Relaxation dynamics in the (double) sine-Gordon model -- an open-system viewpoint

We study the effects of integrability breaking on the relaxation dynamics of the (double) sine-Gordon model. Compared to previous studies, we apply an alternative viewpoint motivated by open-system physics by separating the phase field into homogeneous and inhomogeneous parts, describing a quantum pendulum (subsystem) and an interacting phononic bath (environment). To study the relaxation dynamics in the model, we perform quantum quenches using the mini-superspace-based truncated Hamiltonian approach developed recently and simulate the real-time evolution of various entanglement measures and the energy transfer between the subsystem and its environment. Our findings demonstrate that in the presence of integrability-breaking perturbations, the relaxation dynamics is substantially faster, signalled by the increase of entanglement and energy transfer between the quantum pendulum and the phonon bath.