Multi-magnon quantum many-body scars from tensor operators

TL;DR

This paper constructs specific spin-1/2 Hamiltonians with multi-magnon states that are long-lived eigenstates violating thermalization, using tensor operators to systematically derive such scarred Hamiltonians.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic method to derive scarred Hamiltonians with multi-magnon states using irreducible tensor operators, applicable across various symmetries and dimensions.

Findings

Identifies a family of Hamiltonians with long-lived multi-magnon scar states.

Demonstrates violation of eigenstate thermalization hypothesis by these scar states.

Provides a general operator basis construction for scarred Hamiltonians.

Abstract

We construct a family of three-body spin-1/2 Hamiltonians with a super-extensive set of infinitely long-lived multi-magnon states. A magnon in each such state carries either quasi-momentum zero or fixed $p_0\neq$ 0, and energy $\Omega$ . These multi-magnon states provide an archetypal example of quantum many-body scars: they are eigenstates at finite energy density that violate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, and lead to persistent oscillations in local observables in certain quench experiments. On the technical side, we demonstrate the systematic derivation of scarred Hamiltonians that satisfy a restricted spectrum generating algebra using an operator basis built out of irreducible tensor operators. This operator basis can be constructed for any spin, spatial dimension or continuous non-Abelian symmetry that generates the scarred subspace.