Integrals of motion in the many-body localized phase

Valentina Ros, Markus Müller, Antonello Scardicchio

Nuclear Physics B · 2014 · 517 citations · 44 references

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TL;DR

The authors construct a complete set of quasi‑local integrals of motion for interacting fermions in a disordered potential in the many‑body localized phase. They map the construction of these integrals to a non‑Hermitian hopping problem on a lattice in operator space. The integrals exhibit a binary spectrum, can be expressed as a convergent series in interaction strength, and their convergence radius yields an estimate of the many‑body localization–delocalization transition, indicating the presence or absence of a finite‑temperature transition.

Abstract

We construct a complete set of quasi-local integrals of motion for the many-body localized phase of interacting fermions in a disordered potential. The integrals of motion can be chosen to have binary spectrum $\{0,1\}$, thus constituting exact quasiparticle occupation number operators for the Fermi insulator. We map the problem onto a non-Hermitian hopping problem on a lattice in operator space. We show how the integrals of motion can be built, under certain approximations, as a convergent series in the interaction strength. An estimate of its radius of convergence is given, which also provides an estimate for the many-body localization-delocalization transition. Finally, we discuss how the properties of the operator expansion for the integrals of motion imply the presence or absence of a finite temperature transition.

References

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