Disorder-free localisation in continuous-time quantum walks : Role of symmetries

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in quantum systems with permutation symmetry, continuous-time quantum walks can exhibit time-independent localisation without disorder, influenced by symmetry properties and applicable to various physical platforms.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic construction of permutation symmetric Hamiltonians as generators of quantum walks and explores conditions for disorder-free localisation based on symmetry considerations.

Findings

Large fermion systems localise at all times without disorder

Symmetry-preserving and breaking interactions sustain localisation

Localisation occurs in spin and bosonic systems with permutation symmetry

Abstract

We investigate the phenomenon of disorder-free localisation in quantum systems with global permutation symmetry. We use permutation group theory to systematically construct permutation symmetric many-fermion Hamiltonians and interpret them as generators of continuous-time quantum walks. When the number of fermions is very large we find that all the canonical basis states localise at all times, without the introduction of any disorder coefficients. This time-independent localisation is not the result of any emergent disorder distinguishing it from existing mechanisms for disorder-free localisation. Next we establish the conditions under which the localisation is preserved. We find that interactions that preserve and break the global permutation symmetry sustains localisation. Furthermore the basis states of systems with reduced permutation symmetry, localise even for a small number of fermions when the symmetry-reducing parameters are tuned accordingly. We show that similar localisation also occurs for a permutation symmetric Heisenberg spin chain and permutation symmetric bosonic systems, implying that the localisation is independent of the superselected symmetry. Finally we make connections of the Hamiltonians studied here to the adjacency matrices of graphs and use this to propose a prescription for disorder-free localisation in continuous-time quantum walk systems. Many of the models proposed here feature all-to-all connectivity and can be potentially realised on superconducting quantum circuits, trapped ion systems and ultracold atoms.