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arXiv:2407.01923

Memory Kernel Coupling Theory: Obtain Time Correlation Function from Higher-order Moments

Wei Liu, Yu Su, Yao Wang, Wenjie Dou

Published Jul 2, 2024• 1 citation
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Abstract

Dynamical observables can often be described by time correlation functions (TCFs). However, efficiently calculating TCFs for complex quantum systems is a significant challenge, which generally requires solving the full dynamics of the systems. This Letter presents the memory kernel coupling theory (MKCT), a general formalism for evaluating TCFs. The MKCT builds upon Mori's memory kernel formalism for TCFs. Our theory further decomposes the memory kernel into auxiliary kernels. Rapid decay of auxiliary kernels allows us to truncate the coupled equations of motion with high accuracy. Notably, only higher-order moments are sufficient as the input for obtaining TCFs. While this formalism is general, we carry out the numerical demonstration for a typical open quantum system--the spin-boson model.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2407.01923

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The Journal of Chemical Physics•May 6, 2026•1 citation
Dynamical observables can often be described by time correlation functions (TCFs). However, efficiently calculating TCFs for complex quantum systems is a significant challenge, which generally requires solving the full dynamics of the systems. This Letter presents the memory kernel coupling theory (MKCT), a general formalism for evaluating TCFs. The MKCT builds upon Mori's memory kernel formalism for TCFs. Our theory further decomposes the memory kernel into auxiliary kernels. Rapid decay of auxiliary kernels allows us to truncate the coupled equations of motion with high accuracy. Notably, only higher-order moments are sufficient as the input for obtaining TCFs. While this formalism is general, we carry out the numerical demonstration for a typical open quantum system--the spin-boson model.
Dynamical observables can often be described by time correlation functions (TCFs). However, efficiently calculating TCFs for complex quantum systems is a significant challenge, which generally requires solving the full dynamics of the systems. This Letter presents the memory kernel coupling theory (MKCT), a general formalism for evaluating TCFs. The MKCT builds upon Mori's memory kernel formalism for TCFs. Our theory further decomposes the memory kernel into auxiliary kernels. Rapid decay of auxiliary kernels allows us to truncate the coupled equations of motion with high accuracy. Notably, only higher-order moments are sufficient as the input for obtaining TCFs. While this formalism is general, we carry out the numerical demonstration for typical open quantum systems-the spin-boson model and the single impurity Anderson model.
The generalized quantum master equation provides a powerful framework for non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems. However, the accurate and efficient evaluation of the memory kernel remains a challenge. In this work, we introduce a comprehensive tensorial extension to the Memory Kernel Coupling Theory (MKCT) to overcome this bottleneck. By elevating the original scalar formalism to a tensorial framework, the extended MKCT enables the calculation of general expectation values and cross-correlation functions. We demonstrate the numerical accuracy and efficiency of this method across multiple benchmark systems: capturing transient populations and coherences in the spin-boson model, resolving the excitonic absorption spectrum of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex, and simulating charge mobility in one-dimensional lattice models. These successful applications establish the tensorial MKCT as a highly efficient tool for investigating complex dynamics in open quantum systems.
We introduce a hybrid approach for computing dynamical observables in strongly correlated systems using higher-order moments. This method integrates memory kernel coupling theory (MKCT) with the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG), extending our recent work on MKCT [Liu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 148001(2025)] to strongly correlated systems. The method establishes that correlation functions can be derived from the moments. Within our framework, operators and wavefunctions are represented as matrix product operators (MPOs) and matrix product states (MPSs), respectively. Crucially, the repeated application of the Liouville operator is achieved through an iterative procedure analogous to the DMRG algorithm itself. We demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of MKCT-DMRG by computing the spectral function of the Hubbard model. Furthermore, we successfully apply the method to compute the electronic friction in the Hubbard-Holstein model. In all cases, the results show excellent agreement with time-dependent DMRG (TD-DMRG) benchmarks. The advantage of MKCT-DMRG over TD-DMRG is computational efficiency, which avoids expensive real-time propagation in TD-DMRG. These findings establish MKCT-DMRG as a promising and accurate framework for simulating challenging dynamical properties in strongly correlated quantum systems.
We introduce a general procedure for computing higher-order moments of correlation functions in open quantum systems, extending the scope of our recent work on Memory Kernel Coupling Theory (MKCT) [Liu et al., arXiv:2407.01923 (2024)]. This approach is demonstrated for arbitrary system-bath coupling that can be expressed as a polynomial, HSB=V̂(α0+α1q̂+α2q̂2+⋯) , where we show that the recursive commutators of a system operator obey a universal hierarchy. Exploiting this structure, the higher-order moments are obtained by evaluating the expectation values of the system and bath operators separately, with bath expectation values derived from the derivatives of a generating function. We further apply MKCT to compute the dipole autocorrelation function for the spin-boson model with both linear and quadratic coupling, achieving agreement with the hierarchical equations of motion approach. Our findings suggest a promising path toward accurate dynamics for complex open quantum systems.
We present a projection-based, stability-preserving methodology for computing time correlation functions in open quantum systems governed by generalized quantum master equations with non-Markovian effects. Building upon the memory kernel coupling theory framework, our approach transforms the memory kernel hierarchy into a system of coupled linear differential equations through Mori-Zwanzig projection, followed by spectral projection onto stable eigenmodes to ensure numerical stability. By systematically eliminating unstable modes while preserving the physically relevant dynamics, our method guaranties long-time convergence without introducing artificial damping or ad hoc modifications. The theoretical framework maintains mathematical rigor through orthogonal projection operators and spectral decomposition. Benchmark calculations on the spin-boson model show excellent agreement with exact hierarchical equations of motion results while achieving significant computational efficiency. This approach provides a versatile and reliable framework for simulating non-Markovian dynamics in complex systems.
We introduce two complementary formulations within memory kernel coupling theory (MKCT) for non-Markovian quantum dynamics: a projection-based method (PMKCT) in the time domain and a continued fraction representation (CF-MKCT) in the frequency domain. The PMKCT operates on the matrix representation of MKCT and enforces asymptotic stability by removing unstable spectral components through orthogonal projection. The CF-MKCT yields a rapidly convergent representation, achieving high accuracy with only N ∼ 8 moments while preserving numerical stability by construction; the inverse Fourier transformation back to the time domain naturally yields a stable solution and converges rapidly with relatively few moments. Together, these two formulations provide a stable, accurate, and versatile framework for simulating non-Markovian quantum dynamics. Benchmark calculations on the spin-boson model with Ohmic spectral densities show excellent agreement with numerically exact results.