Finite-Size Scaling of the Full Eigenstate Thermalization in Quantum Spin Chains

TL;DR

This paper investigates finite-size effects on the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis in quantum spin chains, revealing how different sources of corrections decay with system size and offering a method to validate ETH.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of finite-size corrections to the full ETH, distinguishing their origins and decay behaviors, and proposes a practical validation approach.

Findings

Energy fluctuation corrections decay polynomially with size

Intra-energy window fluctuations decay exponentially with size

Finite-size corrections can grow anomalously in some observables

Abstract

Despite the unitary evolution of closed quantum systems, long-time expectation of local observables are well described by thermal ensembles, providing the foundation of quantum statistical mechanics. A promising route to understanding this quantum thermalization is the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), which posits that individual energy eigenstates already appear locally thermal. Subsequent studies have extended this concept to the full ETH, which captures higher-order correlations among matrix elements through nontrivial relations. In this work, we perform a detailed exact-diagonalization study of finite-size corrections to these relations in the canonical ensemble. We distinguish two distinct sources of corrections: those arising from energy fluctuations, which decay polynomially with system size, and those originating from fluctuations within each energy window, which decay exponentially with system size. In particular, our analysis resolves the puzzle that, for certain observables, finite-size corrections exhibit anomalous growth with increasing system size even in chaotic systems. Our results provide a systematic and practical methodology for validating the full ETH in quantum many-body systems.