Floquet prethermalization in dipolar spin chains

Periodically driven Floquet quantum systems could provide a promising platform to investigate novel physics out of equilibrium(1), but the drive generically heats the system to a featureless infinite-temperature state(2-4). Fortunately, for high driving frequency, the heat absorption rate has been theoretically predicted to be exponentially small, giving rise to a long-lived prethermal regime that exhibits all the intriguing properties of Floquet systems(5-8). Here we experimentally observe Floquet prethermalization using NMR techniques and probe the heating rate. We first show the relaxation of a far-from-equilibrium initial state to a long-lived prethermal state, well described by a time-independent 'prethermal' Hamiltonian. By measuring the autocorrelation of this prethermal Hamiltonian we can further experimentally confirm the predicted exponentially slow heating rate. More strikingly, we find that, on the timescale at which the prethermal Hamiltonian picture breaks down, the Floquet system still possesses other quasiconservation laws. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to realize robust Floquet engineering, thus enabling the experimental observation of non-trivial Floquet phases of matter. A periodically driven Floquet quantum many-body system initially prepared in a far-from-equilibrium state may exhibit prethermalization: that is, before reaching its thermal equilibrium the system first relaxes to a long-lived quasistationary state.

Automated summary

Periodically driven Floquet quantum systems can enter a long-lived prethermal regime at high driving frequencies, with an exponentially slow heating rate. Experimental observation of prethermalization and other properties of Floquet systems demonstrate the potential for realizing non-trivial Floquet phases of matter.