The Landscape theory of localization

M. Filoche
Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée
CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, IP Paris

Simons Collaboration Grant

http://wave.umn.edu

School on Anderson localization: Landscape theory, experiments with cold atoms, 7-9 October 2020
 Acknowlegdments

Mathematics
• Svitlana Mayboroda, Douglas N. Arnold (Univ. Minnesota)
• Guy David (Univ. Paris Saclay)
• David Jerison (MIT)

Theoretical physics

• Claude Weisbuch (X, PMC)

• Perceval Desforges

Cold Atoms

• Alain Aspect (IOGS)

• Vincent Josse
• Thomas Bourdel
• Pierre Pelletier (X-PMC)
• Dominique Delande (Sorbonne Univ., LKB)
 The Simons collaboration on ”Localization of Waves”: http://wave.umn.edu

Douglas Arnold Alain Aspect Guy David David Jerison Marcel Filoche
(Univ. of Minnesota) (IOGS) (Univ. Paris Sud) (MIT) (Ecole Polytechnique)

Richard Friend Svitlana Mayboroda Yves Meyer Jim Speck Claude Weisbuch
(Univ. of Cambridge) (Univ. of Minnesota) (ENS Paris Saclay) (UCSB) (UCSB/ Ecole Polytechnique)
 Disorder-induced single-particle localization: the Anderson model

Evers & Mirlin, Rev Mod Phys (2008),

Anderson transitions

Lagendijk, van Tiggelen, Wiersma, Phys. Today (2009), Billy et al., Nature (2008)
Fifty years of Anderson localization
Localization of acoustic waves

B. Sapoval
 Statistical approaches to Anderson localization

P.W. Anderson, Phys. Rev. 1958

In a uniform or periodic potential, the quantum states are delocalized.
Breaking the symmetry (continuous or discrete) leads to possible localization.

!B
Diffusion
Mobility edge
Localization
Diffusion in weak disorder Localization in
“extreme” disorder

In 3D, mobility edge: above, delocalized states, below, localized states.

x µ ( Ec - E ) s µ ( E - Ec )
-n s

Localization length conductivity

Critical exponents: s = n ( d - 2) (d=2, critical dimension)
43/9é
 Statistical approaches to Anderson localization

§ Scaling theory (renormalization) Abrahams, Anderson, Liciardello & Ramakrishnan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 1979

§ Random matrix theory (RMT) Dyson, J. Math. Phys. 1962

§ Self-consistent theory (approximate) Vollhardt &Wolfle, Phys. Rev. Lett. 1980

§ Interactions Basko, Aleiner & Altshuler, Ann. Phys. 2006

However
§ Disorder is described through its statistical properties.
§ Values of the critical exponents have to be determined numerically or with approximate
theories.
§ The exact value of the mobility edge depends on the disorder type (correlations).
§ No analytical prediction when correlations or interactions come into play.

“Our results deviate significantly from previous theoretical estimates using an approximate,
self-consistent approach of localization.”
Delande & Orso, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2014
 The Localization Landscape Theory

Hamiltonian with positive eigenvalues

Time-independent Schrödinger equation Localization landscape equation

Random potential V First 5 eigenstates Quantum states

Localization landscape u + valleys of u
Localized quantum states?
(Anderson localization, P.W. Anderson, Phys. Rev. 109, 1958) Filoche & Mayboroda, PNAS 109, 14761 (2012)
 Why “Hu=1”?

Localization landscape Localization landscape “Valley lines” Valley lines + eigenmodes

The valley lines
A three-dimensional “foam”
A three-dimensional “foam”

Simulations by Douglas Arnold, Univ. of Minnesota

 The effective potential

Conjugate the Hamiltonian by the landscape

corresponds to an effective potential seen by the quantum states

Kinetic energy Potential energy reduced kinetic energy effective potential energy

Arnold et al., PRL 116, 056602 (2016)

 Understanding the landscape

The “tribe of fundamentals”

Linear decomposition on the eigenmodes

u predicts the fundamental energy and quantum state inside each localization region
Fundamental state in each region Fundamental energy

! 3
y0( m)
»
u 1
u u òòò ) d r
u ( r
u E0( m ) » u =
Wm
2 !
òòò ( r ) d r
2 3
u u
Wm

æ dö æ1ö
E0( m ) » ç1 + ÷ min ç ÷ Arnold, David, Filoche, Jerison, Mayboroda
è 4ø èuø SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 41, No. 1, pp. B69-B92 (2019)
 Predicting the lower end of the spectrum

Correlated potential (80x80) Effective potential W

Energies
⎛ d⎞
E0 ≈ ⎜ 1+ ⎟ Wmin
Wmin Ratio E/Wmin ⎝ 4⎠

Arnold, David, Filoche, Jerison, Mayboroda, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 2019

 The simplest example: the infinite 1D quantum well

Localization landscape:

Relative effective potential energy

 The simplest example: the infinite 1D quantum well

a
Disordered 1D potentials
 Disordered 2D potential

Arnold, David, Filoche, Jerison, Mayboroda, SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 41, No. 1, pp. B69-B92 (2019)
 Exponential decay in the effective potential
!!
! ! ææ rr22 ö
inf ççç òò ((W
Agmon distance rrWV ,,EE ( r11, r22 ) = inf V ( s ) - E )++ ddss ÷÷
paths ç !
paths !
èè r1r1 ø
! !!
y ( r ) " e V ,,EE r,,¶¶BBEE ))
(
(
- rW r 2 m(V - E )
- x
Decay of eigenfunction "e !2
"
S. Agmon, Lect. Notes Math. 1159, 1 (1985)

Arnold, David, Jerison, Mayboroda, Filoche, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2016

Arnold, David, MF, Jerison, Mayboroda, Comm. PDE 2019
 Exponential decay in the effective potential

2D binary Anderson model

log ( Ñy )
y

Arnold, David, Jerison, Mayboroda, Filoche, Phys. Rev. Lett. (2016)

 Reconstructing a local fundamental from the landscape

Inside the main existence region

Outside the main existence region

Original state computed Reconstructed state from

by solving the Schrödinger the landscape inside the
equation. (log scale) main region and Agmon
distance outside.
 Exponential decay on a compact manifold

wells

Arnold, David, Filoche, Jerison, Mayboroda, Communications in PDE, 2019

 Almost diagonalization of the Hamiltonian

wells
 Predicting the density of states

Uncertainty principle: k
Counting eigenvalues below E Counting volume in phase space

Weyl’s asymptotic law:

“W-based” law:

Arnold, David, Jerison, Mayboroda, Filoche, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 056602 (2016)
Predicting the density of states: the “W-based” law

1D 2D

uniform Boolean uniform

correlated periodic

Arnold, David, Filoche, Jerison, Mayboroda, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 2019

Predicting the density of states: the Landscape Law

David, Filoche, Mayboroda, arXiv:1909.10558 [math.AP]

Predicting the density of states: the Landscape Law

David, Filoche, Mayboroda, arXiv:1909.10558 [math.AP]

Predicting the density of states: the Landscape Law

David, Filoche, Mayboroda, arXiv:1909.10558 [math.AP]

 Predicting the density of states: the Landscape Law

1D tight-binding Hamiltonian, 105 sites, Bernoulli potential in {0,1}

Simulations by Perceval Desforges, Ecole Polytechnique

 Predicting the density of states: the Landscape Law

1D tight-binding Hamiltonian, 105 sites, uniform potential in [0,1]

Simulations by Perceval Desforges, Ecole Polytechnique

 Localization landscape in cold atom systems: Spectral functions

Probability to measure a given energy E in a state

If the state is a plane wave of wave vector k=0

Idea: computing in phase space

Wigner function

Weyl’s transform
 Localization landscape in cold atom systems: Spectral functions

Idea: computing in phase space

Wigner function

Weyl’s transform

Idea 2: the distribution is energy is to be found in the Wigner function of the quantum state

Conjecture:
 Localization landscape in cold atom systems: Spectral functions

Speckle potential

quantum regime semi-classical regime

Volchkov et al., Phys Rev Lett., 2018

Simulations by Pierre Pelletier, Ecole Polytechnique

 Localization landscape in cold atom systems: Spectral functions

Speckle potential

quantum regime semi-classical regime

Localization landscape in the literature
 Conclusions and Perspectives

§ One mathematical object, the localization landscape, contains most of the information
about the localization of quantum states in complex systems. It is obtained by solving
one single linear problem:
æ !2 ö
ç- D +V ÷ u = 1
è 2m ø

§ The landscape predicts the localization subregions, the shape of the fundamental eigenfunction in each
localization region, and its energy.
§ W=1/u can be understood as an effective confining potential that is experienced by the quantum states. This
new potential can be used to compute the density of states and assess the long range decay of the states.
§ The counting function can be approximated in two different ways: either through a revisited Weyl’s formula or
through the so-called Landscape Law. The latter provides for the first time bounds from above and below to the
counting function on the entire spectrum.
§ A Weyl-Wigner approach allows us to compute the spectral functions in a way that seems effective both in the
semi-classical and in the quantum regime.