arXiv subjects

Guifre Vidal

Publications and source records attributed to Guifre Vidal.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Universal edge information from wave-function deformation

It is well known that the bulk physics of a topological phase constrains its possible edge physics through the bulk-edge correspondence. Therefore, the different types of edge theories that a topological phase can host constitute a universal piece of data which can be used to characterize topological order. In this paper, we argue that, beginning from only the fixed-point wave function (FPW) of a nonchiral topological phase and by locally deforming it, all possible edge theories can be extracted from its entanglement Hamiltonian (EH). We give a general argument, and concretely illustrate our claim by deforming the FPW of the Wen-plaquette model, the quantum double of $\mathbb{Z}_2$. In that case, we show that the possible EHs of the deformed FPW reflect the known possible types of edge theories, which are generically gapped, but gapless if translational symmetry is preserved. We stress that our results do not require an underlying Hamiltonian--thus, this lends support to the notion that a topological phase is indeed characterized by only a set of quantum states and can be studied through its FPWs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Continuous Matrix Product States for Quantum Fields: an Energy Minimization Algorithm

The generalization of matrix product states (MPS) to continuous systems, as proposed in the breakthrough paper [F. Verstraete, J.I. Cirac, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 190405(2010)], provides a powerful variational ansatz for the ground state of strongly interacting quantum field theories in one spatial dimension. A continuous MPS (cMPS) approximation to the ground state can be obtained by simulating an Euclidean time evolution. In this Letter we propose a cMPS optimization algorithm based instead on energy minimization by gradient methods, and demonstrate its performance by applying it to the Lieb Liniger model (an integrable model of an interacting bosonic field) directly in the thermodynamic limit. We observe a very significant computational speed-up, of more than two orders of magnitude, with respect to simulating an Euclidean time evolution. As a result, much larger cMPS bond dimension D can be reached (e.g. D = 256 with moderate computational resources) thus helping unlock the full potential of the cMPS representation for ground state studies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Spacetime symmetries and conformal data in the continuous multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz

The generalization of the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) to continuous systems, or cMERA [Haegeman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett, 110, 100402 (2013)], is expected to become a powerful variational ansatz for the ground state of strongly interacting quantum field theories. In this paper we investigate, in the simpler context of Gaussian cMERA for free theories, the extent to which the cMERA state $|Ψ^Λ\rangle$ with finite UV cut-off $Λ$ can capture the spacetime symmetries of the ground state $|Ψ\rangle$. For a free boson conformal field theory (CFT) in 1+1 dimensions as a concrete example, we build a quasi-local unitary transformation $V$ that maps $|Ψ\rangle$ into $|Ψ^Λ\rangle$ and show two main results. (i) Any spacetime symmetry of the ground state $|Ψ\rangle$ is also mapped by $V$ into a spacetime symmetry of the cMERA $|Ψ^Λ\rangle$. However, while in the CFT the stress-energy tensor $T_{μν}(x)$ (in terms of which all the spacetime symmetry generators are expressed) is local, the corresponding cMERA stress-energy tensor $T_{μν}^Λ(x) = V T_{μν}(x) V^{\dagger}$ is quasi-local. (ii) From the cMERA, we can extract quasi-local scaling operators $O^Λ_α(x)$ characterized by the exact same scaling dimensions $Δ_α$, conformal spins $s_α$, operator product expansion coefficients $C_{αβγ}$, and central charge $c$ as the original CFT. Finally, we argue that these results should also apply to interacting theories.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Explicit construction of local conserved operators in disordered many-body systems

The presence and character of local integrals of motion -- quasi-local operators that commute with the Hamiltonian -- encode valuable information about the dynamics of a quantum system. In particular, strongly disordered many-body systems can generically avoid thermalisation when there are extensively many such operators. In this work, we explicitly construct local conserved operators in $1$D spin chains by directly minimising their commutator with the Hamiltonian. We demonstrate the existence of an extensively large set of local integrals of motion in the many-body localised phase of the disordered XXZ spin chain. These operators are shown to have exponentially decaying tails, in contrast to the ergodic phase where the decay is (at best) polynomial in the size of the subsystem. We study the algebraic properties of localised operators, and confirm that in the many-body localised phase they are well-described by "dressed" spin operators.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2016

Topological conformal defects with tensor networks

The critical 2d classical Ising model on the square lattice has two topological conformal defects: the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry defect $D_ε$ and the Kramers-Wannier duality defect $D_σ$. These two defects implement antiperiodic boundary conditions and a more exotic form of twisted boundary conditions, respectively. On the torus, the partition function $Z_{D}$ of the critical Ising model in the presence of a topological conformal defect $D$ is expressed in terms of the scaling dimensions $Δ_α$ and conformal spins $s_α$ of a distinct set of primary fields (and their descendants, or conformal towers) of the Ising CFT. This characteristic conformal data $\{Δ_α, s_α\}_{D}$ can be extracted from the eigenvalue spectrum of a transfer matrix $M_{D}$ for the partition function $Z_D$. In this paper we investigate the use of tensor network techniques to both represent and coarse-grain the partition functions $Z_{D_ε}$ and $Z_{D_σ}$ of the critical Ising model with either a symmetry defect $D_ε$ or a duality defect $D_σ$. We also explain how to coarse-grain the corresponding transfer matrices $M_{D_ε}$ and $M_{D_σ}$, from which we can extract accurate numerical estimates of $\{Δ_α, s_α\}_{D_ε}$ and $\{Δ_α, s_α\}_{D_σ}$. Two key new ingredients of our approach are (i) coarse-graining of the defect $D$, which applies to any (i.e. not just topological) conformal defect and yields a set of associated scaling dimensions $Δ_α$, and (ii) construction and coarse-graining of a generalized translation operator using a local unitary transformation that moves the defect, which only exist for topological conformal defects and yields the corresponding conformal spins $s_α$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Local scale transformations on the lattice with tensor network renormalization

Consider the partition function of a classical system in two spatial dimensions, or the Euclidean path integral of a quantum system in two space-time dimensions, both on a lattice. We show that the tensor network renormalization (TNR) algorithm [\emph{G. Evenbly and G. Vidal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 180405}] can be used to implement local scale transformations on these objects, namely a lattice version of conformal maps. Specifically, we explain how to implement the lattice equivalent of the logarithmic conformal map that transforms the Euclidean plane into a cylinder. As an application, and with the 2D critical Ising model as a concrete example, we use this map to build a lattice version of the scaling operators of the underlying conformal field theory, from which one can extract their scaling dimensions and operator product expansion coefficients.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

A tensor network quotient takes the vacuum to the thermal state

In 1+1-dimensional conformal field theory, the thermal state on a circle is related to a certain quotient of the vacuum on a line. We explain how to take this quotient in the MERA tensor network representation of the vacuum and confirm the validity of the construction in the critical Ising model. This result suggests that the tensors comprising MERA can be interpreted as performing local scale transformations, so that adding or removing them emulates conformal maps. In this sense, the optimized MERA recovers local conformal invariance, which is explicitly broken by the choice of lattice. Our discussion also informs the dialogue between tensor networks and holographic duality.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Tensor Network Renormalization

We introduce a coarse-graining transformation for tensor networks that can be applied to study both the partition function of a classical statistical system and the Euclidean path integral of a quantum many-body system. The scheme is based upon the insertion of optimized unitary and isometric tensors (disentanglers and isometries) into the tensor network and has, as its key feature, the ability to remove short-range entanglement/correlations at each coarse-graining step. Removal of short-range entanglement results in scale invariance being explicitly recovered at criticality. In this way we obtain a proper renormalization group flow (in the space of tensors), one that in particular (i) is computationally sustainable, even for critical systems, and (ii) has the correct structure of fixed points, both at criticality and away from it. We demonstrate the proposed approach in the context of the 2D classical Ising model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Tensor network renormalization yields the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz

We show how to build a multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) representation of the ground state of a many-body Hamiltonian $H$ by applying the recently proposed \textit{tensor network renormalization} (TNR) [G. Evenbly and G. Vidal, arXiv:1412.0732] to the Euclidean time evolution operator $e^{-βH}$ for infinite $β$. This approach bypasses the costly energy minimization of previous MERA algorithms and, when applied to finite inverse temperature $β$, produces a MERA representation of a thermal Gibbs state. Our construction endows TNR with a renormalization group flow in the space of wave-functions and Hamiltonians (and not just in the more abstract space of tensors) and extends the MERA formalism to classical statistical systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

NCON: A tensor network contractor for MATLAB

A fundamental process in the implementation of any numerical tensor network algorithm is that of contracting a tensor network. In this process, a network made up of multiple tensors connected by summed indices is reduced to a single tensor or a number by evaluating the index sums. This article presents a MATLAB function ncon(), or "Network CONtractor", which accepts as its input a tensor network and a contraction sequence describing how this network may be reduced to a single tensor or number. As its output it returns that single tensor or number. The function ncon() may be obtained by downloading the source of this preprint.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2015

Lieb-Liniger model with exponentially-decaying interactions: a continuous matrix product state study

The Lieb-Liniger model describes one-dimensional bosons interacting through a repulsive contact potential. In this work, we introduce an extended version of this model by replacing the contact potential with a decaying exponential. Using the recently developed continuous matrix product states techniques, we explore the ground state phase diagram of this model by examining the superfluid and density correlation functions. At weak coupling superfluidity governs the ground state, in a similar way as in the Lieb-Liniger model. However, at strong coupling quasi-crystal and super-Tonks-Girardeau regimes are also found, which are not present in the original Lieb-Liniger case. Therefore the presence of the exponentially-decaying potential leads to a superfluid/super-Tonks-Girardeau/quasi-crystal crossover, when tuning the coupling strength from weak to strong interactions. This corresponds to a Luttinger liquid parameter in the range $K \in (0, \infty)$; in contrast with the Lieb-Liniger model, where $K \in [1, \infty)$, and the screened long-range potential, where $K \in (0, 1]$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

A theory of minimal updates in holography

Consider two quantum critical Hamiltonians $H$ and $\tilde{H}$ on a $d$-dimensional lattice that only differ in some region $\mathcal{R}$. We study the relation between holographic representations, obtained through real-space renormalization, of their corresponding ground states $\left.| ψ\right\rangle$ and $\left.| \tildeψ \right\rangle$. We observe that, even though $\left.| ψ\right\rangle$ and $\left.| \tildeψ \right\rangle$ disagree significantly both inside and outside region $\mathcal{R}$, they still admit holographic descriptions that only differ inside the past causal cone $\mathcal{C}(\mathcal{R})$ of region $\mathcal{R}$, where $\mathcal{C}(\mathcal{R})$ is obtained by coarse-graining region $\mathcal{R}$. We argue that this result follows from a notion of directed influence in the renormalization group flow that is closely connected to the success of Wilson's numerical renormalization group for impurity problems. At a practical level, directed influence allows us to exploit translation invariance when describing a homogeneous system with e.g. an impurity, in spite of the fact that the Hamiltonian is no longer invariant under translations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Edge-entanglement spectrum correspondence in a nonchiral topological phase and Kramers-Wannier duality

In a system with chiral topological order, there is a remarkable correspondence between the edge and entanglement spectra: the low-energy spectrum of the system in the presence of a physical edge coincides with the lowest part of the entanglement spectrum (ES) across a virtual cut of the system, up to rescaling and shifting. In this paper, we explore whether the edge-ES correspondence extends to nonchiral topological phases. Specifically, we consider the Wen-plaquette model which has Z_2 topological order. The unperturbed model displays an exact correspondence: both the edge and entanglement spectra within each topological sector a (a = 1,...,4) are flat and equally degenerate. Here, we show, through a detailed microscopic calculation, that in the presence of generic local perturbations: (i) the effective degrees of freedom for both the physical edge and the entanglement cut consist of a spin-1/2 chain, with effective Hamiltonians H_edge^a and H_ent.^a, respectively, both of which have a Z_2 symmetry enforced by the bulk topological order; (ii) there is in general no match between their low energy spectra, that is, there is no edge-ES correspondence. However, if supplement the Z_2 topological order with a global symmetry (translational invariance along the edge/cut), i.e. by considering the Wen-plaquette model as a symmetry enriched topological phase (SET), then there is a finite domain in Hamiltonian space in which both H_edge^a and H_ent.^a realize the critical Ising model, whose low-energy effective theory is the c = 1/2 Ising CFT. This is achieved because the presence of the global symmetry implies that both Hamiltonians, in addition to being Z_2 symmetric, are Kramers-Wannier self-dual. Thus, the bulk topological order and the global translational symmetry of the Wen-plaquette model as a SET imply an edge-ES correspondence at least in some finite domain in Hamiltonian space.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Entanglement contour

In the context of characterizing the structure of quantum entanglement in many-body systems, we introduce the entanglement contour, a tool to identify which real-space degrees of freedom contribute, and how much, to the entanglement of a region A with the rest of the system B. The entanglement contour provides a complementary, more refined approach to characterizing entanglement than just considering the entanglement entropy between A and B, with several concrete advantages. We illustrate this in the context of ground states and quantum quenches in fermionic quadratic systems. For instance, in a quantum critical system in $D = 1$ spatial dimensions, the entanglement contour allows us to determine the central charge of the underlying conformal field theory from just a single partition of the system into regions A and B, (using the entanglement entropy for the same task requires considering several partitions). In $D \geq 2$ dimensions, the entanglement contour can distinguish between gapped and gapless phases that obey a same boundary law for entanglement entropy. During a local or global quantum quench, the time-dependent contour provides a detailed account of the dynamics of entanglement, including propagating entanglement waves, which offers a microscopic explanation of the behavior of the entanglement entropy as a function of time.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Constructing local integrals of motion in the many-body localized phase

Many-body localization provides a generic mechanism of ergodicity breaking in quantum systems. In contrast to conventional ergodic systems, many-body localized (MBL) systems are characterized by extensively many local integrals of motion (LIOM), which underlie the absence of transport and thermalization in these systems. Here we report a physically motivated construction of local integrals of motion in the MBL phase. We show that any local operator (e.g., a local particle number or a spin flip operator), evolved with the system's Hamiltonian and averaged over time, becomes a LIOM in the MBL phase. Such operators have a clear physical meaning, describing the response of the MBL system to a local perturbation. In particular, when a local operator represents a density of some globally conserved quantity, the corresponding LIOM describes how this conserved quantity propagates through the MBL phase. Being uniquely defined and experimentally measurable, these LIOMs provide a natural tool for characterizing the properties of the MBL phase, both in experiments and numerical simulations. We demonstrate the latter by numerically constructing an extensive set of LIOMs in the MBL phase of a disordered spin chain model. We show that the resulting LIOMs are quasi-local, and use their decay to extract the localization length and establish the location of the transition between the MBL and ergodic phases.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2014

Disentangling Theorem and Monogamy for Entanglement Negativity

Entanglement negativity is a measure of mixed-state entanglement increasingly used to investigate and characterize emerging quantum many-body phenomena, including quantum criticality and topological order. We present two results for the entanglement negativity: a disentangling theorem, which allows the use of this entanglement measure as a means to detect whether a wave-function of three subsystems $A$, $B$, and $C$ factorizes into a product state for parts $AB_1$ and $B_2C$; and a monogamy relation, which states that if $A$ is very entangled with $B$, then $A$ cannot be simultaneaously very entangled also with $C$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Algorithms for entanglement renormalization: boundaries, impurities and interfaces

We propose algorithms, based on the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz, to obtain the ground state of quantum critical systems in the presence of boundaries, impurities, or interfaces. By exploiting the theory of minimal updates [G. Evenbly and G. Vidal, arXiv:1307.0831], the ground state is completely characterized in terms of a number of variational parameters that is independent of the system size, even though the presence of a boundary, an impurity, or an interface explicitly breaks the translation invariance of the host system. Similarly, computational costs do not scale with the system size, allowing the thermodynamic limit to be studied directly and thus avoiding finite size effects e.g. when extracting the universal properties of the critical system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Matrix product states for anyonic systems and efficient simulation of dynamics

Matrix product states (MPS) have proven to be a very successful tool to study lattice systems with local degrees of freedom such as spins or bosons. Topologically ordered systems can support anyonic particles which are labeled by conserved topological charges and collectively carry non-local degrees of freedom. In this paper we extend the formalism of MPS to lattice systems of anyons. The anyonic MPS is constructed from tensors that explicitly conserve topological charge. We describe how to adapt the time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) algorithm to the anyonic MPS in order to simulate dynamics under a local and charge-conserving Hamiltonian. To demonstrate the effectiveness of anyonic TEBD algorithm, we used it to simulate (i) the ground state (using imaginary time evolution) of an infinite 1D critical system of (a) Ising anyons and (b) Fibonacci anyons both of which are well studied, and (ii) the real time dynamics of an anyonic Hubbard-like model of a single Ising anyon hopping on a ladder geometry with an anyonic flux threading each island of the ladder. Our results pertaining to (ii) give insight into the transport properties of anyons. The anyonic MPS formalism can be readily adapted to study systems with conserved symmetry charges, as this is equivalent to a specialization of the more general anyonic case.

cond-mat.str-el↗