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arXiv:2106.12523

A tensor network representation of path integrals: Implementation and analysis

Amartya Bose, Peter Walters

Published Jun 23, 2021• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Tensors with finite correlation afford very compact tensor network representations. A novel tensor network-based decomposition of real-time path integral simulations involving Feynman-Vernon influence functional is introduced. In this tensor network path integral (TNPI) technique, the finite temporarily non-local interactions introduced by the influence functional can be captured very efficiently using matrix product state representation for the path amplitude (PA) tensor. We illustrate this particular TNPI method through various realistic examples, including a charge transfer reaction and an exciton transfer in a dimer. We also show how it is readily applied to systems with greater than two states by simulating a 7-site model of FMO and a molecular wire model. The augmented propagator (AP) TNPI utilizes the symmetries of the problem, leading to accelerated convergence and dramatic reductions of computational effort. We also introduce an approximate method that speeds up propagation beyond the non-local memory length. Furthermore, the structure imposed by the tensor network representation of the PA tensor naturally suggests other factorizations that make simulations for extended systems more efficient. These factorizations would be the subject of future explorations. The flexibility of the AP-TNPI framework makes it a promising new addition to the family of path integral methods for non-equilibrium quantum dynamics.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2106.12523

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Tensors with finite correlation afford very compact tensor network representations. A novel tensor network-based decomposition of real-time path integral simulations involving Feynman-Vernon influence functional is introduced. In this tensor network path integral (TNPI) technique, the finite temporarily non-local interactions introduced by the influence functional can be captured very efficiently using matrix product state representation for the path amplitude (PA) tensor. We illustrate this particular TNPI method through various realistic examples, including a charge transfer reaction and an exciton transfer in a dimer. We also show how it is readily applied to systems with greater than two states by simulating a 7-site model of FMO and a molecular wire model. The augmented propagator (AP) TNPI utilizes the symmetries of the problem, leading to accelerated convergence and dramatic reductions of computational effort. We also introduce an approximate method that speeds up propagation beyond the non-local memory length. Furthermore, the structure imposed by the tensor network representation of the PA tensor naturally suggests other factorizations that make simulations for extended systems more efficient. These factorizations would be the subject of future explorations. The flexibility of the AP-TNPI framework makes it a promising new addition to the family of path integral methods for non-equilibrium quantum dynamics.
Tensor network decompositions of path integrals for simulating open quantum systems have recently been proven to be useful. However, these methods scale exponentially with the system size. This makes it challenging to simulate the non-equilibrium dynamics of extended quantum systems coupled with local dissipative environments. In this work, we extend the tensor network path integral (TNPI) framework to efficiently simulate such extended systems. The Feynman-Vernon influence functional is a popular approach used to account for the effect of environments on the dynamics of the system. In order to facilitate the incorporation of the influence functional into a multisite framework (MS-TNPI), we combine a matrix product state (MPS) decomposition of the reduced density tensor of the system along the sites with a corresponding tensor network representation of the time axis to construct an efficient 2D tensor network. The 2D MS-TNPI network, when contracted, yields the time-dependent reduced density tensor of the extended system as an MPS. The algorithm presented is independent of the system Hamiltonian. We outline an iteration scheme to take the simulation beyond the non-Markovian memory introduced by solvents. Applications to spin chains coupled to local harmonic baths are presented; we consider the Ising, XXZ, and Heisenberg models, demonstrating that the presence of local environments can often dissipate the entanglement between the sites. We discuss three factors causing the system to transition from a coherent oscillatory dynamics to a fully incoherent dynamics. The MS-TNPI method is useful for studying a variety of extended quantum systems coupled with solvents.
Tensor networks have historically proven to be of great utility in providing compressed representations of wave functions that can be used for the calculation of eigenstates. Recently, it has been shown that a variety of these networks can be leveraged to make real time non-equilibrium simulations of dynamics involving the Feynman-Vernon influence functional more efficient. In this work, a tensor network is developed for non-perturbatively calculating the equilibrium correlation function for open quantum systems using the path integral methodology. These correlation functions are of fundamental importance in calculations of rates of reactions, simulations of response functions and susceptibilities, spectra of systems, etc. The influence of the solvent on the quantum system is incorporated through an influence functional, whose unconventional structure motivates the design of a new optimal matrix product-like operator that can be applied to the so-called path amplitude matrix product state. This complex-time tensor network path integral approach provides an exceptionally efficient representation of the path integral, enabling simulations for larger systems strongly interacting with baths and at lower temperatures out to longer time. The derivation, design, and implementation of this method are discussed along with a wide range of illustrations ranging from rate theory and symmetrized spin correlation functions to simulation of response of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex to light.
In recent years, tensor network renormalization (TNR) has emerged as an efficient and accurate method for studying (1+1)D quantum systems or 2D classical systems using real-space renormalization group (RG) techniques. One notable application of TNR is its ability to extract central charge and conformal scaling dimensions for critical systems. In this paper, we present the implementation of the Loop-TNR algorithm, which allows for the computation of dynamical correlation functions. Our algorithm goes beyond traditional approaches by not only calculating correlations in the spatial direction, where the separation is an integer, but also in the temporal direction, where the time difference can contain decimal values. Our algorithm is designed to handle both imaginary-time and real-time correlations, utilizing a tensor network representation constructed from a path-integral formalism. Additionally, we highlight that the Loop-TNR algorithm can also be applied to investigate critical properties of non-Hermitian systems, an area that was previously inaccessible using density matrix renormalization group(DMRG) and matrix product state(MPS) based algorithms.
In the path integral formulation of the evolution of an open quantum system coupled to a Gaussian, noninteracting environment, the dynamical contribution of the latter is encoded in an object called the influence functional. Here, we relate the influence functional to the process tensor-a more general representation of a quantum stochastic process-describing the evolution. Then, we use this connection to motivate a tensor network algorithm for the simulation of multitime correlations in open systems, building on recent work where the influence functional is represented in terms of time evolving matrix product operators. By exploiting the symmetries of the influence functional, we are able to use our algorithm to achieve orders-of-magnitude improvement in the efficiency of the resulting numerical simulation. Our improved algorithm is then applied to compute exact phonon emission spectra for the spin-boson model with strong coupling, demonstrating a significant divergence from spectra derived under commonly used assumptions of memorylessness.
One of the major ways in which quantum mechanics differs from classical mechanics is the existence of special quantum correlations - entanglement. Typical quantum states are highly entangled, making them complex and inefficient to represent. Physically interesting states are unusual, they are only weakly entangled. By restricting ourselves to weak entanglement, efficient representations of quantum states can be found. A tensor network is constructed by taking objects called tensors that encode spatially local information and gluing them together to create a large network that describes a complex quantum state. The manner in which the tensors are connected defines the entanglement structure of the quantum state. Tensors networks are therefore a natural framework for describing physical behaviour of complex quantum systems. In this thesis we utilize tensor networks to solve a number of interesting problems. Firstly, we study a Feynman path integral written over tensor network states. As a sum over classical trajectories, a Feynman path integral can struggle to capture entanglement. Combining the path integral with tensor networks overcomes this.We consider the effect of quadratic fluctuations on the tensor network path integral and calculate corrections to observables numerically and analytically. We also study the time evolution of complex quantum systems. By projecting quantum dynamics onto a classical phase space defined using tensor networks, we relate thermal behaviour of quantum systems to classical chaos. In doing so we demonstrate a relationship between entanglement growth and chaos. By studying the dynamics of coupled quantum chains we also gain insight into how quantum correlations spread over time. As noted, tensor networks are remarkably efficient. In the final section of this thesis we use tensor networks to create compressed machine learning algorithms. Their efficiency means that tensor networks can use 505050 times fewer parameters with no significant decrease in performance.
This paper explores the application of tensor network methods for simulating molecular dynamics on quantum computers. Traditional molecular dynamics simulations are computationally expensive, particularly for complex systems exhibiting strong quantum correlations. Tensor networks provide a powerful framework for representing and manipulating high-dimensional quantum states, potentially offering a pathway to efficiently simulate molecular dynamics by directly leveraging quantum computational resources. This work details the theoretical framework, outlining how tensor network techniques, specifically Matrix Product States (MPS) and Tree Tensor Networks (TTN), can be adapted for this purpose. We present a simplified model of a diatomic molecule to illustrate the core concept: the construction of a tensor network representation of the molecular wavefunction, followed by the application of time evolution operators to simulate dynamics. The focus is on demonstrating the potential of this approach rather than a fully optimized simulation, highlighting key challenges and future research directions. The efficiency gains compared to classical methods are discussed, acknowledging the significant technological hurdles involved in realizing this approach on near-term quantum devices. We investigate the scalability of the method, considering the limitations imposed by the bond dimension of the tensor network. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate how tensor networks can provide a viable strategy for tackling computationally intractable molecular dynamics problems, paving the way for a new era of quantum-enhanced molecular simulations.