Many-body localization (MBL) provides a mechanism to avoid thermalization in many-body
quantum systems. Here, we show that an emergent symmetry can protect a state from MBL.
Specifically, we propose a Z2 symmetric model with nonlocal interactions, which
has an analytically known, SU(2) invariant, critical ground state. At large disorder strength, all
states at finite energy density are in a glassy MBL phase, while the lowest energy states are not.
These do, however, localize when a perturbation destroys the emergent SU(2) symmetry. The
model also provides an example of MBL in the presence of nonlocal, disordered interactions that
are more structured than a power law. Finally, we show how the protected state can be moved
into the bulk of the spectrum.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 240401 (2020)
Condensed Matter
Many-body Delocalization via Emergent Symmetry
N. S. Srivatsa, R. Moessner, and A. E. B. Nielsen
Rod motifs in neutron scattering in spin ice
Claudio Castelnovo and Roderich Moessner
In classical and quantum spin ice, rodlike features appear in the neutron-scattering structure
factor when the pinch points characteristic of classical spin ice get washed out. We show that
these features do not indicate the absence of spin correlations between planes perpendicular
to the rods. Rather, they arise because neutron scattering is largely insensitive to the three-
dimensional correlations which are present throughout. We present two very simple models
which exhibit a pristine incarnation of such scattering rods. This provides a physical picture for
their appearance, elucidates the role played by monopole excitations, and identifies conditions
conducive to their observation.
Phys. Rev. B 99, 121102(R) (2019)
Phys. Rev. B 99, 121102(R) (2019)
Pyrochlore S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet at finite
temperature
R. Schäfer, I. Hagymási, R. Moessner, and D. J. Luitz
We use a combination of three computational methods to investigate the notoriously difficult
frustrated three-dimensional pyrochlore S=1/2 quantum antiferromagnet, at finite
temperature T: canonical typicality for a finite cluster of 2×2×2 unit
cells (i.e., 32 sites), a finite-T matrix product state method on a larger cluster with 48
sites, and the numerical linked cluster expansion (NLCE) using clusters up to 25 lattice sites,
including nontrivial hexagonal and octagonal loops. We calculate thermodynamic properties
(energy, specific heat capacity, entropy, susceptibility, magnetization) and the static structure
factor. We find a pronounced maximum in the specific heat at T=0.57J,
which is stable across finite size clusters and converged in the series expansion. At
T≈0.25J (the limit of convergence of our method), the residual
entropy per spin is 0.47kB ln 2, which is relatively large compared to
other frustrated models at this temperature. We also observe a nonmonotonic dependence on
T of the magnetization at low magnetic fields, reflecting the dominantly nonmagnetic
character of the low-energy states. A detailed comparison of our results to measurements for the
S=1 material NaCaNi2F7 yields a rough agreement of the
functional form of the specific heat maximum, which in turn differs from the sharper maximum of
the heat capacity of the spin ice material Dy2Ti2O7.
Phys. Rev. B 102, 054408 (2020)
Phys. Rev. B 102, 054408 (2020)
The Kibble-Zurek mechanism at exceptional points
Balazs Dora, Markus Heyl, Roderich Moessner
Exceptional points (EPs) are ubiquitous in non-Hermitian systems, and represent the complex
counterpart of critical points. By driving a system through a critical point at finite rate induces
defects, described by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which finds applications in diverse fields of
physics. Here we generalize this to a ramp across an EP. We find that adiabatic time evolution
brings the system into an eigenstate of the final non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and demonstrate
that for a variety of drives through an EP, the defect density scales as τ-(d +
z)ν/(zν + 1) in terms of the usual critical exponents and 1/τ the speed of
the drive. Defect production is suppressed compared to the conventional Hermitian case as the
defect state can decay back to the ground state close to the EP. We provide a physical picture for
the studied dynamics through a mapping onto a Lindblad master equation with an additionally
imposed continuous measurement.
Nat. Commun. 10, 2254 (2019)
Nat. Commun. 10, 2254 (2019)
Prethermalization without Temperature
D. J. Luitz, R. Moessner, S. L. Sondhi, V. Khemani
While a clean, driven system generically absorbs energy until it reaches “infinite temperature,” it
may do so very slowly exhibiting what is known as a prethermal regime. Here, we show that the
emergence of an additional approximately conserved quantity in a periodically driven (Floquet)
system can give rise to an analogous long-lived regime. This can allow for nontrivial dynamics,
even from initial states that are at a high or infinite temperature with respect to an effective
Hamiltonian governing the prethermal dynamics. We present concrete settings with such a
prethermal regime, one with a period-doubled (time-crystalline) response. We also present a
direct diagnostic to distinguish this prethermal phenomenon from its infinitely long-lived many-
body localized cousin. We apply these insights to a model of the recent NMR experiments by
Rovny et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 180603 (2018)] which, intriguingly, detected signatures of
a Floquet time crystal in a clean three-dimensional material. We show that a mild but subtle
variation of their driving protocol can increase the lifetime of the time-crystalline signal by orders
of magnitude.
Phys. Rev. X 10, 021046 (2020)
Phys. Rev. X 10, 021046 (2020)
Avoided quasiparticle decay from strong quantum interactions
Ruben Verresen, Roderich Moessner, Frank Pollmann
Quantum states of matter-such as solids, magnets and topological phases-typically exhibit
collective excitations (for example, phonons, magnons and anyons)1. These
involve the motion of many particles in the system, yet, remarkably, act like a single emergent
entity-a quasiparticle. Known to be long lived at the lowest energies, quasiparticles are expected
to become unstable when encountering the inevitable continuum of many-particle excited
states at high energies, where decay is kinematically allowed. Although this is correct for
weak interactions, we show that strong interactions generically stabilize quasiparticles by
pushing them out of the continuum. This general mechanism is straightforwardly illustrated
in an exactly solvable model. Using state-of-the-art numerics, we find it at work in the spin-
1/2 triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (TLHAF). This is surprising given the
expectation of magnon decay in this paradigmatic frustrated magnet. Turning to existing
experimental data, we identify the detailed phenomenology of avoided decay in the TLHAF
material2 Ba3CoSb2O9, and
even in liquid helium3,4,5,6,7,8, one of the earliest instances of quasiparticle
decay9. Our work unifies various phenomena above the universal low-energy
regime in a comprehensive description. This broadens our window of understanding of many-
body excitations, and provides a new perspective for controlling and stabilizing quantum matter
in the strongly interacting regime.
Nature Physics (2019)
Nature Physics (2019)