arXiv subjects

Andreas Schäfer

Publications and source records attributed to Andreas Schäfer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Local Thermalization of SU(2) Lattice Gauge Fields on Quantum Computers

We simulate the local thermalization dynamics for minimally truncated SU(2) pure gauge theory on linear plaquette chains with up to 151 plaquettes using IBM quantum computers. We study the time dependence of the entanglement spectrum, Rényi-2 entropy and anti-flatness on small subsystems. The quantum hardware results obtained after error mitigation agree with extrapolated classical simulator results for chains consisting of up to 101 plaquettes. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of local thermalization studies for chaotic quantum systems, such as nonabelian lattice gauge theories, on current noisy quantum computing platforms.

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arXiv2026

Double Parton Distributions in the nucleon: Lattice parameter dependence

To make full use of the HL-LHC, especially in the search for BSM physics, all Standard Model backgrounds have to be understood with increased precision. This is especially difficult for Double Parton Interactions (DPIs) and more generally Multi Parton Interactions (MPIs), which are very difficult to isolate precisely in experiment. DPIs are parameterized by Double Parton Distributions (DPDs) and the lattice determination of the latter is, therefore, especially attractive. In our previous work on DPDs on the lattice, we focused on the results obtained from one gauge ensemble with higher than physical pion mass. In this work, we extend our efforts by investigating artifacts introduced by finite volume and the dependence on the lattice spacing. Moreover, we consider the dependence on the mass parameters. This study is carried out by employing the Wilson-Clover fermion gauge ensembles generated by the CLS collaboration.

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arXiv2026

Anomalous resonance in Weyl semimetals: A holographic study of non-linear effects

We consider hairy, magnetic black brane solutions to Einstein-Maxwell-Chern-Simons-dilaton theory with full back-reaction of the scalar and gauge fields and compute the time evolution with time dependent sources. The dual field theory's 't Hooft anomaly leads to long-lived current oscillations in the low temperature limit long after the electric pulse which created these modes has been switched off. We find that, generally, non-linear effects increase the decay rates of long-lived modes by a temperature dependent amount. Nonetheless, our results suggest that the life-time of time-translation symmetry breaking states can be made arbitrarily large if the temperature after the quench is sufficiently small. Experimentally this might be realizable in Weyl semimetals.

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arXiv2026

Complete Access to Leading-Twist $Λ$-Baryon Light-Cone Distribution Amplitudes from Lattice QCD

We report the first complete lattice-QCD determination of the leading-twist light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) of the $Λ$ baryon, obtained as full two-dimensional functions of the valence-quark momentum fractions. The calculation employs large-momentum effective theory to relate the light-cone amplitudes to equal-time nonlocal three-quark matrix elements of boosted $Λ$ baryons. Controlled physical extrapolations to the continuum, physical pion mass, and infinite momentum, together with hybrid renormalization, large-$λ$ extrapolation, and perturbative matching, yield the three leading-twist LCDAs $V$, $A$, and $T$. Using the lattice-determined LCDAs in place of the asymptotic form, we find an $\mathcal{O}(10\%)$ shift in the $Λ$ electromagnetic form factor at perturbative scales, demonstrating that the full two-dimensional LCDAs, rather than only their asymptotic shapes or lowest moments, are required for precision baryonic phenomenology. This work, together with the companion paper [1] detailing the baryon-LaMET framework, provides the first complete multi-dimensional $x$-dependent baryon LCDAs from first principles and establishes a benchmark for lattice access to multi-dimensional baryon structure.

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arXiv2026

Baryon Light-Cone Distribution Amplitudes from Lattice QCD: Formalism, Renormalization, Extrapolation, and Matching

Baryon light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) are inherently multidimensional objects parametrized by two independent longitudinal momentum fractions, making their first-principles determination substantially more challenging than that of meson LCDAs. We present a systematic large-momentum effective theory (LaMET) framework for determining baryon leading-twist LCDAs from lattice QCD. The framework covers the complete path from equal-time three-quark quasi-distribution amplitudes to physical baryon LCDAs. We formulate the leading-twist $V$, $A$, and $T$ quasi-DAs and analyze their spin-flavor and coordinate-space symmetries, including antisymmetric amplitudes with vanishing local limits. We develop a hybrid renormalization prescription on the $(z_1,z_2)$ plane, introduce a newly developed large-$λ$ extrapolation strategy based on the asymptotic large-distance behavior of Euclidean correlators, and derive the corresponding one-loop LaMET matching relation in the hybrid renormalization scheme. As a demonstration, we apply the complete analysis pipeline to the $Λ$-baryon $A$-structure quasi-DAs using seven $2+1$--flavor lattice ensembles, and use this amplitude to examine the impact of large-distance extrapolation, perturbative matching, and extrapolation to the continuum, physical-pion-mass, and infinite-momentum limits, together with the associated systematic uncertainties. This work provides the formalism, renormalization, extrapolation, and matching infrastructure for first-principles determinations of $x$-dependent baryon LCDAs.

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arXiv2026

Dynamical Entanglement Phase Transitions in Holographic CFTs

We study the time evolution of the entanglement structure of holographic conformal field theories after a local quench. Using the mutual information between two spatial intervals as a probe, we find that $1+1$-dimensional conformal field theories exhibit a rich pattern of dynamical phase transitions. In the large-central-charge limit, mutual information develops sharp non-analyticities at critical times, providing a concrete entanglement-based realization of dynamical quantum phase transitions. We find that the dynamics organize into six distinct phases of mutual information, each controlled by the dominance of a different conformal block, or equivalently, a different holographic geodesic configuration. This phase structure goes beyond the standard quasi-particle picture, explaining non-analytic features that are not captured by simple light-cone propagation from the quench points. We further identify a dynamical $D_4$ symmetry acting on the interval endpoints that controls the presence or absence of mutual information. The onset of mutual information is governed by the breaking of this symmetry to a $\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$ subgroup, suggesting a symmetry-based characterization of non-equilibrium entanglement dynamics analogous to the role of symmetry in equilibrium critical phenomena. Finally, numerical studies of critical spin chains indicate that finite-$c$ effects smooth out the sharp large-$c$ transitions between different mutual-information phases, while the transitions between phases with and without mutual information appear to remain non-analytic. These results offer a unifying perspective on real-time entanglement dynamics and their critical features in conformal many-body systems.

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arXiv2026

Kinematic enhancement for nucleon interpolators

The reliable treatment of highly boosted hadrons is crucial for many lattice QCD applications. For all these cases the kinematically enhanced interpolators promise very significant improvements and are, therefore, ever more often used in recent calculations, especially for highly boosted mesons like the pion. Motivated by, e.g., the physics program of the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) in the US and Electron-Ion collider in China (EIcC), we systematically benchmark our code for the unpolarized isovector nucleon quark matrix elements extracted at large source-sink separations, where excited state artifacts are significantly suppressed. We find that the precision of the renormalized nucleon matrix elements is typically improved by an order of magnitude at momentum $P_z\sim2.5$ GeV. By comparing the results from three CLS ensembles with different lattice spacings $a$ but the same pion mass, we observe no statistically significant dependence on $a$ in the renormalized matrix elements at nearly identical values of $P_z$. These encouraging results suggest that the use of kinematically improved operators is highly advantageous for parton physics calculations and can be extended to a broader class of baryon observables, making them a promising candidate for a standard component of modern lattice QCD.

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arXiv2026

The Magic Barrier before Thermalization

We investigate the time dependence of anti-flatness in the entanglement spectrum, a measure for non-stabilizerness and lower bound for non-local quantum magic resource, on a subsystem of a linear SU(2) plaquette chain during thermalization. Tracing the time evolution of a large number of initial states, we find that the anti-flatness exhibits a barrier-like maximum during the time period when the entanglement entropy of the subsystem grows rapidly from the initial value to the microcanonical entropy. The location of the peak is strongly correlated with the time when the entanglement exhibits the strongest growth. This behavior is found for generic highly excited initial computational basis states and persists for coupling constants across the ergodic regime, revealing a universal structure of the entanglement spectrum during thermalization. We conclude that quantitative simulations of thermalization for nonabelian gauge theories require quantum computing. We speculate that this property generalizes to other quantum chaotic systems, a conjecture supported by analogous behavior observed in real-time simulations of the mixed-field Ising model.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Eigenstate Thermalization in 1+1-Dimensional SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory Coupled with Dynamical Fermions

We test the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) in 1+1-dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory (LGT) with one flavor of dynamical fermions. Using the loop-string-hadron framework of the LGT with a bosonic cut-off, we exactly diagonalize the Hamiltonian for finite size systems and calculate matrix elements (MEs) in the eigenbasis for both local and non-local operators. We analyze different indicators to identify the parameter space for quantum chaos at finite lattice sizes and investigate how the ETH behavior emerges in both the diagonal and off-diagonal MEs. Our investigations allow us to study various time scales of thermalization and the emergence of random matrix behavior, and highlight the interplays of the several diagnostics with each other. Furthermore, from the off-diagonal MEs, we extract a smooth function that is closely related to the spectral function for both local and non-local operators. We find numerical evidence of the spectral gap and the memory peak in the non-local operator case. Finally, we investigate aspects of subsystem ETH in the lattice gauge theory and identify certain features in the subsystem reduced density matrix that are unique to gauge theories.

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arXiv2026

Extracting Mellin moments of double parton distributions from lattice data

Reconstructing Mellin moments of double parton distributions from calculations on a Euclidean lattice requires taking an integral over a variable that may be regarded as a Ioffe time. The Fourier conjugate of this variable plays the role of a kinematic skewness in the double parton distributions. We discuss the skewness dependence of the relevant hadronic correlation functions. Using several models, we study the impact of this dependence on extracting moments of double parton distributions from existing lattice data.

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arXiv2026

Parton Distribution Functions from Large Momentum Expansion of Current-Current Correlators

The universality of the large momentum expansion allows computing parton distribution functions (PDFs) starting from any Euclidean correlator with appropriate large momentum Fourier Components. Here we consider current-current correlators which have been used in short-distance expansion to obtain moments of PDFs. The advantage of such correlators is that they have simple renormalization properties and do not have linear power divergences as in quasi-PDF. However, in lattice calculations, four-point functions are needed. Here we present an expansion formula with current-current correlators up to the next-to-leading order, and preliminary numerical calculations with four-point functions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Continuum-Limit HQET LCDAs from Lattice QCD for Tightening B Decay Uncertainties

Heavy meson HQET light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) are critical for precision predictions of $B$ meson weak decays, but currently are one of dominant theoretical uncertainties that obscure interpretations of $B$ anomalies and CP-violating measurements. Building on the established HQLaMET framework, supplemented by lattice QCD calculations of the OPE moments, we present a precise lattice QCD calculation of HQET LCDAs by employing multi-ensemble simulations for continuum and physical pion mass extrapolation, quantifying comprehensive systematic errors, and validating results through OPE moment cross-validation. Details of the lattice calculations are provided in a companion paper \cite{HeavymesonDA_long_paper}. Our final results for key inverse moments (at $μ=1$ GeV) are $λ_B=0.340(20)$ GeV and $σ_B^{(1)}=1.685(63)$, with the total uncertainty reduced by a factor of three relative to the previous analysis. These results can greatly reduce the uncertainty in the $B \to K^*$ form factors in the large-recoil region. This work resolves the long-standing bottleneck in first-principles predictions of heavy meson LCDAs, advancing precision flavor physics to new frontiers.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

Determination of heavy meson light-cone distribution amplitudes: theoretical framework and lattice simulations

We present a first-principles determination of heavy meson light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) from lattice QCD in the continuum limit, improving substantially on our previous pioneering study. Within the heavy-quark large-momentum effective theory (HQLaMET) framework, supplemented by lattice QCD calculations of the OPE moments, we analyze six ensembles with lattice spacings ranging from $a=0.0519-0.1053$\,fm and pion masses from $m_π=135.5-317.2$\,MeV, thereby enabling controlled continuum, chiral, and infinite-momentum extrapolations to the physical point. Momentum-smeared sources, hypercubic-smeared Wilson lines, and optimized interpolating operators are adopted to significantly improved signals for the nonlocal correlators. Within a unified framework, we determine both QCD LCDAs and HQET LCDAs. Our resulting QCD LCDAs of $D$ meson peak at $y\approx 0.2-0.3$, with total uncertainties below $30\%$ for $0.1<y<0.9$. The leading-twist HQET LCDA is constructed using a peak-and-tail factorization, in which the nonperturbative peak region is obtained from lattice QCD and the perturbative tail is incorporated from HQET, with the two regions combined through a model-independent Laguerre-polynomial parametrization. At $μ=1$\,GeV, we obtain the inverse moment of HQET LCDA $λ_B=0.340(20)$\,GeV and first inverse-logarithmic moment $σ_B^{(1)}=1.685(63)$, consistent with experimental constraints and phenomenological determinations. Direct lattice calculations based on operator product expansion provide a nontrivial cross-check of the LaMET results. Final results and phenomenological impact of these results are presented in a companion paper~\cite{HeavymesonDA_short_paper}. Our results remove the single-lattice-spacing limitation of the previous study, and provide a robust determinations of heavy meson LCDAs in both QCD and HQET for next-generation heavy flavor physics.

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arXiv2026

Large-Momentum Effective Theory's Asymptotic Extrapolation vs the Inverse Problem

Large-Momentum Effective Theory (LaMET) is a physics-guided systematic expansion to calculate light-cone parton distributions, including collinear (PDFs) and transverse-momentum-dependent ones, at any fixed momentum fraction $x$ within a range of $[x_{\rm min}, x_{\rm max}]$. It theoretically solves the ill-posed inverse problem that afflicts other theoretical approaches to collinear PDFs, such as short-distance factorizations. Recently, arXiv:2504.17706 [1] raised practical concerns about whether current or even future lattice data will have sufficient precision in the sub-asymptotic correlation region to support an error-controlled extrapolation -- and if not, whether it becomes an inverse problem where the relevant uncertainties cannot be properly quantified. While we agree that not all current lattice data have the desired precision to qualify for an asymptotic extrapolation, some calculations do, and more are expected in the future. We comment on the analysis and results in Ref. [1] and argue that a physics-based systematic extrapolation still provides the most reliable error estimates, even when the data quality is not ideal. In contrast, re-framing the long-distance asymptotic extrapolation as a data-driven-only inverse problem with ad hoc mathematical conditioning could lead to unnecessarily conservative errors.

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arXiv2026

Lattice QCD Determination of the Collins-Soper Kernel in the Continuum and Physical Mass Limits

The Collins-Soper (CS) kernel governs the rapidity evolution of transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) parton distributions, a cornerstone for QCD factorization and linking nucleon structure data across scales. Its nonperturbative behavior at large transverse separations ($b_{\perp}$) remains weakly constrained due to phenomenological model dependencies. We present a first-principles determination of the CS kernel at the continuum limit and physical pion mass from lattice QCD in the large-momentum effective theory framework. Using (2+1)-flavor configurations (lattice spacings $a \in[0.052, 0.105]$ fm, and pion mass $m_π \approx ( 136, 230, 300, 320)$ MeV), we simulating the nonlocal equal-time correlation function and extract the quasi-TMD wave functions. Taking into account systematic improvements including hypercubic smearing, nonperturbative renormalization, and a $b_{\perp}$-unexpanded matching kernel, we obtain the CS kernel at the continuum, chiral, and infinite-momentum limits. Our results are determined up to $b_{\perp} \sim 1$ fm, with controllable uncertainties, and agree with perturbative QCD at small $b_{\perp}$ and global TMD phenomenological extractions. We conduct a global analysis integrated with phenomenological fits and demonstrate the impact of our results on such fits. This work yields the most precise nonperturbative constraint on the CS kernel's long-distance behavior from Lattice QCD, which not only bridges Lattice QCD, perturbation theory, and nucleon structure experiments for TMD studies, but also boosts the utility of our constraint for future global TMD analyses.

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arXiv2026

Total Gluon Helicity Contribution to the Proton Spin from Lattice QCD

We report a state-of-the-art lattice QCD calculation of the total gluon helicity contribution to the proton spin, $ΔG$. The calculation is done on ensembles with three different lattice spacings $a=\{0.08, 0.09, 0.11\}$ fm. By employing distillation and momentum smearing for proton external states, we extract the bare matrix elements of the topological current $K^μ$ using 5-HYP smeared Coulomb gauge fixing configurations. Furthermore, we apply a non-perturbative $\mathrm{RI/MOM}$ renormalization scheme augmented by the Cluster Decomposition Error Reduction (CDER) technique to determine the renormalization constants of $K^μ$. The results obtained from different components $K^{t,i}$ (with $i$ being the direction of proton momentum or polarization) are consistent with Lorentz covariance within uncertainties. After extrapolating to the continuum limit, $ΔG$ is found to be $ΔG = 0.231(17)^{\mathrm{sta.}}(44)^{\mathrm{sym.}}$ at the $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$ scale $μ^2=10\ \mathrm{GeV}^2$, which constitutes approximately $46(9)\%$ of the proton spin.

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arXiv2025

A universal framework for the quantum simulation of Yang-Mills theory

We provide a universal framework for the quantum simulation of SU(N) Yang--Mills theories on fault-tolerant digital quantum computers adopting the orbifold lattice formulation. As warm-up examples, we also consider simple models, including scalar field theory and the Yang--Mills matrix model, to illustrate the universality of our formulation, which shows up in the fact that the truncated Hamiltonian can be expressed in the same simple form for any N, any dimension, and any lattice size, in stark contrast to the popular approach based on the Kogut--Susskind formulation. In all these cases, the truncated Hamiltonian can be programmed on a quantum computer using only standard tools well-established in the field of quantum computation. As a concrete application of this universal framework, we consider Hamiltonian time evolution by Suzuki--Trotter decomposition. This turns out to be a straightforward task due to the simplicity of the truncated Hamiltonian. We also provide a simple circuit structure that contains only CNOT and one-qubit gates, independent of the details of the theory investigated.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Entanglement Properties of SU(2) Gauge Theory

We review recent and present new results on thermalization of nonabelian gauge theory obtained by exact numerical simulation of the real-time dynamics of $(2+1)$-dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory. We discuss: (1) tests confirming the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis; (2) the entanglement entropy of sublattices, including the Page curve, the transition from area to volume scaling with increasing energy of the eigenstate and its time evolution that shows thermalization of localized regions to be a two-step process; (3) the absence of quantum many-body scars when higher gauge field representations are taken into account; (4) the spectral form factor, which exhibits the expected slope-ramp-plateau structure for late times; (5) the entanglement Hamiltonian for SU(2), which has properties in accordance with the Bisognano-Wichmann theorem; and (6) a measure for non-stabilizerness or ``magic'' that is found to reach its maximum during thermalization. We conclude that the thermalization of nonabelian gauge theories is a promising process to establish quantum advantage.

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