Condensed-Matter Physics & Materials Science Seminar

Thermalization, a common phenomenon in various physical settings, can naturally fail in certain isolated disordered quantum systems, challenging basic tenets of quantum statistical mechanics. Many body localization (MBL) is a canonical example of such an intriguing scenario and, therefore, attracted tremendous attention from condensed matter, statistical physics, and atomic physics communities. Considerable effort has recently gone into establishing the existence of the MBL phase, and the nature of dynamical phase transition from MBL to the thermal phase. However, understanding instabilities to the MBL phase that may lead to the complete or partial restoration of thermalization is still an open question. In this talk, I would focus on two such instabilities to the MBL phase coming from single particle mobility edge and the presence of extensive degeneracy in the many body spectrum. The goal is to identify the most robust form of MBL (in the presence of instabilities) to gain insight into the mechanisms of quantum thermalization.