Jeyaretnam, J., Bhore, T. orcid.org/0000-0002-9304-7144, Osborne, J.J. et al. (2 more authors) (2025) Hilbert space fragmentation at the origin of disorder-free localization in the lattice Schwinger model. Communications Physics, 8. 172. ISSN 2399-3650
Abstract
Lattice gauge theories, the discrete counterparts of continuum gauge theories, provide a rich framework for studying non-equilibrium quantum dynamics. Recent studies suggest disorder-free localization in the lattice Schwinger model, but its origin remains unclear. Using a combination of analytical and numerical methods, we show that Hilbert space fragmentation emerges in the strong coupling limit, constraining particle dynamics and causing sharp jumps in entanglement entropy growth within charge sectors. By analyzing jump statistics, we find that entanglement growth follows a single-logarithmic or weak power-law dependence on time, rather than a double-logarithmic form. This suggests a single ergodicity-breaking regime that mimics many-body localization in finite systems due to fragmentation effects. Our findings clarify the nature of disorder-free localization and its distinction from conventional many-body localization, highlighting how gauge constraints influence thermalization in lattice gauge theories.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Leverhulme Trust RL-2019-015 EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/W026848/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 May 2025 09:38 |
Last Modified: | 19 May 2025 09:38 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s42005-025-02039-8 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:226747 |