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arXiv:2212.14408 · Physical Review A

Coherence generation, symmetry algebras, and Hilbert space fragmentation

Faidon Andreadakis, Paolo Zanardi A

Published Jun 2, 2023• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Hilbert space fragmentation is a novel type of ergodicity breaking in closed quantum systems. Recently, an algebraic approach was utilized to provide a definition of Hilbert space fragmentation characterizing families of Hamiltonian systems based on their (generalized) symmetries. In this paper we reveal a simple connection between the aforementioned classification of physical systems and their coherence generation properties, quantified by the coherence generating power (CGP). The maximum CGP (in the basis associated with the algebra of each family of Hamiltonians) is exactly related to the number of independent Krylov subspaces $K$, which is precisely the characteristic used in the classification of the system. In order to gain further insight, we numerically simulate paradigmatic models with both ordinary symmetries and Hilbert space fragmentation, comparing the behavior of the CGP in each case with the system dimension. More generally, allowing the time evolution to be any unitary channel in a specified algebra, we show analytically that the scaling of the Haar averaged value of the CGP depends only on $K$. These results illustrate the intuitive relationship between coherence generation and symmetry algebras.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.107.062402

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Hilbert space fragmentation is a novel type of ergodicity breaking in closed quantum systems. Recently, an algebraic approach was utilized to provide a definition of Hilbert space fragmentation characterizing families of Hamiltonian systems based on their (generalized) symmetries. In this paper we reveal a simple connection between the aforementioned classification of physical systems and their coherence generation properties, quantified by the coherence generating power (CGP). The maximum CGP (in the basis associated with the algebra of each family of Hamiltonians) is exactly related to the number of independent Krylov subspaces KKK, which is precisely the characteristic used in the classification of the system. In order to gain further insight, we numerically simulate paradigmatic models with both ordinary symmetries and Hilbert space fragmentation, comparing the behavior of the CGP in each case with the system dimension. More generally, allowing the time evolution to be any unitary channel in a specified algebra, we show analytically that the scaling of the Haar averaged value of the CGP depends only on KKK. These results illustrate the intuitive relationship between coherence generation and symmetry algebras.
Models with Hilbert space fragmentation are characterized by (exponentially) many dynamically disconnected subspaces, not associated with conventional symmetries but captured by nontrivial Krylov subspaces. These subspaces usually exhibit a whole range of thermalization properties, from chaotic to integrable, to quantum many-body scars. However, so far, they have not been properly defined, nor can they be easily found, given a Hamiltonian. In this work, we consider Hamiltonians that have integer representations, a common feature of many (most) celebrated models in condensed matter. We show the equivalence of the integer characteristic polynomial factorization and the existence of Krylov subspaces generated from integer vectors. Considering the pair-hopping model, we illustrate how the factorization property can be used as a method to unveil Hilbert space fragmentation. We discuss the generalization over other rings of integers, for example those based on the cyclotomic field which are relevant when working in a given (≠0,π\ne 0, π=0,π) momentum sector.
Hilbert space fragmentation refers to exponential growth in the number of dynamically disconnected Krylov sectors with system size. It is taken as evidence of ergodicity breaking, since conventional symmetries generate at most a polynomial number of sectors. However, we demonstrate that generalized symmetries can fragment the Hilbert space. Models with higher-form, subsystem, and gauge symmetries can have exponentially many symmetry sectors. We further prove that non-invertible symmetries can induce additional fragmentation within individual symmetry sectors. Fragmentation in several known models arises from generalized symmetries, and the presence of exponentially many Krylov sectors therefore does not by itself imply ergodicity breaking. Finally, we show that disorder free localization arises naturally from Krylov-restricted thermalization when sectors lack translation invariance, requiring neither ergodicity breaking nor gauge symmetry.
A quantum model exhibits Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF) if its Hilbert space decomposes into exponentially many dynamically disconnected subspaces, known as Krylov subspaces. A model may however have different HSFs depending on the method for identifying them. Here we establish a connection between two vastly distinct methods recently proposed for identifying HSF: the commutant algebra (CA) method and integer characteristic polynomial factorization (ICPF) method. For a Hamiltonian consisting of operators admitting rational number matrix representations, we prove a theorem that, if its center of commutant algebra have all eigenvalues being rational, the HSF from the ICPF method must be equal to or finer than that from the CA method. We show that this condition is satisfied by most known models exhibiting HSF, for which we demonstrate the validity of our theorem. We further discuss representative models for which ICPF and CA methods yield different HSFs. Our results may facilitate the exploration of a unified definition of HSF.
We find that rank deficiency of the local Hamiltonian in a classically fragmented model is the key mechanism leading to quantum Hilbert space fragmentation. The rank deficiency produces local null directions that can generate entangled frozen states (EFS): entangled states embedded in mobile classical Krylov sectors that do not evolve under Hamiltonian dynamics. When the entangled frozen subspace is non-empty, the mobile classical sector splits into a mobile quantum Krylov subspace and an entangled frozen subspace, and the model exhibits quantum fragmentation. We establish this mechanism in four models of increasing symmetry structure: an asymmetric qubit projector with no symmetry, the Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​-symmetric GHZ projector, a Z3\mathbb{Z}_3Z3​-symmetric cyclic qutrit projector, and the Temperley-Lieb model. For the asymmetric and GHZ projector models, we obtain closed-form expressions for irreducible Krylov dimensions, degeneracies, and sector multiplicities. The all-mobile-sector EFS in these two models exhibits a sub-volume-law bipartite entanglement entropy scaling as S∼LS \sim \sqrt{L}S∼L​. Further, we introduce the notion of weak and strong quantum fragmentation, the quantum counterpart of the weak-strong distinction in classical fragmentation. After removing the EFS, the mobile quantum Krylov subspace decomposes into irreducible blocks. In the weak case, the number of irreducible blocks remains O(1)O(1)O(1), each is individually ergodic with Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE) level statistics, and the unresolved spectrum follows an mmmGOE distribution. In the strong case, the number of irreducible blocks grows with system size, and the gap-ratio distribution approaches Poisson as L→∞L\to\inftyL→∞.
Ergodicity breaking in isolated systems has emerged as an important frontier in the study of quantum many-body physics. While generic Hamiltonians are expected to obey the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), recent studies on Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF) have revealed possible robust nonthermal behavior even in disorder-free systems. Although numerous models exhibiting strong HSF are already known, existing analyses are typically model dependent, and a general organizing principle remains elusive. In this work, we introduce a simple mechanism for achieving strong HSF in one-dimensional integer spin chains, which we term "peak-valley (PV) fragmentation". The key idea is to devise a simple local rule which ensures the spin states in the computational basis can be labeled by a set of emergent good quantum numbers corresponding to the heights and depths of alternating peaks and valleys in a geometrical representation. We demonstrate that some known examples of strong HSF models, as well as their variants which break the HSF property, can be understood within the framework of PV fragmentation. Our approach also enables systematic construction of new fragmented models in higher-spin systems, and allows us to identify higher-order HSF models.
Hilbert-space fragmentation provides a mechanism for ergodicity breaking in quantum many-body systems even in the absence of disorder, leading to dynamically disconnected sectors and strong memory of initial conditions. However, identifying such structures is often challenging and typically relies on prior knowledge of conservation laws or model-specific analytical insight. Here we introduce an unbiased approach based on spectral graph theory and, within this framework, formulate the concept of nearly fragmented systems, in which perturbative processes couple otherwise fragmented sectors while preserving their dynamical imprint. By representing basis states as vertices and Hamiltonian matrix elements as edges, we map the connectivity structure of the many-body Hilbert space onto a graph and analyze it using tools such as the Laplacian spectrum, Fiedler vectors, and modularity. Exact fragmentation corresponds to disconnected graph components, while nearly fragmented systems manifest as weakly connected communities whose structure can still be resolved spectrally. Applying this framework to the one-dimensional ttt-JJJ model and its perturbations, we demonstrate that graph-theoretic diagnostics reliably identify both fragmented and nearly fragmented Hilbert-space structures and capture the hierarchy of dynamical time scales that governs the system's evolution. We further show that the method extends beyond kinetically constrained models by applying it directly to the Hubbard chain, where it reveals the emergence of nearly decoupled subspaces associated with doublon dynamics and spin configurations. Our results establish the spectral graph analysis as a general and scalable tool for diagnosing fragmentation and approximate dynamical constraints in complex quantum many-body systems.