Saddle-point Equations Research Articles

Emergence of order in random languages

We consider languages generated by weighted context-free grammar. It is shown that the behavior of large texts is controlled by saddle-point equations for an appropriate generating function. We then consider ensembles of grammars, in particular the random language model of De Giuli (2019 Phys. Rev. Lett. 122 128301). This model is solved in the replica-symmetric ansatz, which is valid in the high-temperature, disordered phase. It is shown that in the phase in which languages carry information, the replica symmetry must be broken.

Exact results for 5d SCFTs of long quiver type

Exact results are derived for 5d SCFTs with holographic duals in Type IIB supergravity. These theories have relevant deformations that flow to linear quiver gauge theories, with the number of nodes large in the large-N limits described by supergravity. Starting from a suitable formulation of the matrix models resulting from supersymmetric localization of the squashed S5 partition functions, the saddle point equations are solved for generic quivers with Nf = 2N at all interior nodes, which includes the TN theories, and for a sample of theories with Nf ≠ 2N nodes including theories with Chern-Simons terms. The resulting exact expressions for the free energies and conformal central charges are consistent with supergravity predictions and, where available, with previous numerical field theory analyses.

Fast Stokesian dynamics

We present a new method for large scale dynamic simulation of colloidal particles with hydrodynamic interactions and Brownian forces, which we call fast Stokesian dynamics (FSD). The approach for modelling the hydrodynamic interactions between particles is based on the Stokesian dynamics (SD) algorithm (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 448, 2001, pp. 115–146), which decomposes the interactions into near-field (short-ranged, pairwise additive and diverging) and far-field (long-ranged many-body) contributions. In FSD, the standard system of linear equations for SD is reformulated using a single saddle point matrix. We show that this reformulation is generalizable to a host of particular simulation methods enabling the self-consistent inclusion of a wide range of constraints, geometries and physics in the SD simulation scheme. Importantly for fast, large scale simulations, we show that the saddle point equation is solved very efficiently by iterative methods for which novel preconditioners are derived. In contrast to existing approaches to accelerating SD algorithms, the FSD algorithm avoids explicit inversion of ill-conditioned hydrodynamic operators without adequate preconditioning, which drastically reduces computation time. Furthermore, the FSD formulation is combined with advanced sampling techniques in order to rapidly generate the stochastic forces required for Brownian motion. Specifically, we adopt the standard approach of decomposing the stochastic forces into near-field and far-field parts. The near-field Brownian force is readily computed using an iterative Krylov subspace method, for which a novel preconditioner is developed, while the far-field Brownian force is efficiently computed by linearly transforming those forces into a fluctuating velocity field, computed easily using the positively split Ewald approach (J. Chem. Phys., vol. 146, 2017, 124116). The resultant effect of this field on the particle motion is determined through solution of a system of linear equations using the same saddle point matrix used for deterministic calculations. Thus, this calculation is also very efficient. Additionally, application of the saddle point formulation to develop high-resolution hydrodynamic models from constrained collections of particles (similar to the immersed boundary method) is demonstrated and the convergence of such models is discussed in detail. Finally, an optimized graphics processing unit implementation of FSD for mono-disperse spherical particles is used to demonstrated performance and accuracy of dynamic simulations of $O(10^{5})$ particles, and an open source plugin for the HOOMD-blue suite of molecular dynamics software is included in the supplementary material.

Two-Dimensional Non-Fermi-Liquid Metals: A Solvable Large-N Limit.

Significant effort has been devoted to the study of "non-Fermi-liquid" (NFL) metals: gapless conducting systems that lack a quasiparticle description. One class of NFL metals involves a finite density of fermions interacting with soft order parameter fluctuations near a quantum critical point. The problem has been extensively studied in a large-N limit (N corresponding to the number of fermion flavors) where universal behavior can be obtained by solving a set of coupled saddle-point equations. However, a remarkable study by Lee revealed the breakdown of such approximations in two spatial dimensions. We show that an alternate approach, in which the fermions belong to the fundamental representation of a global SU(N) flavor symmetry, while the order parameter fields transform under the adjoint representation (a "matrix large-N" theory), yields a tractable large N limit. At low energies, the system consists of an overdamped boson with dynamical exponent z=3 coupled to a non-Fermi-liquid with self-energy Σ(ω)∼ω^{2/3}, consistent with previous studies.

Phase transitions and Wilson loops in antisymmetric representations in Chern–Simons-matter theory

We study the phase transitions of three-dimensional Chern–Simons theory on with a varied number of massive fundamental hypermultiplets and with a Fayet–Iliopoulos parameter. We characterize the various phase diagrams in the decompactification limit, according to the number of different mass scales in the theory. For this, we extend the known solution of the saddle-point equations to the setting where the one-cut solution is characterized by asymmetric intervals. We then study the large N limit of Wilson loops in antisymmetric representations, with the additional scaling corresponding to the variation of the size of the representation. We give explicit expressions, both with and without the FI terms, and study 1/R corrections for the different phases. These corrections break the perimeter law behavior, as they introduce scaling with the size of the representation. We show how the phase transitions of the Wilson loops can either be of first or second order and determine the underlying mechanism in terms of the eventual asymmetry of the support of the solution of the saddle-point equation, at the critical points.

Solvable model for quantum criticality between the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev liquid and a disordered Fermi liquid

We propose a simple solvable variant of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model which displays a quantum phase transition from a fast-scrambling non-Fermi liquid to disordered Fermi liquid. Like the canonical SYK model, our variant involves a single species of Majorana fermions connected by all-to-all random four-fermion interactions. The phase transition is driven by a random two-fermion term added to the Hamiltonian whose structure is inspired by proposed solid-state realizations of the SYK model. Analytic expressions for the saddle point solutions at large number $N$ of fermions are obtained and show a characteristic scale-invariant $\sim |\omega|^{-1/2}$ behavior of the spectral function below the transition which is replaced by a $\sim |\omega|^{-1/3}$ singularity exactly at the critical point. These results are confirmed by numerical solutions of the saddle point equations and discussed in the broader context of the field.

Replica-nondiagonal solutions in the SYK model

We study the SYK model in the large N limit beyond the replica-diagonal approximation. First we show that there are exact replica-nondiagonal solutions of the saddle point equations for q = 2 for any finite replica number M.In the interacting q = 4 case we are able to construct the numerical solutions, which are in one-to-one correspondence to the analytic solutions of the quadratic model. These solutions are singular in the M → 0 limit in both quadratic and quartic interaction cases. The calculations of the on-shell action at finite integer M show that the nondiagonal replica-symmetric saddles are subleading in both quadratic and quartic cases.We also study replica-nondiagonal solutions of the SYK in the strong coupling limit. For arbitrary q we show that besides the usual solutions of the replica-diagonal saddle point equations in the conformal limit, there are also replica-nondiagonal solutions for any value of M (including zero). The specific configurations that we study, have factorized time and replica dependencies. The corresponding saddle point equations are separable at strong coupling, and can be solved using the Parisi ansatz from spin glass theory. We construct the solutions which correspond to the replica-symmetric case and to one-step replica symmetry breaking. We compute the regularizized free energy on these solutions in the limit of zero replicas. It is observed that there are nondiagonal solutions with the regularized free energy lower than that of the standard diagonal conformal solution.

Statistical mechanical evaluation of a spread-spectrum watermarking model with image restoration.

In cases in which an original image is blind, a decoding method where both the image and the messages can be estimated simultaneously is desirable. We propose a spread spectrum watermarking model with image restoration based on Bayes estimation. We therefore need to assume some prior probabilities. The probability for estimating the messages is given by the uniform distribution, and the ones for the image are given by the infinite-range model and two-dimensional (2D) Ising model. Any attacks from unauthorized users can be represented by channel models. We can obtain the estimated messages and image by maximizing the posterior probability. We analyzed the performance of the proposed method by the replica method in the case of the infinite-range model. We first calculated the theoretical values of the bit error rate from obtained saddle-point equations and then verified them by computer simulations. For this purpose, we assumed that the image is binary and is generated from a given prior probability. We also assume that attacks can be represented by the Gaussian channel. The computer simulation retults agreed with the theoretical values. In the case of prior probability given by the 2D Ising model, in which each pixel is statically connected with four-neighbors, we evaluated the decoding performance by computer simulations, since the replica theory could not be applied. Results using the 2D Ising model showed that the proposed method with image restoration is as effective as the infinite-range model for decoding messages. We compared the performances in a case in which the image was blind and one in which it was informed. The difference between these cases was small as long as the embedding and attack rates were small. This demonstrates that the proposed method with simultaneous estimation is effective as a watermarking decoder.

Supersymmetry breaking in a large N gauge theory with gravity dual

We study phase structure of a three dimensional mathcal{N} = 6 superconformal theory deformed by mass parameters called mass-deformed ABJM theory, which has the gauge group U(N) × U(N) with Chern-Simons levels (k, −k) and may have a gravity dual. We discuss that the mass deformed ABJM theory on S3 breaks supersymmetry in a large-N limit if the mass is larger than a critical value. To see some evidence for this conjecture, we compute the partition function exactly, and numerically by using the Monte Carlo Simulation for some finite values of N. We discover that the partition function has zeroes as a function of the mass deformation parameters if N ≥ k, which supports the large-N supersymmetry breaking. We also find a solution to the large-N saddle point equations, where the free energy is consistent with the finite N result.

Aspects of massive gauge theories on three sphere in infinite mass limit

We study the S3 partition function of three-dimensional supersymmetric mathcal{N}=4 U(N) SQCD with massive matter multiplets in the infinite mass limit with the so-called Coulomb branch localization. We show that in the infinite mass limit a specific point of the Coulomb branch is selected and contributes dominantly to the partition function. Therefore, we can argue whether each multiplet included in the theory is effectively massless in this limit, even on S3, and conclude that the partition function becomes that of the effective theory on the specific point of the Coulomb branch in the infinite mass limit. In order to investigate which point of the Coulomb branch is dominant, we use the saddle point approximation in the large N limit because the solution of the saddle point equation can be regarded as a specific point of the Coulomb branch. Then, we calculate the partition functions for small rank N and confirm that their behaviors in the infinite mass limit are consistent with the conjecture from the results in the large N limit. Our result suggests that the partition function in the infinite mass limit corresponds to that of an interacting superconformal field theory.

Toward the construction of the general multi-cut solutions in Chern-Simons matrix models

In our previous work [1], we pointed out that various multi-cut solutions exist in the Chern-Simons (CS) matrix models at large-N due to a curious structure of the saddle point equations. In the ABJM matrix model, these multi-cut solutions might be regarded as the condensations of the D2-brane instantons. However many of these multi-cut solutions including the ones corresponding to the condensations of the D2-brane instantons were obtained numerically only. In the current work, we propose an ansatz for the multi-cut solutions which may allow us to derive the analytic expressions for all these solutions. As a demonstration, we derive several novel analytic solutions in the pure CS matrix model and the ABJM matrix model. We also develop the argument for the connection to the instantons.

Constructing effective free energies for dynamical quantum phase transitions in the transverse-field Ising chain

The theory of dynamical quantum phase transitions represents an attempt to extend the concept of phase transitions to the far from equilibrium regime. While there are many formal analogies to conventional transitions, it is a major question to which extent it is possible to formulate a nonequilibrium counterpart to a Landau-Ginzburg theory. In this work we take a first step in this direction by constructing an effective free energy for continuous dynamical quantum phase transitions appearing after quantum quenches in the transverse-field Ising chain. Due to unitarity of quantum time evolution this effective free energy becomes a complex quantity transforming the conventional minimization principle of the free energy into a saddle-point equation in the complex plane of the order parameter, which as in equilibrium is the magnetization. We study this effective free energy in the vicinity of the dynamical quantum phase transition by performing an expansion in terms of the complex magnetization and discuss the connections to the equilibrium case. Furthermore, we study the influence of perturbations and signatures of these dynamical quantum phase transitions in spin correlation functions.

Pair density waves in superconducting vortex halos

We analyze the interplay between a d-wave uniform superconducting and a pair-density-wave (PDW) order parameter in the neighborhood of a vortex. We develop a phenomenological nonlinear sigma-model, solve the saddle point equation for the order parameter configuration, and compute the resulting local density of states in the vortex halo. The intertwining of the two superconducting orders leads to a charge density modulation with the same periodicity as the PDW, which is twice the period of the charge-density-wave that arises as a second-harmonic of the PDW itself. We discuss key features of the charge density modulation that can be directly compared with recent results from scanning tunneling microscopy and speculate on the role PDW order may play in the global phase diagram of the hole-doped cuprates.

The Spiral of Life

High-energy photoionization driven by short and circularly-polarized laser pulses is studied in the framework of the relativistic strong-field approximation. The saddle-point analysis of the integrals defining the probability amplitude is used to determine the general properties of the probability distributions. Additionally, an approximate solution to the saddle-point equation is derived. This leads to the concept of the three-dimensional spiral of life in momentum space, around which the ionization probability distribution is maximum. We demonstrate that such spiral is also obtained from a classical treatment.

Disordered λφ4+ρφ6 Landau-Ginzburg model

We discuss a disordered $\lambda\varphi^{4}+\rho\varphi^{6}$ Landau-Ginzburg model defined in a d-dimensional space. First we adopt the standard procedure of averaging the disorder dependent free energy of the model. The dominant contribution to this quantity is represented by a series of the replica partition functions of the system. Next, using the replica symmetry ansatz in the saddle-point equations, we prove that the average free energy represents a system with multiple ground states with different order parameters. For low temperatures we show the presence of metastable equilibrium states for some replica fields for a range of values of the physical parameters. Finally, going beyond the mean-field approximation, the one-loop renormalization of this model is performed, in the leading order replica partition function.

Multi-cut solutions in Chern–Simons matrix models

We elaborate the Chern–Simons (CS) matrix models at large N. The saddle point equations of these matrix models have a curious structure which cannot be seen in the ordinary one matrix models. Thanks to this structure, an infinite number of multi-cut solutions exist in the CS matrix models. Particularly we exactly derive the two-cut solutions at finite 't Hooft coupling in the pure CS matrix model. In the ABJM matrix model, we argue that some of multi-cut solutions might be interpreted as a condensation of the D2-brane instantons.

A complex fermionic tensor model in d dimensions

In this note, we study a melonic tensor model in d dimensions based on three-index Dirac fermions with a four-fermion interaction. Summing the melonic diagrams at strong coupling allows one to define a formal large-N saddle point in arbitrary d and calculate the spectrum of scalar bilinear singlet operators. For d = 2 − ϵ the theory is an infrared fixed point, which we find has a purely real spectrum that we determine numerically for arbitrary d < 2, and analytically as a power series in ϵ. The theory appears to be weakly interacting when ϵ is small, suggesting that fermionic tensor models in 1-dimension can be studied in an ϵ expansion. For d > 2, the spectrum can still be calculated using the saddle point equations, which may define a formal large-N ultraviolet fixed point analogous to the Gross-Neveu model in d > 2. For 2 < d < 6, we find that the spectrum contains at least one complex scalar eigenvalue (similar to the complex eigenvalue present in the bosonic tensor model recently studied by Giombi, Klebanov and Tarnopolsky) which indicates that the theory is unstable. We also find that the fixed point is weakly-interacting when d = 6 (or more generally d = 4n + 2) and has a real spectrum for 6 < d < 6.14 which we present as a power series in ϵ in 6 + ϵ dimensions.

Lens elliptic gamma function solution of the Yang–Baxter equation at roots of unity

We study the root of unity limit of the lens elliptic gamma function solution of the star-triangle relation, for an integrable model with continuous and discrete spin variables. This limit involves taking an elliptic nome to a primitive rNth root of unity, where r is an existing integer parameter of the lens elliptic gamma function, and N is an additional integer parameter. This is a singular limit of the star-triangle relation, and at subleading order of an asymptotic expansion, another star-triangle relation is obtained for a model with discrete spin variables in . Some special choices of solutions of equation of motion are shown to result in well-known discrete spin solutions of the star-triangle relation. The saddle point equations themselves are identified with three-leg forms of ‘3D-consistent’ classical discrete integrable equations, known as Q4 and . We also comment on the implications for supersymmetric gauge theories, and in particular comment on a close parallel with the works of Nekrasov and Shatashvili.

On replica-nondiagonal large N saddles in the SYK model

We study the saddle points of the SYK model, formulated in terms of the replica bilocal fields, beyond the replica-diagonal assumption. We find a family of replica-nondiagonal saddle points in the IR limit, where the saddle point equations are separable. We use the Parisi ansatz to find the replicanondiagonal solutions and take the replica limit. The free energy on these solutions is computed, and we find that some of the replica-nondiagonal saddles have lower free energy than the replica-diagonal saddle point.

Multi-scaling in the critical phenomena in the quenched disordered systems

The Landau–Ginzburg–Wilson Hamiltonian with random temperature for the phase transition in disordered systems from the Griffiths phase to ordered phase is reexamined. From the saddle point solutions, especially the excited state solutions, it is shown that the system self-organizes into blocks coupled with their neighbors like superspins, which are emergent variables. Taking the fluctuation around these saddle point solutions into account, we get an effective Hamiltonian, including the emergent superspins of the blocks, the fluctuation around the saddle point solutions, and their couplings. Applying Stratonovich–Hubbard transformation to the part of superspins, we get a Landau–Ginzburg–Wilson Hamiltonian for the blocks. From the saddle point equations for the blocks, we can get the second generation blocks, of which sizes are much larger than the first generation blocks. Repeating this procedure again and again, we get many generations of blocks to describe the asymptotic behavior. If a field is applied, the effective field on the superspins is multiplied greatly and proportional to the block size. For a very small field, the effective field on the higher generation superspins can be so strong to cause the superspins polarized radically. This can explain the extra large critical isotherm exponent discovered in the experiments. The phase space of reduced temperature vs. field is divided into many layers , in which different generation blocks dominate the critical behavior. The sizes of the different generation emergent blocks are new relevant length scales. This can explain a lot of puzzles in the experiments and the Monte Carlo simulation.