arXiv subjects

Olexei I. Motrunich

Publications and source records attributed to Olexei I. Motrunich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Charge Transport Capacity as a Probe of Resonances in Models of Many-Body Localization

The fate of Many-Body Localization (MBL) in the thermodynamic limit remains elusive, partly because numerical studies suffer from unexplained finite-size effects. We introduce and numerically study the charge transport capacity (CTC) -- a quantity that upper bounds the number of particles that can ever be transported across a central cut of a 1D lattice. For ergodic systems, the CTC is linear with the system size $L$, while we expect it to be $O(1)$ for localized models. Surprisingly, in the interacting Anderson model for numerically accessible $L$, the disorder-averaged CTC is small, but grows with $L$ at an increasing rate. Moreover, this growth rate appears to be independent of the disorder strength $W$ at very large $W$. We find that, for these system sizes, this growth occurs because, as $L$ increases, many-body resonances that transport more charge across the cut become more likely. Using a perturbative model for the weakly interacting regime, we provide an understanding of the microscopic origins of the growth of these charge transport resonances (CTRs). We find that the CTRs are sensitive to charge configurations over a spatial region whose size is set by the range of the resonance, not by $W$, and that numerics cannot access system sizes where their behavior will converge. However, this effective model is consistent with a regime of strong disorder where, for large $L$, resonances are exponentially suppressed in their size. Finally, we study measures of average charge transport and suggest that for strong enough disorder, average product states can only transfer $O(1)$ charge. Our work suggests that the unsettled growth of short-ranged many-body resonances with $L$ contributes to the numerical drift towards thermalization at numerically accessible system sizes, and provides an understanding of how they can remain controlled or eventually destabilize the MBL phase.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2026

Distinct Types of Parent Hamiltonians for Quantum States: Insights from the $W$ State as a Quantum Many-Body Scar

The construction of parent Hamiltonians that possess a given state as their ground state is a well-studied problem. In this work, we generalize this notion by considering simple quantum states and examining the local Hamiltonians that have these states as exact eigenstates. These states often correspond to Quantum Many-Body Scars (QMBS) of their respective parent Hamiltonians. Motivated by earlier works on Hamiltonians with QMBS, in this work we formalize the differences between three distinct types of parent Hamiltonians, which differ in their decompositions into strictly local terms with the same eigenstates. We illustrate this classification using the $W$ state as the primary example, for which we rigorously derive the complete set of local parent Hamiltonians, which also allows us to establish general results such as the existence of asymptotic QMBS, and distinct dynamical signatures associated with the different parent Hamiltonian types. Finally, we derive more general results on the parent Hamiltonian types that allow us to obtain some immediate results for simple quantum states such as product states, where only a single type exists, and for short-range-entangled states, for which we identify constraints on the admissible types. Altogether, our work opens the door to classifying the rich structures and dynamical properties of parent Hamiltonians that arise from the interplay between locality and QMBS.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Weak integrability breaking perturbations in classical integrable models on the lattice

We show how to systematically construct weak integrability breaking perturbations (WIBs) for classical integrable models on the lattice. These perturbations, which allow quasi-conserved quantities, have mostly been explored in quantum systems, where they are expected to delay the onset of thermalization and diffusive transport to timescales far exceeding those predicted by Fermi's golden rule. However, accessing such long-time dynamics in quantum models is computationally challenging. Classical integrable lattice models offer a complementary setting for probing transport and long-time dynamics under WIBs. In this work, we specialize our general framework to construct several families of WIBs for the Ishimori model, the Toda chain, and the Harmonic Oscillator Chain (HOC). Such constructions can help quantify how WIBs contribute to anomalous transport and serve as a benchmark for thermalization studies in perturbed integrable models. An important example is the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou (FPUT) model: Starting from the HOC, we show that the cubic nonlinearity (the alpha-FPUT interaction) is a genuine WIB perturbation. Using the integrals of motion (IoMs) of the Toda lattice, we explicitly construct corrections to the entire hierarchy of the HOC IoMs, thereby obtaining an infinite tower of quasi-conserved quantities for the alpha-FPUT chain. We further identify the corresponding adiabatic gauge potential (AGP) as a nontrivial trilocal generator in real space, and show that, more generally, any cubic, translationally invariant, momentum-conserving perturbation of the HOC admits such a generator and is therefore a WIB. Together with our transport and AGP-variance studies, our results provide a unified classical framework for weak integrability breaking and for diagnosing anomalous thermalization and transport in nearly integrable Hamiltonian lattice systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Strong Zero Modes via Commutant Algebras

Strong Zero Modes (SZMs) are (approximately) conserved quantities that result in (approximate) double degeneracies in the entire spectra of certain Hamiltonians, with the Majorana zero mode of the transverse-field Ising chain being a primary example. In this work, we discover via a systematic search that many examples of SZMs can be understood as symmetries in the commutant algebra framework, which reveals novel algebraic structures hidden in Hamiltonians with well-known SZMs, including the transverse-field Ising chain. Our findings unify the understanding of different examples of SZMs in the literature, demystify their connections to ground state phases of matter, and reveal novel symmetries in simple models, such as exact quasilocal $U(1)$ symmetries that sometimes accompany the SZMs such as in the spin-1/2 XY model for certain parameter values. Moreover, while analytically tractable SZMs have mostly been demonstrated only for non-interacting or integrable models, the algebraic structures revealed in this work can be exploited to construct integrability-breaking interactions that exactly preserve these SZMs. Such non-integrable models are expected to show more clear dynamical signatures of SZMs without the interference of other conserved quantities that appear in integrable models, and we discuss many examples, including those of novel hydrodynamic modes associated with such symmetries for some special parameter values. We also show that while this commutant understanding extends to the non-interacting limit of the celebrated Fendley SZM in the spin-1/2 XYZ chain, the SZM in the interacting case cannot be understood in this framework. This suggests that there are two types of SZMs -- those that survive integrability breaking and those that do not. We close by using this commutant understanding to construct an alternate proof of the Fendley SZM, which might be of independent interest.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Locality forces equal energy spacing of quantum many-body scar towers

Quantum many-body scars are non-thermal eigenstates embedded in the spectra of otherwise non-integrable Hamiltonians. Paradigmatic examples often appear as quasiparticle towers of states, such as the maximally ferromagnetic spin-1/2 states, also known as Dicke states. A distinguishing feature of quantum many-body scars is that they admit multiple local "parent" Hamiltonians for which they are exact eigenstates. In this work, we show that the locality of such parent Hamiltonians strongly constrains the relative placement of these states within the energy spectrum. In particular, we prove that if the full set of Dicke states are exact eigenstates of an extensive local Hamiltonian, then their energies must necessarily be equally spaced. Our proof builds on recent results concerning parent Hamiltonians of the $W$ state, together with general algebraic structures underlying such quasiparticle towers. We further demonstrate that this equal spacing property extends to local Hamiltonians defined on arbitrary bounded-degree graphs, including regular lattices in any spatial dimension and expander graphs. Hamiltonians with $k$-local interactions and a bounded number of interaction terms per site are also encompassed by our proof. On the same classes of graphs, we additionally establish equal spacing for towers constructed from multi-site quasiparticles on top of product states. For the towers considered here, an immediate corollary of the equal spacing property is that any state initialized entirely within the quantum many-body scar manifold exhibits completely frozen entanglement dynamics under any local Hamiltonian for which those scars are exact eigenstates. Overall, our results reveal a stringent interplay between locality and the structure of quantum many-body scars.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quasiconservation Laws and Suppressed Transport in Weakly Interacting Localized Models

The stability of localization in the presence of interactions remains an open problem, with finite-size effects posing significant challenges to numerical studies. In this work, we investigate the perturbative stability of noninteracting localization under weak interactions, which allows us to analyze much larger system sizes. Focusing on disordered Anderson and quasiperiodic Aubry-André models in one dimension, and using the adiabatic gauge potential (AGP) at first order in perturbation theory, we compute first-order corrections to noninteracting local integrals of motion (LIOMs). We find that for at least an $O(1)$ fraction of the LIOMs, the corrections are well-controlled and converge at large system sizes, while others suffer from resonances. Additionally, we introduce and study the charge-transport capacity of this weakly interacting model. To first order, we find that the charge transport capacity remains bounded in the presence of interactions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that localization is perturbatively stable to weak interactions at first order, implying that, at the very least, localization persists for parametrically long times in the inverse interaction strength. We expect this perturbative stability to extend to all orders at sufficiently strong disorder, where the localization length is short, representing the true localized phase. Conversely, our findings suggest that the previously proposed interaction-induced avalanche instability, namely in the weakly localized regime of the Anderson and Aubry-André models, is a more subtle phenomenon arising only at higher orders in perturbation theory or through nonperturbative effects.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Many exact area-law scar eigenstates in the nonintegrable PXP and related models

In this work, we present new, highly non-trivial area-law exact zero-energy eigenstates of the one-dimensional (1D) PXP and related models. We formulate sufficient conditions for a matrix product state to represent an exact zero-energy eigenstate of a given 1D kinetically constrained model and use them to prove our new states. We also demonstrate that all previously known exact eigenstates of PXP-type models satisfy these conditions, and, in fact, can be directly deduced from them. We discuss and demonstrate a remarkably effective general numerical technique for discovering finite-bond-dimension eigenstates residing in degenerate subspaces of a broad class of Hamiltonians. Our results highlight a previously unrecognized structure characteristic of the exponentially large nullspaces in kinetically constrained models, suggesting the possibly of extensively many increasingly complex area-law zero-energy eigenstates in the thermodynamic limit. The important implications of these emergent exact eigenstates for the general thermalization phenomenology are exemplified by one of the states introduced in this work, which we propose is a member of the primary $\mathbb{Z}_2$ quantum many-body scar tower responsible for long-lived revivals in the Rydberg atom chain experiment.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Volume-entangled exact scar states in the PXP and related models in any dimension

In this Letter, we report first exact volume-entangled Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen--type scar states hosted by PXP and related Hamiltonians corresponding to various geometric configurations of Rydberg-blockaded atom systems, including the most extensively studied ones such as the chain with periodic boundary conditions (PBCs) and square lattice. We start by introducing a new zero-energy eigenstate of the PBC chain and proceed by generalizing it to a wide variety of geometries and Hamiltonians. We point out the potential experimental relevance of our states by providing a protocol for their preparation on near-term Rydberg quantum devices, which relies only on strictly local measurements and evolution under native Hamiltonians. We also demonstrate the utility of these states for the study of quantum dynamics by describing a protocol for measuring infinite-temperature out-of-time-order correlator functions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Exhaustive Characterization of Quantum Many-Body Scars using Commutant Algebras

We study Quantum Many-Body Scars (QMBS) in the language of commutant algebras, which are defined as symmetry algebras of families of local Hamiltonians. This framework explains the origin of dynamically disconnected subspaces seen in models with exact QMBS, i.e., the large "thermal" subspace and the small "non-thermal" subspace, which are attributed to the existence of unconventional non-local conserved quantities in the commutant; hence this unifies the study of conventional symmetries and weak ergodicity breaking phenomena into a single framework. Furthermore, this language enables us to use the von Neumann Double Commutant Theorem (DCT) to formally write down the exhaustive algebra of all Hamiltonians with a desired set of QMBS, which demonstrates that QMBS survive under large classes of local perturbations. We illustrate this using several standard examples of QMBS, including the spin-1/2 ferromagnetic, AKLT, spin-1 XY $π$-bimagnon, and the electronic $η$-pairing towers of states; and in each of these cases we explicitly write down a set of generators for the full algebra of Hamiltonians with these QMBS.Understanding this hidden structure in QMBS Hamiltonians also allows us to recover results of previous "brute-force" numerical searches for such Hamiltonians. In addition, this language clearly demonstrates the equivalence of several unified formalisms for QMBS proposed in the literature, and also illustrates the connection between two apparently distinct classes of QMBS Hamiltonians -- those that are captured by the so-called Shiraishi-Mori construction, and those that lie beyond. Finally, we show that this framework motivates a precise definition for QMBS that automatically implies that they violate the conventional Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH), and we discuss its implications to dynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Symmetries as Ground States of Local Superoperators: Hydrodynamic Implications

Symmetry algebras of quantum many-body systems with locality can be understood using commutant algebras, which are defined as algebras of operators that commute with a given set of local operators. In this work, we show that these symmetry algebras can be expressed as frustration-free ground states of a local superoperator, which we refer to as a ``super-Hamiltonian". We demonstrate this for conventional symmetries such as $Z_2$, $U(1)$, and $SU(2)$, where the symmetry algebras map to various kinds of ferromagnetic ground states, as well as for unconventional ones that lead to weak ergodicity breaking phenomena of Hilbert space fragmentation and quantum many-body scars. In addition, we show that the low-energy excitations of this super-Hamiltonian can be understood as approximate symmetries, which in turn are related to slowly relaxing hydrodynamic modes in symmetric systems. This connection is made precise by relating the super-Hamiltonian to the superoperator that governs the operator relaxation in noisy symmetric Brownian circuits, and this physical interpretation also provides a novel interpretation for Mazur bounds for autocorrelation functions. We find examples of gapped/gapless super-Hamiltonians indicating the absence/presence of slow-modes, which happens in the presence of discrete/continuous symmetries. In the gapless cases, we recover hydrodynamic modes such as diffusion, tracer diffusion, and asymptotic scars in the presence of $U(1)$ symmetry, Hilbert space fragmentation, and a tower of quantum scars respectively. In all, this demonstrates the power of the commutant algebra framework in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of exact symmetries, and associated approximate symmetries and hydrodynamic modes, and their dynamical consequences in systems with locality.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Edge states of 2D time-reversal-invariant topological superconductors with strong interactions and disorder: A view from the lattice

Two-dimensional time-reversal-invariant topological superconductors host helical Majorana fermions at their boundary. We study the fate of these edge states under the combined influence of strong interactions and disorder, using the effective 1D lattice model for the edge introduced by Jones and Metlitski [Phys. Rev. B 104, 245130 (2021)]. We specifically develop a strong-disorder renormalization group analysis of the lattice model and identify a regime in which time-reversal is broken spontaneously, creating random magnetic domains; Majorana fermions localize to domain walls and form an infinite-randomness fixed point, identical to that appearing in the random transverse-field Ising model. While this infinite-randomness fixed point describes a fine-tuned critical point in a purely 1D system, in our edge context there is no obvious time-reversal-preserving perturbation that destabilizes the fixed point. Our analysis thus suggests that the infinite-randomness fixed point emerges as a stable phase on the edge of 2D topological superconductors when strong disorder and interactions are present.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

From Symmetries to Commutant Algebras in Standard Hamiltonians

In this work, we revisit several families of standard Hamiltonians that appear in the literature and discuss their symmetries and conserved quantities in the language of commutant algebras. In particular, we start with families of Hamiltonians defined by parts that are local, and study the algebra of operators that separately commute with each part. The families of models we discuss include the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model and its deformations, several types of spinless and spinful free-fermion models, and the Hubbard model. This language enables a decomposition of the Hilbert space into dynamically disconnected sectors that reduce to the conventional quantum number sectors for regular symmetries. In addition, we find examples of non-standard conserved quantities even in some simple cases, which demonstrates the need to enlarge the usual definitions of symmetries and conserved quantities. In the case of free-fermion models, this decomposition is related to the decompositions of Hilbert space via irreducible representations of certain Lie groups proposed in earlier works, while the algebra perspective applies more broadly, in particular also to arbitrary interacting models. Further, the von Neumann Double Commutant Theorem (DCT) enables a systematic construction of local operators with a given symmetry or commutant algebra, potentially eliminating the need for "brute-force" numerical searches carried out in the literature, and we show examples of such applications of the DCT. This paper paves the way for both systematic construction of families of models with exact scars and characterization of such families in terms of non-standard symmetries, pursued in a parallel paper.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Numerical Methods for Detecting Symmetries and Commutant Algebras

For families of Hamiltonians defined by parts that are local, the most general definition of a symmetry algebra is the commutant algebra, i.e., the algebra of operators that commute with each local part. Thinking about symmetry algebras as commutant algebras allows for the treatment of conventional symmetries and unconventional symmetries (e.g., those responsible for weak ergodicity breaking phenomena) on equal algebraic footing. In this work, we discuss two methods for numerically constructing this commutant algebra starting from a family of Hamiltonians. First, we use the equivalence of this problem to that of simultaneous block-diagonalization of a given set of local operators, and discuss a probabilistic method that has been found to work with probability 1 for both Abelian and non-Abelian symmetries or commutant algebras. Second, we map this problem onto the problem of determining frustration-free ground states of certain Hamiltonians, and we use ideas from tensor network algorithms to efficiently solve this problem in one dimension. These numerical methods are useful in detecting standard and non-standard conserved quantities in families of Hamiltonians, which includes examples of regular symmetries, Hilbert space fragmentation, and quantum many-body scars, and we show many such examples. In addition, they are necessary for verifying several conjectures on the structure of the commutant algebras in these cases, which we have put forward in earlier works. Finally, we also discuss similar methods for the inverse problem of determining local operators with a given symmetry or commutant algebra, which connects to existing methods in the literature. A special case of this construction reduces to well-known ``Eigenstate to Hamiltonian" methods for constructing Hermitian local operators that have a given state as an eigenstate.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Infinite randomness with continuously varying critical exponents in the random XYZ spin chain

We study the antiferromagnetic XYZ spin chain with quenched bond randomness, focusing on a critical line between localized Ising magnetic phases. A previous calculation using the spectrum-bifurcation renormalization group, and assuming marginal many-body localization, proposed that critical indices vary continuously. In this work we solve the low-energy physics using an unbiased numerically exact tensor network method named the "rigorous renormalization group." We find a line of fixed points consistent with infinite-randomness phenomenology, with indeed continuously varying critical exponents for average spin correlations. A self-consistent Hartree-Fock-type treatment of the $z$ couplings as interactions added to the free-fermion random XY model captures much of the important physics including the varying exponents; we provide an understanding of this as a result of local correlation induced between the mean-field couplings. We solve the problem of the locally-correlated XY spin chain with arbitrary degree of correlation and provide analytical strong-disorder renormalization group proofs of continuously varying exponents based on an associated classical random walk problem. This is also an example of a line of fixed points with continuously varying exponents in the equivalent disordered free-fermion chain. We argue that this line of fixed points also controls an extended region of the critical interacting XYZ spin chain.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2021

Hilbert Space Fragmentation and Commutant Algebras

We study the phenomenon of Hilbert space fragmentation in isolated Hamiltonian and Floquet quantum systems using the language of commutant algebras, the algebra of all operators that commute with each term of the Hamiltonian or each gate of the circuit. We provide a precise definition of Hilbert space fragmentation in this formalism as the case where the dimension of the commutant algebra grows exponentially with the system size. Fragmentation can hence be distinguished from systems with conventional symmetries such as $U(1)$ or $SU(2)$, where the dimension of the commutant algebra grows polynomially with the system size. Further, the commutant algebra language also helps distinguish between "classical" and "quantum" Hilbert space fragmentation, where the former refers to fragmentation in the product state basis. We explicitly construct the commutant algebra in several systems exhibiting classical fragmentation, including the $t-J_z$ model and the spin-1 dipole-conserving model, and we illustrate the connection to previously-studied "Statistically Localized Integrals of Motion" (SLIOMs). We also revisit the Temperley-Lieb spin chains, including the spin-1 biquadratic chain widely studied in the literature, and show that they exhibit quantum Hilbert space fragmentation. Finally, we study the contribution of the full commutant algebra to the Mazur bounds in various cases. In fragmented systems, we use expressions for the commutant to analytically obtain new or improved Mazur bounds for autocorrelation functions of local operators that agree with previous numerical results. In addition, we are able to rigorously show the localization of the on-site spin operator in the spin-1 dipole-conserving model.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

One-dimensional model for deconfined criticality with $\mathbb{Z}_3 \times \mathbb{Z}_3$ symmetry

We continue recent efforts to discover examples of deconfined quantum criticality in one-dimensional models. In this work we investigate the transition between a $\mathbb{Z}_3$ ferromagnet and a phase with valence bond solid (VBS) order in a spin chain with $\mathbb{Z}_3\times\mathbb{Z}_3$ global symmetry. We study a model with alternating projective representations on the sites of the two sublattices, allowing the Hamiltonian to connect to an exactly solvable point having VBS order with the character of SU(3)-invariant singlets. Such a model does not admit a Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem typical of systems realizing deconfined critical points. Nevertheless, we find evidence for a direct transition from the VBS phase to a $\mathbb{Z}_3$ ferromagnet. Finite-entanglement scaling data are consistent with a second-order or weakly first-order transition. We find in our parameter space an integrable lattice model apparently describing the phase transition, with a very long, finite, correlation length of 190878 lattice spacings. Based on exact results for this model, we propose that the transition is extremely weakly first order, and is part of a family of DQCP described by walking of renormalization group flows.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Slow Thermalization of Exact Quantum Many-Body Scar States Under Perturbations

Quantum many-body scar states are exceptional finite energy density eigenstates in an otherwise thermalizing system that do not satisfy the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. We investigate the fate of exact many-body scar states under perturbations. At small system sizes, deformed scar states described by perturbation theory survive. However, we argue for their eventual thermalization in the thermodynamic limit from the finite-size scaling of the off-diagonal matrix elements. Nevertheless, we show numerically and analytically that the nonthermal properties of the scars survive for a parametrically long time in quench experiments. We present a rigorous argument that lower-bounds the thermalization time for any scar state as $t^{*} \sim O(λ^{-1/(1+d)})$, where $d$ is the spatial dimension of the system and $λ$ is the perturbation strength.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Eta-pairing states as true scars in an extended Hubbard Model

The eta-pairing states are a set of exactly known eigenstates of the Hubbard model on hypercubic lattices, first discovered by Yang [Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 2144 (1989)]. These states are not many-body scar states in the Hubbard model because they occupy unique symmetry sectors defined by the so-called "eta-pairing SU(2)" symmetry. We study an extended Hubbard model with bond-charge interactions, popularized by Hirsch [Physica C 158, 326 (1989)], where the eta-pairing states survive without the eta-pairing symmetry and become true scar states. We also discuss similarities between the eta-pairing states and exact scar towers in the spin-1 XY model found by Schecter and Iadecola [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 147201 (2019)], and systematically arrive at all nearest-neighbor terms that preserve such scar towers in 1D. We also generalize these terms to arbitrary bipartite lattices. Our study of the spin-1 XY model also leads us to several new scarred models, including a spin-1/2 $J_1-J_2$ model with Dzyaloshinkskii-Moriya interaction, in realistic quantum magnet settings in 1D and 2D.

cond-mat.str-el↗