Many-body localization as a percolation phenomenon

We examine the standard model of many-body localization (MBL), i.e., the disordered chain of interacting spinless fermions, by representing it as the network in the many-body (MB) basis of noninteracting localized Anderson states. By studying eigenstates of the full Hamiltonian, for strong disorders we find that the dynamics is confined up to very long times to disconnected MB clusters in the Fock space. By keeping only resonant contributions and simplifying the quantum problem to rate equations (REs) for MB states, in analogy with percolation problems, the MBL transition is located via the universal cluster distribution and the emergence of the macroscopic cluster. On the ergodic side, our approximate RE approach to the relaxation processes captures well the diffusion transport, as found for the full quantum model. In a broad transient regime, we find an anomalous, i.e., subdiffusivelike, transport, emerging from weak links between MB states.

Automated summary

The dynamics in the standard model of many-body localization is confined to disconnected many-body clusters in the Fock space for strong disorders. The MBL transition is located via the universal cluster distribution and the emergence of the macroscopic cluster. The relaxation processes capture well the diffusion transport found in the full quantum model, with an anomalous transport emerging from weak links between MB states in a broad transient regime.