Neural quantum state study of fracton models
Marc Machaczek, Lode Pollet, Ke Liu
SciPost Phys. 18, 112 (2025) · published 28 March 2025
- doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.18.3.112
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Abstract
Fracton models host unconventional topological orders in three and higher dimensions and provide promising candidates for quantum memory platforms. Understanding their robustness against quantum fluctuations is an important task but also poses great challenges due to the lack of efficient numerical tools. In this work, we establish neural quantum states (NQS) as new tools to study phase transitions in these models. Exact and efficient parametrizations are derived for three prototypical fracton codes — the checkerboard and X-cube model, as well as Haah's code — both in terms of a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) and a correlation-enhanced RBM. We then adapt the correlation-enhanced RBM architecture to a perturbed checkerboard model and reveal its strong first-order phase transition between the fracton phase and a trivial field-polarizing phase. To this end, we simulate this highly entangled system on lattices of up to 512 qubits with high accuracy, representing a cutting-edge application of variational neural-network methods. In addition, we reproduce the phase transition of the X-cube model previously obtained with quantum Monte Carlo and high-order series expansion methods. Our work demonstrates the remarkable potential of NQS in studying complicated three-dimensional problems and highlights physics-oriented constructions of NQS architectures.
Supplementary Information
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Authors / Affiliations: mappings to Contributors and Organizations
See all Organizations.- 1 2 3 Marc Machaczek,
- 1 3 Lode Pollet,
- 1 3 4 Ke Liu
- 1 Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology [MCQST]
- 2 Universität Augsburg / University of Augsburg
- 3 Arnold Sommerfeld Center / Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics [ACS]
- 4 中国科学技术大学 / University of Science and Technology of China [USTC]
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft / German Research FoundationDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DFG]
- FP7 Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) (through Organization: European Commission [EC])
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [NSFC]
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality