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Emergent Ergodicity at the Transition between Many-Body Localized Phases
Rahul Sahay1, Francisco Machado1, Bingtian Ye1
1Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|March 30, 2021
Summary
Direct transitions between distinct many-body localized (MBL) phases are unlikely in one dimension. Instead, an ergodic phase likely intervenes, which can be detected by observing local dynamics in quantum simulations.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Condensed matter theory
- Statistical mechanics
Background:
- Disordered quantum systems can enter a many-body localized (MBL) phase, exhibiting order in excited states.
- The MBL phase hosts diverse ordered states, including spin glasses, time crystals, and topological phases, influenced by localization, symmetry, and topology.
- Understanding transitions between these MBL phases is crucial but remains an open challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nature of phase transitions between different many-body localized (MBL) phases.
- To propose that an ergodic phase always intervenes in one-dimensional MBL systems, preventing direct transitions between distinct MBL orders.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of disordered quantum systems in the MBL phase.
- Conjecturing the intervention of an ergodic phase in one-dimensional MBL systems.
- Proposing an experimental protocol using Rydberg-atom quantum simulation.
Main Results:
- Conjecture that direct transitions between distinct MBL orders do not occur in one dimension.
- An intervening ergodic phase is predicted to always exist between different MBL phases.
- An experimental method is proposed to diagnose this intervening ergodic phase.
Conclusions:
- Phase transitions between distinct MBL orders in one dimension are mediated by an ergodic phase.
- Rydberg-atom quantum simulators offer a platform to experimentally verify this conjecture.
- Observing local observable dynamics can reveal the presence of the intervening ergodic phase.
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