Validity of the two-particle approximation in the many-body problem

Richard H. Tredgold

The application of the two-particle density matrix to the calculation of approximate ground states for many-body systems is discussed. It is shown that the subsiduary conditions employed by Mayer in this context are insufficient to ensure that a valid result is obtained. The formulation of adequate subsidiary conditions presents considerable difficulty.

N. Meshkov, Arnold J. Glick, Harry J. Lipkin

Dan Agassi, Harry J. Lipkin, N. Meshkov

Rocío Jáuregui, R. Paredes, L. Rosales-Zárate +1 more

We perform a variational quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the transition from a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid (BCS) to a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) at zero temperature. The model Hamiltonian involves an attractive short range two body interaction and the atoms number $2N =330$ is chosen so that, in the non-interacting limit, the ground state function corresponds to a closed shell configuration. The system is then characterized by the s-wave scattering length $a$ of the two-particle collisions in the gas, which is varied from negative to positive values, and the Fermi wave number $k_F$. Based on an extensive analysis of the s-wave two-body problem, one parameter variational many-body wave functions are proposed to describe the ground state of the interacting Fermi gas from BCS to BEC states. We exploit properties of antisymmetrized many-body functions to develop efficient techniques that permit variational calculations for a large number of particles. It is shown that a virial relation between the energy per particle and the trapping energy is approximately valid for $-0.1<1/k_Fa<3.4$. The influence of the harmonic trap and the interaction potential as exhibited in two-body correlation functions is also analyzed.

Harry J. Lipkin, N. Meshkov, Arnold J. Glick

Matias Ginzburg, Simone Rademacher, Giacomo De Palma

Mean-field Hartree theory is a central tool for reducing many-body dynamics to an effective one-particle evolution. This approximation has been employed when the Hamiltonian governing the many-body dynamics is not Hermitian. Indeed, non-Hermitian Hamiltonians model particle gain/loss or the evolution of open quantum systems between consecutive quantum jumps. Furthermore, the validity of the Hartree approximation for generic non-Hermitian Hamiltonians lies at the basis of a quantum algorithm for nonlinear differential equations. In this work, we show that this approximation can fail. First, we consider the most general bosonic mean-field Hamiltonian with two-body interactions and we prove that, for non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, the Hartree equation does not capture the correct second time derivative of the one-particle marginal state at $t=0$ in the thermodynamic limit. Then, we analytically solve a model of $N$ bosonic qubits with a purely anti-Hermitian Hamiltonian, compute the limit for $N\to\infty$ of the one-particle marginal state and show that it does not agree with the solution of the non-Hermitian Hartree equation. We further show that there exists an initial condition such that the exact one-particle marginal state undergoes a finite-time transition to a mixed state, a phenomenon that is completely absent in the case of Hermitian Hamiltonians. Finally, we simulate a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian with real spectrum and show that, also in this case, there are initial conditions for which the Hartree equation does not reproduce the correct one-particle marginal state in the limit $N\to\infty$. Our findings challenge the validity of the mean-field Hartree approximation for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, and call for additional conditions for the validity of the mean-field regime to model the dynamics of particle gain and loss and the open-system dynamics in bosonic many-body systems.