Publication Date:
2018-11-03
Description:
Author(s): Michael Schecter, Thomas Iadecola, and Sankar Das Sarma Many-body localization (MBL) is a scenario wherein a many-body quantum system retains memory of its initial state under unitary dynamics out to infinite time, contrary to expectations based on statistical mechanics. Here, the authors argue that there is another, distinct way in which statistical mechanics can fail, namely, certain initial configurations of particles can relax in the way predicted by statistical mechanics, while others fail to do so in a manner reminiscent of MBL. They dub such a system a “mobility emulsion” (ME). The authors demonstrate that an ME exists in a simple model and constitutes a distinct phase from the usual thermal and MBL phases. Furthermore, they show that the strong dependence of the system’s dynamics on its initial state can be understood as an emergent “spin-charge separation” resulting from the interplay of interactions and strong disorder, and has no analog in the case of noninteracting particles. The model for the ME discussed in this work can potentially be realized in synthetic quantum systems, such as cold atomic gases. [Phys. Rev. B 98, 174201] Published Fri Nov 02, 2018
Keywords:
Inhomogeneous, disordered, and partially ordered systems
Print ISSN:
1098-0121
Electronic ISSN:
1095-3795
Topics:
Physics
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