Interferometric probes of many-body localization.

Area of Science:

• Quantum physics
• Condensed matter physics
• Statistical mechanics

Background:

• Many-body localization (MBL) is a quantum phenomenon where interacting particles in a disordered system fail to thermalize.
• Distinguishing MBL from other phases like noninteracting localization and delocalization is crucial for understanding quantum dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for detecting many-body localization (MBL) in disordered spin systems.
• To differentiate the MBL phase from noninteracting localized and delocalized phases.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing pulsed coherent spin manipulations to probe spin dephasing.
• Analyzing the dephasing caused by entanglement between a target spin and distant spins.
• Employing a specific pulse sequence to reveal characteristic MBL signatures.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully distinguishes the MBL phase from other phases.
• A characteristic power-law decay in the MBL phase was observed, linked to slow entanglement growth.
• This power-law decay demonstrates robustness against thermal and disorder averaging.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a reliable way to detect MBL in disordered spin systems.
• The observed power-law decay serves as a robust signature for identifying the MBL phase.
• The findings have implications for experimental realizations in solid-state and cold-atom systems.