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arXiv:2203.04070

A Generic Solution of Fermion Sign Problem

J. Wang, D. Y. Sun

Published Mar 8, 2022• 0 citations
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Abstract

The fermion sign problem, the biggest obstacle in quantum Monte Carlo calculations, is completely solved in this paper. Here, we find a strategy, in which the contribution from those negative-weighted paths is thoroughly cancelled or replaced by some positive-weighted paths. The crucial point lies on the Feynman path integral formula proposed in our group, which allows us to deeply analyze the Boltzmann weight of each path. Through mathematical proof, we demonstrate that physical quantities can be exactly calculated within a specific kind of paths, which have positive the Boltzmann weight. With this finding, a new Monte Carlo method is proposed, in which the fermion sign problem is absent. As an example, the current method is applied to the two-dimensional Hubbard model, and the results do manifest the correctness.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2203.04070

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The fermion sign problem, the biggest obstacle in quantum Monte Carlo calculations, is completely solved in this paper. Here, we find a strategy, in which the contribution from those negative-weighted paths is thoroughly cancelled or replaced by some positive-weighted paths. The crucial point lies on the Feynman path integral formula proposed in our group, which allows us to deeply analyze the Boltzmann weight of each path. Through mathematical proof, we demonstrate that physical quantities can be exactly calculated within a specific kind of paths, which have positive the Boltzmann weight. With this finding, a new Monte Carlo method is proposed, in which the fermion sign problem is absent. As an example, the current method is applied to the two-dimensional Hubbard model, and the results do manifest the correctness.
Abstract The fermion sign problem, the biggest obstacle in quantum Monte Carlo calculations, is completely solved in this paper. Here, we find a strategy, in which the contribution from those negative-weighted paths is thoroughly cancelled or replaced by some positive-weighted paths. The crucial point lies on the Feynman path integral formula proposed in our group, which allows us to deeply analyze the Boltzmann weight of each path. Through mathematical proof, we demonstrate that physical quantities can be exactly calculated within a specific wavefunction space, in which all paths have positive Boltzmann weight. With this finding, a new Monte Carlo method is proposed, in which the fermion sign problem is absent. As an example, the current method is applied to the two-dimensional Hubbard model, and the results do manifest the correctness. *Corresponding author: dysun@phy.ecnu.edu.cn
The path-integral formulation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics was introduced by Feynman in 1948. The use of Path Integral Monte Carlo can be put on a rigorous footing using conditional Wiener integrals. This thesis addresses the topics both of numerical error and of Monte Carlo error.\nA piecewise constant numerical method which is of second order of accuracy for computing conditional Wiener integrals for a rather general class of sufficiently smooth functional is proposed. The method is based on simulation of Brownian bridges via the corresponding stochastic differential equations (SDEs) and on ideas of the weak-sense numerical integration of SDEs. A convergence theorem is proved. Special attention is paid to integral-type functionals. Results of some numerical experiments are presented.\nIn a further part of the research, the goal is to develop Monte Carlo methods for fermion simulations that are resistant to the explosion of variance which happens due to the fermion sign problem. A novel approach is developed which represents a radical departure from the current approaches. This is based on the principle of using a geometrical interpretation of the problem in order to find ways to maximize the negative covariance between the countersigned functional contributions. The fundamental connection between quantum exchange and the fermion sign problem is exploited. It is shown that this leads to a mathematical proof of the well-known exact solution to the sign problem for 1-dimensional fermion systems, and also to a novel exact solution in the case of a pair of 2-dimensional fermions.
By precisely writing down the matrix element of the local Boltzmann operator (e(−τhe^(-{\tau}he(−τh), where h is the paired operator formed by two interacting terms conjugate to each other), we have proposed a new path integral formulation for quantum field theory and developed a corresponding Monte Carlo algorithm. Our formula presents remarkable outcomes such that: 1) the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation is not necessary, and the auxiliary field is no longer needed, which can improve the computational efficiency. 2) The new formula improves the accuracy of the Suzuki-Trotter decomposition. Our method also provides a potential theoretical framework for analyzing and solving the fermion sign problem. As an example, we studied the one-dimensional half-filled Hubbard model at a finite temperature. The obtained results were in excellent agreement with the known solutions. The new formula and Monte Carlo algorithm could be used in various studies.
For important classes of many-fermion problems, quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods allow exact calculations of ground-state and finite-temperature properties without the sign problem. The list spans condensed matter, nuclear physics, and high-energy physics, including the half-filled repulsive Hubbard model, the spin-balanced atomic Fermi gas, and lattice quantum chromodynamics calculations at zero density with Wilson Fermions, and is growing rapidly as a number of problems have been discovered recently to be free of the sign problem. In these situations, QMC calculations are relied on to provide definitive answers. Their results are instrumental to our ability to understand and compute properties in fundamental models important to multiple subareas in quantum physics. It is shown, however, that the most commonly employed algorithms in such situations have an infinite variance problem. A diverging variance causes the estimated Monte Carlo statistical error bar to be incorrect, which can render the results of the calculation unreliable or meaningless. We discuss how to identify the infinite variance problem. An approach is then proposed to solve the problem. The solution does not require major modifications to standard algorithms, adding a "bridge link" to the imaginary-time path integral. The general idea is applicable to a variety of situations where the infinite variance problem may be present. Illustrative results are presented for the ground state of the Hubbard model at half-filling.
The sign problem is a major obstacle in quantum Monte Carlo simulations for many-body fermion systems. We examine this problem with a new perspective based on the Majorana reflection positivity and Majorana Kramers positivity. Two sufficient conditions are proven for the absence of the fermion sign problem. Our proof provides a unified description for all the interacting lattice fermion models previously known to be free of the sign problem based on the auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo method. It also allows us to identify a number of new sign-problem-free interacting fermion models including, but not limited to, lattice fermion models with repulsive interactions but without particle-hole symmetry, and interacting topological insulators with spin-flip terms.
Quantum simulations are a powerful tool for exploring strongly correlated many-body phenomena. Yet, their reach is limited by the fermion sign problem, which causes configuration weights to become negative, compromising statistical sampling. In auxiliary-field Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the doped Hubbard model, neglecting the sign S{\cal S}S of the weight leads to qualitatively wrong results -- most notably, an apparent suppression rather than enhancement of ddd-wave pairing at low temperature. Here we approach the problem from a different perspective: instead of identifying negative-weight paths, we examine the statistics of measured observables in a sign-resolved manner. By analyzing histograms of key quantities (kinetic energy, antiferromagnetic structure factor, and pair susceptibilities) for configurations with S=±1{\cal S}=\pm1S=±1, we derive an exact relation linking the bias from ignoring the sign to the difference between sign-resolved means, ΔμΔμΔμ, and the average sign, ⟨S⟩\langle {\cal S}\rangle⟨S⟩. Our framework provides a precise diagnostic of the origin of measurement bias in Quantum Monte Carlo and clarifies why observables such as the ddd-wave susceptibility are especially sensitive to the sign problem.