Does the SYK model have a spin glass phase?

2018/06/26 by Guy Gur-Ari, Raghu Mahajan, Abolhassan Vaezi · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Computation #Condensed matter physics #Conformal map #Eigenvalues and eigenvectors #Fermion #Gaussian #Ground state #Limit (mathematics) #MAJORANA #Mathematical analysis #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Phase (matter) #Physics #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spin glass #Theoretical and Computational Physics #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.stat-mech #cond-mat.str-el #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/jhep11(2018)070

24 pages, 8 figures

arxiv created 2018/06/26 · openalex publication_date 2018/11/01 · arxiv updated 2018/12/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

A bstract We argue that the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model has no spin glass phase, based on calculations involving both the nearly-conformal limit and the strongly-coupled Schwarzian limit of the model. This conclusion is supported by numerical computations of eigenvalue statistics with up to 46 Majorana fermions. In addition, we find numerically that the distribution of the ground state energy is Gaussian.

Citations

• Random Matrix Theories in Quantum Physics: Common Concepts
• Gapless spin-fluid ground state in a random quantum Heisenberg magnet
• Comments on the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model
• Solving the Schwarzian via the Conformal Bootstrap
• The soft mode in the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model and its gravity dual
• A semiclassical ramp in SYK and in gravity

Cited by

• Non-unitary dynamics of Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev chain
• Spectral form factor in the double-scaled SYK model