Nonthermal steady states after an interaction quench in the Falicov-Kimball model

We present the exact solution of the Falicov-Kimball model after a sudden change of its interaction parameter using nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory. For different interaction quenches between the homogeneous metallic and insulating phases the system relaxes to a nonthermal steady state on time scales on the order of h/bandwidth, showing collapse and revival with an approximate period of h/interaction if the interaction is large. We discuss the reasons for this behavior and provide a statistical description of the final steady state by means of generalized Gibbs ensembles.