Semiclassical theory for quantum quenches in finite transverse Ising chains

We present a quantitative semiclassical theory for the nonequilibrium dynamics of transverse Ising chains after quantum quenches, in particular, sudden changes of the transverse field strength. We obtain accurate predictions for the quench-dependent relaxation times and correlation lengths, and also about the recurrence times and quasiperiodicity of time-dependent correlations in finite systems with open or periodic boundary conditions. We compare the quantitative predictions of our semiclassical theory (local magnetization, equal-time bulk-bulk and surface-to-bulk correlations, and bulk autocorrelations) with the results from exact free-fermion calculations, and discuss the range of applicability of the semiclassical theory and possible generalizations and extensions.