Events

Wave localization is ubiquitous in many physical systems. In condensed matter physics, Anderson localization of electronic states induced by the presence of a structural disorder at the atomic scale has been and still is for a large part a long-standing theoretical and experimental puzzle. The question has pervaded other fields such as optics or cold atom physics, with experimental setups trying to achieve spatial localization of light or of atomic matter waves in Bose-Einstein condensates.

In the recent years, a new type localization has attracted a lot of attention, named Many-Body Localization (MBL). It has appeared in many different domains, condensed matter physics, quantum information, cold atoms, and consists of a localization in phase space. This phenomenon, which can also be seen as a localization on a random graph, is closely related to the question of thermalization of interacting quantum systems in the presence of disorder, where the ergodic phase corresponds to a delocalized distribution in phase space while the non-ergodic phase is localized. In that regard, it is also connected to the manipulation of quantum information.

Both Anderson localization and MBL emerge from the presence of disorder. They share some common features, but still differ in their nature and their manifestations. The goal of this meeting is to introduce the theoretical foundations, the concepts and the theoretical tools to address and tackle the questions raised by localization and MBL, and to understand how some of these questions can be answered by using quantum simulators. These include (non-exhaustive list) the structure of spectra of random Schrödinger operators, dynamical aspects of localization, geometric approaches to localization, and the role of interactions.

This school will be the opportunity to bring together researchers and students from these connected but different fields, to exchange and to cross-fertilize their approaches.