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arXiv:2512.13812 · Physical Review Research

Algorithmic Aspects of Gauged Gaussian Fermionic PEPS: Gauge Fixing and Translation Invariance

Itay Gomelski, Jonathan Elyovich, Ariel Kelman, Erez Zohar, Patrick Emonts

hep-latcond-mat.str-elquant-phSubmitted Dec 15, 2025• Announced Dec 17, 2025• 0 citations• Revised Jun 30, 2026 (v2)
v1 · Dec 15, 2025v2 · Jun 30, 2026
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Abstract

Lattice gauge theories (LGTs) provide a powerful framework for studying non-perturbative phenomena in gauge theories. However, conventional approaches such as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in imaginary time are limited, as they do not allow real time evolution and suffer from a sign problem in many important cases. Using Gauged Gaussian fermionic projected entangled pair states (GGFPEPS) as a variational ground state ansatz offers an alternative for studying LGTs through a sign-problem-free variational MC. As this method is extended to larger and more complex systems, understanding its numerical behavior becomes essential. While conventional action based MC has been extensively studied, the performance and characteristics of non-action-based MC within the GGFPEPS framework are far less explored. In this work, we investigate these algorithmic aspects, identifying an optimal update size for GGFPEPS-based MC simulations for $\mathbb{Z}_2$ in $2+1$ dimensions. We show that gauge fixing generally slows convergence, and demonstrate that not exploiting the translation-invariance can, in some cases, improve the computational time scaling of error convergence. We expect that these improvements will allow advancing the simulation to larger and more complex systems.

Journal reference
Phys. Rev. Res. 8, 023240 (2026)
DOI
10.1103/xjvk-hks4

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Lattice gauge theories (LGTs) provide a powerful framework for studying non-perturbative phenomena in gauge theories. However, conventional approaches such as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in imaginary time are limited, as they do not allow real time evolution and suffer from a sign problem in many important cases. Using Gauged Gaussian fermionic projected entangled pair states (GGFPEPS) as a variational ground state ansatz offers an alternative for studying LGTs through a sign-problem-free variational MC. As this method is extended to larger and more complex systems, understanding its numerical behavior becomes essential. While conventional action based MC has been extensively studied, the performance and characteristics of non-action-based MC within the GGFPEPS framework are far less explored. In this work, we investigate these algorithmic aspects, identifying an optimal update size for GGFPEPS-based MC simulations for Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ in 2+12+12+1 dimensions. We show that gauge fixing generally slows convergence, and demonstrate that not exploiting the translation-invariance can, in some cases, improve the computational time scaling of error convergence. We expect that these improvements will allow advancing the simulation to larger and more complex systems.
Tensor network states, and in particular projected entangled pair states (PEPS) have been a strong ansatz for the variational study of complicated quantum many-body systems, thanks to their built-in entanglement entropy area law. In this work, we use a special kind of PEPS---gauged Gaussian fermionic PEPS (GGFPEPS)---to find the ground state of 2+12+12+1 dimensional pure Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ lattice gauge theories for a wide range of coupling constants. We do so by combining PEPS methods with Monte-Carlo computations, allowing for efficient contraction of the PEPS and computation of correlation functions. Previously, such numerical computations involved the calculation of the Pfaffian of a matrix scaling with the system size, forming a severe bottleneck; in this work we show how to overcome this problem. This paves the way for applying the method we propose and benchmark here to other gauge groups, higher dimensions, and models with fermionic matter, in an efficient, sign-problem-free way.
Gauge theories form the basis of our understanding of modern physics—ranging from the description of quarks and gluons to effective models in condensed matter physics. In the nonperturbative regime, gauge theories are conventionally treated discretely as lattice gauge theories. The resulting systems are evaluated with path-integral based Monte Carlo methods. These methods, however, can suffer from the sign problem and do not allow for a direct evaluation of real-time dynamics. In this work, we present a unified and comprehensive framework for gauged Gaussian projected entangled pair states (PEPS), a variational ansatz based on tensor networks. We review the construction of Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories, explain their similarities to PEPS, and detail the construction of the ansatz state. The estimation of ground states is based on a variational Monte Carlo procedure with the PEPS as an ansatz state. This sign-problem-free ansatz can be efficiently evaluated in any dimension with arbitrary gauge groups, and can include dynamical fermionic matter, suggesting new options for the simulation of nonperturbative regimes of gauge theories, including quantum chromodynamics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
A bstract Gauged fermionic projected entangled pair states (GFPEPS) and their Gaussian counterpart (GGFPEPS) are a novel type of lattice gauge theory Ansatz state that combine ideas from the Monte Carlo and tensor network communities. In particular, computation of observables for such states boils down to a Monte Carlo integration over possible gauge field configurations that have probabilities dictated by a fermionic tensor network contraction that accounts for the matter in that background configuration. Crucially, this probability distribution is positive definite and real so that there is no sign problem. When the underlying PEPS is Gaussian, tensor network contraction can be done efficiently, and in this scenario the Ansatz has been tested well numerically. In this work we propose to gauge superpositions of Gaussian PEPS and demonstrate that one can still efficiently compute observables when few Gaussians are in the superposition. As we will argue, the latter is exactly the case for bound states on top of the strongly interacting LGT vacuum, which makes this Ansatz particularly suitable for that scenario. As a corollary, we will provide an exact representation of the LGT ground state as a gauged PEPS.
Abstract Lattice gauge theory is an important framework for studying gauge theories that arise in the Standard Model and condensed matter physics. Yet many systems (or regimes of those systems) are difficult to study using conventional techniques, such as action-based Monte Carlo sampling. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of gauged Gaussian projected entangled pair states as an ansatz for a lattice gauge theory involving dynamical physical matter. We study a Z2{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}Z2​ Z 2 gauge theory on a two dimensional lattice with a single flavor of fermionic matter on each lattice site. For small systems, our results show agreement with results computed by exactly diagonalizing the Hamiltonian, and demonstrate that the approach is computationally feasible for larger system sizes where exact results are unavailable. This is a further step on the road to studying higher dimensions and other gauge groups with manageable computational costs while avoiding the sign problem.
Fermionic Gaussian projected entangled pair states (PEPS) are fermionic tensor network state constructions that describe the physics of ground states of noninteracting fermionic Hamiltonians. As noninteracting states, one may study and analyze them very efficiently, in both analytical and numerical means. Recently it was shown that they may be used as the starting point---after applying so-called PEPS gauging mechanisms---for variational study of nontrivial, interacting states of lattice gauge theories. This is done using sign-problem free variational Monte Carlo techniques. In this work we show how to generalize such states from two to three spatial dimensions, focusing on spin representations and requirements of lattice rotations. We present constructions that are crucial for the application of the above-mentioned variational Monte Carlo techniques for studying nonperturbative lattice gauge theory physics, with fermionic matter, in 2+1D2+1\mathrm{D}2+1D and 3+1D3+1\mathrm{D}3+1D models. Thus, the constructions presented here are crucial for the study of nontrivial lattice gauge theories with fermionic tensor network states.
Lattice gauge theories coupled to fermionic matter account for many interesting phenomena in both high-energy physics and condensed-matter physics. Certain regimes, e.g., at finite fermion density, are difficult to simulate with traditional Monte Carlo algorithms due to the so-called sign problem. We present a variational, sign-problem-free Monte Carlo method for lattice gauge theories with continuous gauge groups and apply it to (2+1)(2+1)(2+1)-dimensional compact QED with dynamical fermions at finite density. The variational ansatz is formulated in the full gauge-field basis, i.e., without having to resort to truncation schemes for the U(1)\text{U}(1)U(1) gauge-field Hilbert space. The ansatz consists of two parts: first, a pure gauge part based on Jastrow-type ansatz states (which can be connected to certain neural-network ansatz states) and, second, a fermionic part based on gauge-field-dependent fermionic Gaussian states. These are designed in such a way that the gauge-field integral over all fermionic Gaussian states is gauge-invariant and at the same time still efficiently tractable. To ensure the validity of the method we benchmark the pure gauge part of the ansatz against another variational method and the full ansatz against an existing Monte Carlo simulation where the sign problem is absent. Moreover, in limiting cases where the exact ground state is known we show that our ansatz is able to capture this behavior. Finally, we study a sign-problem affected regime by probing density-induced phase transitions.