Aspects and applications of many-body localization
Coordinators: Matthew Foster, Vadim Oganesyan, David Pekker
Scientific Advisors: Boris Altshuler
What happens to Anderson localization in the presence of interactions? Only recently it was found that localization can persist in the presence of weak interactions, resulting in the formation of a new phase of matter, the Many-Body Localized (MBL) phase. This ‘dynamical’ phase shows many unconventional properties from perfect zero conductivity at finite temperatures, to the failure to thermalize in spite of interactions, to area law entanglement of finite-energy-density many-body eigenstates. MBL effects may appear in several interesting experimental settings, from nuclear spin dynamics and charge transport in amorphous materials, to cold atoms, spin-glasses and quantum computers.
The goal of this conference will be to survey experimental developments of relevance to MBL as well as recent theoretical progress with the purpose of identifying fruitful future areas for exploration. Topics to be addressed include, but are not limited to:
- The nature of the MBL transition
- Quantum information aspects of MBL
- The role of MBL in stabilizing exotic states at finite energy densities, including phases with topological order
- MBL in strongly interacting systems with frustration and no disorder
- The effect of MBL on nearby phases such as the “bad” metal
- Experimental probes of MBL effects in ultracold gases, amorphous materials, and quantum computers