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:2403.01974 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Renormalization group for Anderson localization on high-dimensional lattices

B. L. Altshuler, V. E. Kravtsov, Antonello Scardicchio, Piotr Sierant, Carlo Vanoni

Published Aug 26, 2025• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We discuss the dependence of the critical properties of the Anderson model on the dimension d in the language of β -function and renormalization group recently introduced in Vanoni et al. [C. Vanoni et al. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121 , e2401955121 (2024)] in the context of Anderson transition on random regular graphs. We show how in the delocalized region, including the transition point, the one-parameter scaling part of the β -function for the fractal dimension D 1 evolves smoothly from its d = 2 form, in which β 2 ≤ 0 , to its β ∞ ≥ 0 form, which is represented by the random regular graph (RRG) result. We show how the ϵ = d − 2 expansion and the 1 / d expansion around the RRG result can be reconciled and how the initial part of a renormalization group trajectory governed by the irrelevant exponent y depends on dimensionality. We also show how the irrelevant exponent emerges out of the high-gradient terms of expansion in the nonlinear sigma model and put forward a conjecture about a lower bound for the fractal dimension. The framework introduced here may serve as a basis for investigations of disordered many-body systems and of more general nonequilibrium quantum systems.

DOI
10.1073/pnas.2423763122

Related papers

Renormalization group analysis of the Anderson model on random regular graphs

Carlo Vanoni, B. L. Altshuler, V. E. Kravtsov +1 more

We present a renormalization group (RG) analysis of the problem of Anderson localization on a random regular graph (RRG) which generalizes the RG of Abrahams, Anderson, Licciardello, and Ramakrishnan to infinite-dimensional graphs. The RG equations necessarily involve two parameters (one being the changing connectivity of subtrees), but we show that the one-parameter scaling hypothesis is recovered for sufficiently large system sizes for both eigenstates and spectrum observables. We also explain the nonmonotonic behavior of dynamical and spectral quantities as a function of the system size for values of disorder close to the transition, by identifying two terms in the beta function of the running fractal dimension of different signs and functional dependence. Our theory provides a simple and coherent explanation for the unusual scaling behavior observed in numerical data of the Anderson model on RRG and of many-body localization.

arXiv:2306.14965•Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences•Jul 11, 2024•32 citations

Anderson localization and ergodicity on random regular graphs

Konstantin S. Tikhonov, A. D. Mirlin, M. A. Skvortsov

A disordered quantum system can be driven, e.g., by increasing disorder, through the Anderson transition between a delocalized and localized phase. Recently, Anderson localization on treelike graphs has attracted much attention in view of its connections with problems of many-body localization. One of the central questions in this context is that of ergodicity of eigenstates. The authors of this paper perform a numerical study of Anderson transition on random regular graphs (RRGs) with diagonal disorder. The problem can be described as a tight-binding model on a lattice with $N$ sites that is locally a tree with constant connectivity. Focusing on the delocalized side of the transition, they show that the data can be interpreted in terms of the finite-size crossover from a small ($N\ensuremath{\ll}{N}_{c}$) to a large ($N\ensuremath{\gg}{N}_{c}$) system, where ${N}_{c}$ is the correlation volume diverging exponentially at the transition. A distinct feature of this crossover is a nonmonotonicity of the spectral and wave-function statistics, which is related to properties of the critical phase in the studied model and renders the finite-size analysis highly nontrivial. The results support an analytical prediction that states in the delocalized phase (and at $N\ensuremath{\gg}{N}_{c}$) are ergodic.

arXiv:1604.05353•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 22, 2016•167 citations

Critical behavior at the localization transition on random regular graphs

Konstantin S. Tikhonov, A. D. Mirlin

Anderson localization on random regular graphs (RRG) attracts much attention as a toy model of many-body localization. Here, the critical behavior at the localization transition on RRG, related to that on infinite Bethe lattices, is studied numerically by means of a population dynamics approach. Proceeding up to correlation volumes as large as ${10}^{19}$, the authors obtain the value of one half for the correlation-length critical exponent, in agreement with analytical predictions. They find very well pronounced corrections to scaling, similar to those in models with high spatial dimensionality and with many-body localization transitions.

arXiv:1903.07877•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jun 11, 2019•79 citations

Connecting finite-size scaling and renormalization-group flows in Anderson localization on random graphs

Ignacio García-Mata, Weitao Chen, John Martin +2 more

We investigate the relation between two complementary descriptions of the Anderson transition on small-world random graphs: finite-size scaling of eigenfunction moments and renormalization-group (RG) flows of multifractal dimensions $D_q$. The RG flows recover the qualitative structure previously reported for the information dimension $D_1$, while their extension to other $D_q$ with smaller moment orders $q<1/2$ confirms the strongly multifractal nature of the localized phase characterized by a clear separation between multifractal and localized behaviors at strong disorder. On the other hand, we show that we can construct another beta function characterizing the flow of eigenfunction moments, whose collapse onto a single function across different disorder strengths provides a clear confirmation of single-parameter scaling property. These results indicate that the family of RG trajectories observed for the information dimension $D_1$ need not imply two-parameter scaling and Kosterlitz-Thouless like critical behavior. To characterize these properties, one should consider different observables, such as large $q>1/2$ and small $q<1/2$ eigenfunction moments, which are associated with distinct critical behaviors, in particular different critical exponents.

cond-mat.dis-nnCross-listedarXiv:2609.31872•Sep 29, 2026

Scaling analysis and renormalization group on the mobility edge in the quantum random energy model

Federico Balducci, Giacomo Bracci Testasecca, Jacopo Niedda +2 more

Building on recent progress in the study of Anderson and many-body localization via the renormalization group (RG), we examine the scaling theory of localization in the quantum Random Energy Model (QREM). The QREM is known to undergo a localization-delocalization transition at finite energy density, while remaining fully ergodic at the center of the spectrum. At zero energy density, we show that RG trajectories consistently flow toward the ergodic phase, and are characterized by an unconventional scaling of the fractal dimension near the ergodic fixed point. When the disorder amplitude is rescaled, as suggested by the forward scattering approximation approach, a localization transition emerges also at the center of the spectrum, with properties analogous to the Anderson transition on expander graphs. At finite energy density, a localization transition takes place without disorder rescaling, and yet it exhibits a scaling behavior analogous to the one observed on expander graphs. The universality class of the model remains unchanged under the rescaling of the disorder, reflecting the independence of the RG from microscopic details. Our findings demonstrate the robustness of the scaling behavior of random graphs and offer new insights into the many-body localization transition.

arXiv:2501.06563•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•May 12, 2025•3 citations

Critical properties of the Anderson transition on random graphs: Two-parameter scaling theory, Kosterlitz-Thouless type flow, and many-body localization

Ignacio García-Mata, John Martin, O. Giraud +3 more

The Anderson transition in random graphs has raised great interest, partly out of the hope that its analogy with the many-body localization (MBL) transition might lead to a better understanding of this hotly debated phenomenon. Unlike the latter, many results for random graphs are now well established, in particular, the existence and precise value of a critical disorder separating a localized from an ergodic delocalized phase. However, the renormalization group flow and the nature of the transition are not well understood. In turn, recent works on the MBL transition have made the remarkable prediction that the flow is of Kosterlitz-Thouless type. In this paper, we show that the Anderson transition on graphs displays the same type of flow. Our work attests to the importance of rare branches along which wave functions have a much larger localization length ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ than the one in the transverse direction ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. Importantly, these two lengths have different critical behaviors: ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ diverges with a critical exponent ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=1$, while ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ reaches a finite universal value ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{c}$ at the transition point ${W}_{c}$. Indeed, ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\approx}{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{c}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}+{\ensuremath{\xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, with $\ensuremath{\xi}\ensuremath{\sim}{(W\ensuremath{-}{W}_{c})}^{\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ associated with a new critical exponent ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=\frac{1}{2}$, where $exp(\ensuremath{\xi})$ controls finite-size effects. The delocalized phase inherits the strongly nonergodic properties of the critical regime at short scales, but is ergodic at large scales, with a unique critical exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}$. This shows a very strong analogy with the MBL transition: the behavior of ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ is identical to that recently predicted for the typical localization length of MBL in a phenomenological renormalization group flow. We demonstrate these important properties for a small-world complex network model and show the universality of our results by considering different network parameters and different key observables of Anderson localization.

arXiv:2209.04337•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 5, 2022•54 citations
We discuss the dependence of the critical properties of the Anderson model on the dimension d in the language of β -function and renormalization group recently introduced in Vanoni et al. [C. Vanoni et al. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121 , e2401955121 (2024)] in the context of Anderson transition on random regular graphs. We show how in the delocalized region, including the transition point, the one-parameter scaling part of the β -function for the fractal dimension D 1 evolves smoothly from its d = 2 form, in which β 2 ≤ 0 , to its β ∞ ≥ 0 form, which is represented by the random regular graph (RRG) result. We show how the ϵ = d − 2 expansion and the 1 / d expansion around the RRG result can be reconciled and how the initial part of a renormalization group trajectory governed by the irrelevant exponent y depends on dimensionality. We also show how the irrelevant exponent emerges out of the high-gradient terms of expansion in the nonlinear sigma model and put forward a conjecture about a lower bound for the fractal dimension. The framework introduced here may serve as a basis for investigations of disordered many-body systems and of more general nonequilibrium quantum systems.
We present a renormalization group (RG) analysis of the problem of Anderson localization on a random regular graph (RRG) which generalizes the RG of Abrahams, Anderson, Licciardello, and Ramakrishnan to infinite-dimensional graphs. The RG equations necessarily involve two parameters (one being the changing connectivity of subtrees), but we show that the one-parameter scaling hypothesis is recovered for sufficiently large system sizes for both eigenstates and spectrum observables. We also explain the nonmonotonic behavior of dynamical and spectral quantities as a function of the system size for values of disorder close to the transition, by identifying two terms in the beta function of the running fractal dimension of different signs and functional dependence. Our theory provides a simple and coherent explanation for the unusual scaling behavior observed in numerical data of the Anderson model on RRG and of many-body localization.
A disordered quantum system can be driven, e.g., by increasing disorder, through the Anderson transition between a delocalized and localized phase. Recently, Anderson localization on treelike graphs has attracted much attention in view of its connections with problems of many-body localization. One of the central questions in this context is that of ergodicity of eigenstates. The authors of this paper perform a numerical study of Anderson transition on random regular graphs (RRGs) with diagonal disorder. The problem can be described as a tight-binding model on a lattice with NNN sites that is locally a tree with constant connectivity. Focusing on the delocalized side of the transition, they show that the data can be interpreted in terms of the finite-size crossover from a small ($N\ensuremath{\ll}{N}_{c}$) to a large ($N\ensuremath{\gg}{N}_{c}$) system, where Nc{N}_{c}Nc​ is the correlation volume diverging exponentially at the transition. A distinct feature of this crossover is a nonmonotonicity of the spectral and wave-function statistics, which is related to properties of the critical phase in the studied model and renders the finite-size analysis highly nontrivial. The results support an analytical prediction that states in the delocalized phase (and at $N\ensuremath{\gg}{N}_{c}$) are ergodic.
Anderson localization on random regular graphs (RRG) attracts much attention as a toy model of many-body localization. Here, the critical behavior at the localization transition on RRG, related to that on infinite Bethe lattices, is studied numerically by means of a population dynamics approach. Proceeding up to correlation volumes as large as 1019{10}^{19}1019, the authors obtain the value of one half for the correlation-length critical exponent, in agreement with analytical predictions. They find very well pronounced corrections to scaling, similar to those in models with high spatial dimensionality and with many-body localization transitions.
We investigate the relation between two complementary descriptions of the Anderson transition on small-world random graphs: finite-size scaling of eigenfunction moments and renormalization-group (RG) flows of multifractal dimensions DqD_qDq​. The RG flows recover the qualitative structure previously reported for the information dimension D1D_1D1​, while their extension to other DqD_qDq​ with smaller moment orders q<1/2q<1/2q<1/2 confirms the strongly multifractal nature of the localized phase characterized by a clear separation between multifractal and localized behaviors at strong disorder. On the other hand, we show that we can construct another beta function characterizing the flow of eigenfunction moments, whose collapse onto a single function across different disorder strengths provides a clear confirmation of single-parameter scaling property. These results indicate that the family of RG trajectories observed for the information dimension D1D_1D1​ need not imply two-parameter scaling and Kosterlitz-Thouless like critical behavior. To characterize these properties, one should consider different observables, such as large q>1/2q>1/2q>1/2 and small q<1/2q<1/2q<1/2 eigenfunction moments, which are associated with distinct critical behaviors, in particular different critical exponents.
Building on recent progress in the study of Anderson and many-body localization via the renormalization group (RG), we examine the scaling theory of localization in the quantum Random Energy Model (QREM). The QREM is known to undergo a localization-delocalization transition at finite energy density, while remaining fully ergodic at the center of the spectrum. At zero energy density, we show that RG trajectories consistently flow toward the ergodic phase, and are characterized by an unconventional scaling of the fractal dimension near the ergodic fixed point. When the disorder amplitude is rescaled, as suggested by the forward scattering approximation approach, a localization transition emerges also at the center of the spectrum, with properties analogous to the Anderson transition on expander graphs. At finite energy density, a localization transition takes place without disorder rescaling, and yet it exhibits a scaling behavior analogous to the one observed on expander graphs. The universality class of the model remains unchanged under the rescaling of the disorder, reflecting the independence of the RG from microscopic details. Our findings demonstrate the robustness of the scaling behavior of random graphs and offer new insights into the many-body localization transition.
The Anderson transition in random graphs has raised great interest, partly out of the hope that its analogy with the many-body localization (MBL) transition might lead to a better understanding of this hotly debated phenomenon. Unlike the latter, many results for random graphs are now well established, in particular, the existence and precise value of a critical disorder separating a localized from an ergodic delocalized phase. However, the renormalization group flow and the nature of the transition are not well understood. In turn, recent works on the MBL transition have made the remarkable prediction that the flow is of Kosterlitz-Thouless type. In this paper, we show that the Anderson transition on graphs displays the same type of flow. Our work attests to the importance of rare branches along which wave functions have a much larger localization length ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ than the one in the transverse direction ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. Importantly, these two lengths have different critical behaviors: ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ diverges with a critical exponent ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=1$, while ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ reaches a finite universal value ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{c}$ at the transition point Wc{W}_{c}Wc​. Indeed, ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\approx}{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{c}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}+{\ensuremath{\xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, with $\ensuremath{\xi}\ensuremath{\sim}{(W\ensuremath{-}{W}_{c})}^{\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ associated with a new critical exponent ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=\frac{1}{2}$, where $exp(\ensuremath{\xi})$ controls finite-size effects. The delocalized phase inherits the strongly nonergodic properties of the critical regime at short scales, but is ergodic at large scales, with a unique critical exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}$. This shows a very strong analogy with the MBL transition: the behavior of ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ is identical to that recently predicted for the typical localization length of MBL in a phenomenological renormalization group flow. We demonstrate these important properties for a small-world complex network model and show the universality of our results by considering different network parameters and different key observables of Anderson localization.