Tensor Network Fluid Simulations in Structured Domains Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Abstract: High-fidelity fluid simulations are central to understanding transport phenomena, yet resolving large or geometrically complex systems remains computationally prohibitive with existing methods. Here we introduce a tensor-network formulation of the lattice Boltzmann method based on matrix product states (MPS), commonly known as a quantum-inspired approach, enabling compressed representations of structured flow fields with inherent error control. We demonstrate the generality of the method on flows through structured media and complex vascular geometries, establishing for the first time that tensor-network techniques can efficiently resolve fluid dynamics in complex, irregular domains. We show that in the presence of translational or approximate symmetries of the geometry, fluid states exhibit low effective complexity in MPS form, yielding compression ratios exceeding two orders of magnitude while preserving physical structure and dynamical fidelity. This reduction enables systematic numerical exploration of regimes that were previously intractable. Our results position tensor networks as a scalable paradigm for continuum mechanics.