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Accurate Ground States of SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory in 2+1D and 3+1D

Thomas Spriggs1,*, Eliska Greplova1, Juan Carrasquilla2, and Jannes Nys2,†

  • *Contact author: t.e.spriggs@tudelft.nl
  • †Contact author: jannys@ethz.ch
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 101902 – Published 11 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wsk2-qcvy

Abstract

We present a neural network wave function framework for solving non-Abelian lattice gauge theories in a continuous group representation. Using a combination of SU(2) equivariant neural networks alongside an SU(2) invariant, physics-inspired ansatz, we learn a parametrization of the ground state wave function of SU(2) lattice gauge theory in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions. Our method, performed in the Hamiltonian formulation, has a straightforward generalization to SU(N). We benchmark our approach against a solely invariant ansatz by computing the ground state energy, demonstrating the need for bespoke gauge equivariant transformations. We evaluate the Creutz ratio and average Wilson loop, and obtain results in strong agreement with perturbative expansions. Our method opens up an avenue for studying lattice gauge theories beyond one dimension, with efficient scaling to larger systems, and in a way that avoids both the sign problem and any discretization of the gauge group.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 101902– Published 11 March, 2026
  • Received 6 October 2025
  • Revised 21 January 2026
  • Accepted 17 February 2026
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