It is an outstanding goal to unveil the key features of quantum dynamics at eigenstate transitions. Focusing on quadratic fermionic Hamiltonians that exhibit localization transitions, we identify physical observables that exhibit scale-invariant critical dynamics at the transition when quenched from the initially localized charge-density-wave states. The identification is based on two ingredients: (a) a relationship between the time evolution of observables in a many-body state and the transition probabilities of single-particle states, and (b) scale invariance of transition probabilities, which generalizes the corresponding recent result for survival probabilities [M. Hopjan and L. Vidmar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 060404 (2023); Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 043301 (2023)]. These properties suggest that the scale-invariant critical dynamics in the quantum-quench dynamics is also exhibited by the observables, which share the common eigenbasis with the Hamiltonian before the quench. Focusing on experimentally relevant observables such as site occupations and the particle imbalance, we numerically demonstrate their critical behavior at the eigenstate transitions in the three-dimensional Anderson model and the one-dimensional Aubry-Andr\'e model.
It is an outstanding goal to unveil the key features of quantum dynamics at eigenstate transitions. Focusing on quadratic fermionic Hamiltonians that exhibit localization transitions, we identify physical observables that exhibit scale-invariant critical dynamics at the transition when quenched from the initially localized charge-density-wave states. The identification is based on two ingredients: (a) a relationship between the time evolution of observables in a many-body state and the transition probabilities of single-particle states, and (b) scale invariance of transition probabilities, which generalizes the corresponding recent result for survival probabilities [M. Hopjan and L. Vidmar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 060404 (2023); Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 043301 (2023)]. These properties suggest that the scale-invariant critical dynamics in the quantum-quench dynamics is also exhibited by the observables, which share the common eigenbasis with the Hamiltonian before the quench. Focusing on experimentally relevant observables such as site occupations and the particle imbalance, we numerically demonstrate their critical behavior at the eigenstate transitions in the three-dimensional Anderson model and the one-dimensional Aubry-Andr'e model.
Understanding quantum phase transitions in highly excited Hamiltonian eigenstates is currently far from being complete. It is particularly important to establish tools for their characterization in time domain. Here, we argue that a scaled survival probability, where time is measured in units of a typical Heisenberg time, exhibits a scale-invariant behavior at eigenstate transitions. We first demonstrate this property in two paradigmatic quadratic models, the one-dimensional Aubry-Andre model and three-dimensional Anderson model. Surprisingly, we then show that similar phenomenology emerges in the interacting avalanche model of ergodicity breaking phase transitions. This establishes an intriguing similarity between localization transition in quadratic systems and ergodicity breaking phase transition in interacting systems.
The notion of scale-invariant dynamics is well established at late times in quantum chaotic systems, as illustrated by the emergence of a ramp in the spectral form factor (SFF). Building on the results of the preceding Letter [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 060404 (2023)], we explore features of scale-invariant dynamics of survival probability and SFF at criticality, i.e., at eigenstate transitions from quantum chaos to localization. We show that, in contrast to the quantum chaotic regime, the quantum dynamics at criticality do not only exhibit scale invariance at late times, but also at much shorter times that we refer to as mid-time dynamics. Our results apply to both quadratic and interacting models. Specifically, we study Anderson models in dimensions three to five and power-law random banded matrices for the former, and the quantum sun model and the ultrametric model for the latter, as well as the Rosenzweig-Porter model.
We study the expectation values of observables and correlation functions at long times after a global quantum quench. Our focus is on metallic (``gapless'') fermionic many-body models and small quenches. The system is prepared in an eigenstate of an initial Hamiltonian, and the time evolution is performed with a final Hamiltonian which differs from the initial one in the value of one global parameter. We first derive general relations between time-averaged expectation values of observables as well as correlation functions and those obtained in an eigenstate of the final Hamiltonian. Our results are valid to linear and quadratic order in the quench parameter g and generalize prior insights in several essential ways. This allows us to develop a phenomenology for the thermalization of local quantities up to a given order in g. Our phenomenology is put to a test in several case studies of one-dimensional models representative of four distinct classes of Hamiltonians: quadratic ones, effectively quadratic ones, those characterized by an extensive set of (quasi-) local integrals of motion, and those for which no such set is known (and believed to be nonexistent). We show that for each of these models, all observables and correlation functions thermalize to linear order in g. The more local a given quantity, the longer the linear behavior prevails when increasing g. Typical local correlation functions and observables for which the term O(g) vanishes thermalize even to order g2. Our results show that lowest-order thermalization of local observables is an ubiquitous phenomenon even in models with extensive sets of integrals of motion.
The many-body localization (MBL) transition is a quantum phase transition involving highly excited eigenstates of a disordered quantum many-body Hamiltonian, which evolve from “extended/ergodic" (exhibiting extensive entanglement entropies and fluctuations) to “localized" (exhibiting area-law scaling of entanglement and fluctuations). The MBL transition can be driven by the strength of disorder in a given spectral range, or by the energy density at fixed disorder – if the system possesses a many-body mobility edge. Here we propose to explore the latter mechanism by using “quantum-quench spectroscopy", namely via quantum quenches of variable width which prepare the state of the system in a superposition of eigenstates of the Hamiltonian within a controllable spectral region. Studying numerically a chain of interacting spinless fermions in a quasi-periodic potential, we argue that this system has a many-body mobility edge; and we show that its existence translates into a clear dynamical transition in the time evolution immediately following a quench in the strength of the quasi-periodic potential, as well as a transition in the scaling properties of the quasi-stationary state at long times. Our results suggest a practical scheme for the experimental observation of many-body mobility edges using cold-atom setups.
We study the expectation values of observables and correlation functions at long times after a global quantum quench. Our focus is on metallic (`gapless') fermionic many-body models and small quenches. The system is prepared in an eigenstate of an initial Hamiltonian, and the time evolution is performed with a final Hamiltonian which differs from the initial one in the value of one global parameter. We first derive general relations between time-averaged expectation values of observables as well as correlation functions and those obtained in an eigenstate of the final Hamiltonian. Our results are valid to linear and quadratic order in the quench parameter g and generalize prior insights in several essential ways. This allows us to develop a phenomenology for the thermalization of local quantities up to a given order in g. Our phenomenology is put to a test in several case studies of one-dimensional models representative of four distinct classes of Hamiltonians: quadratic ones, effectively quadratic ones, those characterized by an extensive set of (quasi-) local integrals of motion, and those for which no such set is known (and believed to be nonexistent). We show that for each of these models, all observables and correlation functions thermalize to linear order in g. The more local a given quantity, the longer the linear behavior prevails when increasing g. Typical local correlation functions and observables for which the term O(g) vanishes thermalize even to order g^2. Our results show that lowest order thermalization of local observables is an ubiquitous phenomenon even in models with extensive sets of integrals of motion.
We numerically study spectral and wave-function properties, as well as time evolution, in finite-size commensurate approximations of the 3D Aubry-André model. We explicitly show, through scaling analysis, the existence of two critical points. One of the critical points is a localization-delocalization transition in real-space, similar to the critical point in the 3D Anderson model. The other is a localization-delocalization transition in a dual momentum space, which does not have any analog in the 3D Anderson model. We estimate their values from spectral measures, such as the gap ratio and the spectral form factor, as well as from wave-function measures, such as the inverse participation ratio and the participation entropy. Additionally, we demonstrate that both critical points exhibit hallmarks of critical points between quantum ergodicity and localization. First, the eigenstates and the eigenspectrum at the critical point fulfill the mutual universal relation between the eigenspectrum compressibility χ and the eigenstate fractal dimension d(1) [S. Jiricek et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 123, e2518027123 (2026)]. Second, the dynamics of the wave packet at the critical point is governed by the critical dynamical exponent z, characterized by the spectral fractal dimension and the dimensionality of the lattice [M. Hopjan and L. Vidmar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 060401 (2025)]. Thus, similarly to the 3D Anderson model, the critical dynamical exponent is sub-diffusive with the value of z=3.