We discuss recent progress in Tensor Lattice Field Theory and economical, symmetry preserving, truncations suitable for quantum computations/simulations. We focus on spin and gauge models with continuous Abelian symmetries such as the Abelian Higgs model and emphasize noise-robust implementations of Gauss’s law. We discuss recent progress concerning the comparison between field digitizations and character expansions, symmetry breaking in tensor language, wave-packet preparation and possible new implementations of Abelian models using Rydberg atoms.
We discuss the successes and limitations of statistical sampling for a sequence of models studied in the context of lattice QCD and emphasize the need for new methods to deal with finite-density and real-time evolution. We show that these lattice models can be reformulated using tensorial methods where the field integrations in the path-integral formalism are replaced by discrete sums. These formulations involve various types of duality and provide exact coarse-graining formulas which can be combined with truncations to obtain practical implementations of the Wilson renormalization group program. Tensor reformulations are naturally discrete and provide manageable transfer matrices. Combining truncations with the time continuum limit, we derive Hamiltonians suitable to perform quantum simulation experiments, for instance using cold atoms, or to be programmed on existing quantum computers. We review recent progress concerning the tensor field theory treatment of non-compact scalar models, supersymmetric models, economical four-dimensional algorithms, noise-robust enforcement of Gauss's law, symmetry preserving truncations and topological considerations.
In most lattice simulations, the variables of integration are compact and character expansion (for instance Fourier analysis for U(1) models) can be used to rewrite the partition function and average observables as discrete sums of contracted tensors. These reformulations have been used for RG blocking but they also naturally fit the needs of quantum computing. We discuss FAQ about tensorial reformulations: effects of truncations on symmetries, boundary conditions, Grassmann variables, and other recent aspects of quantum computing in the same context.
The benefits of exploiting the presence of symmetries in tensor network algorithms have been extensively demonstrated in the context of matrix product states (MPSs). These include the ability to select a specific symmetry sector (e.g., with a given particle number or spin), to ensure the exact preservation of total charge, and to significantly reduce computational costs. Compared to the case of a generic tensor network, the practical implementation of symmetries in the MPS is simplified by the fact that tensors only have three indices (they are trivalent, just as the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients of the symmetry group) and are organized as a one-dimensional array of tensors, without closed loops. Instead, a more complex tensor network, one where tensors have a larger number of indices and/or a more elaborate network structure, requires a more general treatment. In two recent papers, namely, (i) [Singh, Pfeifer, and Vidal, Phys. Rev. A 82, 050301 (2010)] and (ii) [Singh, Pfeifer, and Vidal, Phys. Rev. B 83, 115125 (2011)], we described how to incorporate a global internal symmetry into a generic tensor network algorithm based on decomposing and manipulating tensors that are invariant under the symmetry. In (i) we considered a generic symmetry group
G that is compact, completely reducible, and multiplicity free, acting as a global internal symmetry. Then, in (ii) we described the implementation of Abelian group symmetries in much more detail, considering a U(1) symmetry (e.g., conservation of global particle number) as a concrete example. In this paper, we describe the implementation of non-Abelian group symmetries in great detail. For concreteness, we consider an SU(2) symmetry (e.g., conservation of global quantum spin). Our formalism can be readily extended to more exotic symmetries associated with conservation of total fermionic or anyonic charge. As a practical demonstration, we describe the SU(2)-invariant version of the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz and apply it to study the low-energy spectrum of a quantum spin chain with a global SU(2) symmetry.
We study field theories with global dipole symmetries and gauge dipole symmetries. The famous Lifshitz theory is an example of a theory with a global dipole symmetry. We study in detail its
1+1D version with a compact field. When this global symmetry is promoted to a
U(1) dipole gauge symmetry, the corresponding gauge field is a tensor gauge field. This theory is known to lead to fractons. To resolve various subtleties in the precise meaning of these global or gauge symmetries, we place these
1+1D theories on a lattice and then take the continuum limit. Interestingly, the continuum limit is not unique. Different limits lead to different continuum theories, whose operators, defects, global symmetries, etc., are different. We also consider a lattice gauge theory with a
ZN dipole gauge group. Surprisingly, several physical observables, such as the ground state degeneracy and the mobility of defects, depend sensitively on the number of sites in the lattice. Our analysis forces us to think carefully about global symmetries that do not act on the standard Hilbert space of the theory, but only on the Hilbert space in the presence of defects. We refer to them as timelike global symmetries and discuss them in detail. These timelike global symmetries allow us to phrase the mobility restrictions of defects (including those of fractons) as a consequence of a global symmetry.
Quantum simulation of non-Abelian gauge theories requires careful handling of gauge redundancy. We address this challenge by presenting universal principles for treating gauge symmetry that apply to any quantum simulation approach, clarifying that physical states need not be represented solely by gauge singlets. Both singlet and non-singlet representations are valid, with distinct practical trade-offs, which we elucidate using analogies to BRST quantization. We demonstrate these principles within a complete quantum simulation framework based on the orbifold lattice, which enables explicit and efficient circuit constructions relevant to real-world QCD. For singlet-based approaches, we introduce a Haar-averaging projection implemented via linear combinations of unitaries, and analyze its cost and truncation errors. We also introduce an efficient simulation protocol with an additional term to the Hamiltonian that eliminates non-singlet states from the low-energy spectrum. Beyond the singlet-approach, we show how non-singlet approaches can yield gauge-invariant observables through wave packets and string excitations. This non-singlet approach is proven to be both universal and efficient. Working in temporal gauge, we provide explicit mappings of lattice Yang-Mills dynamics to Pauli-string Hamiltonians suitable for Trotterization. Classical simulations of small systems validate convergence criteria and quantify truncation and Trotter errors, showing concrete resource estimates and scalable circuit recipes for SU
(N) gauge theories. Our framework provides both conceptual clarity and practical tools toward quantum advantage in simulating non-Abelian gauge theories.