- Quantum Mpemba effect of localization in the dissipative mosaic model
- Non-equilibrium dynamics of symmetry-resolved entanglement and entanglement asymmetry: Exact asymptotics in Rule 54
- Bosonic Mpemba effect with non-classical states of light
- Information geometry approach to quantum stochastic thermodynamics
- Mpemba meets Newton: Exploring the Mpemba and Kovacs effects in the time-delayed cooling law
- Dynamical invariant based shortcut to equilibration in open quantum systems
- Mpemba effect and super-accelerated thermalization in the damped quantum harmonic oscillator
- Entanglement asymmetry in conformal field theory and holography
- Green's Function Approach to Josephson Dot Dynamics and Application to Quantum Mpemba Effects
- Role of electron-electron interaction in the Mpemba effect in quantum dots
Cited by in corpus (31)
- Speedups in nonequilibrium thermal relaxation: Mpemba and related effects
- Symmetry restoration and quantum Mpemba effect in many-body localization systems
- Quantum Mpemba effect without global symmetries
- Pontus-Mpemba effects
- Tuning the Quantum Mpemba Effect in Isolated System by Initial State Engineering
- Accelerating Quantum Relaxation via Temporary Reset: A Mpemba-Inspired Approach
- A simpler probe of the quantum Mpemba effect in closed systems
- Quantum Mpemba effect in long-range spin systems
- Expedited thermalization dynamics in incommensurate systems
- Speeding up Pontus-Mpemba effects via dynamical phase transitions
- Translation symmetry restoration in integrable systems: the noninteracting case
- Symmetry breaking in chaotic many-body quantum systems at finite temperature
- Quantum Mpemba effect in parity-time symmetric systems
- Solution of the Metropolis dynamics on a complete graph with application to the Markov chain Mpemba effect
- Imaginary-time Mpemba effect in quantum many-body systems
- Relaxation Control of Open Quantum Systems
- Work extraction from a quantum battery charged through an array of coupled cavities
- Reduced fidelities for free fermions out of equilibrium: From dynamical quantum phase transitions to Mpemba effect
- Quantum Pontus-Mpemba Effect Enabled by the Liouvillian Skin Effect
- Dynamical Phase Transitions in Open Quantum Walks
- Quantum Pontus-Mpemba Effects in Real and Imaginary-time Dynamics
- Dynamics of entanglement fluctuations and quantum Mpemba effect in the QSSEP model
- Quantum Mpemba Effect in a Four-Site Bose-Hubbard Model
- A General Strategy for Realizing Mpemba Effects in Open Quantum Systems
- Robustness of the quantum Mpemba effect against state-preparation errors
- Signatures of quantum chaos and complexity in the Ising model on random graphs
- ScarFinder: a detector of optimal scar trajectories in quantum many-body dynamics
- Noisy Monitored Quantum Circuits
- Exponentially accelerated relaxation and quantum Mpemba effect in open quantum systems
- Dynamics of entanglement asymmetry for space-inversion symmetry of free fermions on honeycomb lattices
- Quantum Mpemba effect in chaotic systems with conservation laws