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I will discuss analytic approaches to construct tensor network representations of quantum field theories, more specifically conformal field theories in 1+1 dimensions. A key insight is that we should understand how well the tensor network can reproduce the correlation functions of the quantum field theory. Based on this measure of closeness, I will present rigorous results allowing for explicit error bounds which show that both Matrix product states (MPS) as well as the multiscale renormalization Ansatz (MERA) do approximate conformal field theories. In particular, I will discuss the case of Wess-Zumino-Witten models. based on joint work with Robert Koenig (MPS), Brian Swingle and Michael Walter (MERA)

Tensor networks have primarily, thought not exclusively, been used to the describe quantum states of lattice models where there is some inherent discreteness in the system. This raises issues when trying to describe quantum field theories using tensor networks, since the field theory is continuous (or at least the regulator should not play a central role). I'll present some work in progress studying tensor networks designed to directly compute correlation functions instead of the full state. Here the discreteness arises from our choice of where and how to probe the field theory. This approach is roughly analogous to studying a Legendre transform of the state. I'll discuss the properties of such networks and show how to construct them in some cases of interest, including non-interacting fermion field theories. Partly based on work with Volkher Scholz and Michael Walter.

The exact renormalization group (ERG) for O(N) vector models at large N on flat Euclidean space admits an interpretation as the bulk dynamics of a holographically dual higher spin gauge theory on AdS_{d+1}. The generating functional of correlation functions of single trace operators is reproduced by the on-shell action of this bulk higher spin theory, which is most simply presented in a first-order (phase space) formalism. This structure arises because of an enormous non-local symmetry of free fixed point theories. In this talk, I will review the ERG construction and describe its extension to the RG flow of the wave functionals of arbitrary states of the O(N) vector model at the free fixed point. One finds that the ERG flow of the ground state and a specific class of excited states is implemented by the action of unitary operators which can be chosen to be local. Thus the ERG equations provide a continuum notion of a tensor network. We compare this tensor network with the entanglement renormalization networks, MERA, and cMERA. The ERG tensor network appears to share the general structure of cMERA but differs in important ways.

The first half of the talk will introduce the cMERA, as proposed by Haegeman, Osborne, Verschelde and Verstratete in 2011 [1], as an extension to quantum field theories (QFTs) in the continuum of the MERA tensor network for lattice systems. The second half of the talk will review recent results [2] that show how a cMERA optimized to approximate the ground state of a conformal field theory (CFT) retains all of its spacetime symmetries, although these symmetries are realized quasi-locally. In particular, the conformal data of the original CFT can be extracted from the optimized cMERA. [1] J. Haegeman, T. J. Osborne, H. Verschelde, F. Verstraete, Entanglement renormalization for quantum fields, Phys. Rev. Lett, 110, 100402 (2013), arXiv:1102.5524 [2] Q. Hu, G. Vidal, Spacetime symmetries and conformal data in the continuous multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz, arXiv:1703.04798

We demonstrate that perturbative expansions for quantum many-body systems can be rephrased in terms of tensor networks, thereby providing a natural framework for interpolating perturbative expansions across a quantum phase transition. This approach leads to classes of tensor-network states parameterized by few parameters with a clear physical meaning, while still providing excellent variational energies. We also demonstrate how to construct perturbative expansions of the entanglement Hamiltonian, whose eigenvalues form the entanglement spectrum, and how the tensor-network approach gives rise to order parameters for topological phase transitions.

Since its proposal in the breakthrough paper [F. Verstraete, J.I. Cirac, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 190405(2010)], continuous Matrix Product States (cMPS) have emerged as a powerful tool for obtaining non-perturbative ground state and excited state properties of interacting quantum field theories (QFTs) in (1+1)d. At the heart of the cMPS lies an efficient parametrization of manybody wavefunctionals directly in the continuum, that enables one to obtain ground states of QFTs via imaginary time evolution. In the first part of my talk I will give a general introduction to the cMPS formalism. In the second part, I will then discuss a new method for cMPS optimization, based on energy gradient instead of the usual imaginary time evolution. This new method overcomes several problems associated with imaginary time evolution, and allows to perform calculations at much lower cost / higher accuracy than previously possible.

The density matrix renormalization group works very well for one-dimensional (1D) lattice systems, and can naively be adapted for non-relativistic continuum systems in 1D by discretizing real space using a grid. I will discuss challenges inherent in this approach and successful applications. Recently, the success of the grid approach for 1D motivated us to extend the approach to 3D by treating the transverse directions with a basis set. This hybrid grid/basis-set approach allows DMRG to scale much better for long molecules and we obtain state-of-the-art results with modest computing resources. A key component of the approach is a powerful algorithm for compressing long-range interactions into a matrix product operator which I will present in some detail.

We demonstrate that 1+1D conformal symmetry emerges in critical spin chains by constructing a lattice ansatz Hn for (certain combinations of) the Virasoro generators Ln. The generators Hn offer a new way of extracting conformal data from the low energy eigenstates of the lattice Hamiltonian on a finite circle. In particular, for each energy eigenstate, we can now identify which Virasoro tower it belongs to, as well as determine whether it is a Virasoro primary or a descendant (and similarly for global conformal towers and global conformal primaries/descendants). The central charge is obtained from a simple ground-state expectation value. Non-universal, finite-size corrections are the main source of error. We propose and demonstrate the use of periodic Matrix Product States, together with an improved ground state solver, to reach larger system sizes. We uncover that, importantly, the MPS single-particle excitation ansatz accurately describes all low energy excited states.

Large parts of condensed matter theoretical physics and quantum chemistry have as a central goal discretizing and solving the continuum many-electron Schrodinger Equation. What do we want to get from these calculations? What are key problems of interest? What sort of approaches are used? I'll start with a broad overview of these questions using the renormalization group as a conceptual framework. I'll then progress towards our recent tensor network approaches for the many electron problem, discussing along the way issues of the area law, wavelet techniques and Wilson's related work, wavelets and MERA, and discretizations that combine grids and basis sets.