Noncommuting charges’ effect on the thermalization of local observables
Studying noncommuting conserved quantities (or `charges’) has produced a conceptual puzzle. Recent results suggest that noncommuting charges hinder thermalization in some ways yet promote it in others. To help resolve this puzzle, we demonstrate how noncommuting charges can promote thermalization by reducing the number of local observables that thermalize according to the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis. We first establish a correspondence between charges and sufficient conditions for local observables not to thermalize. These conditions are known as `dynamical symmetries.' We demonstrate that a corresponding charge exists for each pair of dynamical symmetries a Hamiltonian has. We prove that the reciprocal relationship holds for many charges and Hamiltonians. Using this correspondence, we demonstrate that introducing a new charge into a system can either increase or decrease the number of non-thermalizing local observables. If the new charge commutes with the existing ones, the system’s non-thermalizing observables are preserved, and new ones may emerge. Conversely, if it does not commute, the existing non-thermalizing observables will thermalize. We illustrate our results using various models, showing that noncommuting charges eliminate the non-thermalizing dynamics arising from dynamical symmetries.
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