Hilbert-space localization in closed quantum systems

We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the thermalization of a local observable in a closed quantum system which offers an alternative explanation, independent of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, for the thermalization process. We also show that this approach is useful to investigate thermalization based on a finite-size scaling of numerical data. The condition follows from an exact representation of the observable as a sum of a projection onto the local conserved charges of the system and a projection onto the non-local ones. We show that thermalization requires that the time average of the latter part vanishes in the thermodynamic limit while time and statistical averages for the first part are identical. As an example, we use this thermalization condition to analyze exact diagonalization data for a one-dimensional spin model. We find that local correlators do thermalize in the thermodynamic limit although we find no indications that the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis applies.

Complexity of dynamics is at the core of quantum many-body chaos and exhibits a hierarchical feature: higher-order complexity implies more chaotic dynamics. Conventional ergodicity in thermalization processes is a manifestation of the lowest order complexity, which is represented by the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) stating that individual energy eigenstates are thermal. Here, we propose a higher-order generalization of the ETH, named the $ k $-ETH ($ k=1,2,\dots $), to quantify higher-order complexity of quantum many-body dynamics at the level of individual energy eigenstates, where the lowest order ETH (1-ETH) is the conventional ETH. As a non-trivial contribution of the higher-order ETH, we show that the $ k $-ETH with $ k\geq 2 $ implies a universal behavior of the $ k $th Renyi entanglement entropy of individual energy eigenstates. In particular, the Page correction of the entanglement entropy originates from the higher-order ETH, while as is well known, the volume law can be accounted for by the 1-ETH. We numerically verify that the 2-ETH approximately holds for a nonintegrable system, but does not hold in the integrable case. To further investigate the information-theoretic feature behind the $ k $-ETH, we introduce a concept named a partial unitary $ k $-design (PU $ k $-design), which is an approximation of the Haar random unitary up to the $ k $th moment, where partial means that only a limited number of observables are accessible. The $ k $-ETH is a special case of a PU $ k $-design for the ensemble of Hamiltonian dynamics with random-time sampling. In addition, we discuss the relationship between the higher-order ETH and information scrambling quantified by out-of-time-ordered correlators. Our framework provides a unified view on thermalization, entanglement entropy, and unitary $ k $-designs, leading to deeper characterization of higher-order quantum complexity.

We review selected advances in the theoretical understanding of complex quantum many-body systems with regard to emergent notions of quantum statistical mechanics. We cover topics such as equilibration and thermalisation in pure state statistical mechanics, the eigenstate thermalisation hypothesis, the equivalence of ensembles, non-equilibration dynamics following global and local quenches as well as ramps. We also address initial state independence, absence of thermalisation, and many-body localisation. We elucidate the role played by key concepts for these phenomena, such as Lieb–Robinson bounds, entanglement growth, typicality arguments, quantum maximum entropy principles and the generalised Gibbs ensembles, and quantum (non-)integrability. We put emphasis on rigorous approaches and present the most important results in a unified language.

We investigate dynamical equilibration of expectation values in closed quantum systems for realistic non-equilibrium initial states. Thereby we find that the corresponding long-time expectation values depend on the initial expectation values if eigenstate thermalisation is violated. An analytical expression for the deviation from the expected ensemble value is derived for small displacements from equilibrium. Additional numerics for magnetisation and energy equilibration in an asymmetric anisotropic spin-(1/2)-ladder demonstrate that the analytical predictions persist beyond the limits of the theory. The results suggest eigenstate thermalisation as a physically necessary condition for initial-state–independent equilibration.

The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis provides one picture of thermalization in a quantum system by looking at individual eigenstates. However, it is also important to consider how local observables reach equilibrium values dynamically. Quench protocol is one of the settings to study such questions. A recent numerical study [Ba\~nuls, Cirac, and Hastings, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 050405 (2007)] of a nonintegrable quantum Ising model with longitudinal field under such a quench setting found different behaviors for different initial quantum states. One particular case called the ``weak-thermalization'' regime showed apparently persistent oscillations of some observables. Here we provide an explanation of such oscillations. We note that the corresponding initial state has low energy density relative to the ground state of the model. We then use perturbation theory near the ground state and identify the oscillation frequency as essentially a quasiparticle gap. With this quasiparticle picture, we can then address the long-time behavior of the oscillations. Upon making additional approximations which intuitively should only make thermalization weaker, we argue that the oscillations nevertheless decay in the long-time limit. As part of our arguments, we also consider a quench from a BEC to a hard-core boson model in one dimension. We find that the expectation value of a single-boson creation operator oscillates but decays exponentially in time, while a pair-boson creation operator has oscillations with a ${t}^{\ensuremath{-}3/2}$ decay in time. We also study dependence of the decay time on the density of bosons in the low-density regime and use this to estimate decay time for oscillations in the original spin model.

We consider a realistic nonequilibrium protocol, where a quantum system in thermal equilibrium is suddenly subjected to an external force. Due to this force, the system is driven out of equilibrium and the expectation values of certain observables acquire a dependence on time. Eventually, upon switching off the external force, the system unitarily evolves under its own Hamiltonian and, as a consequence, the expectation values of observables equilibrate towards specific constant long-time values. Summarizing our main results, we show that, in systems which violate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), this long-time value exhibits an intriguing dependence on the strength of the external force. Specifically, for weak external forces, i.e., within the linear response regime, we show that expectation values thermalize to their original equilibrium values, despite the ETH being violated. In contrast, for stronger perturbations beyond linear response, the quantum system relaxes to some nonthermal value which depends on the previous nonequilibrium protocol. While we present theoretical arguments which underpin these results, we also numerically demonstrate our findings by studying the real-time dynamics of two low-dimensional quantum spin models.

The two primary categories for eigenstate phases of matter at a finite temperature are many-body localization (MBL) and the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH). We show that, in the paradigmatic quantum p-spin models of the spin-glass theory, eigenstates violate the ETH yet are not MBL either. A mobility edge, which we locate using the forward-scattering approximation and replica techniques, separates the nonergodic phase at a small transverse field from an ergodic phase at a large transverse field. The nonergodic phase is also bounded from above in temperature, by a transition in configuration-space statistics reminiscent of the clustering transition in the spin-glass theory. We show that the nonergodic eigenstates are organized in clusters which exhibit distinct magnetization patterns, as characterized by an eigenstate variant of the Edwards-Anderson order parameter.

We present an analytical and numerical analysis of the particle creation in an optomechanical cavity in parametric resonance. We treat both the electromagnetic field and the mirror as quantum degrees of freedom and study the dynamical evolution as a closed quantum system. We consider different initial states and investigate the spontaneous emission of photons from phonons in the mirror. We find that for initial phononic product states the evolution of the photon number can be described as a non-harmonic quantum oscillator, providing an useful tool so as to estimate the maximum and mean number of photons produced for arbitrary high energies. The efficiency of this mechanism is further analyzed for a detuned cavity as well as the possibility of stimulating the photon production by adding some initial ones to the cavity. We also find relationships for the maximum and mean entanglement between the mirror and the wall in these states. Additionally we study coherent states for the motion of the mirror to connect this model with previous results from quantum field theory with a classical mirror. Finally we study thermal states of phonons in the wall and the equilibration process that leads to a stationary distribution.

There is a dichotomy in the nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum many body systems. In the presence of integrability, expectation values of local operators equilibrate to values described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble, which retains extensive memory about the initial state of the system. On the other hand, in generic systems such expectation values relax to stationary values described by the thermal ensemble, fixed solely by the energy of the state. At the heart of understanding this dichotomy is the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH): individual eigenstates in nonintegrable systems are thermal, in the sense that expectation values agree with the thermal prediction at a temperature set by the energy of the eigenstate. In systems where ETH is violated, thermalization can be avoided. Thus establishing the range of validity of ETH is crucial in understanding whether a given quantum system thermalizes. Here we study a simple model with confinement, the quantum Ising chain with a longitudinal field, in which ETH is violated. Despite an absence of integrability, there exist rare (nonthermal) states that persist far into the spectrum. These arise as a direct consequence of confinement: pairs of particles are confined, forming new `meson' excitations whose energy can be extensive in the system size. We show that such states are nonthermal in both the continuum and in the low-energy spectrum of the corresponding lattice model. We highlight that the presence of such states within the spectrum has important consequences, with certain quenches leading to an absence of thermalization and local observables evolving anomalously.

We theoretically and systematically investigate Anderson localization of two bosons with nearest-neighbor interaction in one dimension under short- and long-time scales, two types of disorders, and three types of initial states, which can be directly observed in linear disordered photonic lattices via two experimentally measurable physical quantities, participation ratio and spatial correlation. We find that the behavior of localization characterized by the participation ratio depends on the strength of interaction and the type of disorder and initial condition. Two-boson spatial correlation reveals more novel and unique features. In the ordered case, two types of two-boson bindings and bosonic "fermionization" are shown, which are intimately attributed to the band structure of the system. In the disordered case, the impact of interaction on the two-boson Anderson localization is reexamined and the joint effect of disorder and interaction is addressed. We further demonstrate that the independence of the participation ratio or spatial correlation on the sign of interaction can be eliminated by employing an initial state that breaks one of two specific symmetries. Finally, we elucidate the relevant details of the experimental implementation in a two-dimensional linear photonic lattice.

We say of an isolated macroscopic quantum system in a pure state psi that it is in macroscopic thermal equilibrium (MATE) if psi lies in or close to a suitable subspace mathcal {H}_textrm{eq} of Hilbert space. It is known that every initial state psi _0 will eventually reach and stay there most of the time (“thermalize”) if the Hamiltonian is non-degenerate and satisfies the appropriate version of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), i.e., that every eigenvector is in MATE. Tasaki recently proved the ETH for a certain perturbation H_theta ^textrm{fF} of the Hamiltonian H_0^textrm{fF} of Ngg 1 free fermions on a one-dimensional lattice. The perturbation is needed to remove the high degeneracies of H_0^textrm{fF}. Here, we first point out that also for degenerate Hamiltonians all psi _0 thermalize if the ETH holds, i.e., if every eigenbasis lies in MATE, and we prove that this is the case for H_0^textrm{fF}. Inspired by the fact that there is one eigenbasis of H_0^textrm{fF} for which MATE can be proved more easily than for the others, with smaller error bounds, and also in higher spatial dimensions, we show for any given H_0 that the existence of one eigenbasis in MATE implies quite generally that most eigenbases of H_0 lie in MATE. We also show that, as a consequence, after adding a small generic perturbation, H=H_0+lambda V with lambda ll 1, for most perturbations V the perturbed Hamiltonian H satisfies ETH and all states thermalize.

We investigate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) of highly excited descendant states in two-dimensional large central charge c conformal field theory. We use operator product expansion of twist operators to calculate the short interval expansions of entanglement entropy and relative entropy for an interval of length ℓ up to order ℓ12. Using these results to ensure ETH of a heavy state when compared with the canonical ensemble state up to various orders of c, we get the constraints on the expectation values of the first few quasiprimary operators in the vacuum conformal family at the corresponding order of c. Similarly, we also obtain the constraints from the expectation values of the first few Korteweg-de Vries charges. We check these constraints for some types of special descendant excited states. Among the descendant states we consider, we find that at most only the leading order ones of the ETH constraints can be satisfied for the descendant states that are slightly excited on top of a heavy primary state. Otherwise, the ETH constraints are violated for the descendant states that are heavily excited on top of a primary state.

Integrable systems do not obey the strong eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), which has been proposed as a mechanism of thermalization in isolated quantum systems. It has been suggested that an integrable system reaches a steady state described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE) instead of thermal equilibrium. We prove that a generalized version of the strong ETH holds for noninteracting integrable systems with translation invariance. Our generalized ETH states that any pair of energy eigenstates with similar values of local conserved quantities looks similar with respect to local observables, such as local correlations. This result tells us that an integrable system relaxes to a GGE for any initial state that has subextensive fluctuations of macroscopic local conserved quantities. Contrary to the previous derivations of the GGE, it is not necessary to assume the cluster decomposition property for an initial state.

We study the transport through a resonant level coupled to two leads with the latter being described by Wigner’s random matrices. By taking appropriate thermodynamic limit before taking the long time limit, we obtain the stationary current as a function of voltage bias. The I–V curve is similar to that of single impurity Anderson model. On the other hand, the current matrix and initial density matrix in our model look like random matrices in the eigenbasis of Hamiltonian. They satisfy the description of eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) and nonequilibrium steady state hypothesis (NESSH), respectively. A statistical formula of current has been derived based on ETH and NESSH (Wang 2017 J. Stat. Mech. 093105). We check this formula in our model and find it to predict the stationary current to a high precision. The shape of I–V curve is explained by the peak structure in the characteristic function of NESSH, which is reminiscent of the transmission coefficient.

The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is one of the cornerstones of contemporary quantum statistical mechanics. The extent to which ETH holds for nonlocal operators is an open question that we partially address in this Letter. We report on the construction of highly nonlocal operators, behemoths, that are building blocks for various kinds of local and nonlocal operators. The behemoths have a singular distribution and width w∼D^{-1} (D being the Hilbert space dimension). From there, one may construct local operators with the ordinary Gaussian distribution and w∼D^{-1/2} in agreement with ETH. Extrapolation to even larger widths predicts sub-ETH behavior of typical nonlocal operators with w∼D^{-δ}, 0<δ<1/2. This operator construction is based on a deep analogy with random matrix theory and shows striking agreement with numerical simulations of nonintegrable many-body systems.