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arXiv:2204.05657 · Quantum

Emergent parallel transport and curvature in Hermitian and non-Hermitian quantum mechanics

Chia-Yi Ju, Adam Miranowicz, Yueh-Nan Chen, Guang-Yin Chen, Franco Nori

Published Mar 13, 2024• 21 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Studies have shown that the Hilbert spaces of non-Hermitian systems require nontrivial metrics. Here, we demonstrate how evolution dimensions, in addition to time, can emerge naturally from a geometric formalism. Specifically, in this formalism, Hamiltonians can be interpreted as a Christoffel symbol-like operators, and the Schroedinger equation as a parallel transport in this formalism. We then derive the evolution equations for the states and metrics along the emergent dimensions and find that the curvature of the Hilbert space bundle for any given closed system is locally flat. Finally, we show that the fidelity susceptibilities and the Berry curvatures of states are related to these emergent parallel transports.

DOI
10.22331/q-2024-03-13-1277

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Studies have shown that the Hilbert spaces of non-Hermitian systems require nontrivial metrics. Here, we demonstrate how evolution dimensions, in addition to time, can emerge naturally from a geometric formalism. Specifically, in this formalism, Hamiltonians can be interpreted as a Christoffel symbol-like operators, and the Schroedinger equation as a parallel transport in this formalism. We then derive the evolution equations for the states and metrics along the emergent dimensions and find that the curvature of the Hilbert space bundle for any given closed system is locally flat. Finally, we show that the fidelity susceptibilities and the Berry curvatures of states are related to these emergent parallel transports.
Quantum mechanics nominally works in a space of infinite dimensions. In practice, however, the computer-based solution of quantum-mechanical problems relies on a restriction of that space to a high but finite number of dimensions. This is important since computational quantum-mechanical simulations have a huge presence in today's physical science. In many instances, the finite-dimensional space needs to evolve during a simulation. In this work, the authors extend the formalism used for finite spaces to that of evolving spaces. Here, well-known equations acquire a new meaning in the language of the curved spaces familiar to general relativity. The authors provide a novel geometric approach to calculating tensorially well-defined derivatives of quantum-mechanical state and operator representations with respect to arbitrary external parameters. Contributions due to basis function evolution play the role of the Christoffel symbol terms of Riemannian geometry. The curvature of the resulting geometry is equivalent to Berry's curvature, but generalized for possibly nonorthogonal, smoothly varying basis functions. This work provides insights into dynamical quantum simulations that enable the development of improved simulation algorithms. It also opens up new scientific horizons, as is ever the case when establishing formal links between different subfields of physics.
We study the geometric properties of the manifold of states described as (uniform) matrix product states. Due to the parameter redundancy in the matrix product state representation, matrix product states have the mathematical structure of a (principal) fiber bundle. The total space or bundle space corresponds to the parameter space, i.e., the space of tensors associated to every physical site. The base manifold is embedded in Hilbert space and can be given the structure of a Kähler manifold by inducing the Hilbert space metric. Our main interest is in the states living in the tangent space to the base manifold, which have recently been shown to be interesting in relation to time dependence and elementary excitations. By lifting these tangent vectors to the (tangent space) of the bundle space using a well-chosen prescription (a principal bundle connection), we can define and efficiently compute an inverse metric, and introduce differential geometric concepts such as parallel transport (related to the Levi-Civita connection) and the Riemann curvature tensor.
Quantum mechanics traditionally describes the state of a system by a vector in Hilbert space and the dynamics by a unitary evolution governed by a Hamiltonian. Recent advances in differential geometry applied to quantum theory have revealed that quantum states can carry geometric structures such as Berry phases and curvature tensors. In this paper we introduce the notion of a quantum state curvature field, denoted Kψ(x)K_\psi(x)Kψ​(x), which is defined pointwise on the parameter space of a family of states {ψ(x)}\{\psi(x)\}{ψ(x)}. We propose a protocol called Quantum State Curvature Measurement (QSCM) that reconstructs KψK_\psiKψ​ by observing continuous quantum evolution along a path in parameter space. The method relies on measuring the infinitesimal phase accumulation and the deviation from parallel transport, which together encode the curvature. We discuss the mathematical foundation of KψK_\psiKψ​, its relation to the Berry curvature, and the experimental feasibility of implementing QSCM on current quantum platforms. Finally, we outline the potential implications of discovering new quantum geometric degrees of freedom, including possible modifications to the foundational structure of quantum theory.
Abstract One of the key features of information geometry in the classical setting is the existence of a metric structure and a family of connections on the space of probability distributions. The uniqueness of the Fisher–Rao metric and the duality of these connections is at the heart of classical information geometry. However, these features do not carry over straightforwardly to quantum systems, where a Hermitian inner product structure on the Hilbert space induces a metric on the complex projective space of pure states, the Fubini–Study tensor, which is preserved under unitary evolution. In this work, we explore how the modification of the Hermitian tensor structure on the projective space may affect the geometry of pure quantum states, and whether such generalisations can be used to define dual connections with a direct correspondence to classical probability distribution functions, modified by the presence of a non-trivial phase. We show that it is indeed possible to construct a family of connections that are dual to each other in a generalised sense with respect to the real-valued sector of the Fubini–Study tensor. Using this biorthogonal formalism, we systematically classify the four types of tensors that can arise when the dynamics of a quantum system are governed by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, identifying both the complex-valued metric and the Berry curvature. Finally, we elucidate the role of the metric in a quantum natural gradient descent optimisation problem, generalised to the non-Hermitian case for a suitable choice of cost function.
The motion of a quantum particle constrained to a two-dimensional non-compact Riemannian manifold with non-trivial metric can be described by a flat-space Schroedinger-type equation at the cost of introducing local mass and metric and geometry-induced effective potential with no classical counterpart. For a metric tensor periodically modulated along one dimension, the formation of bands is demonstrated and transport-related quantities are derived. Using S-matrix approach, the quantum conductance along the manifold is calculated and contrasted with conventional quantum transport methods in flat spaces. The topology, e.g. whether the manifold is simply connected, compact or non-compact shows up in global, non-local properties such as the Aharonov-Bohm phase. The results vividly demonstrate emergent phenomena due to the interplay of reduced-dimensionality, particles quantum nature, geometry, and topology.
In the geometry of quantum-mechanical processes, the time-varying curvature coefficient of a quantum evolution is specified by the magnitude squared of the covariant derivative of the tangent vector to the state vector. In particular, the curvature coefficient measures the bending of the quantum curve traced out by a parallel-transported pure quantum state that evolves in a unitary fashion under a nonstationary Hamiltonian that specifies the Schr\"odinger evolution equation. In this paper, we present an exact analytical expression of the curvature of a quantum evolution for a two-level quantum system immersed in a time-dependent magnetic field. Specifically, we study the dynamics generated by a two-parameter nonstationary Hermitian Hamiltonian with unit speed efficiency. The two parameters specify the constant temporal rates of change of the polar and azimuthal angles used in the Bloch sphere representation of the evolving pure state. To better grasp the physical significance of the curvature coefficient, showing that the quantum curve is nongeodesic since the geodesic efficiency of the quantum evolution is strictly less than 1 and tuning the two Hamiltonian parameters, we compare the temporal behavior of the curvature coefficient with that of the speed and the acceleration of the evolution of the system in projective Hilbert space. Furthermore, we compare the temporal profile of the curvature coefficient with that of the square of the ratio between the parallel and transverse magnetic field intensities. Finally, we discuss the challenges in finding exact analytical solutions when extending our geometric approach to higher-dimensional quantum systems that evolve unitarily under an arbitrary time-dependent Hermitian Hamiltonian.