We propose the strongly tilted Bose-Hubbard model as a natural platform to explore Hilbert-space fragmentation (HSF) and fracton dynamics in two-dimensions, in a setup and regime readily accessible in optical lattice experiments. Using a perturbative ansatz, we find HSF when the model is tuned to the resonant limit of on-site interaction and tilted potential. First, we investigate the quench dynamics of this system and observe numerically that the relaxation dynamics strongly depends on the chosen initial state -- one of the key signature of HSF. Second, we identify fractonic excitations with restricted mobility leading to anomalous transport properties. Specifically, we find excitations that show one dimensional diffusion (z = 1/2) as well as excitations that show subdiffusive behaviour in two dimensions (z = 3/4). Using a cellular automaton, we analyze their dynamics and compare to an effective hydrodynamic description.
We propose the strongly tilted Bose-Hubbard model as a natural platform to explore Hilbert-space fragmentation (HSF) and fracton dynamics in two-dimensions, in a setup and regime readily accessible in optical lattice experiments. Using a perturbative ansatz, we find HSF when the model is tuned to the resonant limit of on-site interaction and tilted potential. First, we investigate the quench dynamics of this system and observe numerically that the relaxation dynamics strongly depends on the chosen initial state -- one of the key signature of HSF. Second, we identify fractonic excitations with restricted mobility leading to anomalous transport properties. Specifically, we find excitations that show one dimensional diffusion (z = 1/2) as well as excitations that show subdiffusive behaviour in two dimensions (z = 3/4). Using a cellular automaton, we analyze their dynamics and compare to an effective hydrodynamic description.
We propose the strongly tilted Bose-Hubbard model as a natural platform to explore Hilbert-space fragmentation (HSF) and fracton dynamics in two dimensions in a setup and regime readily accessible in optical lattice experiments. Using a perturbative ansatz, we find HSF when the model is tuned to the resonant limit of on-site interaction and tilted potential. First, we investigate the quench dynamics of this system and observe numerically that the relaxation dynamics strongly depends on the chosen initial state-one of the key signatures of HSF. Second, we identify fractonic excitations with restricted mobility leading to anomalous transport properties. Specifically, we find excitations that show one-dimensional diffusion (z=1/2) as well as excitations that show subdiffusive behavior in two dimensions (z=3/4). Using a cellular automaton, we analyze their dynamics and compare it to an effective hydrodynamic description.
The relaxation behaviour of isolated quantum systems taken out of equilibrium is among the most intriguing questions in many-body physics. Quantum systems out of equilibrium typically relax to thermal equilibrium states by scrambling local information and building up entanglement entropy. However, kinetic constraints in the Hamiltonian can lead to a breakdown of this fundamental paradigm due to a fragmentation of the underlying Hilbert space into dynamically decoupled subsectors in which thermalisation can be strongly suppressed. Here, we experimentally observe Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF) in a two-dimensional tilted Bose-Hubbard model. Using quantum gas microscopy, we engineer a wide variety of initial states and find a rich set of manifestations of HSF involving bulk states, interfaces and defects, i.e., d = 2, 1 and 0 dimensional objects. Specifically, uniform initial states with equal particle number and energy differ strikingly in their relaxation dynamics. Inserting controlled defects on top of a global, non-thermalising chequerboard state, we observe highly anisotropic, sub-dimensional dynamics, an immediate signature of their fractonic nature. An interface between localized and thermalising states in turn displays dynamics depending on its orientation. Our results mark the first observation of HSF beyond one dimension, as well as the concomitant direct observation of fractons, and pave the way for in-depth studies of microscopic transport phenomena in constrained systems
Abstract The relaxation behaviour of isolated quantum systems taken out of equilibrium is among the most intriguing questions in many-body physics 1 . Quantum systems out of equilibrium typically relax to thermal equilibrium states by scrambling local information and building up entanglement entropy. However, kinetic constraints in the Hamiltonian can lead to a breakdown of this fundamental paradigm owing to a fragmentation of the underlying Hilbert space into dynamically decoupled subsectors in which thermalization can be strongly suppressed 2–5 . Here we experimentally observe Hilbert space fragmentation in a two-dimensional tilted Bose–Hubbard model. Using quantum gas microscopy, we engineer a wide variety of initial states and find a rich set of manifestations of Hilbert space fragmentation involving bulk states, interfaces and defects, that is, two-, one- and zero-dimensional objects. Specifically, uniform initial states with equal particle number and energy differ strikingly in their relaxation dynamics. Inserting controlled defects on top of a global, non-thermalizing chequerboard state, we observe highly anisotropic, subdimensional dynamics, an immediate signature of their fractonic nature 6–9 . An interface between localized and thermalizing states in turn shows dynamics depending on its orientation. Our results mark the observation of Hilbert space fragmentation beyond one dimension, as well as the concomitant direct observation of fractons, and pave the way for in-depth studies of microscopic transport phenomena in constrained systems.
While isolated quantum systems generally thermalize after long-time evolution, there are several exceptions defying thermalization. A notable mechanism of this nonergodicity is the Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF), where the Hamiltonian matrix splits into an exponentially large number of sectors due to the presence of nontrivial conserved quantities. Using ultracold gases, here, we experimentally investigate the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard system with neither disorder nor tilt potential, which has been predicted to exhibit HSF caused by a strong interatomic interaction. Specifically, we analyze far-from-equilibrium dynamics starting from a charge density wave of doublons (atoms in doubly occupied sites) in a singlon- and doublon-resolved manner to reveal a slowing down of the relaxation in a strongly interacting regime. We find that the numbers of singlons and doublons are conserved during the dynamics, indicating HSF as a mechanism of the observed slow relaxation. Our results provide an experimental confirmation of the conserved quantities responsible for HSF.
The concept of Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF) has recently been put forward as a routine to break quantum ergodicity. Although HSF exists widely in models with dynamical constraints, it is still challenging to tune it. Here, we propose a scheme to tune the HSF in a one-dimensional tilted lattice of interacting spinless fermions with periodically driven tunneling. For weak tunneling strength, the dynamics for a long range of time is governed by effective Hamiltonians with kinetic constraints, which appear as density-dependent tunneling. Through a Floquet time-dependent perturbation theory, we analytically derive two different resonance frequencies, at which some particular tunneling processes are resonant. At the nonresonance frequencies, the system is strongly constrained and exhibits a strong HSF. At the two different resonance frequencies, the kinetic constraints are partly released and the system exhibits another two different strong HSFs. We can tune the HSF by changing the driving frequency. We support the perturbation analysis with exact numerical simulation of the entanglement entropy, the density correlation functions, and the saturated local density profiles. Our result provides a promising way to control HSF through Floquet engineering.
Intriguingly, quantum many-body systems may defy thermalization even without disorder. One example is so-called fragmented models, where the many-body Hilbert space fragments into dynamically disconnected subspaces that are not determined by the global symmetries of the model. In this Letter we demonstrate that the tilted one-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model naturally realizes distinct effective Hamiltonians that are expected to support nonergodic behavior due to fragmentation, even at resonances between the tilt energy and the Hubbard on site interaction. We find that the effective description captures the observed dynamics in experimentally accessible parameter ranges of moderate tilt values. Specifically, we observe a pronounced dependence of the relaxation dynamics on the initial doublon fraction, which directly reveals the microscopic processes of the fragmented model. Our results pave the way for future studies of nonergodic behavior in higher dimensions.