We study quantum mechanical models in which the dynamical degrees of freedom are real fermionic tensors of rank 5 and higher. They are the nonrandom counterparts of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models where the Hamiltonian couples six or more fermions. For the tensors of rank 5, there is a unique $O(N{)}^{5}$ symmetric sixth-order Hamiltonian leading to a solvable $\mathrm{large}\text{\ensuremath{-}}N$ limit dominated by the melonic diagrams. We solve for the complete energy spectrum of this model when $N=2$ and deduce exact expressions for all the eigenvalues. The subset of states which are gauge invariant exhibits degeneracies related to the discrete symmetries of the gauged model. We also study quantum chaos properties of the tensor model and compare them with those of the $q=6$ SYK model. For $q>6$, there is a rapidly growing number of $O(N{)}^{q\ensuremath{-}1}$ invariant tensor interactions. We focus on those of them that are maximally single trace---their stranded diagrams stay connected when any set of $q\ensuremath{-}3$ colors is erased. We present a general discussion of why the tensor models with maximally single-trace interactions have $\mathrm{large}\text{\ensuremath{-}}N$ limits dominated by the melonic diagrams. We solve the $\mathrm{large}\text{\ensuremath{-}}N$ Schwinger-Dyson equations for the higher rank Majorana tensor models and show that they match those of the corresponding SYK models exactly. We also study other gauge invariant operators present in the tensor models.
We study quantum mechanical models in which the dynamical degrees of freedom are real fermionic tensors of rank 5 and higher. They are the nonrandom counterparts of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models where the Hamiltonian couples six or more fermions. For the tensors of rank 5, there is a unique O(N)5 symmetric sixth-order Hamiltonian leading to a solvable large\ensuremath-N limit dominated by the melonic diagrams. We solve for the complete energy spectrum of this model when N=2 and deduce exact expressions for all the eigenvalues. The subset of states which are gauge invariant exhibits degeneracies related to the discrete symmetries of the gauged model. We also study quantum chaos properties of the tensor model and compare them with those of the q=6 SYK model. For q>6, there is a rapidly growing number of O(N)q\ensuremath−1 invariant tensor interactions. We focus on those of them that are maximally single trace---their stranded diagrams stay connected when any set of q\ensuremath−3 colors is erased. We present a general discussion of why the tensor models with maximally single-trace interactions have large\ensuremath-N limits dominated by the melonic diagrams. We solve the large\ensuremath-N Schwinger-Dyson equations for the higher rank Majorana tensor models and show that they match those of the corresponding SYK models exactly. We also study other gauge invariant operators present in the tensor models.
Certain models with rank-3 tensor degrees of freedom have been shown by Gurau and collaborators to possess a novel large N limit, where g2N3 is held fixed. In this limit the perturbative expansion in the quartic coupling constant, g, is dominated by a special class of ``melon'' diagrams. We study ``uncolored'' models of this type, which contain a single copy of real rank-3 tensor. Its three indices are distinguishable; therefore, the models possess O(N)3 symmetry with the tensor field transforming in the tri-fundamental representation. Such uncolored models also possess the large N limit dominated by the melon diagrams. The quantum mechanics of a real anticommuting tensor therefore has a similar large N limit to the model recently introduced by Witten as an implementation of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model which does not require disorder. Gauging the O(N)3 symmetry in our quantum mechanical model removes the nonsinglet states; therefore, one can search for its well-defined gravity dual. We point out, however, that the model possesses a vast number of gauge-invariant operators involving higher powers of the tensor field, suggesting that the complete gravity dual will be intricate. We also discuss the quantum mechanics of a complex 3-index anticommuting tensor, which has $U(N{)}^{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}O(N)$ symmetry and argue that it is equivalent in the large N limit to a version of SYK model with complex fermions. Finally, we discuss similar models of a commuting tensor in dimension d. While the quartic interaction is not positive definite, we construct the large N Schwinger-Dyson equation for the two-point function and show that its solution is consistent with conformal invariance. We carry out a perturbative check of this result using the $4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ expansion.
We study the quantum mechanics of three-index Majorana fermions ψ^{abc} governed by a quartic Hamiltonian with O(N)^{3} symmetry. Similarly to the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, this tensor model has a solvable large-N limit dominated by the melonic diagrams. For N=4 the total number of states is 2^{32}, but they naturally break up into distinct sectors according to the charges under the U(1)×U(1) Cartan subgroup of one of the O(4) groups. The biggest sector has vanishing charges and contains over 165 million states. Using a Lanczos algorithm, we determine the spectrum of the low-lying states in this and other sectors. We find that the absolute ground state is nondegenerate. If the SO(4)^{3} symmetry is gauged, it is known from earlier work that the model has 36 states and a residual discrete symmetry. We study the discrete symmetry group in detail; it gives rise to degeneracies of some of the gauge singlet energies. We find all the gauge singlet energies numerically and use the results to propose exact analytic expressions for them.
The first part of these lecture notes is mostly devoted to a comparative discussion of the three basic large N limits, which apply to fields which are vectors, matrices, or tensors of rank three and higher. After a brief review of some physical applications of large N limits, we present a few solvable examples in zero space-time dimension. Using models with fields in the fundamental representation of O(N), O(N)2, or O(N)3 symmetry, we compare their combinatorial properties and highlight a competition between the snail and melon diagrams. We exhibit the different methods used for solving the vector, matrix, and tensor large N limits. In the latter example we review how the dominance of melonic diagrams follows when a special ``tetrahedral" interaction is introduced. The second part of the lectures is mostly about the fermionic quantum mechanical tensor models, whose large N limits are similar to that in the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. The minimal Majorana model with O(N)3 symmetry and the tetrahedral Hamiltonian is reviewed in some detail; it is the closest tensor counterpart of the SYK model. Also reviewed are generalizations to complex fermionic tensors, including a model with SU(N)2×O(N)×U(1) symmetry, which is a tensor counterpart of the complex SYK model. The bosonic large N tensor models, which are formally tractable in continuous spacetime dimension, are reviewed briefly at the end.
In this thesis, we discuss the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model and tensor models with similar properties. The SYK model is a quantum field theoretical model describing N interacting fermions, whose coupling constants are drawn from a Gaussian ensemble. Noteworthy properties of the SYK model include that it is analytically solvable in the large N limit, that it exhibits conformal symmetry at low energies and that it is maximally chaotic. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a 1 + 1 dimensional Schwarzschild black hole. It has been conjectured the SYK model is a holographic dual to the black hole. We introduce a set of Feynman rules for the SYK model. Using these rules, we show that in the large N limit the diagrams that contribute to the two-point function are all so-called iterated melonic diagrams. This allows us to derive a Schwinger-Dyson equation for the two-point function, which, in turn, can be solved exactly in the infrared limit. We also consider the four-point function. In the large N limit, the leading-order correction to the four-point function is given by so-called ladder diagrams. This allows us to derive an explicit expression for the four-point function. The SYK model can be generalized in a few different ways. In this thesis, we consider the generalization where the fermions act through q-fold interactions instead of quartic interactions present in the original SYK model. In particular, considerable simplifications can be achieved in the q → ∞ limit or q = 2 case, which we study. While the SYK model has many interesting properties, its random couplings limit its usability especially as a dual to a Schwarzschild black hole. We therefore also consider tensor models which do not have this drawback but manage to preserve the interesting properties of the SYK model. In the last chapter, we briefly inspect the chaotic behaviour of the SYK and tensor models and derive Lyapunov exponent for them. It can be shown that the expression saturates an upper bound for Lyapunov exponents of a large class of quantum systems, including large N systems.
The first part of these lecture notes is mostly devoted to a comparative discussion of the three basic large N limits, which apply to fields which are vectors, matrices, or tensors of rank three and higher. After a brief review of some physical applications of large N limits, we present a few solvable examples in zero space-time dimension. Using models with fields in the fundamental representation of O(N), O(N)2, or O(N)3 symmetry, we compare their combinatorial properties and highlight a competition between the snail and melon diagrams. We exhibit the different methods used for solving the vector, matrix, and tensor large N limits. In the latter example we review how the dominance of melonic diagrams follows when a special "tetrahedral" interaction is introduced. The second part of the lectures is mostly about the fermionic quantum mechanical tensor models, whose large N limits are similar to that in the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. The minimal Majorana model with O(N)3 symmetry and the tetrahedral Hamiltonian is reviewed in some detail; it is the closest tensor counterpart of the SYK model. Also reviewed are generalizations to complex fermionic tensors, including a model with SU(N)2×O(N)×U(1) symmetry, which is a tensor counterpart of the complex SYK model. The bosonic large N tensor models, which are formally tractable in continuous spacetime dimension, are reviewed briefly at the end.
We study the operators in the large N tensor models, focusing mostly on the fermionic quantum mechanics with O(N)3 symmetry which may be either global or gauged. In the model with global symmetry, we study the spectra of bilinear operators, which are in either the symmetric traceless or the antisymmetric representation of one of the O(N) groups. In the symmetric traceless case, the spectrum of scaling dimensions is the same as in the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model with real fermions; it includes the h=2 zero mode. For the operators antisymmetric in the two indices, the scaling dimensions are the same as in the additional sector found in the complex tensor and SYK models; the lowest h=0 eigenvalue corresponds to the conserved O(N) charges. A class of singlet operators may be constructed from contracted combinations of m symmetric traceless or antisymmetric two-particle operators. Their two-point functions receive contributions from m melonic ladders. Such multiple ladders are a new phenomenon in the tensor model, which does not seem to be present in the SYK model. The more typical 2k-particle operators do not receive any ladder corrections and have quantized large N scaling dimensions k/2. We construct pictorial representations of various singlet operators with low k. For larger k, we use available techniques to count the operators and show that their number grows as 2kk!. As a consequence, the theory has a Hagedorn phase transition at the temperature which approaches zero in the large N limit. We also study the large N spectrum of low-lying operators in the Gurau-Witten model, which has O(N)6 symmetry. We argue that it corresponds to one of the generalized SYK models constructed by Gross and Rosenhaus. Our paper also includes studies of the invariants in large N tensor integrals with various symmetries.