arXiv subjects

Lev Vidmar

Publications and source records attributed to Lev Vidmar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Many-body ergodicity breaking from wavefunction snapshots

Modern quantum experiments can probe many-body wavefunctions through projective measurements, providing snapshots of individual many-body configurations. A fundamental question is whether the intrinsic structure of their measurement distributions can reveal quantum dynamics beyond predefined observables. Here, we address this question at the many-body ergodicity-breaking transition using two complementary characteristics of nonequilibrium wavefunction snapshots: their binary intrinsic dimension (BID) and the topology of wavefunction networks constructed from Hamming distances. We show that the critical point is characterized by an extensive but submaximal BID, and scale-free network connectivity with highly connected hubs. These signatures distinguish the ergodic, critical, and nonergodic regimes, and provide experimentally accessible probes of ergodicity breaking from projective measurement snapshots.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Two-Parameter Ansatz for the Violation of Eigenstate Thermalization

The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) provides the prevailing framework for understanding quantum thermalization and ergodicity in isolated many-body systems. Yet, no general theory describes the continuous onset of ETH violation between the conventional ETH and its complete breakdown. Here, we introduce a two-parameter ansatz for the ETH violation that unifies and distinguishes two mechanisms: fading ergodicity and trapped ergodicity. While fading ergodicity captures the established route to ergodicity breaking, trapped ergodicity describes a distinct scenario in which ETH is violated in finite systems but restored in the thermodynamic limit. We test this framework in the spin-1/2 $J_1$-$J_2$ chains with on-site disorder and linear potential. In both cases, we find that the observed ETH violation is consistent with trapped ergodicity.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Information Compression at Criticality

Highly excited quantum states at the critical boundary of ergodicity are known to deviate from thermal behavior, yet their dynamical properties remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover the complexity of quantum dynamics at criticality through the lens of intrinsic information compression in energy space. We show that the Hamiltonian spectrum can be systematically truncated, yielding a simplified description of the dynamics while preserving its essential features. Specifically, for both interacting and noninteracting systems, we demonstrate that a vanishing fraction of Hamiltonian eigenlevels suffices to reproduce the power-law decay of the survival probability. The resulting truncated spectrum exhibits a fractal structure characterized by a level-spacing distribution with a power-law tail, while its spectral form factor displays the same asymptotic power-law decay as the survival probability.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

One-Body Purity, Non-Gaussianity, and Entanglement in Interacting Integrable Models

When describing entanglement in typical midspectrum eigenstates of many-body lattice Hamiltonians, two paradigms have emerged that capture the behavior observed in integrable and nonintegrable systems, Haar-random fermionic Gaussian states and Haar-random pure states, respectively. Remarkably, the former capture the behavior of interacting integrable systems, whose eigenstates are non-Gaussian. We argue that the paradigm that captures both the entanglement properties and the lack of Gaussianity in integrable systems is that of random superpositions of polynomially many Gaussian states. In contrast, eigenstates of nonintegrable systems are consistent with being described by random superpositions of exponentially many Gaussian states. We gain this understanding by comparing analytical and numerical results for the one-body purity, the non-Gaussianity, and the entanglement entropy of the random superpositions and the Hamiltonian eigenstates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Sensitivity to perturbations in the three-dimensional Anderson model

We investigate the fidelity susceptibility, which quantifies the sensitivity of single-particle eigenstates to perturbations, in the three-dimensional Anderson model. As a function of disorder strength $W$, it exhibits two distinct peaks. The first peak signals a crossover at weak disorder strength from plane-wave states to single-particle quantum chaos, and its position shifts toward $W\to 0$ in the thermodynamic limit. The second peak emerges, to high numerical accuracy, at the critical disorder strength associated with the Anderson localization transition. We further show that the divergence of the first peak is maximal, scaling as the square of the inverse frequency cutoff, whereas the divergence of the second peak is submaximal. We relate the latter suppression to the fractal structure of single-particle eigenstates at criticality. We discuss two distinct scenarios that give rise to the peaks in the fidelity susceptibilities. Moreover, studying the scaling of typical fidelity susceptibilities above the Anderson transition, we find evidence of two distinct regimes of nonergodic behavior.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2026

Computing eigenpairs of quantum many-body systems with Polfed.jl

We present Polfed$.$jl, an open-source Julia package implementing the Polynomially Filtered Exact Diagonalization (POLFED) algorithm for computing mid-spectrum eigenvalues and eigenvectors (shortly, eigenpairs) of quantum many-body Hamiltonians. Access to such eigenpairs is essential for studying non-equilibrium many-body physics, but is hindered by the exponential growth of Hilbert-space dimension. POLFED addresses this challenge through a polynomial spectral transformation evaluated on the fly within a Lanczos iteration, preserving Hamiltonian sparsity and substantially reducing memory costs compared to other diagonalization methods. The package supports flexible energy targeting, automatic optimization of the spectral mapping for structured Hamiltonians, and GPU acceleration, which is particularly effective since the dominant computational cost reduces to repeated sparse matrix-vector multiplications. Benchmarks on disordered spin-chain and fermionic models demonstrate access to larger system sizes than alternative approaches, and CPU--GPU comparisons confirm significant speedups. In particular, we also provide code for constructing the quantum sun model Hamiltonian, a toy model of a many-body ergodicity-breaking transition. While our focus is on many-body Hamiltonians, Polfed$.$jl may be applied to any large sparse matrix.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Fading ergodicity and quantum dynamics in random matrix ensembles

Recent work has proposed fading ergodicity as a mechanism for many-body ergodicity breaking. Here, we show that two paradigmatic random matrix ensembles -- the Rosenzweig-Porter model and the ultrametric model -- fall within the same universality class of ergodicity breaking when embedded in a many-body Hilbert space of spins-1/2. By calibrating the parameters of both models via their Thouless times, we demonstrate that the matrix elements of local observables display similar statistical properties, allowing us to identify the fractal phase of the Rosenzweig-Porter model with the fading-ergodicity regime. This correspondence is further supported through the analyses of quantum-quench dynamics of local observables, their temporal fluctuations and power spectra, and survival probabilities. Our findings reveal that local observables thermalize within the fading-ergodicity regime on timescales shorter than the Heisenberg time, thus providing a unified framework for understanding ergodicity breaking across these distinct models.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Destructive Interference induced constraints in Floquet systems

We introduce the paradigm of destructive many-body interference between quantum trajectories as a means to systematically generate prethermal kinetically constrained dynamics in Floquet systems driven at special frequencies. Depending on the processes that are suppressed by interference, the constraint may or may not be associated with an emergent global conservation; the latter kind having no mechanism of generation in time-independent settings. As an example, we construct an one-dimensional interacting spin model exhibiting strong Hilbert space fragmentation with and without dipole moment conservation, depending on the drive frequency. By probing the spatiotemporal profile of the out-of-time-ordered correlator, we show that this model, in particular, has initial states in which quantum information can be spatially localized - a useful feature in the field of quantum technologies. Our paradigm unifies various types of Hilbert space fragmentation that can be realized in driven systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

False signatures of non-ergodic behavior in disordered quantum many-body systems

Ergodic isolated quantum many-body systems satisfy the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), i.e., the expectation values of local observables in the system's eigenstates approach the predictions of the microcanonical ensemble. However, the ETH does not specify what happens to expectation values of local observables within an energy window when the average over disorder realizations is taken. As a result, the expectation values of local observables can be distributed over a relatively wide interval and may exhibit nontrivial structure, as shown in [Phys. Rev. B \textbf{104}, 214201 (2021)] for a quasiperiodic disordered system for site-resolved magnetization. We argue that the non-Gaussian form of this distribution may \textit{falsely} suggest non-ergodicity and a breakdown of ETH. By considering various types of disorder, we find that the functional forms of the distributions of matrix elements of the site-resolved magnetization operator mirror the distribution of the onsite disorder. We argue that this distribution is a direct consequence of the local observable having a finite overlap with moments of the Hamiltonian. We then demonstrate how to adjust the energy window when analyzing expectation values of local observables in disordered quantum many-body systems to correctly assess the system's adherence to ETH, and provide a link between the distribution of expectation values in eigenstates and the outcomes of quench experiments.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2025

Universal Relation between Spectral and Wavefunction Properties at Criticality

Quantum-chaotic systems exhibit several universal properties, ranging from level repulsion in the energy spectrum to wavefunction delocalization. On the other hand, if wavefunctions are localized, the levels exhibit no level repulsion and their statistics is Poisson. At the boundary between quantum chaos and localization, however, one observes critical behavior, not complying with any of those characteristics. An outstanding open question is whether there exist yet another type of universality, which is genuine for the critical point. Previous work suggested that there may exist a relation between the global characteristics of energy spectrum, such as spectral compressibility $\chi$, and the degree of wavefunction delocalization, expressed via the fractal dimension $D_1$ of the Shannon--von Neumann entropy in a preferred (e.g., real-space) basis. Here we study physical systems subject to local and non-local hopping, both with and without time-reversal symmetry, with the Anderson models in dimensions three to five being representatives of the first class, and the banded random matrices as representatives of the second class. Our thorough numerical analysis supports validity of the simple relation $\chi + D_1 = 1$ in all systems under investigation. Hence we conjecture that it represents a universal property of a broad class of critical models. Moreover, we test and confirm the accuracy of our surmise for a closed-form expression of the spectral compressibility in the one-parameter critical manifold of random banded matrices. Based on these findings we derive a universal function $D_{1}(r)$, where $r$ is the averaged level spacing ratio, which is valid for a broad class of critical systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Critical Dynamics in Short-Range Quadratic Hamiltonians

We investigate critical transport and the dynamical exponent through the spreading of an initially localized particle in quadratic Hamiltonians with short-range hopping in lattice dimension $d_l$. We consider critical dynamics that emerges when the Thouless time, i.e., the saturation time of the mean-squared displacement, approaches the typical Heisenberg time. We establish a relation, $z=d_l/d_s$, linking the critical dynamical exponent $z$ to $d_l$ and to the spectral fractal dimension $d_s$. This result has notable implications: it says that superdiffusive transport in $d_l\geq 2$ and diffusive transport in $d_l\geq 3$ cannot be critical in the sense defined above. Our findings clarify previous results on disordered and quasiperiodic models and, through Fibonacci potential models in two and three dimensions, provide non-trivial examples of critical dynamics in systems with $d_l\neq1$ and $d_s\neq1$.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Fading ergodicity meets maximal chaos

Fading ergodicity provides a theoretical framework for understanding deviations from the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) near ergodicity-breaking transitions. In this work, we demonstrate that the breakdown of the ETH at the interaction-driven ergodicity-breaking critical point in the quantum sun model gives rise to to the maximally divergent fidelity susceptibility. We further extend our analysis to the energy-driven ergodicity-breaking transition associated with the many-body mobility edge. Specifically, we show that fidelity susceptibilities at energies away from the middle of the spectrum exhibit a divergent peak near the mobility edge. Finally, we argue that fading ergodicity provides a simple and accurate description of the ETH breakdown in the quantum sun model, which is accompanied with the emergence of a peak in fidelity susceptibility and the onset of maximal chaos at the ergodicity-breaking critical point.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Scaling theory of fading ergodicity

In most noninteracting quantum systems, the scaling theory of localization predicts one-parameter scaling flow in both ergodic and localized regimes. On the other hand, it is expected that the one-parameter scaling hypothesis breaks down for interacting systems that exhibit the many-body ergodicity breaking transition. Here we introduce a scaling theory of fading ergodicity, which is a precursor regime of many-body ergodicity breaking. We argue that the two-parameter scaling governs the entire ergodic regime; however, (i) it evolves into the one-parameter scaling at the ergodicity breaking critical point with the critical exponent $\nu=1$, and (ii) it gives rise to the resilient one-parameter scaling close to the ETH point. Our theoretical framework may serve as a building block for two-parameter scaling theories of many-body systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Exact spectral form factors of non-interacting fermions with Dyson statistics

The spectral form factor (SFF) is a powerful diagnostic of random matrix behavior in quantum many-body systems. We introduce a family of random circuit ensembles whose SFFs can be computed \textit{exactly}. These ensembles describe the evolution of non-interacting fermions in the presence of correlated on-site potentials drawn from the eigenvalue distribution of a circular ensemble. For disorder parameters drawn from the circular unitary ensemble (CUE), we derive an exact closed form for the SFF, valid for any choice of system size $L$ and integer time $t$. When the disorder is drawn from the circular orthogonal or symplectic ensembles (COE and CSE, respectively), we carry out the disorder averages analytically and reduce the computation of the SFF at integer times to a combinatorial problem amenable to transfer matrix methods. In each of these cases the SFF grows exponentially in time, which we argue is a signature of random matrix universality at the single-particle level. Finally, we develop matchgate circuit representations of our circuit ensembles, enabling their experimental realization in quantum simulators.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Single-Particle Universality of the Many-Body Spectral Form Factor

We consider systems of fermions evolved by non-interacting unitary circuits with correlated on-site potentials. When these potentials are drawn from the eigenvalue distribution of a circular random matrix ensemble, the single-particle sector exhibits chaotic dynamics. We study the corresponding many-body spectral statistics and show that the spectral form factor (SFF) can be computed \textit{exactly}. Due to the absence of interactions the SFF grows exponentially in time, a result which we demonstrate through simple arguments, scaling collapses, and closed-form evaluation of the SFF. We study the role of interactions by numerically analyzing a kicked Ising model and find that the SFF crosses over to a linear growth regime consistent with many-body random matrix universality. Our exact results for the SFF provide a baseline for future studies of the crossover between single-particle and many-body random matrix behavior.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Localization transitions in quadratic systems without quantum chaos

Transitions from delocalized to localized eigenstates have been extensively studied in both quadratic and interacting models. The delocalized regime typically exhibits diffusion and quantum chaos, and its properties comply with the random matrix theory (RMT) predictions. However, it is also known that in certain quadratic models, the delocalization in position space is not accompanied by the single-particle quantum chaos. Here, we study the one-dimensional Anderson and Wannier-Stark models that exhibit eigenstate transitions from localization in quasimomentum space (supporting ballistic transport) to localization in position space (with no transport) in a nonstandard thermodynamic limit, which assumes rescaling the model parameters with the system size. We show that the transition point may exhibit an unconventional character of Janus type, i.e., some measures hint at the RMT-like universality emerging at the transition point, while others depart from it. For example, the eigenstate entanglement entropies may exhibit, depending on the bipartition, a volume-law behavior that either approaches the value of Haar-random Gaussian states, or converges to a lower, non-universal value. Our results hint at rich diversity of volume-law eigenstate entanglement entropies in quadratic systems that are not maximally entangled.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Fading ergodicity

Eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) represents a breakthrough in many-body physics since it allows to link thermalization of physical observables with the applicability of random matrix theory (RMT). Recent years were also extremely fruitful in exploring possible counterexamples to thermalization, ranging, among others, from integrability, single-particle chaos, many-body localization, many-body scars, to Hilbert-space fragmentation. In all these cases the conventional ETH is violated. However, it remains elusive how the conventional ETH breaks down when one approaches the boundaries of ergodicity, and whether the range of validity of the conventional ETH coincides with the validity of RMT-like spectral statistics. Here we bridge this gap and we introduce a scenario of the ETH breakdown in many-body quantum systems, dubbed fading ergodicity regime, which establishes a link between the conventional ETH and non-ergodic behavior. We conjecture this scenario to be relevant for the description of finite many-body systems at the boundaries of ergodicity, and we provide numerical and analytical arguments for its validity in the quantum sun model of ergodicity breaking phase transition. For the latter, we provide evidence that the breakdown of the conventional ETH is not associated with the breakdown of the RMT-like spectral statistics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Survival Probability, Particle Imbalance, and Their Relationship in Quadratic Models

We argue that the dynamics of particle imbalance in quadratic fermionic models is, for the majority of initial many-body product states in site occupation basis, virtually indistinguishable from the dynamics of survival probabilities of single-particle states. We then generalize our statement to a similar relationship between the non-equal time and space density correlation functions in many-body states and the transition probabilities of single-particle states at nonzero distances. Finally, we study the equal time connected density-density correlation functions in many-body states, which exhibit certain qualitative analogies with the survival and transition probabilities of single-particle states. Our results are numerically tested for two paradigmatic models of single-particle localization: the 3D Anderson model and the 1D Aubry-Andr\'e model. This work gives affirmative answer to the question whether it is possible to measure features of the single-particle survival and transition probabilities by the dynamics of observables in many-body states.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗