Universal Algebraic Growth of Entanglement Entropy in Many-Body Localized Systems with Power-Law Interactions.

Abstract

Power-law interactions play a key role in a large variety of physical systems. In the presence of disorder, these systems may undergo many-body localization for a sufficiently large disorder. Within the many-body localized phase the system presents in time an algebraic growth of entanglement entropy, S_{vN}(t)∝t^{γ}. Whereas the critical disorder for many-body localization depends on the system parameters, we find by extensive numerical calculations that the exponent γ acquires a universal value γ_{c}≃0.33 at the many-body localization transition, for different lattice models, decay powers, filling factors, or initial conditions. Moreover, our results suggest an intriguing relation between γ_{c} and the critical minimal decay power of interactions necessary for many-body localization.