Large-deviation analysis of rare resonances for the many-body localization transition

The authors explore here the many-body localization (MBL) transition through a novel approach based on an analogy with directed polymers in random media. This study reveals how rare long-range resonances, typically absent in small samples, destabilize the MBL phase in the thermodynamic limit in a broad region of the phase diagram, and shift the transition to much higher disorder levels, offering new insights into quantum avalanches and anomalous transport and relaxation near the transition.