Edge theories in projected entangled pair state models

Demonstrating the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki Spectral Gap on 2D Degree-3 Lattices

We report results on solving a long outstanding problem-whether the two-dimensional spin-3/2 antiferromagnetic valence-bond model of Affleck, Kennedy, Lieb, and Tasaki (AKLT) possesses a nonzero gap above its ground state. We exploit a relation between the anticommutator and sum of two projectors and apply it to ground-space projectors on regions of the honeycomb lattice. After analytically reducing the complexity of the resultant problem, we are able to use a standard Lanczos method to establish the existence of a nonzero gap. This approach is also successfully applied to spin-3/2 AKLT models on other degree-3 semiregular tilings, namely, the square-octagon, star, and cross lattices, where the complexity is low enough that exact diagonalization can be used instead. In addition, we close the previously open cases of hybrid AKLT models on the singly decorated honeycomb and singly decorated square lattices.

Loop Optimization for Tensor Network Renormalization

We introduce a tensor renormalization group scheme for coarse graining a two-dimensional tensor network that can be successfully applied to both classical and quantum systems on and off criticality. The key innovation in our scheme is to deform a 2D tensor network into small loops and then optimize the tensors on each loop. In this way, we remove short-range entanglement at each iteration step and significantly improve the accuracy and stability of the renormalization flow. We demonstrate our algorithm in the classical Ising model and a frustrated 2D quantum model.

Shadows of anyons and the entanglement structure of topological phases

The low-temperature dynamics of quantum systems are dominated by the low-energy eigenstates. For two-dimensional systems in particular, exotic phenomena such as topological order and anyon excitations can emerge. While a complete low-energy description of strongly correlated systems is hard to obtain, essential information about the elementary excitations is encoded in the eigenvalue structure of the quantum transfer matrix. Here we study the transfer matrix of topological quantum systems using the tensor network formalism and demonstrate that topological quantum order requires a particular type of 'symmetry breaking' for the fixed point subspace. We also relate physical anyon excitations to domain-wall excitations at the level of the transfer matrix. This formalism enables us to determine the structure of the topological sectors in two-dimensional gapped phases very efficiently, therefore opening novel avenues for studying fundamental questions related to anyon condensation and confinement.

Chiral projected entangled-pair state with topological order

We show that projected entangled-pair states (PEPS) can describe chiral topologically ordered phases. For that, we construct a simple PEPS for spin-1/2 particles in a two-dimensional lattice. We reveal a symmetry in the local projector of the PEPS that gives rise to the global topological character. We also extract characteristic quantities of the edge conformal field theory using the bulk-boundary correspondence.