Quantum quenches and thermalization in one-dimensional fermionic systems

We study the dynamics and thermalization of strongly correlated fermions in finite one-dimensional lattices after a quantum quench. Our calculations are performed using exact diagonalization. We focus on one- and two-body observables such as the momentum distribution function [n(k)] and the density-density structure factor [N(k)], respectively, and study the effects of approaching an integrable point. We show that while the relaxation dynamics and thermalization of N(k) for fermions is very similar to the one of hardcore bosons, the behavior of n(k) is distinctively different. The latter observable exhibits a slower relaxation dynamics in fermionic systems. We identify the origin of this behavior, which is related to the off-diagonal matrix elements of n(k) in the basis of the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian. More generally, we find that thermalization occurs far away from integrability and that it breaks down as one approaches the integrable point.