many-body localization

many-body localization
Name	Many-body localization
Field	Condensed matter physics
Discovered	2000s
Contributors	Philip W. Anderson, David B. Huse, Vadim Oganesyan, Arijeet Pal, Michael Žnidarič, John Preskill, Andrea De Luca, Roderich Moessner, Antonello Scardicchio, Eugene Demler, Dmitry A. Abanin, Ashvin Vishwanath

many-body localization

Many-body localization is a phase of isolated quantum matter in which interacting particles fail to reach thermal equilibrium, preserving memory of initial conditions and supporting emergent integrability. It connects research threads from Philip W. Anderson's work on localization through developments in nonequilibrium quantum dynamics and quantum information, and it has motivated experiments in platforms including Ultracold atoms in optical lattices, Trapped ion, and Superconducting qubit architectures.

Introduction

Many-body localization sits at the intersection of studies by figures such as Philip W. Anderson, David B. Huse, Vadim Oganesyan, Arijeet Pal, and Roderich Moessner, and institutions including Institute for Quantum Information groups and research centers at Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, and Perimeter Institute. The phenomenon challenges the assumptions underlying the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis debate and links to topics investigated by researchers like John Preskill and Eugene Demler.

Theoretical Background

Theoretical foundations draw on seminal work by Philip W. Anderson on single-particle localization, later extended in studies by Vadim Oganesyan, David B. Huse, Arijeet Pal, and Dmitry A. Abanin. Connections are made to mathematical formulations developed at places such as Princeton University, Rutgers University, Columbia University, California Institute of Technology, and collaborations with theorists from École Normale Supérieure. Concepts are debated in venues like American Physical Society meetings and workshops at CERN and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Models and Mechanisms

Canonical models include the disordered spin chain exemplified by the random-field Heisenberg model studied by groups at University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ETH Zurich, and University of Cambridge. Fermionic lattice models with disorder and interactions have been analyzed by teams at Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Mechanisms feature emergent local integrals of motion discussed by researchers at Institute for Advanced Study and Max Planck Institutes, and conceptual tools from Albert Einstein-era statistical approaches revisited in modern contexts by theorists affiliated with Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials.

Phenomenology and Experimental Signatures

Observable signatures include persistent local memory observed in setups developed at JILA, Rice University, Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms, Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, and experimental programs led by groups at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Université Paris-Saclay. Measurable effects such as logarithmic entanglement growth have been connected to theoretical proposals from investigators at Yale University, University of Innsbruck, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Weizmann Institute of Science.

Numerical Methods and Analytical Techniques

Numerical studies employ exact diagonalization and tensor network approaches developed by teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and universities including Brown University, Cornell University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and New York University. Analytical renormalization group frameworks and perturbative expansions have been advanced by theorists at University of Copenhagen, University of Amsterdam, Tel Aviv University, University of Toronto, and Seoul National University.

Relation to Thermalization and Quantum Statistical Mechanics

The phenomenon reframes questions about the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis and the foundations of quantum statistical mechanics pursued at centers like Institute for Advanced Study and debated in seminars at Perimeter Institute and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. It affects proposals for quantum information preservation and error mitigation considered by researchers at IBM Research, Google Quantum AI, Microsoft Research, and quantum computing groups at Googleplex-associated teams.

Experimental Realizations and Observations

Key experimental realizations have been reported using Ultracold atoms in optical lattices at labs including Harvard University, Stanford University, and MIT, trapped-ion demonstrations at University of Maryland, and superconducting qubit arrays engineered by teams at Yale University, Google Quantum AI, and IBM Research. Experimental collaborations often involve multidisciplinary partnerships with national laboratories such as National Institute of Standards and Technology, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and international facilities like CERN and European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Category:Condensed matter physics