Fourier's law from Schrödinger dynamics

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Oct 28;95(18):180602. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.180602. Epub 2005 Oct 24.

Abstract

We consider a class of one-dimensional chains of weakly coupled many level systems. We present a theory which predicts energy diffusion within these chains for almost all initial states, if some concrete conditions on their Hamiltonians are met. By numerically solving the time dependent Schrödinger equation, we verify this prediction. Close to equilibrium we analyze this behavior in terms of heat conduction and compute the respective coefficient directly from the theory.