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We develop a Hamiltonian formalism for simulating interacting chiral fermions on the lattice while preserving unitarity and locality and without breaking the chiral symmetry. The fermion doubling problem is circumvented by constructing a Fock space endowed with a semi-definite norm. When projecting our theory on the the single-particle sector, we recover the framework of Stacey fermions, and we demonstrate that the scaling limit of the free model recovers the chiral fermion field. Technically, we make use of a matrix product operator norm to mimick the boundary of a higher dimensional topological theory. As a proof of principle, we consider a single Weyl fermion on a periodic ring with Hubbard-type nearest-neighbor interactions and construct a variational generalized DMRG code to demonstrate that the ground state for large system sizes can be determined efficiently. As our tensor network approach does not exhibit any sign problem, we can add a chemical potential and study real-time evolution.

We show how fermionic statistics can be naturally incorporated in tensor networks on arbitrary graphs through the use of graded Hilbert spaces. This formalism allows to use tensor network methods for fermionic lattice systems in a local way, avoiding the need of a Jordan-Wigner transformation or the explicit tracking of leg crossings by swap gates in 2D tensor networks. The graded Hilbert spaces can be readily integrated with other internal and lattice symmetries in tensor networks, and only require minor extensions to an existing tensor network software package. We review and benchmark the fermionic versions of common algorithms for matrix product states and projected entangled-pair states., Comment: 73 pages, 6 figures

The contraction of tensor networks is a central task in the application of tensor network methods to the study of quantum and classical many body systems. In this paper, we investigate the impact of gauge degrees of freedom in the virtual indices of the tensor network on the contraction process, specifically focusing on boundary matrix product state methods for contracting two-dimensional tensor networks. We show that the gauge transformation can affect the entanglement structures of the eigenstates of the transfer matrix and change how the physical information is encoded in the eigenstates, which can influence the accuracy of the numerical simulation. We demonstrate this effect by looking at two different examples. First, we focus on the local gauge transformation, and analyze its effect by viewing it as an imaginary-time evolution governed by a diagonal Hamiltonian. As a specific example, we perform a numerical analysis in the classical Ising model on the square lattice. Second, we go beyond the scope of local gauge transformations and study the antiferromagnetic Ising model on the triangular lattice. The partition function of this model has two tensor network representations connected by a non-local gauge transformation, resulting in distinct numerical performances in the boundary MPS calculation., Comment: submitted version. 12 pages, 14 figures

The use of finite entanglement scaling with matrix product states (MPS) has become a crucial tool for studying 1+1d critical lattice theories, especially those with emergent conformal symmetry. We argue that finite entanglement introduces a relevant deformation in the critical theory. As a result, the bipartite entanglement Hamiltonian defined from the MPS can be understood as a boundary conformal field theory with a physical and an entanglement boundary. We are able to exploit the symmetry properties of the MPS to engineer the physical conformal boundary condition. The entanglement boundary, on the other hand, is related to the concrete lattice model and remains invariant under this relevant perturbation. Using critical lattice models described by the Ising, Potts, and free compact boson CFTs, we illustrate the influence of the symmetry and the relevant deformation on the conformal boundaries in the entanglement spectrum., Comment: 6+7 pages,4+7 figures; add nn RVB iPEPS result

We extend the study of finite-entanglement scaling from one-dimensional gapless models to two-dimensional systems with a Fermi surface. In particular, we show that the entanglement entropy of a contractible spatial region with linear size $L$ scales as $S\sim L\log[\xi f(L/\xi)]$ in the optimal tensor network, and hence area-law entangled, state approximation to a metallic state, where $f(x)$ is a scaling function which depends on the shape of the Fermi surface and $\xi$ is a finite correlation length induced by the restricted entanglement. Crucially, the scaling regime can be realized with numerically tractable bond dimensions. We also discuss the implications of the Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem at fractional filling for tensor network state approximations of metallic states., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 22 pages Supplemental Material Small changes in correspondence to the PRL publication

In conformal field theories, when the conformal symmetry is enhanced by a global Lie group symmetry, the original Virasoro algebra can be extended to Kac-Moody algebra. In this paper, we extend the lattice construction of the Kac-Moody generators introduced in Wang et al., [Phys. Rev. B. 106, 115111 (2022)] to continuous systems and apply it to one-dimensional continuous boson systems. We justify this microscopic construction of Kac-Moody generators in two ways. First, through phenomenological bosonization, we express the microscopic construction in terms of the boson operators in the bosonization context, which can be related to the Kac-Moody generators in conformal field theories. Second, we study the behavior of the Kac-Moody generators in the integrable Lieb-Liniger model, and reveal its underlying particle-hole excitation picture through Bethe ansatz solutions. Finally, we test the computation of the Kac-Moody generator in the continuous matrix product state simulations, paving the way for more challenging non-integrable systems., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; published version

We introduce a systematic construction of higher-order matrix product operator (MPO) approximations of the time evolution operator for generic (short and long range) one-dimensional Hamiltonians. We demonstrate the utility of our construction, by showing an order of magnitude speedup in simulation cost compared to conventional first-order MPO time evolution schemes.

We make a systematic study of symmetry-protected topological gapped phases of quantum spin chains in the presence of the frieze space groups in one dimension using matrix product states. Here, the spatial symmetries of the one-dimensional lattice are considered together with an additional 'vertical reflection', which we take to be an on-site $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. We identify seventeen distinct non-trivial phases, define canonical forms, and compare the topological indices obtained from the MPS analysis with the group cohomological predictions. We furthermore construct explicit renormalization group fixed-point wave functions for symmetry-protected topological phases with global on-site symmetries, possibly combined with time-reversal and parity symmetry. En route, we demonstrate how group cohomology can be computed using the Smith normal form., Comment: 13 + 2 pages, submitted to Physical Review B

We study the phase diagram of the $(1+1)$-dimensional Gross-Neveu model with both $g_x^2(\bar{\psi}\psi)^2$ and $g_y^2(\bar{\psi}i\gamma_5\psi)^2$ interaction terms on a spatial lattice. The continuous chiral symmetry, which is present in the continuum model when $g_x^2=g_y^2$, has a mixed 't~Hooft anomaly with the charge conservation symmetry, which guarantees the existence of a massless mode. However, the same 't~Hooft anomaly also implies that the continuous chiral symmetry is broken explicitly in our lattice model. Nevertheless, from numerical matrix product state simulations we find that, for certain parameters of the lattice model, the continuous chiral symmetry reemerges in the infrared fixed point theory, even at strong coupling. We argue that, to understand this phenomenon, it is crucial to go beyond mean-field theory (or, equivalently, beyond the leading order term in a $1/N$ expansion). Interestingly, on the lattice, the chiral Gross-Neveu model appears at a Landau-forbidden second order phase transition separating two distinct and unrelated symmetry-breaking orders. We point out the crucial role of two different 't Hooft anomalies or Lieb-Schultz-Mattis obstructions for this Landau-forbidden phase transition to occur.

The norms or expectation values of infinite projected entangled-pair states (PEPS) cannot be computed exactly, and approximation algorithms have to be applied. In the last years, many efficient algorithms have been devised -- the corner transfer matrix renormalization group (CTMRG) and variational uniform matrix product state (VUMPS) algorithm are the most common -- but it remains unclear whether they always lead to the same results. In this paper, we identify a subclass of PEPS for which we can reformulate the contraction as a variational problem that is algorithm independent. We use this variational feature to assess and compare the accuracy of CTMRG and VUMPS contractions. Moreover, we devise a new variational contraction scheme, which we can extend to compute general N-point correlation functions.

We use the formalism of strange correlators to construct a critical classical lattice model in two dimensions with the \emph{Haagerup fusion category} $\mathcal{H}_3$ as input data. We present compelling numerical evidence in the form of finite entanglement scaling to support a Haagerup conformal field theory (CFT) with central charge $c=2$. Generalized twisted CFT spectra are numerically obtained through exact diagonalization of the transfer matrix and the conformal towers are separated in the spectra through their identification with the topological sectors. It is further argued that our model can be obtained through an orbifold procedure from a larger lattice model with input $Z(\mathcal{H}_3)$, which is the simplest modular tensor category that does not admit an algebraic construction. This provides a counterexample for the conjecture that all rational CFT can be constructed from standard methods., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

Variational Monte Carlo studies employing projected entangled-pair states (PEPS) have recently shown that they can provide answers on long-standing questions such as the nature of the phases in the two-dimensional $J_1 - J_2$ model. The sampling in these Monte Carlo algorithms is typically performed with Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms employing local update rules, which often suffer from long autocorrelation times and interdependent samples. We propose a sampling algorithm that generates independent samples from a PEPS, bypassing all problems related to finite autocorrelation times. This algorithm is a generalization of an existing direct sampling algorithm for unitary tensor networks. We introduce an auxiliary probability distribution from which independent samples can be drawn, and combine it with importance sampling in order to evaluate expectation values accurately. We benchmark our algorithm on the classical Ising model and on variational optimization of two-dimensional quantum spin models.

Based on the MPS formalism, we introduce an ansatz for capturing excited states in finite systems with open boundary conditions, providing a very efficient method for computing, e.g., the spectral gap of quantum spin chains. This method can be straightforwardly implemented on top of an existing DMRG or MPS ground-state code. Although this approach is built on open-boundary MPS, we also apply it to systems with periodic boundary conditions. Despite the explicit breaking of translation symmetry by the MPS representation, we show that momentum emerges as a good quantum number, and can be exploited for labeling excitations on top of MPS ground states. We apply our method to the critical Ising chain on a ring and the classical Potts model on a cylinder. Finally, we apply the same idea to compute excitation spectra for 2-D quantum systems on infinite cylinders. Again, despite the explicit breaking of translation symmetry in the periodic direction, we recover momentum as a good quantum number for labeling excitations. We apply this method to the 2-D transverse-field Ising model and the half-filled Hubbard model; for the latter, we obtain accurate results for, e.g., the hole dispersion for cylinder circumferences up to eight sites.

We construct a Hamiltonian lattice regularisation of the $N$-flavour Gross-Neveu model that manifestly respects the full $\mathsf{O}(2N)$ symmetry, preventing the appearance of any unwanted marginal perturbations to the quantum field theory. In the context of this lattice model, the dynamical mass generation is intimately related to the Coleman-Mermin-Wagner and Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem. In particular, the model can be interpreted as lying at the first order phase transition line between a trivial and symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase, which explains the degeneracy of the elementary kink excitations. We show that our Hamiltonian model can be solved analytically in the large $N$ limit, producing the correct expression for the mass gap. Furthermore, we perform extensive numerical matrix product state simulations for $N=2$, thereby recovering the emergent Lorentz symmetry and the proper non-perturbative mass gap scaling in the continuum limit. Finally, our simulations also reveal how the continuum limit manifests itself in the entanglement spectrum. As expected from conformal field theory we find two conformal towers, one tower spanned by the linear representations of $\mathsf{O}(4)$, corresponding to the trivial phase, and the other by the projective (i.e. spinor) representations, corresponding to the SPT phase.

We demonstrate that projected entangled-pair states (PEPS) are able to represent ground states of critical, fermionic systems exhibiting both 1d and 0d Fermi surfaces on a 2D lattice with an efficient scaling of the bond dimension. Extrapolating finite size results for the Gaussian restriction of fermionic projected entangled-pair states to the thermodynamic limit, the energy precision as a function of the bond dimension is found to improve as a power law, illustrating that an arbitrary precision can be obtained by increasing the bond dimension in a controlled manner. In this process, boundary conditions and system sizes have to be chosen carefully so that nonanalyticities of the Ansatz, rooted in its nontrivial topology, are avoided., Comment: Small changes in correspondence to the PRL publication

We provide a description of virtual non-local matrix product operator (MPO) symmetries in projected entangled pair state (PEPS) representations of string-net models. Given such a PEPS representation, we show that the consistency conditions of its MPO symmetries amount to a set of six coupled equations that can be identified with the pentagon equations of a bimodule category. This allows us to classify all equivalent PEPS representations and build MPO intertwiners between them, synthesising and generalising the wide variety of tensor network representations of topological phases. Furthermore, we use this generalisation to build explicit PEPS realisations of domain walls between different topological phases as constructed by Kitaev and Kong [Commun. Math. Phys. 313 (2012) 351-373]. While the prevailing abstract categorical approach is sufficient to describe the structure of topological phases, explicit tensor network representations are required to simulate these systems on a computer, such as needed for calculating thresholds of quantum error-correcting codes based on string-nets with boundaries. Finally, we show that all these string-net PEPS representations can be understood as specific instances of Turaev-Viro state-sum models of topological field theory on three-manifolds with a physical boundary, thereby putting these tensor network constructions on a mathematically rigorous footing., Comment: 42 pages, some figures. v3: SciPost resubmission

Several tensor networks are built of isometric tensors, i.e. tensors satisfying $W^\dagger W = \mathrm{I}$. Prominent examples include matrix product states (MPS) in canonical form, the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA), and quantum circuits in general, such as those needed in state preparation and quantum variational eigensolvers. We show how gradient-based optimization methods on Riemannian manifolds can be used to optimize tensor networks of isometries to represent e.g. ground states of 1D quantum Hamiltonians. We discuss the geometry of Grassmann and Stiefel manifolds, the Riemannian manifolds of isometric tensors, and review how state-of-the-art optimization methods like nonlinear conjugate gradient and quasi-Newton algorithms can be implemented in this context. We apply these methods in the context of infinite MPS and MERA, and show benchmark results in which they outperform the best previously-known optimization methods, which are tailor-made for those specific variational classes. We also provide open-source implementations of our algorithms., Comment: 18 pages + appendices, 3 figures; v3 submission to SciPost; v4 expand preconditioning discussion and add polish, resubmit to SciPost

Just as matrix product states represent ground states of one-dimensional quantum spin systems faithfully, continuous matrix product states (cMPS) provide faithful representations of the vacuum of interacting field theories in one spatial dimension. Unlike the quantum spin case however, for which the density matrix renormalization group and related matrix product state algorithms provide robust algorithms for optimizing the variational states, the optimization of cMPS for systems with inhomogeneous external potentials has been problematic. We resolve this problem by constructing a piecewise linear parameterization of the underlying matrix-valued functions, which enables the calculation of the exact reduced density matrices everywhere in the system by high-order Taylor expansions. This turns the variational cMPS problem into a variational algorithm from which both the energy and its backwards derivative can be calculated exactly and at a cost that scales as the cube of the bond dimension. We illustrate this by finding ground states of interacting bosons in external potentials, and by calculating boundary or Casimir energy corrections of continuous many-body systems with open boundary conditions.

We present a systematic geometric framework to study closed quantum systems based on suitably chosen variational families. For the purpose of (A) real time evolution, (B) excitation spectra, (C) spectral functions and (D) imaginary time evolution, we show how the geometric approach highlights the necessity to distinguish between two classes of manifolds: K\"ahler and non-K\"ahler. Traditional variational methods typically require the variational family to be a K\"ahler manifold, where multiplication by the imaginary unit preserves the tangent spaces. This covers the vast majority of cases studied in the literature. However, recently proposed classes of generalized Gaussian states make it necessary to also include the non-K\"ahler case, which has already been encountered occasionally. We illustrate our approach in detail with a range of concrete examples where the geometric structures of the considered manifolds are particularly relevant. These go from Gaussian states and group theoretic coherent states to generalized Gaussian states., Comment: Submission to SciPost, 47+10 pages, 8 figures

A central primitive in quantum tensor network simulations is the problem of approximating a matrix product state with one of a lower bond dimension. This problem forms the central bottleneck in algorithms for time evolution and for contracting projected entangled pair states. We formulate a tangent-space based variational algorithm to achieve this for uniform (infinite) matrix product states. The algorithm exhibits a favourable scaling of the computational cost, and we demonstrate its usefulness by several examples involving the multiplication of a matrix product state with a matrix product operator.

The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) provides a constructive algorithm for realizing wavefunctions that are inherently scale invariant. Unlike conformally invariant partition functions however, the finite bond dimension $\chi$ of the MERA provides a cut-off in the fields that can be realized. In this letter, we demonstrate that this cut-off is equivalent to the one obtained when approximating a thermal state of a critical Hamiltonian with a matrix product operator (MPO) of finite bond dimension $\chi$. This is achieved by constructing an explicit mapping between the isometries of a MERA and the local tensors of the MPO., Comment: 5 pages

We use a recently proposed class of tensor-network states to study phase transitions in string-net models. These states encode the genuine features of the string-net condensate such as, e.g., a nontrivial perimeter law for Wilson loops expectation values, and a natural order parameter detecting the breakdown of the topological phase. In the presence of a string tension, a quantum phase transition occurs between the topological phase and a trivial phase. We benchmark our approach for $\mathbb{Z}_2$ string nets and capture the second-order phase transition which is well known from the exact mapping onto the transverse-field Ising model. More interestingly, for Fibonacci string nets, we obtain first-order transitions in contrast with previous studies but in qualitative agreement with mean-field results., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

We revisit the question of describing critical spin systems and field theories using matrix product states, and formulate a scaling hypothesis in terms of operators, eigenvalues of the transfer matrix, and lattice spacing in the case of field theories. Critical exponents and central charge are determined by optimizing the exponents such as to obtain a data collapse. We benchmark this method by studying critical Ising and Potts models, where we also obtain a scaling ansatz for the correlation length and entanglement entropy. The formulation of those scaling functions turns out to be crucial for studying critical quantum field theories on the lattice. For the case of $\lambda\phi^4$ with mass $\mu^2$ and lattice spacing $a$, we demonstrate a double data collapse for the correlation length $ \delta \xi(\mu,\lambda,D)=\tilde{\xi} \left((\alpha-\alpha_c)(\delta/a)^{-1/\nu}\right)$ with $D$ the bond dimension, $\delta$ the gap between eigenvalues of the transfer matrix, and $\alpha_c=\mu_R^2/\lambda$ the parameter which fixes the critical quantum field theory.

We develop a method based on tensor networks to create localized single particle excitations on top of strongly-correlated quantum spin chains. In analogy to the problem of creating localized Wannier modes, this is achieved by optimizing the gauge freedom of momentum excitations on top of matrix product states. The corresponding wavepackets propagate almost dispersionless. The time-dependent variational principle is used to scatter two such wavepackets, and we extract the phase shift from the collision data. We also study reflection and transmission coefficients of a wavepacket impinging on an impurity.

Although artificial neural networks have recently been proven to provide a promising new framework for constructing quantum many-body wave functions, the parameterization of a quantum wavefunction with nonabelian symmetries in terms of a Boltzmann machine inherently leads to biased results due to the basis dependence. We demonstrate that this problem can be overcome by sampling in the basis of irreducible representations instead of spins, for which the corresponding ansatz respects the nonabelian symmetries of the system. We apply our methodology to find the ground states of the one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Heisenberg (AFH) model with spin-half and spin-1 degrees of freedom, and obtain a substantially higher accuracy than when using the $s_z$-basis as input to the neural network. The proposed ansatz can target excited states, which is illustrated by calculating the energy gap of the AFH model. We also generalize the framework to the case of anyonic spin chains.

We provide a generalisation of the matrix product operator (MPO) formalism for string-net projected entangled pair states (PEPS) to include non-unitary solutions of the pentagon equation. These states provide the explicit lattice realisation of the Galois conjugated counterparts of (2+1) dimensional TQFTs, based on tensor fusion categories. Although the parent Hamiltonians of these renormalisation group fixed point states are non-Hermitian, many of the topological properties of the states still hold, as a result of the pentagon equation. We show by example that the the topological sectors of the Yang-Lee theory (the non-unitary counterpart of the Fibonacci fusion category) can be constructed even in the absence of closure under Hermitian conjugation of the basis elements of the Ocneanu tube algebra. We argue that this can be generalised to the non-unitary solutions of all $SU(2)$ level $k$ models. The topological sector construction is demonstrated by applying the concept of strange correlators to the Yang-Lee model, giving rise to a non-unitary version of the classical hard hexagon model in the Yang-Lee universality class and obtaining all generalised twisted boundary conditions on a finite cylinder of the Yang-Lee edge singularity., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure

We construct a one-dimensional local spin Hamiltonian with an intrinsically non-local, and therefore anomalous, global $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. The model is closely related to the quantum Ising model in a transverse magnetic field, and contains a parameter that can be tuned to spontaneously break the non-local $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. The Hamiltonian is constructed to capture the unconventional properties of the domain walls in the symmetry broken phase. Using uniform matrix product states, we obtain the phase diagram that results from condensing the domain walls. We find that the complete phase diagram includes a gapless phase that is separated from the ordered ferromagnetic phase by a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, and from the ordered antiferromagnetic phase by a first order phase transition., Comment: Published version