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:2011.09202 · npj Quantum Information

Many-body localization in the infinite-interaction limit and the discontinuous eigenstate phase transition

Chun Chen, Yan Chen, Xiaoqun Wang

Published Dec 3, 2022• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We study many-body localization (MBL) in a spin-chain model mimicking the Rydberg-blockade quantum simulator with infinite-strength projection and moderate quasiperiodic modulation. Employing exact diagonalization, Krylov-typicality technique, and time-evolving block decimation, we identify evidence for a constrained MBL phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom transverse field. Intriguingly, the constrained MBL transition may embody a discontinuous eigenstate phase transition, whose discontinuity nature significantly suppresses finite-size drifts that plague most numerical studies of conventional MBL transition. Through quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel toward perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between diagonal and constrained MBL phases. The entanglement-entropy growth in constrained MBL follows a double-log form, whereas it changes to a power law in approaching the diagonal limit. By unveiling confined nonlocal effects in integrals of motion of constrained MBL, we show this insulating state is not a many-body Anderson insulator. Our predictions are testable in Rydberg experiments.

DOI
10.1038/s41534-022-00654-9

Related papers

Many-Body Localization in the Infinite-Interaction Limit

Chun Chen, Yan Chen

We study the full many-body localization (MBL) in the Rydberg atomic quantum simulator with quasiperiodic modulation. Employing both exact diagonalization (ED) and time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) methods, we identify evidence of a constrained many-body-localized phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom field transverse to the direction of the projection. Intriguingly, through the lens of quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel towards perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between the diagonal and the constrained MBL phases. Remarkably, the growth of the entanglement entropy in constrained MBL follows a double-logarithmic form, whereas it changes to a power law in the diagonal limit. Although the diagonal MBL steered by a strong modulation along the projection direction can be understood by extending the phenomenology of local integrals of motion, a thorough analysis of the constrained MBL calls for the new ingredients. As a preliminary first step, we unveil the significance of confined nonlocal effects in the integrals of motion of the constrained MBL phase, which potentially challenges the established framework of the unconstrained MBL. Since the quasiperiodic modulation has been achievable in cold-atom laboratories, the constrained and diagonal MBL regimes, as well as the eigenstate transition between them, should be within reach of the ongoing Rydberg experiments.

•Nov 18, 2020•0 citations

Eigenstate Transition between Constrained and Diagonal Many-Body Localization: Hierarchy of Many-Body-Localized Dynamical Phases of Matter

Chun Chen, Yan Chen

We study the full many-body localization (MBL) in the Rydberg atomic quantum simulator with quasiperiodic modulation. Employing both exact diagonalization (ED) and time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) methods, we identify evidence of a constrained many-body-localized phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom field transverse to the direction of the projection. Intriguingly, through the lens of quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel towards perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between the diagonal and the constrained MBL phases. Remarkably, the growth of the entanglement entropy in constrained MBL follows a double-logarithmic form, whereas it changes to a power law in the diagonal limit. Although the diagonal MBL steered by a strong modulation along the projection direction can be understood by extending the phenomenology of local integrals of motion, a thorough analysis of the constrained MBL calls for the new ingredients. As a preliminary first step, we unveil the significance of confined nonlocal effects in the integrals of motion of the constrained MBL phase, which potentially challenges the established framework of the unconstrained MBL. Since the quasiperiodic modulation has been achievable in cold-atom laboratories, the constrained and diagonal MBL regimes, as well as the eigenstate transition between them, should be within reach of the ongoing Rydberg experiments.

•Nov 18, 2020•0 citations

Lieb-Robinson bound for constrained many-body localization

Chun Chen, Xiaoqun Wang, Yan Chen

Study how quantum information propagates through spacetime manifold provides a means of identifying, distinguishing, and classifying novel phases of matter fertilized by many-body effects in strongly interacting systems in and out of equilibrium. Via a fuller characterization of key aspects regarding dynamic behaviors of information, we perform such an analysis on constrained many-body localization -- a newly proposed fully localized state under infinite-interaction limit -- in quasirandom Rydberg blockade spin chain models using thermal out-of-time-order commutators (OTOCs). The OTOC light cones predict a hitherto unknown Lieb-Robinson bound for constrained many-body localization, which is qualitatively different from that of unconstrained many-body Anderson insulators stabilized at weak-interaction limit. Our corroborated numeric and analytic study suggests that constrained many-body localization is a distinct dynamical eigenstate phase whose nonergodicity is beyond local-integral-of-motion phenomenology. Together, these findings consolidate the hierarchy of unconventional quantum dynamics encompassing constrained, unconstrained, and diagonal many-body-localized regimes.

arXiv:2011.11363•Nov 23, 2020•0 citations

How Does a Locally Constrained Quantum System Localize?

Chun Chen, F. J. Burnell, Anushya Chandran

At low energy, the dynamics of excitations of many physical systems are locally constrained. Examples include frustrated antiferromagnets, fractional quantum Hall fluids, and Rydberg atoms in the blockaded regime. Can such locally constrained systems be fully many-body localized? In this Letter, we answer this question affirmatively and elucidate the structure of the accompanying quasilocal integrals of motion. By studying disordered spin chains subject to a projection constraint in the z direction, we show that full many-body localization (MBL) is stable at strong z-field disorder and identify a new mechanism of localization through resonance at strong transverse disorder. However, MBL is not guaranteed; the constraints can "frustrate" the tendency of the spins to align with the transverse fields and lead to full thermalization or criticality. We further provide evidence that the transition is discontinuous in local observables with large sample-to-sample variations. Our dynamical phase diagram is accessible in current Rydberg atomic experiments which realize programmable constrained Ising Hamiltonians.

arXiv:1709.04067•Physical Review Letters•Aug 20, 2018•51 citations

Lieb-Robinson Bounds, Out-of-Time-Order Commutators, and Lightcone Structures of Unconventional Many-Body Localization in Constrained Quantum Systems

Chun Chen, Yan Chen

Study how quantum information propagates through the spacetime manifold may provide a useful means of identifying, distinguishing, and classifying the unconventional phases of matter fertilized by many-body effects in strongly interacting systems in and out of equilibrium. Via a fuller characterization of the key aspects regarding the descendent novel dynamical processes, we performed such an analysis on the constrained many-body-localized phase -- a newly-discovered fully localized state in the infinite-interaction limit -- in the quasirandom Rydberg-blockaded spin chains using the thermal out-of-time-ordered commutators (OTOCs). The calculated OTOC lightcone contours predict a new and hitherto unknown Lieb-Robinson bound for the constrained many-body localization, which is qualitatively different from that of the conventional unconstrained many-body Anderson insulators normally arising in the weak-interaction limit. Our combined numerical and analytical investigation thus suggests that the constrained many-body localization is a distinct dynamical phase of matter in constrained quantum systems whose underlying mechanism of nonergodicity is beyond the existing phenomenology of quasilocal integrals of motion. Further, it also consolidates the hierarchy of unconventional quantum dynamics that encompasses constrained, unconstrained, and diagonal many-body-localized states.

•Nov 23, 2020•0 citations

Finite-size scaling analysis of the many-body localization transition in quasiperiodic spin chains

Adith Sai Aramthottil, Titas Chanda, Piotr Sierant +1 more

We analyze the finite-size scaling of the average gap ratio and the entanglement entropy across the many-body localization (MBL) transition in one dimensional Heisenberg spin chain with quasiperiodic (QP) potential. By using the recently introduced cost-function approach, we compare different scenarios for the transition using exact diagonalization of systems up to 22 lattice sites. Our findings suggest that the MBL transition in the QP Heisenberg chain belongs to the class of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, the same as in the case of uniformly disordered systems as advocated in recent studies. Moreover, we observe that the critical disorder strength shows a clear sublinear drift with the system size as compared to the linear drift seen in random disordered models, suggesting that the finite-size effects in the MBL transition for the QP systems are less severe than that in the random disordered scenario. Moreover, deep in the ergodic regime, we find an unexpected double-peak structure of distribution of on-site magnetizations that can be traced back to the strong correlations present in the QP potential.

arXiv:2109.08408•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 2, 2021•48 citations
Abstract We study many-body localization (MBL) in a spin-chain model mimicking the Rydberg-blockade quantum simulator with infinite-strength projection and moderate quasiperiodic modulation. Employing exact diagonalization, Krylov-typicality technique, and time-evolving block decimation, we identify evidence for a constrained MBL phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom transverse field. Intriguingly, the constrained MBL transition may embody a discontinuous eigenstate phase transition, whose discontinuity nature significantly suppresses finite-size drifts that plague most numerical studies of conventional MBL transition. Through quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel toward perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between diagonal and constrained MBL phases. The entanglement-entropy growth in constrained MBL follows a double-log form, whereas it changes to a power law in approaching the diagonal limit. By unveiling confined nonlocal effects in integrals of motion of constrained MBL, we show this insulating state is not a many-body Anderson insulator. Our predictions are testable in Rydberg experiments.
We study the full many-body localization (MBL) in the Rydberg atomic quantum simulator with quasiperiodic modulation. Employing both exact diagonalization (ED) and time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) methods, we identify evidence of a constrained many-body-localized phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom field transverse to the direction of the projection. Intriguingly, through the lens of quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel towards perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between the diagonal and the constrained MBL phases. Remarkably, the growth of the entanglement entropy in constrained MBL follows a double-logarithmic form, whereas it changes to a power law in the diagonal limit. Although the diagonal MBL steered by a strong modulation along the projection direction can be understood by extending the phenomenology of local integrals of motion, a thorough analysis of the constrained MBL calls for the new ingredients. As a preliminary first step, we unveil the significance of confined nonlocal effects in the integrals of motion of the constrained MBL phase, which potentially challenges the established framework of the unconstrained MBL. Since the quasiperiodic modulation has been achievable in cold-atom laboratories, the constrained and diagonal MBL regimes, as well as the eigenstate transition between them, should be within reach of the ongoing Rydberg experiments.
We study the full many-body localization (MBL) in the Rydberg atomic quantum simulator with quasiperiodic modulation. Employing both exact diagonalization (ED) and time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) methods, we identify evidence of a constrained many-body-localized phase stabilized by a pure quasirandom field transverse to the direction of the projection. Intriguingly, through the lens of quantum dynamics, we find that rotating the modulated field from parallel towards perpendicular to the projection axis induces an eigenstate transition between the diagonal and the constrained MBL phases. Remarkably, the growth of the entanglement entropy in constrained MBL follows a double-logarithmic form, whereas it changes to a power law in the diagonal limit. Although the diagonal MBL steered by a strong modulation along the projection direction can be understood by extending the phenomenology of local integrals of motion, a thorough analysis of the constrained MBL calls for the new ingredients. As a preliminary first step, we unveil the significance of confined nonlocal effects in the integrals of motion of the constrained MBL phase, which potentially challenges the established framework of the unconstrained MBL. Since the quasiperiodic modulation has been achievable in cold-atom laboratories, the constrained and diagonal MBL regimes, as well as the eigenstate transition between them, should be within reach of the ongoing Rydberg experiments.
Study how quantum information propagates through spacetime manifold provides a means of identifying, distinguishing, and classifying novel phases of matter fertilized by many-body effects in strongly interacting systems in and out of equilibrium. Via a fuller characterization of key aspects regarding dynamic behaviors of information, we perform such an analysis on constrained many-body localization -- a newly proposed fully localized state under infinite-interaction limit -- in quasirandom Rydberg blockade spin chain models using thermal out-of-time-order commutators (OTOCs). The OTOC light cones predict a hitherto unknown Lieb-Robinson bound for constrained many-body localization, which is qualitatively different from that of unconstrained many-body Anderson insulators stabilized at weak-interaction limit. Our corroborated numeric and analytic study suggests that constrained many-body localization is a distinct dynamical eigenstate phase whose nonergodicity is beyond local-integral-of-motion phenomenology. Together, these findings consolidate the hierarchy of unconventional quantum dynamics encompassing constrained, unconstrained, and diagonal many-body-localized regimes.
At low energy, the dynamics of excitations of many physical systems are locally constrained. Examples include frustrated antiferromagnets, fractional quantum Hall fluids, and Rydberg atoms in the blockaded regime. Can such locally constrained systems be fully many-body localized? In this Letter, we answer this question affirmatively and elucidate the structure of the accompanying quasilocal integrals of motion. By studying disordered spin chains subject to a projection constraint in the z direction, we show that full many-body localization (MBL) is stable at strong z-field disorder and identify a new mechanism of localization through resonance at strong transverse disorder. However, MBL is not guaranteed; the constraints can "frustrate" the tendency of the spins to align with the transverse fields and lead to full thermalization or criticality. We further provide evidence that the transition is discontinuous in local observables with large sample-to-sample variations. Our dynamical phase diagram is accessible in current Rydberg atomic experiments which realize programmable constrained Ising Hamiltonians.
Study how quantum information propagates through the spacetime manifold may provide a useful means of identifying, distinguishing, and classifying the unconventional phases of matter fertilized by many-body effects in strongly interacting systems in and out of equilibrium. Via a fuller characterization of the key aspects regarding the descendent novel dynamical processes, we performed such an analysis on the constrained many-body-localized phase -- a newly-discovered fully localized state in the infinite-interaction limit -- in the quasirandom Rydberg-blockaded spin chains using the thermal out-of-time-ordered commutators (OTOCs). The calculated OTOC lightcone contours predict a new and hitherto unknown Lieb-Robinson bound for the constrained many-body localization, which is qualitatively different from that of the conventional unconstrained many-body Anderson insulators normally arising in the weak-interaction limit. Our combined numerical and analytical investigation thus suggests that the constrained many-body localization is a distinct dynamical phase of matter in constrained quantum systems whose underlying mechanism of nonergodicity is beyond the existing phenomenology of quasilocal integrals of motion. Further, it also consolidates the hierarchy of unconventional quantum dynamics that encompasses constrained, unconstrained, and diagonal many-body-localized states.
We analyze the finite-size scaling of the average gap ratio and the entanglement entropy across the many-body localization (MBL) transition in one dimensional Heisenberg spin chain with quasiperiodic (QP) potential. By using the recently introduced cost-function approach, we compare different scenarios for the transition using exact diagonalization of systems up to 22 lattice sites. Our findings suggest that the MBL transition in the QP Heisenberg chain belongs to the class of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, the same as in the case of uniformly disordered systems as advocated in recent studies. Moreover, we observe that the critical disorder strength shows a clear sublinear drift with the system size as compared to the linear drift seen in random disordered models, suggesting that the finite-size effects in the MBL transition for the QP systems are less severe than that in the random disordered scenario. Moreover, deep in the ergodic regime, we find an unexpected double-peak structure of distribution of on-site magnetizations that can be traced back to the strong correlations present in the QP potential.