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arXiv:2504.21575

Dynamical Local Tadpole-Improvement in Quantum Simulations of Gauge Theories

Marc Illa, Martin J. Savage A, Xiaojun Yao

Published Apr 30, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

We identify a new element in quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories, arising from spacetime-dependent quantum corrections in the relation between the link variables defined on the lattice and their continuum counterparts. While in Euclidean spacetime simulations, based on Monte Carlo sampling, the corresponding tadpole improvement leads to a constant rescaled value per gauge configuration, in Minkowski spacetime simulations it requires a state- and time-dependent update of the coefficients of operators involving link variables in the Hamiltonian. To demonstrate this effect, we present the results of numerical simulations of the time evolution of truncated SU(2) plaquette chains and honeycomb lattices in 2+1D, starting from excited states with regions of high energy density, and with and without entanglement.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2504.21575

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We identify a new element in quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories, arising from spacetime-dependent quantum corrections in the relation between the link variables defined on the lattice and their continuum counterparts. While in Euclidean spacetime simulations, based on Monte Carlo sampling, the corresponding tadpole improvement leads to a constant rescaled value per gauge configuration, in Minkowski spacetime simulations it requires a state- and time-dependent update of the coefficients of operators involving link variables in the Hamiltonian. To demonstrate this effect, we present the results of numerical simulations of the time evolution of truncated SU(2) plaquette chains and honeycomb lattices in 2+1D, starting from excited states with regions of high energy density, and with and without entanglement.
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We examine the problem of simulating lattice gauge theories on a universal quantum computer. The basic strategy of our approach is to transcribe lattice gauge theories in the Hamiltonian formulation into a Hamiltonian involving only Pauli spin operators such that the simulation can be performed on a quantum computer using only one- and two-qubit manipulations. We examine three models, the U(1), SU(2), and SU(3) lattice gauge theories, which are transcribed into a spin Hamiltonian up to a cutoff in the Hilbert space of the gauge fields on the lattice. The number of qubits required for storing a particular state is found to have a linear dependence on the total number of lattice sites. The number of qubit operations required for performing the time evolution corresponding to the Hamiltonian is found to be between a linear to quadratic function of the number of lattice sites, depending on the arrangement of qubits in the quantum computer. We remark that our results may also be easily generalized to higher SU(N)\mathrm{SU}(N)SU(N) gauge theories.
Gauge theories establish the standard model of particle physics, and lattice gauge theory (LGT) calculations employing Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods have been pivotal in our understanding of fundamental interactions. The present limitations of MCMC techniques may be overcome by Hamiltonian-based simulations on classical or quantum devices, which further provide the potential to address questions that lay beyond the capabilities of the current approaches. However, for continuous gauge groups, Hamiltonian-based formulations involve infinite-dimensional gauge degrees of freedom that can solely be handled by truncation. Current truncation schemes require dramatically increasing computational resources at small values of the bare couplings, where magnetic field effects become important. Such limitation precludes one from `taking the continuous limit' while working with finite resources. To overcome this limitation, we provide a resource-efficient protocol to simulate LGTs with continuous gauge groups in the Hamiltonian formulation. Our new method allows for calculations at arbitrary values of the bare coupling and lattice spacing. The approach consists of the combination of a Hilbert space truncation with a regularization of the gauge group, which permits an efficient description of the magnetically-dominated regime. We focus here on Abelian gauge theories and use 2 + 1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics as a benchmark example to demonstrate this efficient framework to achieve the continuum limit in LGTs. This possibility is a key requirement to make quantitative predictions at the field theory level and offers the long-term perspective to utilise quantum simulations to compute physically meaningful quantities in regimes that are precluded to quantum Monte Carlo.