Domain statistics in a finite Ising chain

We present a comprehensive study for the statistical properties of random variables that describe the domain structure of a finite Ising chain with nearest-neighbor exchange interactions and free boundary conditions. By use of extensive combinatorics we succeed in obtaining the one-variable probability functions for (i) the number of domain walls, (ii) the number of up domains, and (iii) the number of spins in an up domain. The corresponding averages and variances of these probability distributions are calculated and the limiting case of an infinite chain is considered. Analyzing the averages and the transition time between differing chain states at low temperatures, we also introduce a criterion of the ferromagnetic-like behavior of a finite Ising chain. The results can be used to characterize magnetism in monatomic metal wires and atomic-scale memory devices.Comment: 19 page

Continuous-time random walk theory of superslow diffusion

Superslow diffusion, i.e., the long-time diffusion of particles whose mean-square displacement (variance) grows slower than any power of time, is studied in the framework of the decoupled continuous-time random walk model. We show that this behavior of the variance occurs when the complementary cumulative distribution function of waiting times is asymptotically described by a slowly varying function. In this case, we derive a general representation of the laws of superslow diffusion for both biased and unbiased versions of the model and, to illustrate the obtained results, consider two particular classes of waiting-time distributions.Comment: 4 page

Signatures of many-body localization in steady states of open quantum systems

Many-body localization (MBL) is a result of the balance between interference-based Anderson localization and many-body interactions in an ultra-high dimensional Fock space. It is usually expected that dissipation is blurring interference and destroying that balance so that the asymptotic state of a system with an MBL Hamiltonian does not bear localization signatures. We demonstrate, within the framework of the Lindblad formalism, that the system can be brought into a steady state with non-vanishing MBL signatures. We use a set of dissipative operators acting on pairs of connected sites (or spins), and show that the difference between ergodic and MBL Hamiltonians is encoded in the imbalance, entanglement entropy, and level spacing characteristics of the density operator. An MBL system which is exposed to the combined impact of local dephasing and pairwise dissipation evinces localization signatures hitherto absent in the dephasing-outshaped steady state.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure