Can a physical system avoid thermalization?

Thermodynamics tells us that physical systems typically reach thermodynamic equilibrium at long times. It has been suggested in recent years, however, that certain disordered quantum systems can resist thermalization and retain memory of their initial conditions for an infinite amount of time making them possible candidates to build quantum memories. In a recent article published as Editor’s suggestion in Physical Review Letters  and featured in Physics, Jesko Sirker and collaborators argue that even these systems may thermalize after all, albeit extremely slowly.