This book approaches condensed matter physics from the perspective of
quantum information science, focusing on systems with strong interaction
and unconventional order for which the usual condensed matter methods
like the Landau paradigm or the free fermion framework break down.
Concepts and tools in quantum information science such as entanglement,
quantum circuits, and the tensor network representation prove to be
highly useful in studying such systems. The goal of this book is to
introduce these techniques and show how they lead to a new systematic
way of characterizing and classifying quantum phases in condensed matter
systems.
The first part of the book introduces some basic concepts in quantum
information theory which are then used to study the central topic
explained in Part II: local Hamiltonians and their ground states. Part
III focuses on one of the major new phenomena in strongly interacting
systems, the topological order, and shows how it can essentially be
defined and characterized in terms of entanglement. Part IV shows that
the key entanglement structure of topological states can be captured
using the tensor network representation, which provides a powerful tool
in the classification of quantum phases. Finally, Part V discusses the
exciting prospect at the intersection of quantum information and
condensed matter physics - the unification of information and matter.
Intended for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter
physics, quantum information science and related fields, the book is
self-contained and no prior knowledge of these topics is assumed.
