Symmetry breaking in chaotic many-body quantum systems at finite temperature

Abstract: Recent work has shown that the entanglement of finite-temperature eigenstates in chaotic quantum many-body local Hamiltonians can be accurately described by an ensemble of random states with an internal $U(1)$ symmetry. We build upon this result to investigate the universal symmetry-breaking properties of such eigenstates. As a probe of symmetry breaking, we employ the entanglement asymmetry, a quantum information observable that quantifies the extent to which symmetry is broken in a subsystem. This measure enables us to explore the finer structure of finite-temperature eigenstates in terms of the $U(1)$-symmetric random state ensemble; in particular, the relation between the Hamiltonian and the effective conserved charge in the ensemble. Our analysis is supported by analytical calculations for the symmetric random states, as well as exact numerical results for the Mixed-Field Ising spin-$1/2$ chain, a paradigmatic model of quantum chaoticity.