Jutho Haegeman

Entanglement Renormalization for Quantum Fields in Real Space

We show how to construct renormalization group (RG) flows of quantum field theories in real space, as opposed to the usual Wilsonian approach in momentum space. This is achieved by generalizing the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz to continuum theories. The variational class of wave functions arising from this RG flow are translation invariant and exhibits an entropy-area law. We illustrate the construction for a free nonrelativistic boson model, and argue that the full power of the construction should emerge in the case of interacting theories.

Time-dependent variational principle for quantum lattices.

We develop a new algorithm based on the time-dependent variational principle applied to matrix product states to efficiently simulate the real- and imaginary-time dynamics for infinite one-dimensional quantum lattices. This procedure (i) is argued to be optimal, (ii) does not rely on the Trotter decomposition and thus has no Trotter error, (iii) preserves all symmetries and conservation laws, and (iv) has low computational complexity. The algorithm is illustrated by using both an imaginary-time and a real-time example.

Post-matrix product state methods : to tangent space and beyond

We develop in full detail the formalism of tangent states to the manifold of matrix product states, and show how they naturally appear in studying time evolution, excitations, and spectral functions. We focus on the case of systems with translation invariance in the thermodynamic limit, where momentum is a well-defined quantum number. We present some illustrative results and discuss analogous constructions for other variational classes. We also discuss generalizations and extensions beyond the tangent space, and give a general outlook towards post-matrix product methods.

Unifying time evolution and optimization with matrix product states

We show that the time-dependent variational principle provides a unifying framework for time-evolution methods and optimization methods in the context of matrix product states. In particular, we introduce a new integration scheme for studying time evolution, which can cope with arbitrary Hamiltonians, including those with long-range interactions. Rather than a Suzuki-Trotter splitting of the Hamiltonian, which is the idea behind the adaptive time-dependent density matrix renormalization group method or time-evolving block decimation, our method is based on splitting the projector onto the matrix product state tangent space as it appears in the Dirac-Frenkel time-dependent variational principle. We discuss how the resulting algorithm resembles the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm for finding ground states so closely that it can be implemented by changing just a few lines of code and it inherits the same stability and efficiency. In particular, our method is compatible with any Hamiltonian for which ground-state DMRG can be implemented efficiently. In fact, DMRG is obtained as a special case of our scheme for imaginary time evolution with infinite time step.

Matrix product states for gauge field theories

The matrix product state formalism is used to simulate Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories. To this end, we define matrix product state manifolds which are manifestly gauge invariant. As an application, we study (1+1)-dimensional one flavor quantum electrodynamics, also known as the massive Schwinger model, and are able to determine very accurately the ground-state properties and elementary one-particle excitations in the continuum limit. In particular, a novel particle excitation in the form of a heavy vector boson is uncovered, compatible with the strong coupling expansion in the continuum. We also study full quantum nonequilibrium dynamics by simulating the real-time evolution of the system induced by a quench in the form of a uniform background electric field.

Entanglement of Distillation for Lattice Gauge Theories

We study the entanglement structure of lattice gauge theories from the local operational point of view, and, similar to Soni and Trivedi [J. High Energy Phys. 1 (2016) 1], we show that the usual entanglement entropy for a spatial bipartition can be written as the sum of an undistillable gauge part and of another part corresponding to the local operations and classical communication distillable entanglement, which is obtained by depolarizing the local superselection sectors. We demonstrate that the distillable entanglement is zero for pure Abelian gauge theories at zero gauge coupling, while it is in general nonzero for the non-Abelian case. We also consider gauge theories with matter, and show in a perturbative approach how area laws-including a topological correction-emerge for the distillable entanglement. Finally, we also discuss the entanglement entropy of gauge fixed states and show that it has no relation to the physical distillable entropy.

Variational matrix product ansatz for dispersion relations

A variational ansatz for momentum eigenstates of translation-invariant quantum spin chains is formulated. The matrix product state ansatz works directly in the thermodynamic limit and allows for an efficient implementation (cubic scaling in the bond dimension) of the variational principle. Unlike previous approaches, the ansatz includes topologically nontrivial states (kinks, domain walls) for systems with symmetry breaking. The method is benchmarked using the spin-1/2 XXZ antiferromagnet and the spin-1 Heisenberg antiferromagnet, and we obtain surprisingly accurate results.

Elementary Excitations in Gapped Quantum Spin Systems

For quantum lattice systems with local interactions, the Lieb-Robinson bound serves as an alternative for the strict causality of relativistic systems and allows the proof of many interesting results, in particular, when the energy spectrum exhibits an energy gap. In this Letter, we show that for translation invariant systems, simultaneous eigenstates of energy and momentum with an eigenvalue that is separated from the rest of the spectrum in that momentum sector can be arbitrarily well approximated by building a momentum superposition of a local operator acting on the ground state. The error satisfies an exponential bound in the size of the support of the local operator, with a rate determined by the gap below and above the targeted eigenvalue. We show this explicitly for the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki model and discuss generalizations and applications of our result.

Geometry of matrix product states: Metric, parallel transport, and curvature

We study the geometric properties of the manifold of states described as (uniform) matrix product states. Due to the parameter redundancy in the matrix product state representation, matrix product states have the mathematical structure of a (principal) fiber bundle. The total space or bundle space corresponds to the parameter space, i.e., the space of tensors associated to every physical site. The base manifold is embedded in Hilbert space and can be given the structure of a Kahler manifold by inducing the Hilbert space metric. Our main interest is in the states living in the tangent space to the base manifold, which have recently been shown to be interesting in relation to time dependence and elementary excitations. By lifting these tangent vectors to the (tangent space) of the bundle space using a well-chosen prescription (a principal bundle connection), we can define and efficiently compute an inverse metric, and introduce differential geometric concepts such as parallel transport (related to the Levi-Civita connection) and the Riemann curvature tensor.

Order Parameter for Symmetry-Protected Phases in One Dimension

We introduce an order parameter for symmetry-protected phases in one dimension which allows us to directly identify those phases. The order parameter consists of stringlike operators and swaps, but differs from conventional string order operators in that it only depends on the symmetry but not on the state. We verify our framework through numerical simulations for the SO(3) invariant spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic model which exhibits a dimerized and a Haldane phase, and find that the order parameter not only works very well for the dimerized and the Haldane phase, but it also returns a distinct signature for gapless phases. Finally, we discuss possible ways to measure the order parameter in experiments with cold atoms.