Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1610.02035 · Annalen der Physik

Extended nonergodic states in disordered many‐body quantum systems

Eduardo Jonathan Torres-Herrera, Léa Ferreira dos Santos

Published Jan 13, 2017• 106 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This work supports the existence of extended nonergodic states in the intermediate region between the chaotic (thermal) and the many‐body localized phases. These states are identified through an extensive analysis of static and dynamical properties of a finite one‐dimensional system with onsite random disorder. The long‐time dynamics is particularly sensitive to changes in the spectrum and in the structures of the eigenstates. The study of the evolution of the survival probability, Shannon information entropy, and von Neumann entanglement entropy enables the distinction between the chaotic and the intermediate region. image

DOI
10.1002/andp.201600284

Related papers

Quantum Ergodicity in the Many-Body Localization Problem

Felipe Monteiro, Masaki Tezuka, Alexander Altland +2 more

We generalize Page's result on the entanglement entropy of random pure states to the many-body eigenstates of realistic disordered many-body systems subject to long-range interactions. This extension leads to two principal conclusions: first, for increasing disorder the "shells" of constant energy supporting a system's eigenstates fill only a fraction of its full Fock space and are subject to intrinsic correlations absent in synthetic high-dimensional random lattice systems. Second, in all regimes preceding the many-body localization transition individual eigenstates are thermally distributed over these shells. These results, corroborated by comparison to exact diagonalization for an SYK model, are at variance with the concept of "nonergodic extended states" in many-body systems discussed in the recent literature.

arXiv:2012.07884•Physical Review Letters•Jul 15, 2021•27 citations

Realistic Many-Body Quantum Systems vs. Full Random Matrices: Static and Dynamical Properties

Eduardo Jonathan Torres-Herrera, Jonathan Karp, Marco Távora +1 more

We study the static and dynamical properties of isolated many-body quantum systems and compare them with the results for full random matrices. In doing so, we link concepts from quantum information theory with those from quantum chaos. In particular, we relate the von Neumann entanglement entropy with the Shannon information entropy and discuss their relevance for the analysis of the degree of complexity of the eigenstates, the behavior of the system at different time scales and the conditions for thermalization. A main advantage of full random matrices is that they enable the derivation of analytical expressions that agree extremely well with the numerics and provide bounds for realistic many-body quantum systems.

arXiv:1608.06636•Entropy•Oct 8, 2016•50 citations

Dynamical detection of extended nonergodic states in many-body quantum systems

David A. Zarate-Herrada, Isaías Vallejo-Fabila, Léa Ferreira dos Santos +1 more

Fractal dimensions are tools for probing the structure of quantum states and identifying whether they are localized or delocalized in a given basis. These quantities are commonly extracted through finite-size scaling, which limits the analysis to relatively small system sizes. In this work, we demonstrate that the correlation fractal dimension $D_2$ can be directly obtained from the long-time dynamics of interacting many-body quantum systems. Specifically, we show that it coincides with the exponent of the power-law decay of the time-averaged survival probability, defined as the fidelity between an initial state and its time-evolved counterpart. This dynamical approach avoids the need for scaling procedures and enables access to larger systems than those typically reachable via exact diagonalization. We test the method on various random matrix ensembles, including full random matrices, the Rosenzweig-Porter model, and power-law banded random matrices, and extend the analysis to interacting many-body systems described by the one-dimensional Aubry-André model and the disordered spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain. In the case of full random matrices, we also derive an analytical expression for the entire evolution of the time-averaged survival probability.

arXiv:2505.23910•May 29, 2025•0 citations

Long tail distributions near the many-body localization transition

David J. Luitz

The random field $S=\frac{1}{2}$ Heisenberg chain exhibits a dynamical many body localization transition at a critical disorder strength, which depends on the energy density. At weak disorder, the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is fulfilled on average, making local observables smooth functions of energy, whose eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations decrease exponentially with system size. We demonstrate the validity of ETH in the thermal phase as well as its breakdown in the localized phase and show that rare states exist which do not strictly follow ETH, becoming more frequent closer to the transition. Similarly, the probability distribution of the entanglement entropy at intermediate disorder develops long tails all the way down to zero entanglement. We propose that these low entanglement tails stem from localized regions at the subsystem boundaries which were recently discussed as a possible mechanism for subdiffusive transport in the ergodic phase.

arXiv:1601.04058•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Apr 1, 2016•120 citations

Nonergodic extended states in the β ensemble

Adway Kumar Das, Anandamohan Ghosh

Matrix models showing a chaotic-integrable transition in the spectral statistics are important for understanding many-body localization (MBL) in physical systems. One such example is the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble, known for its structural simplicity. However, eigenvector properties of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble remain largely unexplored, despite energy level correlations being thoroughly studied. In this work we numerically study the eigenvector properties of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble and find that the Anderson transition occurs at $\ensuremath{\gamma}=1$ and ergodicity breaks down at $\ensuremath{\gamma}=0$ if we express the repulsion parameter as $\ensuremath{\beta}={N}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$. Thus other than the Rosenzweig-Porter ensemble (RPE), the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble is another example where nonergodic extended (NEE) states are observed over a finite interval of parameter values $(0<\ensuremath{\gamma}<1)$. We find that the chaotic-integrable transition coincides with the breaking of ergodicity in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble but with the localization transition in the RPE or the 1D disordered spin-1/2 Heisenberg model. As a result, the dynamical timescales in the NEE regime of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble behave differently than the latter models.

arXiv:2112.11910•Physical review. E•May 12, 2022•31 citations

Dynamical manifestations of quantum chaos: correlation hole and bulge

Eduardo Jonathan Torres-Herrera, Lea F. Santos

A main feature of a chaotic quantum system is a rigid spectrum where the levels do not cross. We discuss how the presence of level repulsion in lattice many-body quantum systems can be detected from the analysis of their time evolution instead of their energy spectra. This approach is advantageous to experiments that deal with dynamics, but have limited or no direct access to spectroscopy. Dynamical manifestations of avoided crossings occur at long times. They correspond to a drop, referred to as correlation hole, below the asymptotic value of the survival probability and to a bulge above the saturation point of the von Neumann entanglement entropy and the Shannon information entropy. By contrast, the evolution of these quantities at shorter times reflects the level of delocalization of the initial state, but not necessarily a rigid spectrum. The correlation hole is a general indicator of the integrable-chaos transition in disordered and clean models and as such can be used to detect the transition to the many-body localized phase in disordered interacting systems.This article is part of the themed issue 'Breakdown of ergodicity in quantum systems: from solids to synthetic matter'.

arXiv:1702.04363•Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences•Oct 30, 2017•75 citations
This work supports the existence of extended nonergodic states in the intermediate region between the chaotic (thermal) and the many‐body localized phases. These states are identified through an extensive analysis of static and dynamical properties of a finite one‐dimensional system with onsite random disorder. The long‐time dynamics is particularly sensitive to changes in the spectrum and in the structures of the eigenstates. The study of the evolution of the survival probability, Shannon information entropy, and von Neumann entanglement entropy enables the distinction between the chaotic and the intermediate region. image
We generalize Page's result on the entanglement entropy of random pure states to the many-body eigenstates of realistic disordered many-body systems subject to long-range interactions. This extension leads to two principal conclusions: first, for increasing disorder the "shells" of constant energy supporting a system's eigenstates fill only a fraction of its full Fock space and are subject to intrinsic correlations absent in synthetic high-dimensional random lattice systems. Second, in all regimes preceding the many-body localization transition individual eigenstates are thermally distributed over these shells. These results, corroborated by comparison to exact diagonalization for an SYK model, are at variance with the concept of "nonergodic extended states" in many-body systems discussed in the recent literature.
We study the static and dynamical properties of isolated many-body quantum systems and compare them with the results for full random matrices. In doing so, we link concepts from quantum information theory with those from quantum chaos. In particular, we relate the von Neumann entanglement entropy with the Shannon information entropy and discuss their relevance for the analysis of the degree of complexity of the eigenstates, the behavior of the system at different time scales and the conditions for thermalization. A main advantage of full random matrices is that they enable the derivation of analytical expressions that agree extremely well with the numerics and provide bounds for realistic many-body quantum systems.
Fractal dimensions are tools for probing the structure of quantum states and identifying whether they are localized or delocalized in a given basis. These quantities are commonly extracted through finite-size scaling, which limits the analysis to relatively small system sizes. In this work, we demonstrate that the correlation fractal dimension D2D_2D2​ can be directly obtained from the long-time dynamics of interacting many-body quantum systems. Specifically, we show that it coincides with the exponent of the power-law decay of the time-averaged survival probability, defined as the fidelity between an initial state and its time-evolved counterpart. This dynamical approach avoids the need for scaling procedures and enables access to larger systems than those typically reachable via exact diagonalization. We test the method on various random matrix ensembles, including full random matrices, the Rosenzweig-Porter model, and power-law banded random matrices, and extend the analysis to interacting many-body systems described by the one-dimensional Aubry-André model and the disordered spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain. In the case of full random matrices, we also derive an analytical expression for the entire evolution of the time-averaged survival probability.
The random field S=12S=\frac{1}{2}S=21​ Heisenberg chain exhibits a dynamical many body localization transition at a critical disorder strength, which depends on the energy density. At weak disorder, the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is fulfilled on average, making local observables smooth functions of energy, whose eigenstate-to-eigenstate fluctuations decrease exponentially with system size. We demonstrate the validity of ETH in the thermal phase as well as its breakdown in the localized phase and show that rare states exist which do not strictly follow ETH, becoming more frequent closer to the transition. Similarly, the probability distribution of the entanglement entropy at intermediate disorder develops long tails all the way down to zero entanglement. We propose that these low entanglement tails stem from localized regions at the subsystem boundaries which were recently discussed as a possible mechanism for subdiffusive transport in the ergodic phase.
Matrix models showing a chaotic-integrable transition in the spectral statistics are important for understanding many-body localization (MBL) in physical systems. One such example is the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble, known for its structural simplicity. However, eigenvector properties of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble remain largely unexplored, despite energy level correlations being thoroughly studied. In this work we numerically study the eigenvector properties of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble and find that the Anderson transition occurs at $\ensuremath{\gamma}=1$ and ergodicity breaks down at $\ensuremath{\gamma}=0$ if we express the repulsion parameter as $\ensuremath{\beta}={N}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$. Thus other than the Rosenzweig-Porter ensemble (RPE), the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble is another example where nonergodic extended (NEE) states are observed over a finite interval of parameter values $(0<\ensuremath{\gamma}<1)$. We find that the chaotic-integrable transition coincides with the breaking of ergodicity in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble but with the localization transition in the RPE or the 1D disordered spin-1/2 Heisenberg model. As a result, the dynamical timescales in the NEE regime of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ ensemble behave differently than the latter models.
A main feature of a chaotic quantum system is a rigid spectrum where the levels do not cross. We discuss how the presence of level repulsion in lattice many-body quantum systems can be detected from the analysis of their time evolution instead of their energy spectra. This approach is advantageous to experiments that deal with dynamics, but have limited or no direct access to spectroscopy. Dynamical manifestations of avoided crossings occur at long times. They correspond to a drop, referred to as correlation hole, below the asymptotic value of the survival probability and to a bulge above the saturation point of the von Neumann entanglement entropy and the Shannon information entropy. By contrast, the evolution of these quantities at shorter times reflects the level of delocalization of the initial state, but not necessarily a rigid spectrum. The correlation hole is a general indicator of the integrable-chaos transition in disordered and clean models and as such can be used to detect the transition to the many-body localized phase in disordered interacting systems.This article is part of the themed issue 'Breakdown of ergodicity in quantum systems: from solids to synthetic matter'.