Phase Diagram of Planar Matrix Quantum Mechanics, Tensor,
and Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev Models
Tatsuo Azeyanagi,
1
Frank Ferrari,
1,2
and Fidel I. Schaposnik Massolo
2
1
Universit´e libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and International Solvay Institutes Service de Physique Th´eorique et Math´ematique
Campus de la Plaine, CP 231, B-10 50 Bruxelles, Belgique
2
Center for the Theoretical Physics of the Universe Institute for Basic Sciences (IBS), Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
(Received 14 July 2017; revised manuscript received 19 December 2017; published 6 February 2018)
We study the Schwinger-Dyson equations of a fermionic planar matrix quantum mechanics [or tensor
and Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models] at leading melonic order. We find two solutions describing a high
entropy, SYK black-hole-like phase and a low entropy one with trivial IR behavior. There is a line of first
order phase transitions that terminates at a new critical point. Critical exponents are nonme an field and
differ on the two sides of the transition. Interesting phenomena are also found in unstable and stable
bosonic models, including Kazakov critical points and inconsistency of SYK-like solutions of the IR limit.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.061602
Introduction.—A series of recent works [1–4] combining
old ideas developed in the condensed matter literature [5],
with new insights in black hole physics [6–9] and tensor
model technology [10–13], is making it possible, for the
first time, to reliably study planar quantum mechanical
matrix models in the fully nonperturbative regime. For a
partial list of interesting recent papers in this area, see, e.g.,
[14]. The aim of the present work is to initiate a systematic
study of the phase diagrams of such models.
We are going to focus on the Hamiltonian
H ¼ NDtr
mψ
†
μ
ψ
μ
þ
1
2
λ
ffiffiffiffi
D
p
ψ
μ
ψ
†
ν
ψ
μ
ψ
†
ν
; ð1Þ
where ψ
μ
and ψ
†
μ
are OðDÞvectors of N × N matrices made
of fermionic annihilation and creation operators ðψ
μ
Þ
a
b
¼
ψ
a
μb
and ðψ
†
μ
Þ
a
b
¼ðψ
b
μa
Þ
†
satisfying canonical anticommu-
tation relations
fψ
a
μb
; ðψ
†
ν
Þ
c
d
g¼
1
ND
δ
μν
δ
a
d
δ
c
b
: ð2Þ
After taking the usual planar N → ∞ limit, we are con-
sidering the new D → ∞ limit at fixed λ defined in [4].In
this limit, the model is dominated by melonic planar graphs
and turns out to be equivalent to the model with quenched
disorder investigated by Sachdev in [15]. Our results thus
also immediately apply to models of this type.
We shall also briefly discuss a model of Hermitian
bosonic matrices with an unstable potential, equivalent
at leading order with the Carrozza-Tanasa-Klebanov-
Tarnopolsky theory [12,16], and another model of
Hermitian bosonic matrices with a stable potential, which
can be seen as the bosonic truncation of a natural super-
symmetric extension [17].
In this Letter, we focus on the discussion of the physics
and on the presentation of the main results. Full technical
details, together with a discussion of supersymmetric
models, which can be easily constructed in the present
framework [17], will be given elsewhere [18].
Physical discussion.—Let us start by recalling the three
basic steps that allow us to solve models such as (1) in the
large N and large D limits. We first start from perturbation
theory to compute physical quantities as a power expansion
in the coupling constant λ in terms of Feynman graphs. We
then consider the large N and large D limits, which in our
case, select the planar melonic graphs described in [4]. This
truncation of perturbation theory produces a convergent
series expansion. In step three, we sum the perturbative
series exactly via an appropriate Schwinger-Dyson (SD)
equation. This gives access to the “fully nonperturbative”
regime of the model, by analytic continuation. We thus
obtain a nonperturbative description of the physics, but it is
conceptually crucial to understand that it relies in a
fundamental way on perturbation theory.
A remarkable property of fermionic models like (1) is
that there are two natural but distinct ways to define a
perturbative expansion and thus a priori two distinct paths
to access the nonperturbative physics using the strategy
described in the previous paragraph.
The first perturbative regime corresponds to high temper-
ature T ¼ 1=β ≫ jλj at fixed mass m. The fermions then
have a high effective thermal mass ∼2πT
and, even in the
extreme case m ¼ 0, we get a small effective coupling
constant λ=T. The zeroth order of the resulting perturbative
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3
.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 120, 061602 (2018)
0031-9007=18=120(6)=061602(6) 061602-1 Published by the American Physical Society