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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Stabilization mechanism for many-body localization in two dimensions

D. C. W. Foo1,*, N. Swain1,2, P. Sengupta1,3, G. Lemarié2,4,5, and S. Adam1,6,7,8,†

  • 1Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, National University of Singapore, 6 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117546
  • 2MajuLab, International Joint Research Unit IRL 3654, CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Sorbonne Université, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • 3School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371
  • 4Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543
  • 5Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
  • 6Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575
  • 7Yale-NUS College, 16 College Avenue West, Singapore 138527
  • 8Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117542

  • *c2ddfcw@nus.edu.sg
  • †shaffique.adam@yale-nus.edu.sg
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Phys. Rev. Research 5, L032011 – Published 20 July, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L032011

Abstract

Experiments in cold-atom systems see almost identical signatures of many-body localization (MBL) in both one-dimensional (d=1) and two-dimensional (d=2) systems despite the thermal avalanche hypothesis showing that the MBL phase is unstable for d>1. Underpinning the thermal avalanche argument is the assumption of exponential localization of local integrals of motion (LIOM). In this Letter we demonstrate that the addition of a confining potential—as is typical in experimental setups—allows a noninteracting disordered system to have superexponentially (Gaussian) localized wave functions, and an interacting disordered system to undergo a localization transition. Moreover, we show that Gaussian localization of MBL LIOM shifts the quantum avalanche critical dimension from d=1 to d=2, potentially bridging the divide between the experimental demonstrations of MBL in these systems and existing theoretical arguments that claim that such demonstrations are impossible.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Research 5, L032011– Published 20 July, 2023
  • Received 18 February 2022
  • Revised 7 October 2022
  • Accepted 15 June 2023
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