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arXiv:2102.04508 · SciPost Physics

Physical and unphysical regimes of self-consistent many-body perturbation theory

Kris Van Houcke, Evgeny Kozik, Riccardo Rossi, Youjin Deng, Félix Werner

Published May 27, 2024• 9 citations
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Abstract

In the standard framework of self-consistent many-body perturbation theory, the skeleton series for the self-energy is truncated at a finite order N and plugged into the Dyson equation, which is then solved for the propagator G_N G N . We consider two examples of fermionic models, the Hubbard atom at half filling and its zero space-time dimensional simplified version. First, we show that G_N G N converges when N\to∞ N → ∞ to a limit G_∞\, G ∞ , which coincides with the exact physical propagator G_{exact} G e x a c t at small enough coupling, while G_∞ ≠ G_{exact} G ∞ ≠ G e x a c t at strong coupling. This follows from the findings of [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 156402 (2015)] and an additional subtle mathematical mechanism elucidated here. Second, we demonstrate that it is possible to discriminate between the G_∞=G_{exact} G ∞ = G e x a c t and G_∞≠G_{exact} G ∞ ≠ G e x a c t regimes thanks to a criterion which does not require the knowledge of G_{exact} G e x a c t , as proposed in [Phys. Rev. B 93, 161102 (2016)].

DOI
10.21468/scipostphys.16.5.133

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In the standard framework of self-consistent many-body perturbation theory, the skeleton series for the self-energy is truncated at a finite order N and plugged into the Dyson equation, which is then solved for the propagator G_N G N . We consider two examples of fermionic models, the Hubbard atom at half filling and its zero space-time dimensional simplified version. First, we show that G_N G N converges when N\to∞ N → ∞ to a limit G_∞, G ∞ , which coincides with the exact physical propagator G_{exact} G e x a c t at small enough coupling, while G_∞ ≠ G_{exact} G ∞ ≠ G e x a c t at strong coupling. This follows from the findings of [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 156402 (2015)] and an additional subtle mathematical mechanism elucidated here. Second, we demonstrate that it is possible to discriminate between the G_∞=G_{exact} G ∞ = G e x a c t and G_∞≠G_{exact} G ∞ ≠ G e x a c t regimes thanks to a criterion which does not require the knowledge of G_{exact} G e x a c t , as proposed in [Phys. Rev. B 93, 161102 (2016)].
Perturbation theory using self-consistent Green's functions is one of the most widely used approaches to study many-body effects in condensed matter. On the basis of general considerations and by performing analytical calculations for the specific example of the Hubbard atom, we discuss some key features of this approach. We show that when the domain of the functionals that are used to realize the map between the noninteracting and the interacting Green's functions is properly defined, there exists a class of self-energy functionals for which the self-consistent Dyson equation has only one solution, which is the physical one. We also show that manipulation of the perturbative expansion of the interacting Green's function may lead to a wrong self-energy as a functional of the interacting Green's function, at least for some regions of the parameter space. These findings confirm and explain numerical results of Kozik et al. for the widely used skeleton series of Luttinger and Ward [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 156402 (2015)]. Our study shows that it is important to distinguish between the maps between sets of functions and the functionals that realize those maps. We demonstrate that the self-consistent Green's functions approach itself is not problematic, whereas the functionals that are widely used may have a limited range of validity.
Using a general-order ab initio many-body Green's function method, we numerically illustrate several pathological behaviors of the Feynman-Dyson diagrammatic perturbation expansion of one-particle many-body Green's functions as electron Feynman propagators. (i) The perturbation expansion of the frequency-dependent self-energy is not convergent at the exact self-energy in many frequency domains. (ii) An odd-perturbation-order self-energy has a qualitatively wrong shape and, as a result, many roots of the corresponding Dyson equation are nonphysical in that the poles may be complex or residues can exceed unity or be negative. (iii) A higher even-order self-energy consists of vertical lines at many frequencies, predicting numerous phantom poles with zero residues. (iv) Infinite partial resummations of diagrams by vertex or edge renormalization tend to exacerbate these pathologies. (v) The nonconvergence is caused by the nonanalyticity of the rational-function form of the exact Green's function at many frequencies, where the radius of convergence of its Taylor expansion is zero. This is consistent with the fact that (vi) Pad\'e approximants (power-series expansions of a rational function) can largely restore the correct shape and poles of the Green's function. Nevertheless, not only does the nonconvergence render higher-order Feynman-Dyson diagrammatic perturbation theory useless for many lower-lying ionization or higher-lying electron-attachment states but it also calls into question the validity of its combined use with the Ans\"atze requiring the knowledge of all poles and residues. Such Ans\"atze include the Galitskii-Migdal identity, the self-consistent Green's function methods, and some models of the algebraic diagrammatic construction.
Many-body theory is largely based on self-consistent equations that are constructed in terms of the physical quantity of interest itself, for example the density. Therefore, the calculation of important properties such as total energies or photoemission spectra requires the solution of nonlinear equations that have unphysical and physical solutions. In this work we show in which circumstances one runs into an unphysical solution, and we indicate how one can overcome this problem. Moreover, we solve the puzzle of when and why the interacting Green's function does not unambiguously determine the underlying system, given in terms of its potential, or non-interacting Green's function. Our results are general since they originate from the fundamental structure of the equations. The absorption spectrum of lithium fluoride is shown as one illustration, and observations in the literature for some widely used models are explained by our approach. Our findings apply to both the weak and strong-correlation regimes. For the strong-correlation regime we show that one cannot use the expressions that are obtained from standard perturbation theory, and we suggest a different approach that is exact in the limit of strong interaction.
Many-body theory is largely based on self-consistent equations that are constructed in terms of the physical quantity of interest itself, for example the density. Therefore, the calculation of important properties such as total energies or photoemission spectra requires the solution of non-linear equations that have unphysical and physical solutions. In this work we show in which circumstances one runs into an unphysical solution, and we indicate how one can overcome this problem. Moreover, we solve the puzzle of when and why the interacting Green's function does not unambiguously determine the underlying system, given in terms of its potential, or non-interacting Green's function. Our results are general since they originate from the fundamental structure of the equations. The absorption spectrum of lithium fluoride is shown as one illustration, and observations in the literature for some widely used models are explained by our approach. Our findings apply to both the weak and strong-correlation regimes. For the strong-correlation regime we show that one cannot use the expressions that are obtained from standard perturbation theory, and we suggest a different approach that is exact in the limit of strong interaction.
We generate the perturbative expansion of the single particle Green's function and related self-energy for a half-filled single-band Hubbard model on a square lattice. We invoke algorithmic Matsubara integration to evaluate single-particle quantities for real and Matsubara frequencies and verify results through comparison to existing data on the Matsubara axis. With low-order expansions at weak coupling we observe a number of outcomes expected at higher orders: the opening of a gap, pseudogap behavior, and Fermi-surface reconstruction. Based on low-order perturbations, we consider the phase diagram that arises from truncated expansions of the self-energy and Green's function and their relation via the Dyson equation. From Matsubara axis data, we observe insulating behavior in direct expansions of the Green's function, whereas the same order of truncation of the self-energy produces metallic behavior. This observation is supported by additional calculations for real frequencies. We attribute this difference to the order in which diagrams are implicitly summed in the Dyson series. By separating the reducible and irreducible contributions at each order we show that the reducible diagrams implicitly summed in the Dyson equation lead to incorrect physics in the half-filled Hubbard model. Our observations for this particular case lead us to question the utility of the Dyson equation for any problem that shows a disparity between reducible and irreducible contributions to the expansion of the Green's function.
Recently, Kozik, Ferrero and Georges discovered numerically that for a family of fundamental models of interacting fermions, the self-energy is a multi-valued functional of the fully dressed single-particle propagator G , and that the skeleton diagrammatic series converges to the wrong branch above a critical interaction strength. We consider the zero space-time dimensional case, where the same mathematical phenomena appear from elementary algebra. We also find a similar phenomenology for the fully bold formalism built on the fully dressed single-particle propagator and pair propagator.