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At least 73 records · Page 4

Thermalization and hydrodynamics of two-dimensional quantum field theories

We consider 2d QFTs as relevant deformations of CFTs in the thermodynamic limit. Using causality and KPZ universality, we place a lower bound on the timescale characterizing the onset of hydrodynamics. The bound is determined parametrically in terms of the temperature and the scale associated with the relevant deformation. This bound is typically much stronger than \frac{1}{T} 1 T , the expected quantum equilibration time. Subluminality of sound further allows us to define a thermodynamic C C -function, and constrain the sign of the T\bar T T T ‾ term in EFTs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

fcc lattice, checkerboards, fractons, and quantum field theory

In this work, we consider XY-spin degrees of freedom on an FCC lattice, such that the system respects some subsystem global symmetry. We then gauge this global symmetry and study the corresponding $U(1)$ gauge theory on the FCC lattice. Surprisingly, this $U(1)$ gauge theory is dual to the original spin system. We also analyze a similar $\mathbb{Z}_N$ gauge theory on that lattice. All these systems are fractonic. The $U(1)$ theories are gapless and the $\mathbb{Z}_N$ theories are gapped. We analyze the continuum limits of all these systems and present free continuum Lagrangians for their low-energy physics. Our $\mathbb{Z}_2$ FCC gauge theory is the continuum limit of the well known checkerboard model of fractons. Our continuum analysis leads to a straightforward proof of the known fact that this theory is dual to two copies of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ X-cube model. We find new models and new relations between known models. The $\mathbb{Z}_N$ FCC gauge theory can be realized by coupling three copies of an anisotropic model of lineons and planons to a certain exotic $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge theory. Also, although for $N=2$ this model is dual to two copies of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ X-cube model, a similar statement is not true for higher $N$.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

On completeness and generalized symmetries in quantum field theory

We review a notion of completeness in QFT arising from the analysis of basic properties of the set of operator algebras attached to regions. In words, this completeness asserts that the physical observable algebras produced by local degrees of freedom are the maximal ones compatible with causality. We elaborate on equivalent statements to this completeness principle such as the non-existence of generalized symmetries and the uniqueness of the net of algebras. We clarify that for non-complete theories, the existence of generalized symmetries is unavoidable and further that they always come in dual pairs with precisely the same “size”. Moreover, the dual symmetries are always broken together, be it explicitly or effectively. Finally, we comment on several issues raised in recent literature, such as the relationship between completeness and modular invariance, dense sets of charges, and absence of generalized symmetries in the bulk of holographic theories.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

A solvable quantum field theory with asymptotic freedom in (3+1) dimensions

Recently, Ai, Bender and Sarkar gave a prescription on how to obtain [Formula: see text]-symmetric field theory results from an analytic continuation of Hermitian field theories. We perform this analytic continuation for the massless (critical) [Formula: see text] model with quartic interaction in (3+1) dimensions. In the large-[Formula: see text] limit, this theory is exactly solvable, and has negative [Formula: see text]-function in the ultraviolet, and a stable bound state in the infrared. The coupling diverges at a scale [Formula: see text], but can be continued into the far infrared. At finite temperature, the theory exhibits two phases separated by a second-order phase transition near [Formula: see text].

Physics↗

Quantum field theory and the Bieberbach conjecture

An intriguing correspondence between ingredients in geometric function theory related to the famous Bieberbach conjecture (de Branges' theorem) and the non-perturbative crossing symmetric representation of 2-2 scattering amplitudes of identical scalars is pointed out. Using the dispersion relation and unitarity, we are able to derive several inequalities, analogous to those which arise in the discussions of the Bieberbach conjecture. We derive new and strong bounds on the ratio of certain Wilson coefficients and demonstrate that these are obeyed in one-loop Φ 4 theory, tree level string theory as well as in the S-matrix bootstrap. Further, we find two sided bounds on the magnitude of the scattering amplitude, which are shown to be respected in all the contexts mentioned above. Translated to the usual Mandelstam variables, for large |s|, fixed t, the upper bound reads |M(s,t)| ≲ |s 2 |. We discuss how Szegö's theorem corresponds to a check of univalence in an EFT expansion, while how the Grunsky inequalities translate into nontrivial, nonlinear inequalities on the Wilson coefficients.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Light-Front Field Theory on Current Quantum Computers

We present a quantum algorithm for simulation of quantum field theory in the light-front formulation and demonstrate how existing quantum devices can be used to study the structure of bound states in relativistic nuclear physics. Specifically, we apply the Variational Quantum Eigensolver algorithm to find the ground state of the light-front Hamiltonian obtained within the Basis Light-Front Quantization (BLFQ) framework. The BLFQ formulation of quantum field theory allows one to readily import techniques developed for digital quantum simulation of quantum chemistry. This provides a method that can be scaled up to simulation of full, relativistic quantum field theories in the quantum advantage regime. As an illustration, we calculate the mass, mass radius, decay constant, electromagnetic form factor, and charge radius of the pion on the IBM Vigo chip. This is the first time that the light-front approach to quantum field theory has been used to enable simulation of a real physical system on a quantum computer.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Holography: Quantum Mechanical Aspects of Black Holes (Final Report)

Current theories of fundamental physics are based on quantum field theory, unifying quantum mechanics and special relativity. A similar unification of quantum field theory with gravity has been elusive. String theory is a consistent model of quantum gravity and it is important to identify general lessons that can be applied to the real world. The main technique that emerged from such studies has been the gravitational path integral. During the period of this grant, the PI has explored the implication of the gravitational path integral in novel setups to uncover new features of rotating black holes in four dimensions, as well as increasing our understanding of some specific black holes in string theory.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Baby universes and worldline field theories

The quantum gravity path integral involves a sum over topologies that invites comparisons to worldsheet string theory and to Feynman diagrams of quantum field theory. However, the latter are naturally associated with the non-abelian algebra of quantum fields, while the former has been argued to define an abelian algebra of superselected observables associated with partition-function-like quantities at an asymptotic boundary. We resolve this apparent tension by pointing out a variety of discrete choices that must be made in constructing a Hilbert space from such path integrals, and arguing that the natural choices for quantum gravity differ from those used to construct QFTs. We focus on one-dimensional models of quantum gravity in order to make direct comparisons with worldline QFT. Finally, we also restrict attention to models in which worldlines do not split apart or join together.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quantum Information for Particle Theorists

Lectures given at the Theoretical Advanced Study Institute (TASI 2020), 1-26 June 2020. The topics covered include quantum circuits, entanglement, quantum teleportation, Bell inequalities, quantum entropy and decoherence, classical versus quantum measurement, the area law for entanglement entropy in quantum field theory, and simulating quantum field theory on a quantum computer. Along the way we confront the fundamental sloppiness of how we all learned (and some of us taught) quantum mechanics in college. Links to a Python notebook and Mathematica notebooks will allow the reader to reproduce and extend the calculations, as well as perform five experiments on a quantum simulator.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Precision Computations in Strongly Coupled Conformal Field Theories (Final Technical Report)

Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) are quantum field theories that are invariant under the conformal symmetry group (which includes translations and rotations, but also local rescalings of spacetime). They are building blocks of general quantum field theories, and appear in many areas of physics, including statistical physics, condensed matter physics, particle physics, and quantum gravity. Because of their extra symmetries, the mathematical structure of CFTs is tightly constrained, and this leads to the idea of the ``conformal bootstrap," which is to use these mathematical structures to constrain, and in some cases determine, CFT observables. A new numerical implementation of the conformal bootstrap idea appeared in 2008 with the work of Rattazzi, Rychkov, Tonni, and Vichi. Their observation was that certain bootstrap constraints (conformal symmetry and unitarity) could be combined to yield a convex optimization problem that constraints CFT data. By solving this convex optimization problem on a computer, one could obtain bounds on observables like critical exponents and operator product expansion (OPE) coefficients. Over the course of this award, the PI has improved numerical bootstrap techniques by optimizing known algorithms and finding new ones for performing the required convex optimization computations. The PI has applied these techniques to compute high-precision observables in several important strongly-coupled systems. The PI has also explored both analytical and numerical bootstrap methods for constraining the space of low energy effective field theories of quantum gravity, and developed new analytical techniques for CFT and QFT more broadly.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Indexed improvements for real-time trotter evolution of a (1 + 1) field theory using NISQ quantum computers

Today's quantum computers offer the possibility of performing real-time calculations for quantum field theory scattering processes motivated by high energy physics. In order to follow the successful roadmap which has been established for the calculation of static properties at Euclidean time, it is crucial to develop new algorithmic methods to deal with the limitations of current noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices and to establish quantitative measures of the progress made with different devices. In this paper, we report recent progress in these directions. We show that nonlinear aspects of the trotter errors allow us to take much larger step then suggested by low-order analysis. This is crucial to reach physically relevant time scales with today's NISQ technology. We propose to use an index averaging absolute values of the difference between the accurately calculated trotter evolution of site occupations and their actual measurements on NISQ machines (G index) as a measure to compare results that have been obtained from different hardware platforms. Using the transverse Ising model in one spatial dimension with four sites we apply this metric across several hardware platforms. We study the results including readout mitigation and Richardson extrapolations and show that the mitigated measurements are very effective based on the analysis of the trotter step size modifications. Furthermore, we discuss how this advance in the trotter step size procedures can improve quantum computing physics scattering results and how this technical advance can be applied to other machines and noise mitigation methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗