The conference “Waiting for Thermalization in Bled: Quantum many-body scars, Hilbert-space fragmentation and kinetically constrained models” will take place from April 20 to 24, 2026, in Bled, Slovenia.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the mechanisms that prevent or delay thermalization in quantum many-body systems. Dynamical systems exhibiting quantum many-body scars, Hilbert-space fragmentation, and kinetically constrained dynamics have revealed unexpected nonergodic behavior, with implications for quantum information, condensed-matter physics, and statistical mechanics. Theoretical advances in understanding these systems have been closely intertwined with striking experimental progress, particularly in programmable quantum simulators.

Minimal and analytically tractable models have played a crucial role in uncovering the microscopic origins of non-ergodicity, slow relaxation, and atypical eigenstate structure. Such toy models provide valuable insight into the structure of phase space, emergent conservation laws, and the interplay between interactions and kinetic constraints in both quantum and classical settings.

The main focus of this conference will be on theoretical and experimental advances in non-thermalizing many-body systems, with emphasis on those exhibiting quantum scars, fragmented Hilbert space, and dynamical facilitation due to kinetic constraints. Topics will span closed and open systems, as well as connections to integrability, disorder-free localization, and constrained chaotic dynamics.

The aim is to foster in-depth discussions and stimulate new collaborations within a focused and interactive setting, as well as to highlight the work of early-career researchers.

Applications are open until March 1, 2026. Regular participants will be charged a conference fee of €300 (lunches included) and will be accommodated close to the venue (price €99 per night for a single room or €110 per night for a double room).