In this paper, the symmetry property of time reversal, which is a consequence of the fundamental quantum-mechanical microreversibility principle, is analyzed in the context of relativistic open-shell and multireference coupled cluster theory. The fact is discussed that in projective theories, in contrast to variational theories such as configuration interaction models, the implementation of time-reversal symmetry is far less straightforward and even depends on the projective model theory in question. An operator basis of time reversal even
n-body operators is introduced which allows for the formulation of a fully time-reversal-adapted and practical general coupled cluster theory, i.e., covering open-shell models and various types of multireference approaches. The resulting model theory is noncommuting but truncating, albeit at a higher order of commutator nesting.
A fundamental open issue in physics is whether and how the fermion sign problem in quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations can be solved generically. Here, we show that Majorana-time-reversal (MTR) symmetries can provide a unifying principle to solve the fermion sign problem in interacting fermionic models. By systematically classifying Majorana-bilinear operators according to the anticommuting MTR symmetries they respect, we rigorously prove that there are two and only two fundamental symmetry classes which are sign-problem-free and which we call the "Majorana class" and "Kramers class," respectively. Novel sign-problem-free models in the Majorana class include interacting topological superconductors and interacting models of charge-4e superconductors. We believe that our MTR unifying principle could shed new light on sign-problem-free QMC simulation on strongly correlated systems and interacting topological matters.