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Understanding and utilizing the inner bonds of process tensors

by Moritz Cygorek, Erik M. Gauger

Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Moritz Cygorek
Submission information
Preprint Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.01287v1  (pdf)
Date submitted: 2024-05-06 14:58
Submitted by: Cygorek, Moritz
Submitted to: SciPost Physics
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Theory
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Computational
  • Quantum Physics
Approaches: Theoretical, Computational

Abstract

Process tensor matrix product operators (PT-MPOs) enable numerically exact simulations for an unprecedentedly broad range of open quantum systems. By representing environment influences in MPO form, they can be efficiently compressed using established algorithms. The dimensions of inner bonds of the compressed PT-MPO may be viewed as an indicator of the complexity of the environment. Here, we show that the inner bonds themselves, not only their dimensions, have a concrete physical meaning: They represent the subspace of the full environment Liouville space which hosts environment excitations that may influence the subsequent open quantum systems dynamics the most. This connection can be expressed in terms of lossy linear transformations, whose pseudoinverses facilitate the extraction of environment observables. We demonstrate this by extracting the environment spin of a central spin problem, the current through a quantum system coupled to two leads, the number of photons emitted from quantum emitters into a structured environment, and the distribution of the total absorbed energy in a driven non-Markovian quantum system into system, environment, and interaction energy terms. Numerical tests further indicate that different PT-MPO algorithms compress environments to similar subspaces. Thus, the physical interpretation of inner bonds of PT-MPOs both provides a conceptional understanding and it enables new practical applications.

Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations

  • Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
  • Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
  • Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
  • Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block
Current status:
Awaiting resubmission

Reports on this Submission

Anonymous Report 2 on 2024-6-20 (Invited Report)

Report

The manuscript suggests a novel numerical method in open quantum systems. By introducing a lossy linear transformation, the authors build a link between the environment and the Process tensor matrix product operators. Most importantly, compare with traditional methods based on integrating out the environments, this linear transformation based on process tensor helps to resolve the environmental observable.

The authors tested carefully the validity of extracting environments from PT-MPO inner bonds in the sense that the compression is lossy. Demonstration of the method in spin system and the light matter coupled case is concrete. Specifically, there is a solid discussion on the stabilization of extracting photon number in the photon emission system. I strongly recommend publication of this manuscript.

Recommendation

Publish (easily meets expectations and criteria for this Journal; among top 50%)

  • validity: high
  • significance: good
  • originality: top
  • clarity: high
  • formatting: perfect
  • grammar: excellent

Anonymous Report 1 on 2024-5-27 (Invited Report)

Strengths

The manuscript introduces novel matrices \cal T and its pseudoinverse that facilitates insigths into the system and its environment. The formalism is illustrated by several physical examples.

Weaknesses

A possible weakness is the following. Section III B describes a compression of an MPO bond dimension. In the forward sweep subsequent tensors are svd-truncated. The backward sweep seems unnecesary as it only changes the gauge of the virtual indices. According to https://arxiv.org/pdf/1008.3477 sections 4.4.2 and 4.5.1, it would be optimal to use the forward sweep just to bring the MPO to the right-canonical form (without any truncations) and then to perform the truncations during the backwards sweep taking advantage of the mixed canonical form of the MPO. In this form each svd truncation is done in a tensor environment with a Euclidean metric tensor and the svd truncation is an optimal truncation. Would it be possible to implement this procedure in the manuscript?

Report

The manuscript is potentially acceptable. When the weakness is fixed the algorithm may become more powerful/stable.

Requested changes

There is one, see Weaknesses.

Recommendation

Ask for major revision

  • validity: high
  • significance: high
  • originality: good
  • clarity: good
  • formatting: good
  • grammar: excellent

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