Two-dimensional Transverse-field Ising Model Research Articles

Robust Extraction of Thermal Observables from State Sampling and Real-Time Dynamics on Quantum Computers

Simulating properties of quantum materials is one of the most promising applications of quantum computation, both near- and long-term. While real-time dynamics can be straightforwardly implemented, the finite temperature ensemble involves non-unitary operators that render an implementation on a near-term quantum computer extremely challenging. Recently, Lu, Bañuls and Cirac \cite{Lu2021} suggested a "time-series quantum Monte Carlo method" which circumvents this problem by extracting finite temperature properties from real-time simulations via Wick's rotation and Monte Carlo sampling of easily preparable states. In this paper, we address the challenges associated with the practical applications of this method, using the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model as a testbed. We demonstrate that estimating Boltzmann weights via Wick's rotation is very sensitive to time-domain truncation and statistical shot noise. To alleviate this problem, we introduce a technique that imposes constraints on the density of states, most notably its non-negativity, and show that this way, we can reliably extract Boltzmann weights from noisy time series. In addition, we show how to reduce the statistical errors of Monte Carlo sampling via a reweighted version of the Wolff cluster algorithm. Our work enables the implementation of the time-series algorithm on present-day quantum computers to study finite temperature properties of many-body quantum systems.

Adaptive variational quantum minimally entangled typical thermal states for finite temperature simulations

Scalable quantum algorithms for the simulation of quantum many-body systems in thermal equilibrium are important for predicting properties of quantum matter at finite temperatures. Here we describe and benchmark a quantum computing version of the minimally entangled typical thermal states (METTS) algorithm for which we adopt an adaptive variational approach to perform the required quantum imaginary time evolution. The algorithm, which we name AVQMETTS, dynamically generates compact and problem-specific quantum circuits, which are suitable for noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) hardware. We benchmark AVQMETTS on statevector simulators and perform thermal energy calculations of integrable and nonintegrable quantum spin models in one and two dimensions and demonstrate an approximately linear system-size scaling of the circuit complexity. We further map out the finite-temperature phase transition line of the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model. Finally, we study the impact of noise on AVQMETTS calculations using a phenomenological noise model.

Optimizing design choices for neural quantum states

Neural quantum states are a new family of variational ans\"atze for quantum-many body wave functions with advantageous properties in the notoriously challenging case of two spatial dimensions. Since their introduction a wide variety of different network architectures has been employed to study paradigmatic models in quantum many-body physics with a particular focus on quantum spin models. Nonetheless, many questions remain about the effect that the choice of architecture has on the performance on a given task. In this work, we present a unified comparison of a selection of popular network architectures and symmetrization schemes employed for ground state searches of prototypical spin Hamiltonians, namely the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model and the J1-J2 model. In the presence of a non-trivial sign structure of the ground states, we find that the details of symmetrization crucially influence the performance. We describe this effect in detail and discuss its consequences, especially for autoregressive models, as their direct sampling procedure is not compatible with the symmetrization procedure that we found to be optimal.

Quantum phase transition dynamics in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model.

The quantum Kibble-Zurek mechanism (QKZM) predicts universal dynamical behavior near the quantum phase transitions (QPTs). It is now well understood for the one-dimensional quantum matter. Higher-dimensional systems, however, remain a challenge, complicated by the fundamentally different character of the associated QPTs and their underlying conformal field theories. In this work, we take the first steps toward theoretical exploration of the QKZM in two dimensions for interacting quantum matter. We study the dynamical crossing of the QPT in the paradigmatic Ising model by a joint effort of modern state-of-the-art numerical methods, including artificial neural networks and tensor networks. As a central result, we quantify universal QKZM behavior close to the QPT. We also note that, upon traversing further into the ferromagnetic regime, deviations from the QKZM prediction appear. We explain the observed behavior by proposing an extended QKZM taking into account spectral information as well as phase ordering. Our work provides a testing platform for higher-dimensional quantum simulators.

Dynamical phase transitions in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model

We investigate two separate notions of dynamical phase transitions in the two-dimensional nearest-neighbor transverse-field Ising model on a square lattice using matrix product states and a new \textit{hybrid} infinite time-evolving block decimation algorithm, where the model is implemented on an infinitely long cylinder with a finite diameter along which periodic boundary conditions are employed. Starting in an ordered initial state, our numerical results suggest that quenches below the dynamical critical point give rise to a ferromagnetic long-time steady state with the Loschmidt return rate exhibiting \textit{anomalous} cusps even when the order parameter never crosses zero. Within the accessible timescales of our numerics, quenches above the dynamical critical point suggest a paramagnetic long-time steady state with the return rate exhibiting \textit{regular} cusps connected to zero crossings of the order parameter. Additionally, our simulations indicate that quenching slightly above the dynamical critical point leads to a coexistence region where both anomalous and regular cusps appear in the return rate. Quenches from the disordered phase further confirm our main conclusions. Our work supports the recent finding that anomalous cusps arise only when local spin excitations are the energetically dominant quasiparticles. Our results are accessible in modern Rydberg experiments.

Z2 topological order and first-order quantum phase transitions in systems with combinatorial gauge symmetry

We study a generalization of the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model, combining both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic two-body interactions, that hosts exact global and local Z2 gauge symmetries. Using exact diagonalization and stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo methods, we confirm the existence of the topological phase in line with previous theoretical predictions. Our simulation results show that the transition between the confined topological phase and the deconfined paramagnetic phase is of first-order, in contrast to the conventional Z2 lattice gauge model in which the transition maps onto that of the standard Ising model and is continuous. We further generalize the model by replacing the transverse field on the gauge spins with a ferromagnetic XX interaction while keeping the local gauge symmetry intact. We find that the Z2 topological phase remains stable, while the paramagnetic phase is replaced by a ferromagnetic phase. The topological-ferromagnetic quantum phase transition is also of first-order. For both models, we discuss the low-energy spinon and vison excitations of the topological phase and their avoided level crossings associated with the first-order quantum phase transitions.

Quantum simulation of 2D antiferromagnets with hundreds of Rydberg atoms.

Quantum simulation using synthetic systems is a promising route to solve outstanding quantum many-body problems in regimes where other approaches, including numerical ones, fail1. Many platforms are being developed towards this goal, in particular based on trapped ions2-4, superconducting circuits5-7, neutral atoms8-11 or molecules12,13. All of these platforms face two key challenges: scaling up the ensemble size while retaining high-quality control over the parameters, and validating the outputs for these large systems. Here we use programmable arrays of individual atoms trapped in optical tweezers, with interactions controlled by laser excitation to Rydberg states11, to implement an iconic many-body problem-the antiferromagnetic two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model. We push this platform to a regime with up to 196 atoms manipulated with high fidelity and probe the antiferromagnetic order by dynamically tuning the parameters of the Hamiltonian. We illustrate the versatility of our platform by exploring various system sizes on two qualitatively different geometries-square and triangular arrays. We obtain good agreement with numerical calculations up to a computationally feasible size (approximately 100 particles). This work demonstrates that our platform can be readily used to address open questions in many-body physics.

Quantum Many-Body Dynamics in Two Dimensions with Artificial Neural Networks.

The efficient numerical simulation of nonequilibrium real-time evolution in isolated quantum matter constitutes a key challenge for current computational methods. This holds in particular in the regime of two spatial dimensions, whose experimental exploration is currently pursued with strong efforts in quantum simulators. In this work we present a versatile and efficient machine learning inspired approach based on a recently introduced artificial neural network encoding of quantum many-body wave functions. We identify and resolve key challenges for the simulation of time evolution, which previously imposed significant limitations on the accurate description of large systems and long-time dynamics. As a concrete example, we study the dynamics of the paradigmatic two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model, as recently also realized experimentally in systems of Rydberg atoms. Calculating the nonequilibrium real-time evolution across a broad range of parameters, we, for instance, observe collapse and revival oscillations of ferromagnetic order and demonstrate that the reached timescales are comparable to or exceed the capabilities of state-of-the-art tensor network methods.

Artificial neural network based computation for out-of-time-ordered correlators

Out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) are of crucial importance for studying a wide variety of fundamental phenomena in quantum physics, ranging from information scrambling to quantum chaos and many-body localization. However, apart from a few special cases, they are notoriously difficult to compute even numerically due to the exponential complexity of generic quantum many-body systems. In this paper, we introduce a machine learning approach to OTOCs based on the restricted-Boltzmann-machine architecture, which features wide applicability and could work for arbitrary-dimensional systems with massive entanglement. We show, through a concrete example involving a two-dimensional transverse field Ising model, that our method is capable of computing early-time OTOCs with respect to random pure quantum states or infinite-temperature thermal ensembles. Our results showcase the great potential for machine learning techniques in computing OTOCs, which open up numerous directions for future studies related to similar physical quantities.

Scaling and Diabatic Effects in Quantum Annealing with a D-Wave Device.

We discuss quantum annealing of the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model on a D-Wave device, encoded on L×L lattices with L≤32. Analyzing the residual energy and deviation from maximal magnetization in the final classical state, we find an optimal L dependent annealing rate v for which the two quantities are minimized. The results are well described by a phenomenological model with two powers of v and L-dependent prefactors to describe the competing effects of reduced quantum fluctuations (for which we see evidence of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism) and increasing noise impact when v is lowered. The same scaling form also describes results of numerical solutions of a transverse-field Ising model with the spins coupled to noise sources. We explain why the optimal annealing time is much longer than the coherence time of the individual qubits.

Making trotters sprint: A variational imaginary time ansatz for quantum many-body systems

We introduce a variational wavefunction for many-body ground states that involves imaginary time evolution with two different Hamiltonians in an alternating fashion with variable time intervals. We successfully apply the ansatz on the one- and two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model and systematically study its scaling for the one-dimensional model at criticality. We find the total imaginary time required scales logarithmically with system size, in contrast to the linear scaling in conventional Quantum Monte Carlo. We suggest this is due to unique dynamics permitted by alternating imaginary time evolution, including the exponential growth of bipartite entanglement. For generic models, the superior scaling of our ansatz potentially mitigates the negative sign problem at the expense of having to optimize variational parameters.

Quantum phase diagram of the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model: Unconstrained tree tensor network and mapping analysis

We investigate the ground-state phase diagram of the frustrated transverse field Ising (TFI) model on the checkerboard lattice (CL), which consists of N\'{e}el, collinear, quantum paramagnet and plaquette-valence bond solid (VBS) phases. We implement a numerical simulation that is based on the recently developed unconstrained tree tensor network (TTN) ansatz, which systematically improves the accuracy over the conventional methods as it exploits the internal gauge selections. At the highly frustrated region ($J_2=J_1$), we observe a second order phase transition from plaquette-VBS state to paramagnet phase at the critical magnetic field, $\Gamma_{c}=0.28$, with the associated critical exponents $\nu=1$ and $\gamma\simeq0.4$, which are obtained within the finite size scaling analysis on different lattice sizes $N=4\times 4, 6\times 6, 8\times8$. The stability of plaquette-VBS phase at low magnetic fields is examined by spin-spin correlation function, which verifies the presence of plaquette-VBS at $J_2=J_1$ and rules out the existence of a N\'{e}el phase. In addition, our numerical results suggest that the transition from N\'{e}el (for $J_2<J_1$) to plaquette-VBS phase is a deconfined phase transition. Moreover, we introduce a mapping, which renders the low-energy effective theory of TFI on CL to be the same model on $J_1-J_2$ square lattice (SL). We show that the plaquette-VBS phase of the highly frustrated point $J_2=J_1$ on CL is mapped to the emergent string-VBS phase on SL at $J_2=0.5J_1$.

Observation of topological phenomena in a programmable lattice of 1,800 qubits.

The work of Berezinskii, Kosterlitz and Thouless in the 1970s1,2 revealed exotic phases of matter governed by thetopological properties of low-dimensional materials such as thin films of superfluids and superconductors. A hallmark of this phenomenon is the appearance and interaction of vortices and antivortices in an angular degree of freedom-typified by the classical XY model-owing to thermal fluctuations. In the two-dimensional Ising model this angular degree of freedom is absent in the classical case, but with the addition of a transverse field it can emerge from the interplay between frustration and quantum fluctuations. Consequently, a Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition has been predicted in the quantum system-the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model-by theory and simulation3-5. Here we demonstrate a large-scale quantum simulation of this phenomenon in a network of 1,800 in situ programmable superconducting niobium flux qubits whose pairwise couplings are arranged in a fully frustrated square-octagonal lattice. Essential to the critical behaviour, we observe the emergence of a complex order parameter with continuous rotational symmetry, and the onset of quasi-long-range order as the system approaches a critical temperature. We describe and use a simple approach to statistical estimation with an annealing-based quantum processor thatperforms Monte Carlo sampling in a chain of reverse quantum annealing protocols. Observations are consistent with classical simulations across a range of Hamiltonian parameters. We anticipate that our approach of using a quantum processor as a programmable magnetic lattice will find widespread use in the simulation and development of exotic materials.

Comment on "Systematic Construction of Counterexamples to the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis".

In a recent Letter [PhysRevLett.119.030601 (2017), arXiv:1702.08227], Shiraishi and Mori claim to provide a general method for constructing local Hamiltonians that do not exhibit eigenstate thermalization. We argue that the claim is based on a misunderstanding of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH). More specifically, on the assumption that ETH is valid for the entire Hamiltonian matrix instead of each symmetry sector independently. We discuss what happens if one mixes symmetry sectors in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model.

Eigenstate thermalization in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model. II. Off-diagonal matrix elements of observables.

We study the matrix elements of few-body observables, focusing on the off-diagonal ones, in the eigenstates of the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model. By resolving all symmetries, we relate the onset of quantum chaos to the structure of the matrix elements. In particular, we show that a general result of the theory of random matrices, namely, the value 2 of the ratio of variances (diagonal to off-diagonal) of the matrix elements of Hermitian operators, occurs in the quantum chaotic regime. Furthermore, we explore the behavior of the off-diagonal matrix elements of observables as a function of the eigenstate energy differences and show that it is in accordance with the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis ansatz.

Topological phase transitions with SO(4) symmetry in (2+1)D interacting Dirac fermions

Interaction-driven topological phase transitions in Dirac semimetals are investigated by means of large-scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. The interaction among Dirac fermions is introduced by coupling them to Ising spins that realize the quantum dynamics of the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model. The ground state phase diagram, in which the tuning parameters are the transverse field and the coupling between fermion and Ising spins, is determined. At weak and intermediate coupling, a second-order Ising quantum phase transition and a first-order topological phase transition between two topologically distinct Dirac semimetals are observed. Interestingly, at the latter, the Dirac points smear out to form nodal lines in the Brillouin zone, and collective bosonic fluctuations with SO(4) symmetry are strongly enhanced. At strong coupling, these two phase boundaries merge into a first-order transition.

Light cone in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model in time-dependent mean-field theory

We investigate the propagation of a local perturbation in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model with a time-dependent application of the mean-field theory based on the BBGKY hierarchy. We show that the perturbation propagates through the system with a finite velocity and that there is a transition from Manhattan to Euclidian metric, resulting in a light cone with an almost circular shape at sufficiently large distances. The propagation velocity of the perturbation defining the front of the light cone is discussed with respect to the parameters of the Hamiltonian and compared to exact results for the transverse-field Ising model in one dimension.

Test of quantum thermalization in the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model.

We study the quantum relaxation of the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model after global quenches with a real-time variational Monte Carlo method and address the question whether this non-integrable, two-dimensional system thermalizes or not. We consider both interaction quenches in the paramagnetic phase and field quenches in the ferromagnetic phase and compare the time-averaged probability distributions of non-conserved quantities like magnetization and correlation functions to the thermal distributions according to the canonical Gibbs ensemble obtained with quantum Monte Carlo simulations at temperatures defined by the excess energy in the system. We find that the occurrence of thermalization crucially depends on the quench parameters: While after the interaction quenches in the paramagnetic phase thermalization can be observed, our results for the field quenches in the ferromagnetic phase show clear deviations from the thermal system. These deviations increase with the quench strength and become especially clear comparing the shape of the thermal and the time-averaged distributions, the latter ones indicating that the system does not completely lose the memory of its initial state even for strong quenches. We discuss our results with respect to a recently formulated theorem on generalized thermalization in quantum systems.

Magnon-bound-state hierarchy for the two-dimensional transverse-field Ising model in the ordered phase

In the ordered phase for an Ising ferromagnet, the magnons are attractive to form a series of bound states with the mass gaps, $m_2<m_3 < \dots$. Each ratio $m_{2,3,\dots}/m_1$ ($m_1$: the single-magnon mass) is expected to be a universal constant in the vicinity of the critical point. In this paper, we devote ourselves to the $(2+1)$-dimensional counterpart, for which the universal hierarchical character remains unclear. We employed the exact diagonalization method, which enables us to calculate the dynamical susceptibility via the continued-fraction expansion. Thereby, we observe a variety of signals including $m_{2,3,4}$, and the spectrum is analyzed with the finite-size-scaling method to estimate the universal mass-gap ratios.

Eigenstate thermalization in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model.

We study the onset of eigenstate thermalization in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model (2D-TFIM) in the square lattice. We consider two nonequivalent Hamiltonians: the ferromagnetic 2D-TFIM and the antiferromagnetic 2D-TFIM in the presence of a uniform longitudinal field. We use full exact diagonalization to examine the behavior of quantum chaos indicators and of the diagonal matrix elements of operators of interest in the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian. An analysis of finite size effects reveals that quantum chaos and eigenstate thermalization occur in those systems whenever the fields are nonvanishing and not too large.