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arXiv:2504.07587 · Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics

Renormalization Group-Like Flows in Randomly Connected Tensor Networks

Naoki Sasakura

Published Aug 25, 2025• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Randomly connected tensor networks (RCTN) are dynamical systems defined by summing over all the possible networks of tensors. Because of the absence of fixed lattice structure, RCTN is not expected to have renormalization procedures. In this paper, however, we consider RCTN with a real tensor, and it is proven that a Hamiltonian vector flow of a tensor model in the canonical formalism with a positive cosmological constant has the properties that a renormalization group (RG) flow of RCTN would have: The flow has fixed points on phase transition surfaces; every flow line is asymptotically terminated by fixed points at both ends, where an upstream fixed point has higher criticality than a downstream one; the flow goes along phase transition surfaces; there exists a function that monotonically decreases along the flow, analogously to the $a$- and $c$-functions of RG. A complete classification of fixed points is given. Although there are no cyclic flows in the strict sense, they exist, if infinitesimal jumps are allowed near fixed points.

DOI
10.1093/ptep/ptaf116

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Abstract Randomly connected tensor networks (RCTN) are dynamical systems defined by summing over all the possible networks of tensors. Because of the absence of fixed lattice structure, RCTN is not expected to have renormalization procedures. In this paper, however, we consider RCTN with a real tensor, and it is proven that a Hamiltonian vector flow of a tensor model in the canonical formalism with a positive cosmological constant has the properties that a renormalization group (RG) flow of RCTN would have: The flow has fixed points on phase transition surfaces; every flow line is asymptotically terminated by fixed points at both ends, where an upstream fixed point has higher criticality than a downstream one; the flow goes along phase transition surfaces; there exists a function that monotonically decreases along the flow, analogously to the aaa- and ccc-functions of RG. A complete classification of fixed points is given. Although there are no cyclic flows in the strict sense, they exist, if infinitesimal jumps are allowed near fixed points.
We discuss a renormalization procedure for random tensor networks, and show that the corresponding renormalization-group flow is given by the Hamiltonian vector flow of the canonical tensor model, which is a discretized model of quantum gravity. The result is a generalization of the previous one concerning the relation between the Ising model on random networks and the canonical tensor model with |N=2N=2N=2|⁠. We also prove a general theorem that relates discontinuity of the renormalization-group flow and the phase transitions of random tensor networks.
We discuss a renormalization procedure for random tensor networks, and show that the corresponding renormalization-group flow is given by the Hamiltonian vector flow of the canonical tensor model, which is a discretized model of quantum gravity. The result is a generalization of the previous one concerning the relation between the Ising model on random networks and the canonical tensor model with N=2. We also prove a general theorem that relates discontinuity of the renormalization-group flow and the phase transitions of random tensor networks.
A renormalization group flow of Hamiltonians for two-dimensional classical partition functions is constructed using tensor networks. Similar to tensor network renormalization [G. Evenbly and G. Vidal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 180405 (2015)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.115.180405; S. Yang, Z.-C. Gu, and X.-G. Wen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 110504 (2017)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.118.110504], we obtain approximate fixed point tensor networks at criticality. Our formalism, however, preserves positivity of the tensors at every step and hence yields an interpretation in terms of Hamiltonian flows. We emphasize that the key difference between tensor network approaches and Kadanoff's spin blocking method can be understood in terms of a change of the local basis at every decimation step, a property which is crucial to overcome the area law of mutual information. We derive algebraic relations for fixed point tensors, calculate critical exponents, and benchmark our method on the Ising model and the six-vertex model.
The recently developed tensor renormalization-group (TRG) method provides a highly precise technique for deriving thermodynamic and critical properties of lattice Hamiltonians. The TRG is a local coarse-graining transformation, with the elements of the tensor at each lattice site playing the part of the interactions that undergo the renormalization-group flows. These tensor flows are directly related to the phase diagram structure of the infinite system, with each phase flowing to a distinct surface of fixed points. Fixed-point analysis and summation along the flows give the critical exponents, as well as thermodynamic functions along the entire temperature range. Thus, for the ferromagnetic triangular lattice Ising model, the free energy is calculated to better than 10(-5) along the entire temperature range. Unlike previous position-space renormalization-group methods, the truncation (of the tensor index range D) in this general method converges under straightforward and systematic improvements. Our best results are easily obtained with D=24, corresponding to 4624-dimensional renormalization-group flows.
On the lattice, a renormalization group (RG) flow for two-dimensional partition functions expressed as a tensor network can be obtained using the tensor network renormalization (TNR) algorithm [G. Evenbly, G. Vidal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115 (18), 180405 (2015)]. In this work we explain how to extend TNR to field theories in the continuum. First, a short-distance length scale 1/Λ1/Λ1/Λ is introduced in the continuum partition function by smearing the fields. The resulting object is still defined in the continuum but has no fluctuations at distances shorter than 1/Λ1/Λ1/Λ. An infinitesimal coarse-graining step is then generated by the combined action of a rescalingrescalingrescaling operator LLL and a disentanglingdisentanglingdisentangling operator KKK that implements a quasi-local field redefinition. As demonstrated for a free boson in two dimensions, continuous TNR exactly preserves translation and rotation symmetries and can generate a proper RG flow. Moreover, from a critical fixed point of this RG flow one can then extract the conformal data of the underlying conformal field theory.
We study the renormalization group flow of the Lagrangian for statistical and quantum systems by representing their path integral in terms of a tensor network. Using a tensor-entanglement-filtering renormalization approach that removes local entanglement and produces a coarse-grained lattice, we show that the resulting renormalization flow of the tensors in the tensor network has a nice fixed-point structure. The isolated fixed-point tensors Tinv{T}_{\text{inv}}Tinv​ plus the symmetry group Gsym{G}_{\text{sym}}Gsym​ of the tensors (i.e., the symmetry group of the Lagrangian) characterize various phases of the system. Such a characterization can describe both the symmetry breaking phases and topological phases, as illustrated by two-dimensional (2D) statistical Ising model, 2D statistical loop-gas model, and 1+1D1+1\text{D}1+1D quantum spin-1/2 and spin-1 models. In particular, using such a (Gsym,Tinv)({G}_{\text{sym}},{T}_{\text{inv}})(Gsym​,Tinv​) characterization, we show that the Haldane phase for a spin-1 chain is a phase protected by the time-reversal, parity, and translation symmetries. Thus the Haldane phase is a symmetry-protected topological phase. The (Gsym,Tinv)({G}_{\text{sym}},{T}_{\text{inv}})(Gsym​,Tinv​) characterization is more general than the characterizations based on the boundary spins and string order parameters. The tensor renormalization approach also allows us to study continuous phase transitions between symmetry breaking phases and/or topological phases. The scaling dimensions and the central charges for the critical points that describe those continuous phase transitions can be calculated from the fixed-point tensors at those critical points.