We study two aspects of the problem of a particle moving on a lattice while subject to dissipation, often called the "Schmid model." First, a correspondence between the Schmid model and boundary sine-Gordon field theory is explored, and a new method is applied to the calculation of the partition function for the theory. Second, a traditional condensed matter formulation of the problem in one spatial dimension is extended to the case of an arbitrary two-dimensional Bravais lattice. A well-known mathematical analogy between one-dimensional dissipative quantum mechanics and string theory provides an equivalence between the Schmid model at the critical point and boundary sine-Gordon theory, which describes a free bosonic field subject to periodic interaction on the boundaries. Using the tools of conformal field theory, the partition function is calculated as a function of the temperature and the renormalized coupling constants of the boundary interaction. The method pursues an established technique of introducing an auxiliary free boson, fermionizing the system, and constructing the boundary state in fermion variables. However, a different way of obtaining the fermionic boundary conditions from the bosonic theory leads to an alternative renormalization for the coupling constants that occurs at a more natural level than in the established approach. Recent renormalization group analyses of the extension of the Schmid model to a two-dimensional periodic potential have yielded interesting new structure in the phase diagram for the mobility. We extend a classic one-dimensional, finite temperature calculation to the case of an arbitrary two-dimensional Bravais lattice. The duality between weak-potential and tightbinding lattice limits is reproduced in the two-dimensional case, and a perturbation expansion in the potential strength used to verify the change in the critical dependence of the mobility on the strength of the dissipation. With a triangular lattice the possibility of third order contributions arises, and we obtain some preliminary expressions for their contributions to the mobility.

We study two aspects of the problem of a particle moving on a lattice while subject to dissipation, often called the "Schmid model." First, a correspondence between the Schmid model and boundary sine-Gordon field theory is explored, and a new method is applied to the calculation of the partition function for the theory. Second, a traditional condensed matter formulation of the problem in one spatial dimension is extended to the case of an arbitrary two-dimensional Bravais lattice. A well-known mathematical analogy between one-dimensional dissipative quantum mechanics and string theory provides an equivalence between the Schmid model at the critical point and boundary sine-Gordon theory, which describes a free bosonic field subject to periodic interaction on the boundaries. Using the tools of conformal field theory, the partition function is calculated as a function of the temperature and the renormalized coupling constants of the boundary interaction. The method pursues an established technique of introducing an auxiliary free boson, fermionizing the system, and constructing the boundary state in fermion variables. However, a different way of obtaining the fermionic boundary conditions from the bosonic theory leads to an alternative renormalization for the coupling constants that occurs at a more natural level than in the established approach. Recent renormalization group analyses of the extension of the Schmid model to a two-dimensional periodic potential have yielded interesting new structure in the phase diagram for the mobility. We extend a classic one-dimensional, finite temperature calculation to the case of an arbitrary two-dimensional Bravais lattice. The duality between weak-potential and tightbinding lattice limits is reproduced in the two-dimensional case, and a perturbation expansion in the potential strength used to verify the change in the critical dependence of the mobility on the strength of the dissipation. With a triangular lattice the possibility of third order contributions arises, and we obtain some preliminary expressions for their contributions to the mobility.

In this thesis, we have explored the commonalities and connections between different classes of quantum systems that do not thermalize. Specifically, we have (1) shown that localized systems possess conservation laws like integrable systems, which can be constructed in a systematic way and used to detect localization-delocalization transitions , (2) studied the phenomenon of many-body localization in a model with a single particle mobility edge, (3) shown that interesting finite-size scaling emerges, with universal exponents, when athermal quantum systems are forced to thermalize through the application of perturbations and (4) shown that these scaling laws also arise when a perturbation causes a crossover between quantum systems described by different random matrix ensembles. We conclude with a brief summary of each chapter. In Chapter 2, we have investigated the effects of finite size on the crossover between quantum integrable systems and non-integrable systems. Using exact diagonalization of finite-sized systems, we have studied this crossover by obtaining the energy level statistics and Drude weight associated with transport. Our results reinforce the idea that for system size L → ∞, non-integrability sets in for an arbitrarily small integrabilitybreaking perturbation. The crossover value of the perturbation scales as a power law ∼ L−3 when the integrable system is gapless and the scaling appears to be robust to microscopic details and the precise form of the perturbation. In Chapter 3, we have studied the crossover among different random matrix ensembles CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSION 127 [Poissonian, Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE), Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE) and Gaussian Symplectic Ensemble (GSE)] realized in different microscopic models. We have found that the perturbation causing the crossover among the different ensembles scales to zero with system size as a power law with an exponent that depends on the ensembles between which the crossover takes place. This exponent is independent of microscopic details of the perturbation. We have also found that the crossover from the Poissonian ensemble to the other three is dominated by the Poissonian to GOE crossover which introduces level repulsion while the crossover from GOE to GUE or GOE to GSE associated with symmetry breaking introduces a subdominant contribution. Finally,we have conjectured that the exponent is dependent on whether the system contains interactions among the elementary degrees of freedom or not and is independent of the dimensionality of the system. In Chapter 4, we have outlined a procedure to construct conservation laws for Anderson localized systems. These conservation laws are found as power series in the hopping parameters. We have also obtained the conservation laws for the disorder free Aubry-Andre model, where the states are either localized or extended depending on the strength of a coupling constant. We have formulated a specific procedure for averaging over disorder, in order to examine the convergence of the power series. Using this procedure for the Aubry-Andre model, we show that integrals of motion given by our construction are well-defined in the localized phase but not so in the extended phase. Finally, we also obtain the integrals of motion for a model with interactions to lowest order in the interaction. In Chapter 5, we have studied many body localization and investigated its nature in the presence of a single particle mobility edge. Employing the technique of exact diagonalization for finite-sized systems, we have calculated the level spacing distribution, time evolution of entanglement entropy, optical conductivity and return probability to characterize the nature of localization. The localization that develops in the presence of interactions in these systems appears to be different from regular Many-Body Localization (MBL) in that the growth of entanglement entropy with time is linear (like in CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSION 128 a thermal phase) instead of logarithmic but saturates to a value much smaller than the thermal value (like for MBL). All other diagnostics seem consistent with regular MBL

La Durance est une large rivière méditerranéenne à charge grossière et à lit divagant. Le fonctionnement hydro-sédimentaire de son bassin versant a été profondément modifié par la mise en place d'aménagements hydro-électriques et par les extractions de graviers, qui ont entraîné une rétraction de sa bande active et une incision marquée de son lit. Ces évolutions morphologiques correspondent à des enjeux majeurs en termes de gestion du territoire en moyenne et basse Durance, du fait de la nécessité du maintien d'une capacité d'écoulement du lit en crue, et de la mobilité latérale du lit, souvent incompatible avec l'occupation de la vallée. Cette thèse, basée sur la collecte de données de terrain, vise à développer un schéma de fonctionnement du transport sédimentaire dans les rivières à charge grossière de grande largeur, en intégrant les différentes échelles spatiales (et donc temporelles). Elle a également pour objectif de donner des clefs de compréhension pour la gestion des flux sédimentaires en Durance. Les mécanismes de la mobilité des particules sédimentaires et des formes fluviales sont étudiés dans une démarche ascendante de reformulation scientifique de questionnements opérationnels. / The Durance River (South-Eastern France) is a large and steep wandering gravel-bed river, deeply impacted by gravel mining and flow diversion in its whole catchment area. The Durance River is characterized by a sediment deficit that led to a reduction of active channel width and river bed degradation. These lateral and vertical dynamics lead to important issues in terms of landscape management, because of (i) maintaining the bed hydraulic capacity to evacuate flood discharges and (ii) planform evolution of the river that conflicts with landscape use. This field-based thesis aims at developing a functioning scheme of bedload transport in large gravel bed rivers at various spatial (and consequently temporal) scales and gives keys to understanding for sediment fluxes management on the Durance River. Particle and bedform mobility mechanisms are studied with a scientific approach closely linked to management issues.