Taming the dynamical sign problem in real-time evolution of quantum many-body problems

Abstract: Current nonequilibrium Monte Carlo methods suffer from a dynamical sign problem that makes simulating real-time dynamics for long times exponentially hard. We propose a new `Inchworm Algorithm', based on iteratively reusing information obtained in previous steps to extend the propagation to longer times. The algorithm largely overcomes the dynamical sign problem, changing the scaling from exponential to quadratic. We use the method to solve the Anderson impurity model in the Kondo and mixed valence regimes, obtaining results both for quenches and for spin dynamics in the presence of an oscillatory magnetic field.