Observation of Many-Body Localization in a One-Dimensional System with a Single-Particle Mobility Edge

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

182 Scopus Citations
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Author(s)

  • Thomas Kohlert
  • Sebastian Scherg
  • Henrik P. Lueschen
  • Sankar Das Sarma
  • Immanuel Bloch
  • Monika Aidelsburger

Related Research Unit(s)

Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Article number170403
Number of pages7
Journal / PublicationPhysical Review Letters
Volume122
Issue number17
Online published3 May 2019
Publication statusPublished - 3 May 2019

Abstract

We experimentally study many-body localization (MBL) with ultracold atoms in a weak onedimensional quasiperiodic potential, which in the noninteracting limit exhibits an intermediate phase that is characterized by a mobility edge. We measure the time evolution of an initial charge density wave after a quench and analyze the corresponding relaxation exponents. We find clear signatures of MBL when the corresponding noninteracting model is deep in the localized phase. We also critically compare and contrast our results with those from a tight-binding Aubry-Andre model, which does not exhibit a singleparticle intermediate phase, in order to identify signatures of a potential many-body intermediate phase.

Research Area(s)

  • METAL-INSULATOR-TRANSITION, ANDERSON LOCALIZATION, QUANTUM

Citation Format(s)

Observation of Many-Body Localization in a One-Dimensional System with a Single-Particle Mobility Edge. / Kohlert, Thomas; Scherg, Sebastian; Li, Xiao et al.
In: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 122, No. 17, 170403, 03.05.2019.

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review