Relaxation speed in quenched-random force fields

Abstract

Disorder is commonly expected to slow down relaxation, as in glasses and disordered magnets. Here we show that this need not be the case in general, by analysing the asymptotic relaxation rate of a Brownian particle in a harmonic background potential and a quenched-random Gaussian force field with conservative and non-conservative components. Combining weak-disorder perturbation theory, random-matrix theory, and numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation, we show that the outcome depends on the geometry of the background and on the properties of the random forces. We identify two distinct mechanisms that shape the relaxation speed: an effective stiffening of the background by the disorder, as previously reported in one dimension, and interactions (repulsive and attractive) between the levels of the Fokker-Planck operator. Through level attraction, a common feature of non-Hermitian operators, non-conservative driving forces pull the slowest mode towards faster ones, which facilitates faster relaxation. In anisotropic backgrounds, both effects occur at second order in the disorder strength, enabling either slower or faster relaxation. In isotropic backgrounds, level interactions dominate and the disorder affects the degenerate slowest mode already at first order. The shift is then given by the left-most eigenvalue of a Gaussian random matrix and relaxation is generically slowed down. In backgrounds whose anisotropy is comparable to the disorder strength, level attraction is most effective by merging the slowest mode with its neighbour into an oscillating complex-conjugate pair. In this case, relaxation becomes faster on average once the random forces are sufficiently non-conservative. Our results draw a nuanced picture of how disorder affects the asymptotic relaxation speed in complex systems and uncover general mechanisms that are likely to apply beyond the current setting.