On the dynamics and ergodic properties of theXY model

The return to equilibrium is investigated for one-dimensional (one-sided) chain of theXY model. The initial state is taken to be the Gibbs state for the sum of the Hamiltonian for theXY model of lengthN and a perturbation by a uniform magnetic field acting on the firstn sites. The time evolution under the unperturbedXY model Hamiltonian is studied for the expectation value of the average magnetization of the same firstn sites in the infinitely extended system (i.e., after taking the limitN). It is found that the return to equilibrium occurs for a finite-size perturbation (i.e., for a fixedn), while it does not occur for an infinite-size perturbation (i.e., the limit n is taken simultaneously as N). A certain twisted asymptotic Abelian property of theXY model is shown and used as a technical tool.