About

Dmitry Abanin is a professor of physics who joined the Princeton faculty in August of 2023. He received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2008. His scientific interests and areas of study include quantum simulation, quantum information and computing, condensed matter physics, and efficient classical algorithms for quantum systems. He has published over ninety peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous awards, including the Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher Award in 2023 and the ERC Consolidator Grant in 2020. He is currently on the graduate admissions committee for the new graduate program in Quantum Science and Engineering, which is a joint collaboration between the Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Departments.

Research topics

• Physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Statistical physics
• Geometry
• Theoretical physics
• Mathematical analysis
• Condensed matter physics
• Classical mechanics

Selected publications

• Algorithmic Locality via Provable Convergence in Quantum Tensor Networks

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-23

  preprintOpen access

  Belief propagation has recently emerged as a powerful framework for evaluating tensor networks in higher dimensions, combining computational efficiency with provable analytical guarantees. In this work, we develop the first end-to-end theory of tensor network belief propagation for a class of projected entangled pair states satisfying \emph{strong injectivity}. We show that when the injectivity parameter exceeds a constant threshold, BP fixed points can be found efficiently, and a cluster-corrected BP algorithm computes physical quantities to $1/\mathrm{poly}(N)$ error in $\mathrm{poly}(N)$ time for an $N$ qubit system. We identify a striking phenomenon we term \emph{algorithmic locality}: local perturbations of the tensor network affect the BP fixed point with an influence decaying rapidly with distance. As a result, updates to the fixed point after a local perturbation can be carried out using only local recomputation. Moreover, through the cluster expansion, this locality extends to observables, implying that local expectation values can be approximated from local data with controlled accuracy. Our results provide the first rigorous guarantee for the effectiveness of tensor-network belief propagation on a wide class of many-body states, bridging a gap between widely used numerical practice and provable algorithmic performance.

  PublisherDOI

• Simple slow operators and quantum thermalization

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We establish a rigorous relation between the thermalization of typical initial states and the dynamics of local operators. We introduce a concept of simple slow operators (SSOs), defined as operators that have a small commutator with the Hamiltonian and have significant small-sized components. We show that if typical initial states (drawn from a low-complexity state ensemble) do not thermalize on timescale $t$, then SSOs must exist that are approximately conserved up to timescale $t$. Equivalently, the absence of SSOs implies that typical initial states thermalize. We establish these results by introducing the concept of an ensemble variance norm of an operator, defined as the typical magnitude of the expectation value of that operator with respect to states in the ensemble. For low-entanglement ensembles, the norm is related to operator sizes, allowing us to establish a direct link between operator growth and thermalization.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Quantum matter is weakly entangled at low energies

  ArXiv.org · 2026-04-15

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We construct upper bounds on entanglement entropies of many-body quantum states that have fixed energy expectation values with respect to geometrically local Hamiltonians. Our focus is on entanglement entropies of subsystems that make up approximately half of the full system. The upper bound on the von Neumann entanglement entropy is half the sum of the thermal entropies of two fictitious systems at the same temperature as one another, with an additional area-law contribution in some systems. The effective temperature is chosen such that the sum of the thermal energies of the two fictitious systems matches the constraint on the energy of the state in the original problem; at subextensive energies, this temperature decreases with increasing system size. Our upper bounds on Rényi entanglement entropies take an analogous form. As a first application we show that ground-state Schmidt ranks in frustration-free (FF) systems are upper bounded by the ground-state degeneracies of Hamiltonians acting on subsystems. Ground-state von Neumann and Rényi entanglement entropies therefore follow an area law when the zero-temperature thermal entropies of subsystems scale with surface areas, rather than with subsystem volumes. This result holds independently of the spectral gap. For physical models of quantum matter, which have well-defined specific heat capacities (and are not necessarily FF), our bounds provide a way to convert this thermodynamic data into constraints on pure-state entanglement at both subextensive and extensive energies. We also show that our upper bounds on half-system entanglement entropies are optimal, up to subleading corrections, in wide varieties of systems. Our results relate physical thermodynamic properties to the structure of many-body Hilbert space at low energies.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Belief Propagation and Tensor Network Expansions for Many-Body Quantum Systems: Rigorous Results and Fundamental Limits

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-03

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Belief propagation (BP) provides a scalable heuristic for contracting tensor networks on loopy graphs, but its success in quantum many-body settings has largely rested on empirical evidence. Developing upon a recently introduced cluster-expansion framework for tensor networks, we rigorously study the applicability of BP to many-body quantum systems. For a state represented as a PEPS satisfying a ``loop-decay" condition, we prove that BP supplemented by cluster corrections approximates local observables with exponentially small relative error, and we give explicit formulas expressing local expectation values as BP predictions dressed by connected clusters intersecting the observable region. This representation establishes a direct link between cluster corrections and physical correlation functions. As a result, we show that ``loop-decay" \emph{necessarily implies} exponential decay of connected correlations, yielding sharp, rigorous criteria for when BP can and cannot succeed, and ruling out its validity at critical points. Numerical simulations of the two- and three-dimensional transverse field Ising model at zero and finite temperature confirm our analytical predictions, demonstrating quantitative accuracy deep in gapped phases and systematic failure near criticality.

  PublisherDOI

• Quantum matter is weakly entangled at low energies

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-15

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  We construct upper bounds on entanglement entropies of many-body quantum states that have fixed energy expectation values with respect to geometrically local Hamiltonians. Our focus is on entanglement entropies of subsystems that make up approximately half of the full system. The upper bound on the von Neumann entanglement entropy is half the sum of the thermal entropies of two fictitious systems at the same temperature as one another, with an additional area-law contribution in some systems. The effective temperature is chosen such that the sum of the thermal energies of the two fictitious systems matches the constraint on the energy of the state in the original problem; at subextensive energies, this temperature decreases with increasing system size. Our upper bounds on Rényi entanglement entropies take an analogous form. As a first application we show that ground-state Schmidt ranks in frustration-free (FF) systems are upper bounded by the ground-state degeneracies of Hamiltonians acting on subsystems. Ground-state von Neumann and Rényi entanglement entropies therefore follow an area law when the zero-temperature thermal entropies of subsystems scale with surface areas, rather than with subsystem volumes. This result holds independently of the spectral gap. For physical models of quantum matter, which have well-defined specific heat capacities (and are not necessarily FF), our bounds provide a way to convert this thermodynamic data into constraints on pure-state entanglement at both subextensive and extensive energies. We also show that our upper bounds on half-system entanglement entropies are optimal, up to subleading corrections, in wide varieties of systems. Our results relate physical thermodynamic properties to the structure of many-body Hilbert space at low energies.

  PublisherDOI

• Hilbert space signatures of non-ergodic glassy dynamics

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-01-04

  preprintOpen access

  Disorder in quantum many-body systems can drive transitions between ergodic and non-ergodic phases, yet the nature--and even the existence--of these transitions remains intensely debated. Using a two-dimensional array of superconducting qubits, we study an interacting spin model at finite temperature in a disordered landscape, tracking dynamics both in real space and in Hilbert space. Over a broad disorder range, we observe an intermediate non-ergodic regime with glass-like characteristics: physical observables become broadly distributed and some, but not all, degrees of freedom are effectively frozen. The Hilbert-space return probability shows slow power-law decay, consistent with finite-temperature quantum glassiness. In the same regime, we detect the onset of a finite Edwards-Anderson order parameter and the disappearance of spin diffusion. By contrast, at lower disorder, spin transport persists with a nonzero diffusion coefficient. Our results show that there is a transition out of the ergodic phase in two-dimensional systems.

  PublisherDOI

• Belief Propagation and Tensor Network Expansions for Many-Body Quantum Systems: Rigorous Results and Fundamental Limits

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-03

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Belief propagation (BP) provides a scalable heuristic for contracting tensor networks on loopy graphs, but its success in quantum many-body settings has largely rested on empirical evidence. Developing upon a recently introduced cluster-expansion framework for tensor networks, we rigorously study the applicability of BP to many-body quantum systems. For a state represented as a PEPS satisfying a ``loop-decay" condition, we prove that BP supplemented by cluster corrections approximates local observables with exponentially small relative error, and we give explicit formulas expressing local expectation values as BP predictions dressed by connected clusters intersecting the observable region. This representation establishes a direct link between cluster corrections and physical correlation functions. As a result, we show that ``loop-decay" \emph{necessarily implies} exponential decay of connected correlations, yielding sharp, rigorous criteria for when BP can and cannot succeed, and ruling out its validity at critical points. Numerical simulations of the two- and three-dimensional transverse field Ising model at zero and finite temperature confirm our analytical predictions, demonstrating quantitative accuracy deep in gapped phases and systematic failure near criticality.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Evidence for a two-dimensional quantum glass state at high temperatures

  ArXiv.org · 2026-01-04

  articleOpen access

  Disorder in quantum many-body systems can drive transitions between ergodic and non-ergodic phases, yet the nature--and even the existence--of these transitions remains intensely debated. Using a two-dimensional array of superconducting qubits, we study an interacting spin model at finite temperature in a disordered landscape, tracking dynamics both in real space and in Hilbert space. Over a broad disorder range, we observe an intermediate non-ergodic regime with glass-like characteristics: physical observables become broadly distributed and some, but not all, degrees of freedom are effectively frozen. The Hilbert-space return probability shows slow power-law decay, consistent with finite-temperature quantum glassiness. In the same regime, we detect the onset of a finite Edwards-Anderson order parameter and the disappearance of spin diffusion. By contrast, at lower disorder, spin transport persists with a nonzero diffusion coefficient. Our results show that there is a transition out of the ergodic phase in two-dimensional systems.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Algorithmic Locality via Provable Convergence in Quantum Tensor Networks

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-23

  articleOpen access

  Belief propagation has recently emerged as a powerful framework for evaluating tensor networks in higher dimensions, combining computational efficiency with provable analytical guarantees. In this work, we develop the first end-to-end theory of tensor network belief propagation for a class of projected entangled pair states satisfying \emph{strong injectivity}. We show that when the injectivity parameter exceeds a constant threshold, BP fixed points can be found efficiently, and a cluster-corrected BP algorithm computes physical quantities to $1/\mathrm{poly}(N)$ error in $\mathrm{poly}(N)$ time for an $N$ qubit system. We identify a striking phenomenon we term \emph{algorithmic locality}: local perturbations of the tensor network affect the BP fixed point with an influence decaying rapidly with distance. As a result, updates to the fixed point after a local perturbation can be carried out using only local recomputation. Moreover, through the cluster expansion, this locality extends to observables, implying that local expectation values can be approximated from local data with controlled accuracy. Our results provide the first rigorous guarantee for the effectiveness of tensor-network belief propagation on a wide class of many-body states, bridging a gap between widely used numerical practice and provable algorithmic performance.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Author Correction: Quantum error correction below the surface code threshold

  Nature · 2026-04-28

  articleOpen access

  3a, where the x-axis label, now reading "Repetition code distance, d" originally appeared as "Surface code distance, d," while in the Fig. 3a keys, the open and closed circles, now reading "Ref.17

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Zlatko Papić

  73 shared

• Maksym Serbyn

  53 shared

• Joseph C. Bardin

  Amherst College

  37 shared

• Fabian Grusdt

  Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

  36 shared

• Leonid Levitov

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  34 shared

• Wen Wei Ho

  32 shared

• Eugene Demler

  31 shared

• Guifré Vidal

  Google (United States)

  30 shared

Labs

• Dmitry Abanin LaboratoryPI

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  Harvard University

  2012

• PCTS Fellow

  Princeton University

  2011

• PhD

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  2008

Awards & honors

• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher Award (2023)
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2020)