We simulate a zero-temperature pure Z3 Lattice Gauge Theory in 2+1 dimensions by using an iPEPS (Infinite Projected Entangled-Pair State) ansatz for the ground state. Our results are therefore directly valid in the thermodynamic limit. They clearly show two distinct phases separated by a phase transition. We introduce an update strategy that enables plaquette terms and Gauss-law constraints to be applied as sequences of two-body operators. This allows the use of the most up-to-date iPEPS algorithms. From the calculation of spatial Wilson loops we are able to prove the existence of a confined phase. We show that with relatively low computational cost it is possible to reproduce crucial features of gauge theories. We expect that the strategy allows the extension of iPEPS studies to more general LGTs.
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has awarded an honorary doctorate to Ignacio Cirac, Director of the Theory Division at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics. The distinction recognises his pioneering contributions to quantum information theory, a field in which he has helped lay the foundations for quantum computing and quantum technologies. The honorary doctorate is the tenth such distinction of his career.
The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and IBM have awarded the newly established Richard Feynman Prize for Quantum Computing to MPQ Director Ignacio Cirac. The prize committee acknowledges his central role in establishing the theoretical foundations of quantum information processing, including the theory of entanglement, quantum simulation, and tensor-network methods. The award ceremony took place on 21 April at ICTP in Trieste.
