We have recently shown that the logarithmic growth of the entanglement entropy following a quantum quench in a many-body localized (MBL) phase is accompanied by a slow growth of the number entropy, $S_N\sim\ln\ln t$. Here we provide an in-depth numerical study of $S_N(t)$ for the disordered Heisenberg chain and show that this behavior is not transient and persists even for very strong disorder. Calculating the truncated Rényi number entropy $S_N^{(α)}(t)=(1-α)^{-1}\ln\sum_n p^α(n)$ for $α\ll 1$ and $p(n)>p_c$ -- which is sensitive to large number fluctuations occurring with low probability -- we demonstrate that the particle number distribution $p(n)$ in one half of the system has a continuously growing tail. This indicates a slow but steady increase of the number of particles crossing between the partitions in the interacting case, and is in sharp contrast to Anderson localization, for which we show that $S_N^{(α\to 0)}(t)$ saturates for any cutoff $p_c>0$. We show, furthermore, that the growth of $S_N$ is $\mathit not$ the consequence of rare states or rare regions but rather represents typical behavior. These findings provide strong evidence that the interacting system is never fully localized even for very strong but finite disorder.
A new type of delocalization induced by coherent harmonic perturbations in one-dimensional Anderson-localized disordered systems is investigated. With only a few $M$ frequencies a normal diffusion is realized, but the transition to localized state always occurs as the perturbation strength is weakened below a critical value. The nature of the transition qualitatively follows the Anderson transition (AT) if the number of degrees of freedom $M+1$ is regarded as the spatial dimension $d$, but the critical dimension is not $d=M+1-2$ of the ordinary AT but $d=3$.
Localization transitions as a function of temperature require a many-body mobility edge in energy, separating localized from ergodic states. We argue that this scenario is inconsistent because local fluctuations into the ergodic phase within the supposedly localized phase can serve as mobile bubbles that induce global delocalization. Such fluctuations inevitably appear with a low but finite density anywhere in any typical state. We conclude that the only possibility for many-body localization to occur are lattice models that are localized at all energies. Building on a close analogy with a mod…
We study the spreading of an initially localized wavepacket in two nonlinear chains (discrete nonlinear Schroedinger and quartic Klein-Gordon) with disorder. Previous studies suggest that there are many initial conditions such that the second moment of the norm and energy density distributions diverge as a function of time. We find that the participation number of a wavepacket does not diverge simultaneously. We prove this result analytically for norm-conserving models and strong enough nonlinearity. After long times the dynamical state consists of a distribution of nondecaying yet interacting…
In the absence of confinement localization of waves takes place due to randomness or nonlinearity and relies on their phase coherence. We quantitatively probe the sensitivity of localized wave packets to random phase fluctuations and confirm the necessity of phase coherence for localization. Decoherence resulting from a dynamical random environment leads to diffusive spreading and destroys linear and nonlinear localization. We find that maximal spreading is achieved for optimal phase fluctuation characteristics which is a consequence of the competition between diffusion due to decoherence and …
Many-body localization (MBL) addresses the absence of thermalization in interacting quantum systems, with non-ergodic high-energy eigenstates behaving as ground states, only area-law entangled. However, computing highly excited many-body eigenstates using exact methods is very challenging. Instead, we show that one can address high-energy MBL physics using ground-state methods, which are much more amenable to many efficient algorithms. We find that a localized many-body ground state of a given interacting disordered Hamiltonian $\mathcal{H}_0$ is a very good approximation for a high-energy eig…
We demonstrate, by solving numerically the time-dependent Schroedinger equation, the physical character of electron localization in a disordered two-dimensional lattice. We show, in agreement with the prediction of P. W. Anderson, that the disorder prevents electron diffusion. The electron becomes spatially localized in a specific area of the system. Our numerical analysis confirms that the electron localization is a quantum effect caused by the wave character of electron propagation and has no analogy in classical mechanics.
We consider d dimensional systems which are localized in the absence of interactions, but whose single particle (SP) localization length diverges near a discrete set of (single-particle) energies, with critical exponent ν. This class includes disordered systems with intrinsic- or symmetry-protected- topological bands, such as disordered integer quantum Hall insulators. In the absence of interactions, such marginally localized systems exhibit anomalous properties intermediate between localized and extended including: vanishing DC conductivity but sub-diffusive dynamics, and fractal entanglement…
We investigate Anderson localization of two particles moving in a two-dimensional (2D) disordered lattice and coupled by contact interactions. Based on transmission-amplitude calculations for relatively large strip-shaped grids, we find that all pair states are localized in lattices of infinite size. In particular, we show that previous claims of an interaction-induced mobility edge are biased by severe finite-size effects. The localization length of a pair with zero total energy exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the interaction strength, characterized by an exponential enhance…
The one-parameter scaling theory of localization predicts that all states in a disordered two-dimensional system with broken time reversal symmetry are localized even in the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling. While at constant strong magnetic fields this paradigm fails (recall quantum Hall effect), it is believed to hold at weak magnetic fields. Here we explore the nature of quantum states at weak magnetic field and strongly fluctuating spin-orbit coupling, employing highly accurate numerical procedure based on level spacing distribution and transfer matrix technique combined with finite-…
Disorder-free localization has recently emerged as a mechanism for ergodicity breaking in homogeneous lattice gauge theories. In this work we show that this mechanism can lead to unconventional states of quantum matter as the absence of thermalization lifts constraints imposed by equilibrium statistical physics. We study a Kitaev honeycomb model in a skew magnetic field subject to a quantum quench from a fully polarized initial product state and observe nonergodic dynamics as a consequence of disorder-free localization. We find that the system exhibits a subballistic power-law entanglement gro…
We consider the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model as an effective theory arising at the zero-dimensional boundary of a many-body localized, Fermionic symmetry protected topological (SPT) phase in one spatial dimension. The Fermions at the boundary are always fully interacting. We find that the boundary is thermalized and investigate how its boundary anomaly, dictated by the bulk SPT order, is encoded in the quantum chaotic eigenspectrum of the SYK model. We show that depending on the SPT symmetry class, the boundary many-body level statistics cycle in a systematic manner through those of the three…
We use low-depth quantum circuits, a specific type of tensor networks, to classify two-dimensional symmetry-protected topological many-body localized phases. For (anti-)unitary on-site symmetries we show that the (generalized) third cohomology class of the symmetry group is a topological invariant; however our approach leaves room for the existence of additional topological indices. We argue that our classification applies to quasi-periodic systems in two dimensions and systems with true random disorder within times which scale superexponentially with the inverse interaction strength. Our tech…
We study quench dynamics in a t-V chain of spinless fermions (equivalent to the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain) with strong potential disorder. For this prototypical model of many-body localization we have recently argued that -- contrary to the established picture -- particles do not become fully localized. Here we summarize and expand on our previous results for various entanglement measures such as the number and the Hartley number entropy. We investigate, in particular, possible alternative interpretations of our numerical data. We find that none of these alternative interpretations appears to …
The standard one-parameter scaling theory predicts that all eigenstates in two-dimensional random lattices are weakly localized. We show that this claim fails in two-dimensional dipolar Frenkel exciton systems. The linear energy dispersion at the top of the exciton band, originating from the long-range inter-site coupling of dipolar nature, yields the same size-scaling law for the level spacing and the effective disorder seen by the exciton. This finally results in the delocalization of those eigenstates in the thermodynamic limit. Large scale numerical simulations allow us to perform a detail…
We construct a complete set of quasi-local integrals of motion for the many-body localized phase of interacting fermions in a disordered potential. The integrals of motion can be chosen to have binary spectrum $\{0,1\}$, thus constituting exact quasiparticle occupation number operators for the Fermi insulator. We map the problem onto a non-Hermitian hopping problem on a lattice in operator space. We show how the integrals of motion can be built, under certain approximations, as a convergent series in the interaction strength. An estimate of its radius of convergence is given, which also provid…
In the absence of nonlinearity all eigenmodes of a chain with disorder are spatially localized (Anderson localization). The width of the eigenvalue spectrum, and the average eigenvalue spacing inside the localization volume, set two frequency scales. An initially localized wavepacket spreads in the presence of nonlinearity. Nonlinearity introduces frequency shifts, which define three different evolution outcomes: i) localization as a transient, with subsequent subdiffusion; ii) the absence of the transient, and immediate subdiffusion; iii) selftrapping of a part of the packet, and subdiffusion…
The magnetic properties of single crystals of LiHo_xY_{1-x}F_4 with x=16.5% and x=4.5% were recorded down to 35 mK using a micro-SQUID magnetometer. While this system is considered as the archetypal quantum spin glass, the detailed analysis of our magnetization data indicates the absence of a phase transition, not only in a transverse applied magnetic field, but also without field. A zero-Kelvin phase transition is also unlikely, as the magnetization seems to follow a non-critical exponential dependence on the temperature. Our analysis thus unmasks the true, short-ranged nature of the magnetic…
The dynamics of the highly excited states of a system projected into a single Landau level are analyzed. An analysis of level spacing ratios for finite size systems shows a clear crossover from extend (GUE) to localized (Poisson) statistics, indicating a many body localization transition. However, the location of this transition depends very strongly on system size, and appears to scale to infinite disorder in the thermodynamic limit. This result does not depend on the properties of the ground state (such as whether the ground state exhibits topological order), as expected for a transition of …
We study high-temperature magnetization transport in a many-body spin-1/2 chain with on-site quasiperiodic potential governed by the Fibonacci rule. In the absence of interactions it is known that the system is critical with the transport described by a continuously varying dynamical exponent (from ballistic to localized) as a function of the on-site potential strength. Upon introducing weak interactions, we find that an anomalous noninteracting dynamical exponent becomes diffusive for any potential strength. This is borne out by a boundary-driven Lindblad dynamics as well as unitary dynamics,…
Many-body localization is a striking mechanism that prevents interacting quantum systems from thermalizing. The absence of thermalization behaviour manifests itself, for example, in a remanence of local particle number configurations, a quantity that is robust over a parameter range. Local particle numbers are directly accessible in programmable quantum simulators, in systems of cold atoms even in two spatial dimensions. Yet, the classical simulation aimed at building trust in quantum simulations is highly challenging. In this work, we present a comprehensive tensor network simulation of a man…
We introduce a semi-classical limit for many-body localization in the absence of global symmetries. Microscopically, this limit is realized by disordered Floquet circuits composed of Clifford gates. In $d=1$, the resulting dynamics are always many-body localized with a complete set of strictly local integrals of motion. In $d\geq 2$, the system realizes both localized and delocalized phases separated by a continuous transition in which ergodic puddles percolate. We argue that the phases are stable to deformations away from the semi-classical limit and estimate the resulting phase boundary. The…
Disordered systems exhibiting exponential localization are mapped to anisotropic spin chains with localization length being related to the anisotropy of the spin model. This relates localization phenomenon in fermions to the rotational symmetry breaking in the critical spin chains. One of the intriguing consequence is that the statement of Onsager universality in spin chains implies universality of the localized fermions where the fluctuations in localized wave functions are universal. We further show that the fluctuations about localized nonrelativistic fermions describe relativistic fermions…
In this work I will discuss some numerical results on the stability of the many-body localized phase to thermal inclusions. The work simplifies a recent proposal by Morningstar et al. [arXiv:2107.05642] and studies small disordered spin chains which are perturbatively coupled to a Markovian bath. The critical disorder for avalanche stability of the canonical disordered Heisenberg chain is shown to exceed W>20. In stark contrast to the Anderson insulator, the avalanche threshold drifts considerably with system size, with no evidence of saturation in the studied regime. I will argue that the res…
Localization in one-dimensional disordered or quasiperiodic non-interacting systems in presence of power-law hopping is very different from localization in short-ranged systems. Power-law hopping leads to algebraic localization as opposed to exponential localization in short-ranged systems. Exponential localization is synonymous with insulating behavior in the thermodynamic limit. Here we show that the same is not true for algebraic localization. We show, on general grounds, that depending on the strength of the algebraic decay, the algebraically localized states can be actually either conduct…
We investigate the stationary and dynamical behavior of an Anderson localized chain coupled to a single central bound state. The coupling to the central site partially dilutes the Anderson localized peak towards the nearly resonant sites. In particular, the number of resonantly coupled sites remains finite in the thermodynamic limit. This is further supported by a multifractal analysis of eigenstates that shows the frozen spectrum of fractal dimension, which is characteristic for localized phases in models with power-law hopping. Although the well-known Fano-resonance problem is seemingly simi…
We study the competition between thermal fluctuations and stress enhancement in the failure process of a disordered system by using a local load sharing fiber bundle model. The thermal noise is introduced by defining a failure probability that constitutes the temperature and elastic energy of the fibers. We observe that at a finite temperature and low disorder strength, the failure process, which nucleate in the absence of any thermal fluctuation, becomes spatially uncorrelated when the applied stress is sufficiently low. The dynamics of the model in this limit lies closely to the universality…
Atom-waveguide interface mediates significant and long-range light-matter interactions through the guided modes. In this one-dimensional system, we theoretically investigate the excitation localization of multiple atomic excitations under strong position disorders. Deep in the localization side, we obtain the time evolutions of quantum correlations via Kubo cumulant expansions, which arise initially and become finite and leveled afterward, overtaking the ones without disorders. This indicates two distinct regimes in time: before the onset of excitation localization, the disorders engage the di…
Many-body localization provides a generic mechanism of ergodicity breaking in quantum systems. In contrast to conventional ergodic systems, many-body localized (MBL) systems are characterized by extensively many local integrals of motion (LIOM), which underlie the absence of transport and thermalization in these systems. Here we report a physically motivated construction of local integrals of motion in the MBL phase. We show that any local operator (e.g., a local particle number or a spin flip operator), evolved with the system's Hamiltonian and averaged over time, becomes a LIOM in the MBL ph…
