Quantum simulation of the phase transition of the massive Thirring model

A bstract Recent advancements in quantum computing technology have enabled the study of fermionic systems at finite temperature via quantum simulations. This presents a novel approach to investigating the chiral phase transition in such systems. Among these, the quantum minimally entangled typical thermal states (QMETTS) algorithm has recently attracted considerable interest. The massive Thirring model, which exhibits a variety of phenomena at low temperatures, includes both a chiral phase transition and a topologically non-trivial ground state. It therefore raises the intriguing question of whether its phase transition can be studied using a quantum simulation approach. In this study, the chiral phase transition of the massive Thirring model and its dual topological phase transition are studied using the QMETTS algorithm. Numerical results are obtained on a classical computer simulating circuit-based quantum computations. The results show that QMETTS is able to accurately reproduce the phase transition and thermodynamic properties of the massive Thirring model.