Tensor networks have a gauge degree of freedom on the virtual degrees of freedom that are contracted. A canonical form is a choice of fixing this degree of freedom. For matrix product states, choosing a canonical form is a powerful tool, both for theoretical and numerical purposes. On the other hand, for tensor networks in dimension two or greater there is only limited understanding of the gauge symmetry. Here we introduce a new canonical form, the minimal canonical form, which applies to projected entangled pair states (PEPS) in any dimension, and prove a corresponding fundamental theorem. Already for matrix product states this gives a new canonical form, while in higher dimensions it is the first rigorous definition of a canonical form valid for any choice of tensor. We show that two tensors have the same minimal canonical forms if and only if they are gauge equivalent up to taking limits; moreover, this is the case if and only if they give the same quantum state for any geometry. In particular, this implies that the latter problem is decidable - in contrast to the well-known undecidability for PEPS on grids. We also provide rigorous algorithms for computing minimal canonical forms. To achieve this we draw on geometric invariant theory and recent progress in theoretical computer science in non-commutative group optimization.
Tensor networks have a gauge degree of freedom on the virtual degrees of freedom that are contracted. A canonical form is a choice of fixing this degree of freedom. For matrix product states, choosing a canonical form is a powerful tool, both for theoretical and numerical purposes. On the other hand, for tensor networks in dimension two or greater there is only limited understanding of the gauge symmetry. Here we introduce a new canonical form, the minimal canonical form, which applies to projected entangled pair states (PEPS) in any dimension, and prove a corresponding fundamental theorem. Already for matrix product states this gives a new canonical form, while in higher dimensions it is the first rigorous definition of a canonical form valid for any choice of tensor. We show that two tensors have the same minimal canonical forms if and only if they are gauge equivalent up to taking limits; moreover, this is the case if and only if they give the same quantum state for any geometry. In particular, this implies that the latter problem is decidable - in contrast to the well-known undecidability for PEPS on grids. We also provide rigorous algorithms for computing minimal canonical forms. To achieve this we draw on geometric invariant theory and recent progress in theoretical computer science in non-commutative group optimization.
Tensor networks have a gauge degree of freedom on the virtual degrees of freedom that are contracted. A canonical form is a choice of fixing this degree of freedom. For matrix product states, choosing a canonical form is a powerful tool, both for theoretical and numerical purposes. On the other hand, for tensor networks in dimension two or greater there is only limited understanding of the gauge symmetry. Here we introduce a new canonical form, the minimal canonical form, which applies to projected entangled pair states (PEPS) in any dimension, and prove a corresponding fundamental theorem. Already for matrix product states this gives a new canonical form, while in higher dimensions it is the first rigorous definition of a canonical form valid for any choice of tensor. We show that two tensors have the same minimal canonical forms if and only if they are gauge equivalent up to taking limits; moreover, this is the case if and only if they give the same quantum state for any geometry. In particular, this implies that the latter problem is decidable – in contrast to the well-known undecidability for equality of PEPS on grids. We also provide rigorous algorithms for computing minimal canonical forms. To achieve this we draw on geometric invariant theory and recent progress in theoretical computer science in non-commutative group optimization.
These notes provide an introduction to tensor-network methods in quantum many-body physics, with an emphasis on matrix-product states (MPS). They develop the basic tensor-network language, including graphical notation, virtual indices, bond dimensions, gauge freedom, canonical forms, QR and singular-value decompositions, and the role of entanglement in controlling the efficiency of the representation. The main MPS algorithms are then introduced, including contractions, correlation functions, matrix-product operators, DMRG, and time-evolution methods. The notes also briefly discuss projected entangled-pair states (PEPS) as a higher-dimensional generalization of MPS, together with the basic ideas behind approximate PEPS contraction. Finally, tensor-network representations of mixed states, quantum channels, and Lindblad dynamics are presented, with applications to thermal states and open quantum systems. The presentation is accompanied by short Julia code examples based on ITensor, ITensorMPS, and TensorMixedStates. These notes were written for the 9th Les Houches Summer School on Computational Physics: Open Quantum Systems, held in June 2026.
Tensor networks such as matrix product states (MPS) and projected entangled pair states (PEPS) are commonly used to approximate quantum systems. These networks are optimized in methods such as DMRG or evolved by local operators. We provide bounds on the conditioning of tensor network representations to sitewise perturbations. These bounds characterize the extent to which local approximation error in the tensor sites of a tensor network can be amplified to error in the tensor it represents. In known tensor network methods, canonical forms of tensor network are used to minimize such error amplification. However, canonical forms are difficult to obtain for many tensor networks of interest. We quantify the extent to which error can be amplified in general tensor networks, yielding estimates of the benefit of the use of canonical forms. For the MPS and PEPS tensor networks, we provide simple forms on the worst-case error amplification. Beyond theoretical error bounds, we experimentally study the dependence of the error on the size of the network for perturbed random MPS tensor networks.
Projected entangled pair states (PEPS) are a class of tensor networks that are believed to represent a wide variety of two-dimensional physical quantum states. However, unlike their well-known one-dimensional counterparts, the matrix product states (MPS), numerical simulations with PEPS suffer from instabilities that can be traced back to the lack of a canonical form. The authors describe how to convert a PEPS into a canonical form analogous to the one for an MPS. It is expected that this canonical form will make possible improved analytical and numerical approaches for PEPS.
We propose an algorithm to convert a projected entangled pair state (PEPS) into a canonical form, analogous to the well-known canonical form of a matrix product state. Our approach is based on a variational gauging ansatz for the QR tensor decomposition of PEPS columns into a matrix product operator and a finite depth circuit of unitaries and isometries. We describe a practical initialization scheme that leads to rapid convergence in the QR optimization. We explore the performance and stability of the variational gauging algorithm in norm calculations for the transverse-field Ising and Heisenberg models on a square lattice. We also demonstrate energy optimization within the PEPS canonical form for the transverse-field Ising and Heisenberg models. We expect this canonical form to open up improved analytical and numerical approaches for PEPS.
Abstract Projected entangled pair states (PEPS) are very useful in the description of strongly correlated systems, partly because they allow encoding symmetries, either global or local (gauge), naturally. In recent years, PEPS with local symmetries have increasingly been used in the study of non-perturbative regimes of lattice gauge theories, most prominently as a way to construct variational ansatz states depending only on a small number of parameters and yet capturing the relevant physical properties. For the case of one-dimensional PEPS (matrix product states—MPS) a bidirectional connection was established between the internal structure of the tensor network, i.e. the mathematical properties of the constituent tensors, and the symmetry. In higher dimensions this has only been done for global symmetries, where in the local (gauge) case it is known only how to construct gauge-invariant states, but not what the symmetry implies on the internal structure of the PEPS. In the present work we complete this missing piece and study the internal structure of PEPS with a gauge symmetry. The PEPS we consider consist of matter and gauge field tensors placed on the vertices and edges, respectively, of arbitrary graphs.