Thermal states emerging from low-entanglement background in disordered spin models
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866915497759473664 |
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| author | Ma, Yule Chen, Qianqian Li, Mingyang Papić, Zlatko Zhu, Zheng |
| author_facet | Ma, Yule Chen, Qianqian Li, Mingyang Papić, Zlatko Zhu, Zheng |
| contents | Thermalization in isolated quantum systems is governed by the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, while strong disorder can induce its breakdown via many-body localization. Here we show that disorder can also generate a narrow band of thermal eigenstates embedded in an otherwise non-thermal spectrum. We illustrate this generic mechanism using paradigmatic spin-1 models, including Heisenberg, XY, and Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki (AKLT) models with several types of disorder. By analyzing their level statistics, entanglement properties and quench dynamics, we show that the disorder-induced states are genuinely thermal and we trace their origin to the null space of the disorder term in the Hamiltonian. Our results demonstrate that disorder can give rise to an unexpected coexistence of thermal and non-thermal dynamics within the same many-body spectrum. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13420 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Thermal states emerging from low-entanglement background in disordered spin models Ma, Yule Chen, Qianqian Li, Mingyang Papić, Zlatko Zhu, Zheng Strongly Correlated Electrons Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Statistical Mechanics Thermalization in isolated quantum systems is governed by the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, while strong disorder can induce its breakdown via many-body localization. Here we show that disorder can also generate a narrow band of thermal eigenstates embedded in an otherwise non-thermal spectrum. We illustrate this generic mechanism using paradigmatic spin-1 models, including Heisenberg, XY, and Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki (AKLT) models with several types of disorder. By analyzing their level statistics, entanglement properties and quench dynamics, we show that the disorder-induced states are genuinely thermal and we trace their origin to the null space of the disorder term in the Hamiltonian. Our results demonstrate that disorder can give rise to an unexpected coexistence of thermal and non-thermal dynamics within the same many-body spectrum. |
| title | Thermal states emerging from low-entanglement background in disordered spin models |
| topic | Strongly Correlated Electrons Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13420 |