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arXiv:2609.19798

Variational Solution of Non-Hermitian Quantum Field Theory in Two Dimensions

Paul Romatschke

hep-thhep-latquant-phSubmitted Sep 17, 2026• Announced Sep 18, 2026
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Abstract

This work describes a variational technique to solve non-Hermitian quantum systems, in particular those with negative coupling quartic self-interaction. Differences of applying variational methods from standard quantum mechanics to non-Hermitian quantum mechanics -- including potential pitfalls -- are highlighted. A successful implementation of the variational approach for the non-Hermitian case is presented. The technique is used to analyze scalar quantum field theory in d=2 with negative quartic self-interaction in the Hamiltonian formulation in lattice discretization.

Comments
26 pages, 11 figures

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This work describes a variational technique to solve non-Hermitian quantum systems, in particular those with negative coupling quartic self-interaction. Differences of applying variational methods from standard quantum mechanics to non-Hermitian quantum mechanics -- including potential pitfalls -- are highlighted. A successful implementation of the variational approach for the non-Hermitian case is presented. The technique is used to analyze scalar quantum field theory in d=2 with negative quartic self-interaction in the Hamiltonian formulation in lattice discretization.
In strongly coupled field theories, perturbation theory cannot be employed to study the low-energy spectrum. Thus, non-perturbative techniques are required. We employ the variational method, a rigorous, non-perturbative approach which provides variational upper bounds on the energy eigenstates of the theory. An essential step in the variational method is the choice of trial wave function. In this work, we study the viability of employing a neural network as our variational ansatz. As a first step towards phenomenologically interesting strongly coupled theories like quantum chromodynamics, we study scalar field theories with quartic couplings.
Non-Hermitian systems exhibiting topological properties are attracting growing interest. In this work, we propose an algorithm for solving the ground state of a non-Hermitian system in the matrix product state (MPS) formalism based on a companion Hermitian Hamiltonian. If the eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian system are known, the companion Hermitian Hamiltonian can be directly constructed and solved using Hermitian variational methods. When the eigenvalues are unknown, a gradient descent along with the companion Hermitian Hamiltonian yields both the ground state eigenenergy and the eigenstate. With the variational principle as a solid foundation, our algorithm ensures convergence and provides results in excellent agreement with the exact solutions of the non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (nH-SSH) model as well as its interacting extension. The approach we present avoids solving any non-Hermitian matrix and overcomes numerical instabilities commonly encountered in large non-Hermitian systems.
We introduce a non perturbative general approximation scheme (NGAS) that can handle interactions of any strength in quantum theory. This approach starts with an input Hamiltonian that can be solved exactly. The interaction effects are then built into this Hamiltonian through nonlinear feedback enforced by self consistency conditions. While the method itself is nonperturbative it can be systematically improved using a new perturbation method called 'mean field perturbation theory' which does not involve power series expansion in any small parameter. We put this scheme to the test on one dimensional anharmonic interactions using the harmonic approximation. The results are consistently accurate across various cases including quartic, sextic, and octic anharmonic oscillators, as well as the quartic double well oscillator (QDWO) even when the coupling strength varies widely. The flexibility of the method is demonstrated when we swap the input Hamiltonian for that of an infinite square well and still achieve comparable accuracy. When applied to the λϕ4 quantum field theory this approach aligns with the Gaussian effective potential method under the harmonic approximation. Beyond that it reveals the condensate structure of the effective vacuum and highlights the instability of the perturbative ground state. Notably, our ground-state energy results for the QDWO stand in stark contrast to those from standard perturbation theory where Borel summation fails regardless of coupling strength.
We discuss an alternative method to mass renormalize a quantum field Hamiltonian based on a requirement that the vacuum and single-particle sectors are not self-scattering. We illustrate the feasibility of this method for the concrete example of bosonic quadratic and also quartic interactions. The results are compared with those obtained by the standard renormalization technique based on a spectral analysis of the usual field-based propagators. We also discuss a potential method for renormalizing a quantum field theory in a non-perturbative way using computational methods.
Strongly coupled quantum field theories in (1+1)(1+1)(1+1) dimensions are notoriously hard to solve non-perturbatively. Variational methods, despite their success for quantum many-body physics on the lattice, have long lacked a natural ansatz adapted to the relativistic setting. This monograph explains the intuition behind relativistic continuous matrix product states (RCMPS), a variational ansatz tailored to (1+1)(1+1)(1+1)-dimensional QFT, and reports on several years of progress in developing and applying this approach. Using Riemannian optimization on the manifold of RCMPS, we obtain competitive non-perturbative approximations to ground state energies and local observables in the φ4φ^4φ4, Sine-Gordon, and Sinh-Gordon models, including in strongly coupled regimes where perturbation theory fails. We then describe extensions to models with several interacting fields. Beyond energy density and local observables, we show how the framework can be used to evaluate non-local observables (defects) and, through an original linear programming approach, to extract spectral data such as particle masses. We close by discussing the current limitations of the method and the most promising directions for future work.
This paper continues our studies of quantum field theories on a lattice. We develop techniques for computing the low-lying spectrum of a lattice Hamiltonian using a variational approach, without recourse either to weak- or strong-coupling expansions. Our variational methods, which are relatively simple and straightforward, are applied to the Ising model in a transverse magnetic field as well as to a free spinless field theory. We demonstrate their accuracy in the vicinity of a phase transition for the Ising model by comparing with known exact solutions.