Generic Hilbert space fragmentation in Kogut-Susskind lattice gauge theories

Journal Article · Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Physical Review D

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/p4xd-4ngx· OSTI ID:3009701

Ciavarella, Anthony N; Bauer, Christian W; Halimeh, Jad C

At the heart of quantum many-body physics lies the understanding of mechanisms that avoid quantum thermalization in an isolated system quenched far from equilibrium. A prominent example is Hilbert space fragmentation, which has recently emerged as an ergodicity-breaking mechanism in constrained spin models. Here, we show that Kogut-Susskind formulations of lattice gauge theories in d+1D (d spatial and one temporal dimensions) give rise to Hilbert space fragmentation, and discuss possible implications for understanding continuum physics. Our findings not only prove that lattice gauge theories are a natural platform for Hilbert space fragmentation, they also serve as a guide to the conditions under which these models can be faithfully used to infer the thermalization properties of quantum chromodynamics.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy; USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP) (SC-25)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 3009701
• Journal Information: Physical Review D, Journal Name: Physical Review D Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 112
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English