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This research presents a novel computational framework using tangent equations of motion (TEOM) to efficiently calculate high-order nonlinear response functions in quantum and classical dynamical systems, overcoming the factorial scaling issues inherent in traditional multipoint correlator methods. By leveraging Gateaux derivatives within real-time dynamics, the approach enables accurate evaluation of complex phenomena like fifth-order responses for solid-state models without relying on numerically unstable finite-difference techniques. The method offers a scalable solution for simulating nonlinear transport and optical properties across both quantum mechanical and classical oscillator regimes.
Tangent equations of motion for nonlinear response functions
arXiv:2603.22137v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Nonlinear response functions, formulated as multipoint correlation functions or Volterra kernels, encode the dynamical and spectroscopic properties of physical systems and underpin a wide range of nonlinear transport and optical phenomena. However, their evaluation rapidly becomes prohibitive at high orders because of combinatorial (often factorial) scaling or severe numerical errors. Here, we establish a systematic and efficient framework to compute nonlinear response functions directly from real-time dynamics, without explicitly constructing multipoint correlators or relying on numerically unstable finite-difference methods for order-resolved extraction. Our approach is based on the Gateaux derivative with respect to the external field in function space, which yields a closed hierarchy of tangent equations of motion (TEOM). Propagating the TEOM alongside the original dynamics isolates each perturbative order with high accuracy, providing a term-by-term decomposition of physical contributions. The computational cost scales exponentially with response order in the fully general setting and reduces to polynomial complexity when all perturbation directions are identical; both regimes avoid the factorial scaling of explicit multipoint-correlator evaluations. We demonstrate the power of TEOM by computing frequency-resolved fifth-order response functions for a solid-state electron model and by obtaining nonlinear response functions up to the 49th order with controlled accuracy in a classical Duffing oscillator. We further show that our time-evolution formulation allows optical conductivities to be evaluated directly while remaining numerically stable even near zero frequency. TEOM can be incorporated seamlessly into existing real-time evolution methods, yielding a general framework for computing nonlinear response functions in quantum and classical dynamical systems.
Abstract:Nonlinear response functions, formulated as multipoint correlation functions or Volterra kernels, encode the dynamical and spectroscopic properties of physical systems and underpin a wide range of nonlinear transport and optical phenomena. However, their evaluation rapidly becomes prohibitive at high orders because of combinatorial (often factorial) scaling or severe numerical errors. Here, we establish a systematic and efficient framework to compute nonlinear response functions directly from real-time dynamics, without explicitly constructing multipoint correlators or relying on numerically unstable finite-difference methods for order-resolved extraction. Our approach is based on the Gateaux derivative with respect to the external field in function space, which yields a closed hierarchy of tangent equations of motion (TEOM). Propagating the TEOM alongside the original dynamics isolates each perturbative order with high accuracy, providing a term-by-term decomposition of physical contributions. The computational cost scales exponentially with response order in the fully general setting and reduces to polynomial complexity when all perturbation directions are identical; both regimes avoid the factorial scaling of explicit multipoint-correlator evaluations. We demonstrate the power of TEOM by computing frequency-resolved fifth-order response functions for a solid-state electron model and by obtaining nonlinear response functions up to the 49th order with controlled accuracy in a classical Duffing oscillator. We further show that our time-evolution formulation allows optical conductivities to be evaluated directly while remaining numerically stable even near zero frequency. TEOM can be incorporated seamlessly into existing real-time evolution methods, yielding a general framework for computing nonlinear response functions in quantum and classical dynamical systems.
31 pages, 13 figures. Associated Julia implementation is available on Zenodo: this https URL
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el); Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech); Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph); Optics (physics.optics); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
arXiv:2603.22137 [cond-mat.str-el]
(or arXiv:2603.22137v2 [cond-mat.str-el] for this version)
Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033131 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.1103/hbjl-f5cw DOI(s) linking to related resources
Full text under the publisher's open licence · 297 words
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