Average work done in a ground state quantum quench of the Kitaev chain model with variable-range interactions

Abstract

We study the average work done associated with a ground state quantum quench of the Kitaev chain model with variable-range interactions. We do this by initially preparing an isolated quantum system in the ground state of the initial Hamiltonian at zero temperature. We, then, abruptly change the relative chemical potential parameter. The average work done on the system, which is defined as the difference between the measured energies before and after the quench, is derived and shown to have inflection points at the critical values of the relative chemical potential of the initial Hamiltonian.