Disorder-Free Localization

A. Smith, J. Knolle, D. L. Kovrizhin, and R. Moessner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 266601 – Published 27 June 2017
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

The venerable phenomena of Anderson localization, along with the much more recent many-body localization, both depend crucially on the presence of disorder. The latter enters either in the form of quenched disorder in the parameters of the Hamiltonian, or through a special choice of a disordered initial state. Here, we present a model with localization arising in a very simple, completely translationally invariant quantum model, with only local interactions between spins and fermions. By identifying an extensive set of conserved quantities, we show that the system generates purely dynamically its own disorder, which gives rise to localization of fermionic degrees of freedom. Our work gives an answer to a decades old question whether quenched disorder is a necessary condition for localization. It also offers new insights into the physics of many-body localization, lattice gauge theories, and quantum disentangled liquids.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 21 February 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.266601

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

A. Smith1,*, J. Knolle1, D. L. Kovrizhin2,3, and R. Moessner4

  • 1T.C.M. Group, Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
  • 2Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, United Kingdom
  • 3NRC Kurchatov Institute, 1 Kurchatov Square, 123182 Moscow, Russia
  • 4Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany

  • *as2457@cam.ac.uk

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 118, Iss. 26 — 30 June 2017

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×