TY  - JOUR
PB  - SciPost Foundation
DO  - 10.21468/SciPostPhys.17.2.062
TI  - Density-matrix mean-field theory
PY  - 2024/08/23
UR  - https://scipost.org/SciPostPhys.17.2.062
JF  - SciPost Physics
JA  - SciPost Phys.
VL  - 17
IS  - 2
SP  - 062
A1  - Zhang, Junyi
AU  - Cheng, Zhengqian
AB  - Mean-field theories have proven to be efficient tools for exploring diverse phases of matter, complementing alternative methods that are more precise but also more computationally demanding. Conventional mean-field theories often fall short in capturing quantum fluctuations, which restricts their applicability to systems with significant quantum effects. In this article, we propose an improved mean-field theory, density-matrix mean-field theory (DMMFT). DMMFT constructs effective Hamiltonians, incorporating quantum environments shaped by entanglements, quantified by the reduced density matrices. Therefore, it offers a systematic and unbiased approach to account for the effects of fluctuations and entanglements in quantum ordered phases. As demonstrative examples, we show that DMMFT can not only quantitatively evaluate the renormalization of order parameters induced by quantum fluctuations, but can also detect the topological quantum phases. Additionally, we discuss the extensions of DMMFT for systems at finite temperatures and those with disorders. Our work provides an efficient approach to explore phases exhibiting unconventional quantum orders, which can be particularly beneficial for investigating frustrated spin systems in high spatial dimensions.
ER  -

@Article{10.21468/SciPostPhys.17.2.062,
	title={{Density-matrix mean-field theory}},
	author={Junyi Zhang and Zhengqian Cheng},
	journal={SciPost Phys.},
	volume={17},
	pages={062},
	year={2024},
	publisher={SciPost},
	doi={10.21468/SciPostPhys.17.2.062},
	url={https://scipost.org/10.21468/SciPostPhys.17.2.062},
}