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Observation of Stark many-body localization without disorder.
1Joint Quantum Institute and Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, University of Maryland and NIST, College Park, MD, USA. wmorong@umd.edu.
Nature
|November 18, 2021
Summary
Researchers demonstrate Stark many-body localization (MBL) in a trapped-ion quantum simulator, showing that MBL can occur without disorder. This finding reveals new possibilities for preserving non-thermal quantum states and engineering quantum matter.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Statistical mechanics
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Thermalization is a common process where quantum systems reach equilibrium.
- Many-body localization (MBL) can prevent thermalization, preserving non-thermal states.
- Disorder was previously thought essential for MBL, but recent theories suggest otherwise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally realize and demonstrate Stark MBL in a quantum many-body system.
- To investigate the key properties of Stark MBL, including halting thermalization and correlation propagation.
- To explore the creation of disorder-free systems with coexisting thermalized and non-thermal regions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a trapped-ion quantum simulator to engineer ionic spin interactions.
- Applied an effective field gradient to simulate Stark effects.
- Employed single-site control to measure correlations and observe equilibration.
Main Results:
- Successfully realized Stark MBL in the experimental setup.
- Observed the halting of thermalization and slow correlation propagation, characteristic of MBL.
- Demonstrated the creation of disorder-free systems with distinct thermalized and non-thermal regions.
Conclusions:
- Stark MBL can occur in quantum many-body systems without disorder, broadening the understanding of MBL.
- The findings challenge fundamental assumptions about the requirements for thermalization.
- This work has implications for engineering long-lived non-equilibrium quantum matter.
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