Research
My research sits at the intersection of quantum field theory, lattice methods, and quantum computing. A recurring theme is understanding how to formulate quantum field theories with finite-dimensional local Hilbert spaces — either to enable quantum simulation on near-term hardware, or to gain new theoretical insight into non-perturbative phenomena.
A complete list of publications is on iNSPIRE and Google Scholar.
Qubit Regularization of Quantum Field Theories
A central question in lattice field theory is whether a quantum field theory can be regularized using a system with a finite-dimensional local Hilbert space — a “qubit model”. This is both a foundational question about the nature of QFTs and a practical one: quantum computers natively operate on finite-dimensional systems, so such a regularization is a prerequisite for quantum simulation.
My work on qubit regularization has focused on asymptotically free sigma models as prototypes for non-Abelian gauge theories. I showed that the (1+1)D O(3) nonlinear sigma model — including its asymptotic freedom and topological θ vacua — can be reproduced by a simple spin-1/2 Hamiltonian with two qubits per site. A key challenge was constructing sign-problem-free formulations to enable classical Monte Carlo verification of the qubit models, which we achieved using worldline methods. More recently, the program has been extended to O(N) models and to understanding how anomaly matching constrains which qubit regularizations are possible.
Quantum Simulation on Near-Term Hardware
Qubit regularization provides a Hamiltonian formulation suitable for implementation on quantum hardware. A separate set of questions then arises: how do we actually reach the continuum limit on a finite quantum device, and what platforms are best suited for simulating specific models?
I have worked on mapping the qubit-regularized O(3) sigma model onto cold-atom platforms, identifying a dimensional reduction strategy that allows one to approach the continuum limit with fewer physical qubits. I have also studied Floquet engineering in Ising models, showing that a strongly driven Ising chain reproduces effective Heisenberg dynamics — providing a practical route to engineering the interactions needed for sigma model simulation on existing hardware.
Ginsparg-Wilson Relations and Topological Phases
The Ginsparg-Wilson (GW) relation is a cornerstone of lattice fermion physics: it encodes how chiral symmetry — explicitly broken by a lattice regulator — can be recovered in a modified form that still captures the correct continuum anomalies. My recent work generalizes the GW relation to Dirac and Majorana fermions in any spacetime dimension, encoding not just chiral anomalies but the full set of discrete symmetry anomalies (parity, time-reversal) relevant for topological insulators and superconductors in the free-fermion classification.
A parallel direction studies Kähler-Dirac fermions (the continuum analog of staggered fermions) and their chiral symmetry in the presence of boundaries, making contact with the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem.
Few-Body Nuclear Physics and Pionless EFT
During my PhD I worked on non-relativistic few-body systems using pionless effective field theory (EFT) — the systematic low-energy expansion for nuclear systems well below the pion mass. One line of work used the large-N_c expansion to derive relationships among two-nucleon contact couplings that are otherwise independent in the EFT, providing a deeper organizational principle consistent with experiment. I also developed a worldline (spacetime lattice) approach to few-body systems as an alternative to Hamiltonian methods, enabling worm-algorithm Monte Carlo for fixed particle-number sectors.
Cosmological Phase Transitions and Baryogenesis
A more recent direction explores out-of-equilibrium dynamics during first-order cosmological phase transitions as a mechanism for generating matter-antimatter asymmetry. Using real-time lattice simulations of fermion-bubble scattering in (1+1)D, I have studied how a complex, spatially varying fermion mass profile (the bubble wall) generates a charge asymmetry — a key ingredient for electroweak baryogenesis.