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arXiv:1711.03044 · SciPost Physics Lecture Notes

Lecture notes on Diagrammatic Monte Carlo for the Fröhlich polaron

Jonas Greitemann, Lode Pollet

Published Jun 11, 2018• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

These notes are intended as a detailed discussion on how to implement the diagrammatic Monte Carlo method for a physical system which is technically simple and where it works extremely well, namely the Fröhlich polaron problem. Sampling schemes for the Green function as well as the self-energy in the bare and skeleton (bold) expansion are disclosed in full detail. We discuss the Monte Carlo updates, possible implementations in terms of common data structures, as well as techniques on how to perform the Fourier transforms for functions with discontinuities. Control over the variety of parameters, especially in the bold scheme, is demonstrated. Sample codes are made available online along with extensive documentation. Towards the end, we discuss various extensions of the method and their applications. After working through these notes, the reader will be well equipped to explore the richness of the diagrammatic Monte Carlo method for quantum many-body systems.

DOI
10.21468/scipostphyslectnotes.2

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These notes are intended as a detailed discussion on how to implement the diagrammatic Monte Carlo method for a physical system which is technically simple and where it works extremely well, namely the Fröhlich polaron problem. Sampling schemes for the Green function as well as the self-energy in the bare and skeleton (bold) expansion are disclosed in full detail. We discuss the Monte Carlo updates, possible implementations in terms of common data structures, as well as techniques on how to perform the Fourier transforms for functions with discontinuities. Control over the variety of parameters, especially in the bold scheme, is demonstrated. Sample codes are made available online along with extensive documentation. Towards the end, we discuss various extensions of the method and their applications. After working through these notes, the reader will be well equipped to explore the richness of the diagrammatic Monte Carlo method for quantum many-body systems.
We develop a Monte Carlo scheme for sampling series of Feynman diagrams for the proper self-energy which are self-consistently expressed in terms of renormalized particle propagators. This approach is used to solve the problem of a single spin-down fermion resonantly interacting with the Fermi gas of spin-up particles. Though the original series based on bare propagators are sign-alternating and divergent one can still determine the answer behind them by using two strategies (separately or together): (i) using proper series re-summation techniques, and (ii) introducing renormalized propagators which are defined in terms of the simulated proper self-energy, i.e. making the entire scheme self-consistent. Our solution is important for understanding the phase diagram and properties of the BCS-BEC crossover in the strongly imbalanced regime. On the technical side, we develop a generic sign-problem tolerant method for exact numerical solution of polaron-type models, and, possibly, of the interacting many-body Hamiltonians.
A detailed study of the Fr\"ohlich polaron model is performed on the basis of diagrammatic quantum Monte Carlo method [N. V. Prokof'ev and B. V. Svistunov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81,81,81, 2514 (1998)]. The method is further developed both quantitatively (performance) and qualitatively (new estimators), and is enhanced by spectral analysis of the polaron Green's function, within an approach developed in the present paper. We present up to date results for the binding energy, and make available precise data for the effective mass, including the region of intermediate and strong couplings. We look at the structure of the polaron cloud and answer such questions as the average number of phonons in the cloud and their number/momentum distribution. The spectral analysis reveals nontrivial structure of the spectral density at intermediate and large coupling: the spectral continuum features pronounced peaks that we attribute to unstable excited states of the polaron.
A detailed study of the Frohlich polaron model is performed on the basis of diagrammatic quantum Monte Carlo method. The method is further developed both quantitatively (performance) and qualitatively (new estimators), and is enhanced by spectral analysis of the polaron Green function, within a novel approach. We present the best up to date results for the binding energy, and for the first time make available precise data for the effective mass, including the region of intermediate and strong couplings. We look at the structure of the polaron cloud and answer such questions as the average number of phonons in the cloud and their number/momentum distribution. The spectral analysis reveals non-trivial structure of the spectral density at intermediate and large coupling: the spectral continuum features pronounced peaks that we attribute to unstable excited states of the polaron.
We present a numerical solution of the polaron problem by a novel Monte Carlo method. Starting from a conventional diagrammatic expansion for the polaron Green function $G(\mathbf{k},\ensuremath{\tau})$, we construct a process which generates continuous random variables k\mathbf{k}k and $\ensuremath{\tau}$, with a distribution function coinciding exactly with $G(\mathbf{k},\ensuremath{\tau})$. The polaron spectrum is extracted from the asymptotic behavior of the Green function. We compare our results for the polaron energy with the variational treatment of Feynman, and present an accurate dispersion curve which features an end point at finite momentum.
A study of the Fröhlich polaron model is performed on the basis of diagrammatic quantum Monte Carlo technique which is enhanced by novel method of spectral analysis of the polaron Green function. We make available for the first time precise data for the effective mass, including the region of intermediate and strong couplings, and analyze the structure of the polaron cloud. A non-trivial structure of the spectral density is observed: at high enough couplings the spectral continuum features pronounced peaks that we attribute to unstable excited states of the polaron.
A detailed study of the Frohlich polaron model is performed on the basis of diagrammatic quantum Monte Carlo method. The method is further developed both quantitatively (performance) and qualitatively (new estimators), and is enhanced by spectral analysis of the polaron Green function, within a novel approach. We present the best up to date results for the binding energy, and for the first time make available precise data for the effective mass, including the region of intermediate and strong couplings. We look at the structure of the polaron cloud and answer such questions as the average number of phonons in the cloud and their number/momentum distribution. The spectral analysis reveals non-trivial structure of the spectral density at intermediate and large coupling: the spectral continuum features pronounced peaks that we attribute to unstable excited states of the polaron.