Non-equilibrium thermal transport in the quantum Ising chain

Understand

We consider two quantum Ising chains initially prepared at thermal equilibrium but with different temperatures and coupled at a given time through one of their end points.

• In the long-time limit the system reaches a non-equilibrium steady state.
• We discuss properties of this non-equilibrium steady state, and characterize the convergence to the steady regime.
• We compute the mean energy flux through the chain and the large deviation function for the quantum and thermal fluctuations of this energy transfer.