About

Prof. Shailesh Chandrasekharan is a Professor of Physics at Duke University, appointed since 2018. His research focuses on understanding quantum field theories non-perturbatively from first principles calculations, with an emphasis on lattice formulations of these theories. He investigates strongly correlated fermionic systems relevant to condensed matter, particle, and nuclear physics, developing novel Monte-Carlo algorithms to study these problems. A key area of his work involves solutions to the sign problem that affects quantum systems containing fermions and gauge fields, notably through his proposed fermion bag approach, which has enabled him to solve numerous previously unsolvable sign problems. Recently, Prof. Chandrasekharan has pioneered the concept of qubit regularization, a new formulation of quantum field theories motivated by the potential to solve these problems using quantum computers. His contributions include understanding properties of quantum critical points with interacting fermions and advancing computational methods in quantum many-body systems. His academic background includes a Ph.D. and M.Phil. from Columbia University and a B.S. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. His notable achievements include leading research projects on lattice gauge theories on quantum computers and electronic nanostructures, and he has published extensively on topics such as quantum Monte Carlo methods, symmetric mass generation, and gauge theories.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Theoretical physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Mathematics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematical physics
• Pure mathematics
• Statistical physics
• Geometry

Selected publications

• Confined and Deconfined Phases of Qubit Regularized Lattice Gauge Theories

  ArXiv.org · 2026-02-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  We construct simple qubit-regularized Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories formulated in the monomer--dimer--tensor-network (MDTN) basis that are free of sign problems in the pure gauge sector. These models naturally realize both confined and deconfined phases. Using classical Monte Carlo methods, we investigate the associated finite-temperature phase transitions and show that they exhibit the expected universality classes of conventional SU(N) lattice gauge theories in various spacetime dimensions. Furthermore, we argue that second-order quantum phase transitions separating the confined and deconfined phases are likely to exist. Such critical points would provide a nonperturbative route to defining continuum limits of qubit-regularized gauge theories, potentially allowing Yang--Mills theory and related continuum gauge theories to emerge from finite-dimensional lattice constructions.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Symmetric Mass Generation via Multicriticality in a 3D Lattice Gross-Neveu Model

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-02-26

  articleOpen access

  We investigate a three-dimensional lattice model of two flavors of massless staggered fermions coupled through two independent four-fermion interactions, $U_I$ and $U_B$. Using large-scale fermion-bag Monte Carlo simulations, we map out the phase diagram in the $(U_I, U_B)$ parameter space and identify three distinct phases: a massless fermion phase, a symmetry-broken massive phase, and a symmetric massive phase. When one of the interactions is absent ($U_B=0$), the system undergoes a single continuous transition directly connecting the massless and symmetric massive phases, a feature previously associated with unconventional fermion mass generation. We find that turning on a nonzero $U_B$ separates this direct transition into two successive transitions with an intermediate symmetry-broken phase. The transition from the massless to the broken phase belongs to the Gross-Neveu universality class, while the transition from the broken to the symmetric massive phase falls into the three-dimensional XY universality class. Our results indicate that the special point at vanishing coupling, where the direct transition occurs, plays the role of a multicritical point organizing the surrounding phase structure. These findings provide a unified lattice perspective on conventional and unconventional mechanisms of fermion mass generation within a single model.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Symmetric Mass Generation via Multicriticality in a 3D Lattice Gross-Neveu Model

  Open MIND · 2026-02-26

  preprint

  We investigate a three-dimensional lattice model of two flavors of massless staggered fermions coupled through two independent four-fermion interactions, $U_I$ and $U_B$. Using large-scale fermion-bag Monte Carlo simulations, we map out the phase diagram in the $(U_I, U_B)$ parameter space and identify three distinct phases: a massless fermion phase, a symmetry-broken massive phase, and a symmetric massive phase. When one of the interactions is absent ($U_B=0$), the system undergoes a single continuous transition directly connecting the massless and symmetric massive phases, a feature previously associated with unconventional fermion mass generation. We find that turning on a nonzero $U_B$ separates this direct transition into two successive transitions with an intermediate symmetry-broken phase. The transition from the massless to the broken phase belongs to the Gross-Neveu universality class, while the transition from the broken to the symmetric massive phase falls into the three-dimensional XY universality class. Our results indicate that the special point at vanishing coupling, where the direct transition occurs, plays the role of a multicritical point organizing the surrounding phase structure. These findings provide a unified lattice perspective on conventional and unconventional mechanisms of fermion mass generation within a single model.

  DOI

• Continuum limit of a qubit-regularized SU(3) lattice gauge theory with glueballs

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-03-01

  preprintOpen access

  We show that a simple qubit-regularized $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ lattice gauge theory (LGT) on a plaquette chain admits a continuum limit with massive glueball excitations, providing a minimal toy model of strong interactions without quarks. By mapping the plaquette-chain Hamiltonian to the three-state quantum clock model in a magnetic field, we demonstrate that the theory can be tuned to a continuum limit governed at short distances by the $\mathbb{Z}_3$ parafermion conformal field theory (CFT), which serves as the ultraviolet (UV) fixed point. A small relevant magnetic perturbation then drives the system to a massive continuum quantum field theory in the infrared (IR). The resulting relativistic massive particles can be interpreted as quasi one-dimensional analogues of glueballs. In the continuum theory we compute the ratio of the lowest glueball masses with opposite charge conjugation to be $m^{-}/m^{+} = \,1.459(2)$ and find $\sqrtσ/m^{+}\,= 0.2648(2)$, where $σ$ is the string tension between a static quark and antiquark.

  PublisherDOI

• Confined and Deconfined Phases of Qubit Regularized Lattice Gauge Theories

  Open MIND · 2026-02-26

  preprint1st authorCorresponding

  We construct simple qubit-regularized Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories formulated in the monomer--dimer--tensor-network (MDTN) basis that are free of sign problems in the pure gauge sector. These models naturally realize both confined and deconfined phases. Using classical Monte Carlo methods, we investigate the associated finite-temperature phase transitions and show that they exhibit the expected universality classes of conventional SU(N) lattice gauge theories in various spacetime dimensions. Furthermore, we argue that second-order quantum phase transitions separating the confined and deconfined phases are likely to exist. Such critical points would provide a nonperturbative route to defining continuum limits of qubit-regularized gauge theories, potentially allowing Yang--Mills theory and related continuum gauge theories to emerge from finite-dimensional lattice constructions.

  DOI

• Phase diagram of a lattice fermion model with symmetric mass generation

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-02-20

  articleOpen access

  We study the phase structure of a model containing two flavors of massless staggered fermions interacting through two independent four-fermion couplings, UI and UB, formulated on a three-dimensional Euclidean space-time lattice. At UB = 0, this model is known to exhibit a direct second-order quantum phase transition between a massless fermion (MF) phase and a phase in which fermions acquire masses through the mechanism commonly referred to as symmetric mass generation (SMG). We demonstrate that introducing a small nonzero value of UB qualitatively alters this structure: the single exotic transition at UB = 0 splits into two distinct, conventional transitions, separated by an intermediate phase in which fermion masses arise through the standard mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). The first of these is a Gross-Neveu transition separating the MF phase from the SSB-induced massive phase, while the second is a three-dimensional XY transition between the SSB phase and the SMG phase. Using the fermion-bag Monte Carlo method, we verify that the critical exponents associated with both transitions are consistent with the literature, thereby yielding a quantitative characterization of the resulting phase structure of the model.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Phase diagram of a lattice fermion model with symmetric mass generation

  Open MIND · 2026-02-20

  preprint

  We study the phase structure of a model containing two flavors of massless staggered fermions interacting through two independent four-fermion couplings, UI and UB, formulated on a three-dimensional Euclidean space-time lattice. At UB = 0, this model is known to exhibit a direct second-order quantum phase transition between a massless fermion (MF) phase and a phase in which fermions acquire masses through the mechanism commonly referred to as symmetric mass generation (SMG). We demonstrate that introducing a small nonzero value of UB qualitatively alters this structure: the single exotic transition at UB = 0 splits into two distinct, conventional transitions, separated by an intermediate phase in which fermion masses arise through the standard mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). The first of these is a Gross-Neveu transition separating the MF phase from the SSB-induced massive phase, while the second is a three-dimensional XY transition between the SSB phase and the SMG phase. Using the fermion-bag Monte Carlo method, we verify that the critical exponents associated with both transitions are consistent with the literature, thereby yielding a quantitative characterization of the resulting phase structure of the model.

  DOI

• Continuum limit of a qubit-regularized SU(3) lattice gauge theory with glueballs

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen access

  We show that a simple qubit-regularized $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ lattice gauge theory (LGT) on a plaquette chain admits a continuum limit with massive glueball excitations, providing a minimal toy model of strong interactions without quarks. By mapping the plaquette-chain Hamiltonian to the three-state quantum clock model in a magnetic field, we demonstrate that the theory can be tuned to a continuum limit governed at short distances by the $\mathbb{Z}_3$ parafermion conformal field theory (CFT), which serves as the ultraviolet (UV) fixed point. A small relevant magnetic perturbation then drives the system to a massive continuum quantum field theory in the infrared (IR). The resulting relativistic massive particles can be interpreted as quasi one-dimensional analogues of glueballs. In the continuum theory we compute the ratio of the lowest glueball masses with opposite charge conjugation to be $m^{-}/m^{+} = \,1.459(2)$ and find $\sqrtσ/m^{+}\,= 0.2648(2)$, where $σ$ is the string tension between a static quark and antiquark.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Monomer-dimer tensor-network basis for qubit-regularized lattice gauge theories

  ArXiv.org · 2025-02-20

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Traditional $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ lattice gauge theories (LGTs) can be formulated using an orthonormal basis constructed from the irreducible representations (irreps) $V_λ$ of the $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ gauge symmetry. On a lattice, the elements of this basis are tensor networks comprising dimer tensors on the links labeled by a set of irreps $\{λ_\ell\}$ and monomer tensors on sites labeled by $\{λ_s\}$. These tensors naturally define a local site Hilbert space, $\mathcal{H}^g_s$, on which gauge transformations act. Gauss's law introduces an additional index $α_s = 1, 2, \dots, \mathcal{D}(\mathcal{H}_s^g)$ that labels an orthonormal basis of the gauge-invariant subspace of $\mathcal{H}^g_s$. This monomer-dimer tensor-network (MDTN) basis, $\left| \{λ_s\},\{λ_\ell\},\{α_s\}\right\rangle$, of the physical Hilbert space enables the construction of new qubit-regularized $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ gauge theories that are free of sign problems while preserving key features of traditional LGTs. Here, we investigate finite-temperature confinement-deconfinement transitions in a simple qubit-regularized $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ and $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ gauge theory in $d=2$ and $d=3$ spatial dimensions, formulated using the MDTN basis, and show that they reproduce the universal results of traditional LGTs at these transitions. Additionally, in $d=1$, we demonstrate using a plaquette chain that the string tension at zero temperature can be continuously tuned to zero by adjusting a model parameter that plays the role of the gauge coupling in traditional LGTs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Symmetric mass generation as a multicritical point with enhanced symmetry

  ArXiv.org · 2025-12-31

  articleOpen access

  We explore the phase diagram of a lattice fermion model that exhibits three distinct phases: a massless fermion (MF) phase; a massive fermion phase with spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) induced by a fermion bilinear condensate; and a massive fermion phase with symmetric mass generation (SMG). Using the fermion-bag Monte Carlo method on large cubical lattices, we find evidence for traditional second-order critical points separating the first two and the latter two phases. Remarkably, these critical points appear to merge at a multicritical point with enhanced symmetry when the symmetry breaking parameter is tuned to zero, giving rise to the recently discovered direct second-order transition between the massless and symmetric massive fermion phases.

  PublisherOA PDF

Frequent coauthors

• Harold U. Baranger

  Duke University

  27 shared

• U.-J. Wiese

  University of Bern

  19 shared

• Debasish Banerjee

  Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics

  18 shared

• Richard C. Brower

  17 shared

• Ribhu K. Kaul

  16 shared

• Denis Ullmo

  Université Paris-Saclay

  15 shared

• U.‐J. Wiese

  University of Bern

  14 shared

• Emilie Huffman

  13 shared

Education

• Ph. D, Physics

  Columbia University

  1995

• B. Tech, Electronics and Communications

  Indian Institute of Technology Madras

  1989