Stochastic quantization can potentially be used to simulate theories with a complex action due to a nonzero chemical potential. We study complex Langevin dynamics in the relativistic Bose gas analytically, using a mean field approximation. We concentrate on the region with a Silver Blaze problem and discuss convergence, stability, fixed points, and the severeness of the sign problem. The real distribution satisfying the extended Fokker-Planck equation is constructed and its nonlocal form is explained. Finally, we compare the mean field results in finite volume with the numerical data presented in Ref. [1].
The ab-initio simulation of quantum vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate is performed by adopting the complex Langevin techniques. We simulate the nonrelativistic boson field theory at finite chemical potential under rotation. In the superfluid phase, vortices are generated above a critical angular velocity and the circulation is clearly quantized even in the presence of quantum fluctuations.
The three-dimensional SU(3) spin model is an effective Polyakov loop model for QCD at nonzero temperature and density. It suffers from a sign problem at nonzero chemical potential. We revisit this model using complex Langevin dynamics and assess in particular the justification of this approach, using analyticity at small mu^2 and the criteria for correctness developed recently. Finite-stepsize effects are discussed in some detail and a higher-order algorithm is employed to eliminate leading stepsize corrections. Our results strongly indicate that complex Langevin dynamics is reliable in this t…
The three-dimensional XY model is studied at finite chemical potential using complex Langevin dynamics. The validity of the approach is probed at small chemical potential using imaginary chemical potential and continuity arguments, and at larger chemical potential by comparison with the world line method. While complex Langevin works for larger beta, we find that it fails for smaller beta, in the region of the phase diagram corresponding to the disordered phase. Diagnostic tests are developed to identify symptoms correlated with incorrect convergence. We argue that the erroneous behaviour at s…
We study lattice QCD at non-vanishing chemical potential using the complex Langevin equation. We compare the results with multi-parameter reweighting both from $μ=0$ and phase quenched ensembles. We find a good agreement for lattice spacings below $\approx$0.15 fm. On coarser lattices the complex Langevin approach breaks down. Four flavors of staggered fermions are used on $N_t=4, 6$ and 8 lattices. For one ensemble we also use two flavors to investigate the effects of rooting.
In this paper we test the complex Langevin algorithm for numerical simulations of a random matrix model of QCD with a first order phase transition to a phase of finite baryon density. We observe that a naive implementation of the algorithm leads to phase quenched results, which were also derived analytically in this article. We test several fixes for the convergence issues of the algorithm, in particular the method of gauge cooling, the shifted representation, the deformation technique and reweighted complex Langevin, but only the latter method reproduces the correct analytical results in the …
I review the presence of the sign problem in lattice QCD at nonzero baryon density and its relation with the overlap and Silver Blaze problems. I then discuss progress in some cases where the sign problem can be handled, either because the sign problem is absent or because it is milder than in full QCD. Some time is spent on effective three-dimensional models, which can be treated with a variety of methods. I conclude with a discussion of the applicability of complex Langevin dynamics at nonzero density.
We demonstrate analytically that complex Langevin dynamics can solve the sign problem in one-dimensional QCD in the thermodynamic limit. In particular, it is shown that the contributions from the complex and highly oscillating spectral density of the Dirac operator to the chiral condensate are taken into account correctly. We find an infinite number of classical fixed points of the Langevin flow in the thermodynamic limit. The correct solution originates from a continuum of degenerate distributions in the complexified space.
I answer the question in the title for the relativistic Bose gas at finite chemical potential using numerical lattice simulations, complemented with analytical understanding.
It is demonstrated that the complex Langevin method can simulate chiral random matrix theory at non-zero chemical potential. The successful match with the analytic prediction for the chiral condensate is established through a shift of matrix integration variables and choosing a polar representation for the new matrix elements before complexification. Furthermore, we test the proposal to work with a Langevin-time dependent quark mass and find that it allows us to control the fluctuations of the phase of the fermion determinant throughout the Langevin trajectory.
The three-dimensional XY model is studied at finite chemical potential using complex Langevin dynamics. An adaptive stepsize algorithm is implemented to cure the problem of runaway solutions that appears when using a constant stepsize. The validity of complex Langevin dynamics is tested against calculations using imaginary chemical potential and the world line formalism. While complex Langevin dynamics is found to work correctly at larger beta, it fails for smaller beta, in the region of the phase diagram corresponding to the disordered phase. Diagnostic tests are developed to identify behavio…
The pressure and energy density of the quark-gluon plasma at finite baryon chemical potential are calculated using the Complex Langevin equation. The stout smearing procedure is generalized for the SL(3,$\mathcal{C}$) manifold allowing the usage of an improved action in the Complex Langevin setup. Four degenerate flavors of staggered quarks with $m_π=500-700$ MeV are used with a tree-level Symanzik improved gauge action on $16^3 \times 8 $ lattices. Results are compared to the Taylor expansion and good agreement is found for small chemical potentials.
We study the deconfinement transition line in QCD for quark chemical potentials up to $μ_q \sim 5 T$ ($μ_B \sim 15 T$). To circumvent the sign problem we use the complex Langevin equation with gauge cooling. The plaquette gauge action is used with two flavors of naive Wilson fermions at a relatively heavy pion mass of roughly 1.3 GeV. A quadratic dependence describes the transition line well on the whole chemical potential range.
The complex Langevin method is one hopeful candidate to tackle the sign problem. This method is applicable not only to QCD but also to nonrelativistic field theory, such as condensed matter physics. We present the simulation results of a rotating Bose gas and an imbalanced Fermi-Hubbard model.
The sign problem at nonzero chemical potential prohibits the use of importance sampling in lattice simulations. Since complex Langevin dynamics does not rely on importance sampling, it provides a potential solution. Recently it was shown that complex Langevin dynamics fails in the disordered phase in the case of the three-dimensional XY model, while it appears to work in the entire phase diagram in the case of the three-dimensional SU(3) spin model. Here we analyse this difference and argue that it is due to the presence of the nontrivial Haar measure in the SU(3) case, which has a stabilizing…
A nonperturbative lattice study of QCD at finite chemical potential is complicated due to the complex fermion determinant and the sign problem. Here we apply the method of stochastic quantization and complex Langevin dynamics to this problem. We present results for U(1) and SU(3) one link models and QCD at finite chemical potential using the hopping expansion. The phase of the determinant is studied in detail. Even in the region where the sign problem is severe, we find excellent agreement between the Langevin results and exact expressions, if available. We give a partial understanding of this…
A nonperturbative study of field theories with a complex action, such as QCD at finite baryon density, is difficult due to the sign problem. We show that the relativistic Bose gas at finite chemical potential has a sign and `Silver Blaze' problem, similar to QCD. We then apply stochastic quantization and complex Langevin dynamics to study this theory with nonperturbative lattice simulations. Independence of chemical potential at small and a transition to a condensed phase at large chemical potential are found. Lattices of size N^4, with N=4,6,8,10, are used. We show that the sign problem is se…
We show that the spectrum of the Dirac operator in complex Langevin simulations of QCD at non-zero chemical potential must behave in a way which is radically different from the one in simulations with ordinary non-complexified gauge fields: At low temperatures the small eigenvalues of the Dirac operator must be inside the quark mass for chemical potentials as large as a third of the nucleon mass. In particular, in the chiral limit the Dirac eigenvalues of complex Langevin simulations must accumulate at the origin.
The ability to describe strongly interacting matter at finite temperature and baryon density provides the means to determine, for instance, the equation of state of QCD at non-zero baryon chemical potential. From a theoretical point of view, direct lattice simulations are hindered by the numerical sign problem, which prevents the use of traditional methods based on importance sampling. Despite recent successes, simulations using the complex Langevin method have been shown to exhibit instabilities, which cause convergence to wrong results. We introduce and discuss the method of Dynamic Stabilis…
We present lattice simulations on the phase diagram of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) with two light quark flavours at finite chemical potential $μ$. To circumvent the sign problem we use the complex Langevin method. In this study, we have carried out finite density lattice computations for a pion mass of $\sim 480$ MeV. We report on the pressure, energy and entropy equations of state in ab-initio lattice QCD calculations, as well as the observation of the Silver Blaze phenomenon.
We use complex Langevin simulations to explore the QCD phase diagram over a large range of chemical potentials and temperatures. For our simulations, we use two flavours of dynamical Wilson fermions with a pion mass of approximately $480\,$MeV with a spatial volume of $24^3$. Here we report on consistency checks at zero chemical potentials and present our results for the fermion density and the Polyakov loop. We find that at the lowest temperature the fermion density remains zero until $m_N/3$, in line with the expectations from the Silver Blaze phenomenon.
We apply the complex Langevin (CL) method to a chiral random matrix theory (ChRMT) at non-zero chemical potential and study the nearest neighbor spacing (NNS) distribution of the Dirac eigenvalues. The NNS distribution is extracted using an unfolding procedure for the Dirac eigenvalues obtained in the CL method. For large quark mass, we find that the NNS distribution obeys the Ginibre ensemble as expected. For small quark mass, the NNS distribution follows the Wigner surmise for correct convergence case, while it follows the Ginibre ensemble for wrong convergence case. The Wigner surmise is ph…
Lattice QCD at finite chemical potential is difficult due to the sign problem. We use stochastic quantization and complex Langevin dynamics to study this issue. First results for QCD in the hopping expansion are encouraging. U(1) and SU(3) one link models are used to gain further insight into why the method appears to be successful.
The complex Langevin method is a leading candidate for solving the sign problem occurring in various physical situations, notably QCD at finite chemical potential. Its most vexing problem is `convergence to the wrong limit', where the simulation gives a well defined, but incorrect, result. Here, we first outline a formal justification of the method and identify points at which it might fail. From these we derive a condition that must be satisfied in order for correct results to be obtained. We then apply these ideas to the three-imensional SU(3) spin model at finite chemical potential and show…
The complex Langevin method is extended to full QCD at non-zero chemical potential. The use of gauge cooling stabilizes the simulations at small enough lattice spacings. At large fermion mass the results are compared to the HQCD approach, in which the spatial hoppings of fermionic variables are neglected, and good agreement is found. The method allows simulations also at high densities, all the way up to saturation.
Effective Polyakov line models, derived from SU(3) gauge-matter systems at finite chemical potential, have a sign problem. In this article I solve two such models, derived from SU(3) gauge-Higgs and heavy quark theories by the relative weights method, over a range of chemical potentials where the sign problem is severe. Two values of the gauge-Higgs coupling are considered, corresponding to a heavier and a lighter scalar particle. Each model is solved via the complex Langevin method, following the approach of Aarts and James, and also by a mean field technique. It is shown that where the resul…
Recently, a novel algorithm for computing the density of states in statistical systems and quantum field theories has been proposed. The same method can be applied to theories at finite density affected by the notorious sign problem, reducing a high-dimensional oscillating integral to a more tractable one-dimensional one. As an example we applied the method to the relativistic Bose gas.
After a few remarks about the problem of extracting transport coefficients from lattice QCD calculations, I report on recent developments in applying stochastic quantization and complex Langevin dynamics to field theories with a complex action due to a nonzero chemical potential. First results demonstrate that the sign problem poses no obstacle for this approach, even in the thermodynamic limit. I conclude with a comparison of two simple one-link models, describing a euclidean system at finite chemical potential and a Minkowski system in real time.
We present the reweighted complex Langevin method, which enlarges the applicability range of the complex Langevin method by reweighting the complex trajectories. In this reweighting procedure both the auxiliary and target ensembles have a complex action. We validate the method by applying it to two-dimensional strong-coupling QCD at nonzero chemical potential, and observe that it gives access to parameter regions that could otherwise not be reached with the complex Langevin method.
Progress in the application of the complex Langevin method to full QCD at non-zero chemical potential is reported. The method evades the sign problem which makes naive simulations at nonzero density impossible. The procedure 'gauge cooling' is used to stabilize the simulations at small enough lattice spacings. The method allows simulations also at high densities, all the way up to saturation. Simulations in a systematic hopping parameter expansion are also performed and good convergence is observed, validating the full as well as the expanded simulations.
Stochastic quantization offers the opportunity to simulate field theories with a complex action. In some theories unstable trajectories are prevalent when a constant stepsize is employed. We construct algorithms for generating an adaptive stepsize in complex Langevin simulations and find that unstable trajectories are completely eliminated. To illustrate the generality of the approach, we apply it to the three-dimensional XY model at nonzero chemical potential and the heavy dense limit of QCD.
The sign problem of QCD prevents standard lattice simulations to determine the phase diagram of strong interactions with a finite chemical potential directly. Complex Langevin simulations provide an alternative method to sample path integrals with complex weights. We report on our ongoing project to determine the phase diagram of QCD in the limit of heavy quarks (HDQCD) using Complex Langevin simulations.
Complex Langevin methods have been successfully applied in theories that suffer from a sign problem such as QCD with a chemical potential. We present and illustrate a novel method (dynamic stabilisation) that ensures that Complex Langevin simulations stay close to the SU(3) manifold, which lead to correct and improved results in the framework of pure Yang-Mills simulations and QCD in the limit of heavy quarks.
At nonzero chemical potential the numerical sign problem in lattice field theory limits the use of standard algorithms based on importance sampling. Complex Langevin dynamics provides a possible solution, but it has to be applied with care. In this review, we first summarise our current understanding of the approach, combining analytical and numerical insight. In the second part we study SL(N,C) gauge cooling, which was introduced recently as a tool to control complex Langevin dynamics in nonabelian gauge theories. We present new results in Polyakov chain models and in QCD with heavy quarks an…
We apply complex Langevin dynamics to chiral random matrix theory at nonzero chemical potential. At large quark mass the simulations agree with the analytical results while incorrect convergence is found for small quark masses. The region of quark masses for which the complex Langevin dynamics converges incorrectly is identified as the region where the fermion determinant frequently traces out a path surrounding the origin of the complex plane during the Langevin flow. This links the incorrect convergence to an ambiguity in the Langevin force due to the presence of the logarithm of the fermion…
We present our results obtained from gauge cooled complex Langevin simulations in 1+1d QCD at non-zero densities in the strong coupling regime with unrooted staggered fermions. For small quark masses there are regions of the chemical potential where this method fails to reproduce correct results. In these parameter ranges we studied the effect of different gauge cooling schemes on the distributions of the fermion determinant as well as of observables.
I review the status of the Complex Langevin method, which was invented to make simulations of models with complex action feasible. I discuss the mathematical justification of the procedure, as well as its limitations and open questions. Various pragmatic measures for dealing with the existing problems are described. Finally I report on the progress in the application of the method to QCD, with the goal of determining the phase diagram of QCD as a function of temperature and baryonic chemical potential.
Lattice QCD at non-vanishing chemical potential is studied using the complex Langevin equation (CLE). One of the conditions for the correctness of the results of the CLE is that the zeroes of the measure coming from the fermionic determinant are outside of the distribution of the configurations, or at least in a region where support for the distribution is very much suppressed. We investigate this issue for Heavy Dense QCD (HDQCD) and full QCD at high temperatures. In HDQCD it is found that the configurations move closest to the zeroes of the measure around the critical chemical potential of t…
QCD at nonzero baryon chemical potential suffers from the sign problem, due to the complex quark determinant. Complex Langevin dynamics can provide a solution, provided certain conditions are met. One of these conditions, holomorphicity of the Langevin drift, is absent in QCD since zeroes of the determinant result in a meromorphic drift. We first derive how poles in the drift affect the formal justification of the approach and then explore the various possibilities in simple models. The lessons from these are subsequently applied to both heavy dense QCD and full QCD, and we find that the resul…
We study three possible ways to circumvent the sign problem in the O(3) nonlinear sigma model in 1+1 dimensions. We compare the results of the worm algorithm to complex Langevin and multiparameter reweighting. Using the worm algorithm, the thermodynamics of the model is investigated, and continuum results are shown for the pressure at different $μ/T$ values in the range $0-4$. By performing $T=0$ simulations using the worm algorithm the Silver Blaze phenomenon is reproduced. Regarding the complex Langevin, we test various implementations of discretizing the complex Langevin equation. We found …
The sign problem appears in lattice QCD as soon as a non-zero chemical potential is introduced. This prevents direct simulations to determine the phase structure of the strongly interacting matter. Complex Langevin methods have been successfully used for various models or approximations of QCD. However, in some scenarios it converges to incorrect results. We present developments of our new method that helps to improve the convergence by keeping the system closer to the SU(3) manifold and discuss preliminary tests and results.
Monte Carlo methods cannot probe far into the QCD phase diagram with a real chemical potential, due to the famous sign problem. Complex Langevin simulations, using adaptive step-size scaling and gauge cooling, are suited for sampling path integrals with complex weights. We report here on tests of the deconfinement transition in pure Yang-Mills SU(3) simulations and present an update on the QCD phase diagram in the limit of heavy and dense quarks.
We explore the QCD phase diagram at finite density with four-flavor staggered fermions using the complex Langevin method, which is a promising approach to overcome the sign problem. In our previous work on an $8^3 \times 16$ lattice at $β= 5.7$ with the quark mass $m = 0.01$, we have found that the baryon number density has a clear plateau as a function of the chemical potential. In this study, we use a $16^3 \times 32$ lattice to reduce finite volume effects and find that the plateau structure survives. Moreover, the number of quarks in the plateau region turns out to be 24, which is exactly …
I outline recent progress in the relative weights approach to deriving effective Polyakov line actions from an underlying lattice gauge theory, and compare mean field and complex Langevin methods for solving such theories at finite chemical potential.
We study a random matrix model for QCD at finite density via complex Langevin dynamics. This model has a phase transition to a phase with nonzero baryon density. We study the convergence of the algorithm as a function of the quark mass and the chemical potential and focus on two main observables: the baryon density and the chiral condensate. For simulations close to the chiral limit, the algorithm has wrong convergence properties when the quark mass is in the spectral domain of the Dirac operator. A possible solution of this problem is discussed.
Statistical sampling with the complex Langevin (CL) equation is applied to (0+1)-dimensional Thirring model, and its uniform-field variant, at finite fermion chemical potential $μ$. The CL simulation reproduces a crossover behavior which is similar to but actually deviating from the exact solution in the transition region, where we confirm that the CL simulation becomes susceptible to the drift singularities, i.e., zeros of the fermion determinant. In order to simulate the transition region with the CL method correctly, we examine two approaches, a reweighting method and a model deformation, i…
Lefschetz thimbles and complex Langevin dynamics both provide a means to tackle the numerical sign problem prevalent in theories with a complex weight in the partition function, e.g. due to nonzero chemical potential. Here we collect some findings for the quartic model, and for U(1) and SU(2) models in the presence of a determinant, which have some features not discussed before, due to a singular drift. We find evidence for a relation between classical runaways and stable thimbles, and give an example of a degenerate fixed point. We typically find that the distributions sampled in complex Lang…
Simulations of QCD with a finite chemical potential typically lead to a severe sign problem, prohibiting any standard Monte Carlo approach. Complex Langevin simulations provide an alternative to sample path integrals with oscillating weight factors and therefore potentially enable the determination of the phase diagram of QCD. Here we present results for QCD in the limit of heavy quarks and show evidence that the phase diagram can be mapped out by direct simulation. We apply adaptive step-size scaling and adaptive gauge cooling to ensure the convergence of these simulations.
We calculate the finite-temperature density and polarization equations of state of one-dimensional fermions with a zero-range interaction, considering both attractive and repulsive regimes. In the path-integral formulation of the grand-canonical ensemble, a finite chemical potential asymmetry makes these systems intractable for standard Monte Carlo approaches due to the sign problem. Although the latter can be removed in one spatial dimension, we consider the one-dimensional situation in the present work to provide an efficient test for studies of the higher-dimensional counterparts. To overco…
Complex Langevin simulations allow numerical studies of theories that exhibit a sign problem, such as QCD, and are thereby potentially suitable to determine the QCD phase diagram from first principles. Here we study QCD in the limit of heavy quarks for a wide range of temperatures and chemical potentials. Our results include an analysis of the adaptive gauge cooling technique, which prevents large excursions into the non-compact directions of the SL($3, \mathbb{C}$) manifold. We find that such excursions may appear spontaneously and change the statistical distribution of physical observables, …
We present new results of full QCD at nonzero chemical potential. In PRD 92, 094516 (2015) the complex Langevin method was shown to break down when the inverse coupling decreases and enters the transition region from the deconfined to the confined phase. We found that the stochastic technique used to estimate the drift term can be very unstable for indefinite matrices. This may be avoided by using the full inverse of the Dirac operator, which is, however, too costly for four-dimensional lattices. The major breakthrough in this work was achieved by realizing that the inverse elements necessary …
We consider the 2+1 dimensional massive Thirring model with one flavor at finite density. Two numerical methods, fermion bag approach and complex Langevin dynamics, are used to calculate the chiral condensate and fermion density of this model. The numerical results obtained by fermion bag approach are compared with those obtained by complex Langevin dynamics. They are also compared with those obtained under phase quenched approximation. We show that in some range of fermion coupling strength and chemical potential the sign problem in fermion bag approach is mild, while it becomes severe for th…
QCD at non-zero chemical potential ($μ$) for quark number has a complex fermion determinant and thus standard simulation methods for lattice QCD cannot be applied. We therefore simulate this theory using the Complex-Langevin algorithm with Gauge Cooling in addition to adaptive methods, to prevent runaway behaviour. Simulations are performed at zero temperature on a $12^4$ lattice with 2 quarks which are light enough that $m_N/3$ is significantly larger than $m_π/2$. Preliminary results are qualitatively as expected. The quark-number density is close to zero for $μ< m_N/3$, beyond which it incr…
Monte Carlo studies of QCD at finite density suffer from the sign problem, which becomes easily uncontrollable as the chemical potential $μ$ is increased even for a moderate lattice size. In this work we make an attempt to approach the high density low temperature region by the complex Langevin method (CLM) using four-flavor staggered fermions with reasonably small quark mass on a $8^3 \times 16$ lattice. Unlike the previous work on a $4^3 \times 8$ lattice, the criterion for correct convergence is satisfied within a wide range of $μ$ without using the deformation technique. In particular, the…
