Beyond the imbalance: site-resolved dynamics probing resonances in many-body localization

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that site-resolved local probes reveal complex resonant and instability features in many-body localization that are hidden by traditional imbalance measurements, emphasizing the importance of microscopic diagnostics.

Contribution

It introduces a site-resolved analysis of MBL dynamics, uncovering resonances and rare effects overlooked by imbalance, supported by numerical and analytical models.

Findings

Site-resolved correlators reveal complex resonances.

Imbalance can mask microscopic dynamical features.

Local effects explain finite-size and initial condition sensitivities.

Abstract

We explore the limitations of using imbalance dynamics as a diagnostic tool for many-body localization (MBL) and show that spatial averaging can mask important microscopic features. Focusing on the strongly disordered regime of the random-field XXZ chain, we use state-of-the-art numerical techniques (Krylov time evolution and full diagonalization) to demonstrate that site-resolved spin autocorrelators reveal a rich and complex dynamical behavior that is obscured by the imbalance observable. By analyzing the time evolution and infinite-time limits of these local probes, we reveal resonant structures and rare local instabilities within the MBL phase. These numerical findings are supported by an analytical, few-site toy model that captures the emergence of a multiple-peak structure in local magnetization histograms, which is a hallmark of local resonances. These few-body local effects provide a more detailed understanding of ergodicity-breaking dynamics, and also allow us to explain the finite-size effects of long-time imbalance, and its sensitivity to the initial conditions in quench protocols. Overall, our experimentally testable predictions highlight the necessity of a refined, site-resolved approach to fully understand the complexities of MBL and its connection to rare-region effects.