Finite steady-state current defies non-Hermitian many-body localization

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Brighi, Pietro, Ljubotina, Marko, Roccati, Federico, Balducci, Federico
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Brighi, Pietro
Ljubotina, Marko
Roccati, Federico
Balducci, Federico
author_facet Brighi, Pietro
Ljubotina, Marko
Roccati, Federico
Balducci, Federico
contents Non-Hermitian many-body localization (NH MBL) has emerged as a possible scenario for stable localization in open systems, as suggested by spectral indicators identifying a putative transition for finite system sizes. In this work, we shift the focus to dynamical probes, specifically the steady-state spin current, to investigate transport properties in a disordered, non-Hermitian XXZ spin chain. Through exact diagonalization for small systems and tensor-network methods for larger chains, we demonstrate that the steady-state current remains finite and decays exponentially with disorder strength, showing no evidence of a transition up to disorder values far beyond the previously claimed critical point. Our results reveal a stark discrepancy between spectral indicators, which suggest localization, and transport behavior, which indicates delocalization. This highlights the importance of dynamical observables in characterizing NH MBL and suggests that traditional spectral measures may not fully capture the physics of non-Hermitian systems. Additionally, we observe a non-commutativity of limits in system size and time, further complicating the interpretation of finite-size studies. These findings challenge the existence of NH MBL in the studied model and underscore the need for alternative approaches to understand localization in non-Hermitian settings.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_02460
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Finite steady-state current defies non-Hermitian many-body localization
Brighi, Pietro
Ljubotina, Marko
Roccati, Federico
Balducci, Federico
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
Quantum Physics
Non-Hermitian many-body localization (NH MBL) has emerged as a possible scenario for stable localization in open systems, as suggested by spectral indicators identifying a putative transition for finite system sizes. In this work, we shift the focus to dynamical probes, specifically the steady-state spin current, to investigate transport properties in a disordered, non-Hermitian XXZ spin chain. Through exact diagonalization for small systems and tensor-network methods for larger chains, we demonstrate that the steady-state current remains finite and decays exponentially with disorder strength, showing no evidence of a transition up to disorder values far beyond the previously claimed critical point. Our results reveal a stark discrepancy between spectral indicators, which suggest localization, and transport behavior, which indicates delocalization. This highlights the importance of dynamical observables in characterizing NH MBL and suggests that traditional spectral measures may not fully capture the physics of non-Hermitian systems. Additionally, we observe a non-commutativity of limits in system size and time, further complicating the interpretation of finite-size studies. These findings challenge the existence of NH MBL in the studied model and underscore the need for alternative approaches to understand localization in non-Hermitian settings.
title Finite steady-state current defies non-Hermitian many-body localization
topic Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.02460