Geometric methods in quantum many-body problem

Volker Enß

Elyasaf Y. Cohen, Andrei Alexandru, Snir Gazit

Quantum systems with geometrical frustration remain an outstanding challenge for numerical simulations due to the infamous numerical sign problem. Here, we overcome this obstruction via complex path integration in a geometrically frustrated ladder of interacting bosons at finite density. This enables studies of the many-body ground state properties, otherwise inaccessible with standard quantum Monte Carlo methods. Specifically, we study a chemical potential tuned quantum phase transition, along which we track the emergence of quasi-long-range order and critical softening of the single particle gap. We chart future methodological improvements and applications in generalized geometrically frustrated lattice models.

Arman Babakhani, Karakashian, Armen

Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods are powerful tools for simulating quantum many-body systems, yet their applicability is limited by the infamous sign problem. We approach this challenge through the lens of Vanishing Geometric Phases (VGP) \cite{Hen_2021}, introducing it as a `geometric' criterion for diagnosing QMC simulability. We characterize the class of VGP Hamiltonians, and analyze the complexity of recognizing this class, identifying both hard and efficiently identifiable cases. We further highlight the practical advantage of the VGP criterion by exhibiting specific Hamiltonians that are readily identified as sign-problem-free through VGP, yet whose stoquasticity is difficult to ascertain. These examples underscore the efficiency and sharpness of VGP as a diagnostic tool compared to stoquasticity-based heuristics. Beyond classification, we propose a family of VGP-inspired diagnostics that serve as quantitative indicators of sign problem severity. While exact evaluation of these quantities is generically intractable, we demonstrate their mathematical power in performing scaling analysis for the average sign under unitary transformations. Our results provide both a conceptual foundation and practical tools for understanding and mitigating the sign problem.

W. Hunziker, Israel Michael Sigal

This selective review is written as an introduction to the mathematical theory of the Schrödinger equation for N particles. Characteristic for these systems are the cluster properties of the potential in configuration space, which are expressed in a simple geometric language. The methods developed over the last 40 years to deal with this primary aspect are described by giving full proofs of a number of basic and by now classical results. The central theme is the interplay between the spectral theory of N-body Hamiltonians and the space–time and phase-space analysis of bound states and scattering states.

Vasilios Alexiades, George Siopsis