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Averages of traces and ratios of characteristic polynomials of random unitary matrices

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Abstract

In this work we explore the extent to which the Ratios Theorem for averages over U(N)U(N), with respect to Haar measure, of ratios of characteristic polynomials can be used to evaluate averages of traces of unitary matrices. We derive concrete expressions for all averages involving up to 4 traces, valid for any matrix size, NN. We also calculate the so-called zero-swap and one-swap contributions to an average with any number of traces, which amounts to determining general trace moments in a range double the size of the renowned result of Diaconis and Shahshahani. The expression is tractable enough to use in applications, for example to determine the parameter range where certain trace averages assume negative values.

Introduction

In 1994, the seminal result of Diaconis and Shahshahani [16] partially solved the question of averages of powers of traces of unitary matrices using an elegant method from representation theory. Averages of traces appear in many active research directions, as is seen in the diversity of work citing Diaconis and Shahshahani. There are multiple links to number theory; for example, these averages can relate to counting almost-primes in short intervals [1, 25] and provide insight into the analysis of the Riemann zeta function, as well as related LL-functions. They also feature in quantum physics (eg [32, 17, 29]), where quantum quenches use them to characterise how complex many-body systems thermalise, and in quantum information, where the long-term spectrum of states produced by quantum channels is governed by a trace average over unitary matrices.

However, the elegant result of Diaconis and Shahshahani holds only in a specific range when the matrix size is large enough.

The compact space of unitary matrices of dimension NN, U(N)U(N), admits a measure (Haar measure) that weights all matrices equally. If the eigenvalues of a unitary matrix, UU, are eiθ1,…,eiθNe^{i\theta_1},\ldots,e^{i\theta_N}, then the trace of the matrix is the sum of the eigenvalues

Tr⁡U=eiθ1+⋯+eiθNandTr⁡(Um)=eimθ1+⋯+eimθN,\operatorname{Tr} U=e^{i\theta_1}+\cdots+e^{i\theta_N}\quad\text{and}\quad\operatorname{Tr}(U^m)=e^{im\theta_1}+\cdots+e^{im\theta_N},

where mm is a positive integer.

The theorem of Diaconis and Shahshahani (see [16] for the original paper, but also [15] which corrects an error in the statement of the theorem) states that for vectors a=(a1,…,al)a=(a_1,\ldots,a_l) and b=(b1,…,bl)b=(b_1,\ldots,b_l), with aja_j, bjb_j non-negative integers, an average (over all possible NN by NN unitary matrices) of combinations of traces of powers of matrices takes the following form (here δab\delta_{ab} is one if the vectors aa and bb are equal, and zero otherwise)

∫U(N)∏j=1l(Tr⁡Mj)aj(Tr⁡Mj‾)bj dU=δab∏j=1ljajaj!(1)\int_{U(N)} \prod_{j=1}^{l} \left(\operatorname{Tr} M^j\right)^{a_j} \left(\overline{\operatorname{Tr} M^j}\right)^{b_j}\,\mathrm{d}U = \delta_{ab} \prod_{j=1}^{l} j^{a_j}a_j! \tag*{(1)}

but only when N≥max⁡(∑j=1ljaj,∑j=1ljbj)N \ge\max\left(\sum_{j=1}^{l} ja_j,\sum_{j=1}^{l} jb_j\right). That is, for large enough matrix size NN, the traces of random unitary matrices behave essentially like independent Gaussian complex random variables. However, this does not hold outside the range specified and outside that range the problem becomes much more intractable. There have been some advances beyond this, with Rains [31] giving some insight into the problem if aj=bj=0a_j=b_j=0 when j<Nj<N. Dyson, in fact, has early work that implies the result for averages of two traces (aj=bj=1a_j=b_j=1 for one value of jj, with the other aa’s and bb’s being zero) for any NN. This is not completely explicit in Dyson’s paper, but follows from equation (82) of [18], and is further explained at equation (3.5) of [22]. Pastur and Vasilchuk [30] calculated a specific average in the case that only one of the aja_j and one of the bjb_j are non-zero, that holds in a range of small NN outside of the range of validity of Diaconis-Shahshahani. Kuperberg and Lalín [25], in Section 7.3, consider averages of four traces in a range where 2N+1≥max⁡(∑j=1ljaj,∑j=1ljbj)2N+1 \ge\max\left(\sum_{j=1}^{l} ja_j,\sum_{j=1}^{l} jb_j\right). They also use the Ratio Theorem, to derive their results. It is also known, see for example [34], that the averages of traces are zero unless the sum of the exponents on the traces of UU and the sum of the exponents on the complex conjugates (sometimes written as Tr⁡Mj‾\overline{\operatorname{Tr} M^j} or else Tr⁡((M†)j)\operatorname{Tr}\left((M^\dagger)^j\right)) are equal:

∑jjaj=∑jjbj.(2)\sum_j ja_j = \sum_j jb_j. \tag*{(2)}

Beyond this, much literature has concentrated on the large NN limit and the rate of approach to Gaussian moments (see for example [20, 21, 13, 19]). Recently, Irfan has provided concrete formulae for averages of traces for any matrix size [19]. Weingarten Calculus (see [5, 6], but particularly [4], for example in Proposition 3.2) also provides a way of writing down formulae for averages of traces. Soshnikov and Wu look instead at cumulants of traces in [33]. These formulae fully solve the problem via the moment-cumulant formula, but highlight the intense complexity of the combinatorics of the trace averages.

In this paper, we use the fact that averages, with respect to Haar measure, of logarithmic derivatives of characteristic polynomials of matrices from U(N)U(N) are generating functions for the trace averages and we utilise the formula for averages of logarithmic derivatives derived from the Ratios Theorem (an expression for averages of ratios of characteristic polynomials of random matrices) to explore trace averages beyond the Diaconis-Shahshahani region in certain cases where we can obtain explicit expressions for averages of traces that have an informative structure. The Ratios Theorem has already proved so useful - yielding information about eigenvalue statistics, moments of characteristic polynomials and their derivatives - that it seems worthwhile to explore what the Ratios Theorem can tell us about averages of traces, seeking structure that might not be apparent from previous methods.

Our main theorems are: Theorem 4.1, for the case of one trace of a power of U†U^\dagger and any number of traces of powers of UU, valid for any NN; Theorem 6.1, for the case of two traces of powers of U†U^\dagger and two traces of powers of UU, also valid for any NN; and Theorem 7.1 for any general trace average where the sum of the exponents on the UU’s is less than 2N+22N+2.

Ratios Theorem and the logarithmic derivative of the characteristic polynomial

We define the characteristic polynomial of a matrix U∈U(N)U \in U(N), with eigenvalues eiθ1,…,eiθNe^{i\theta_1},\ldots,e^{i\theta_N}, as

ΛU(s)=∏j=1N(1−se−iθj).(3)\Lambda_U(s)=\prod_{j=1}^{N}(1-se^{-i\theta_j}). \tag*{(3)}

The Ratios Theorem, first proposed by Conrey, Farmer and Zirnbauer in Theorem 4.1 of [7], revisited by Conrey, Forrester and Snaith in Proposition 2.1 of [8], and written in a slightly more intuitive set notation in Theorem 3.2 of [10], gives a formula for ratios of products of characteristic polynomials, each evaluated at different points in the complex plane, of matrices drawn from U(N)U(N) with Haar measure. By differentiating with respect to the points of evaluation of the characteristic polynomials in the numerator, an expression for averages of logarithmic derivatives is obtained [10]. We restate this Theorem here.

Theorem 2.1 (Averages of logarithmic derivatives: Theorem 3.3 [10]). If Raj>0\mathfrak{R}a_j>0 and Rbj>0\mathfrak{R}b_j>0 for aj∈Aa_j\in\mathcal{A} and bj∈Bb_j\in\mathcal{B} and U†U^\dagger is the conjugate transpose of UU, then J(A;B)=J⋆(A;B)J(\mathcal{A};\mathcal{B})=J^\star(\mathcal{A};\mathcal{B}) where

J(A;B):=∫U(N)∏a∈A(−e−a)ΛU′ΛU(e−a)∏b∈B(−e−b)ΛU†′ΛU†(e−b) dU,(4)J(\mathcal{A};\mathcal{B}) := \int_{U(N)}\prod_{a\in\mathcal{A}}(-e^{-a})\frac{\Lambda_U'}{\Lambda_U}(e^{-a})\prod_{b\in\mathcal{B}}(-e^{-b})\frac{\Lambda_{U^\dagger}'}{\Lambda_{U^\dagger}}(e^{-b})\,dU, \tag*{(4)}
J⋆(A;B):=∑S⊂A,T⊂B∣S∣=∣T∣e−N(∑a^∈Sa^+∑b^∈Tb^)Z(S,T)Z(S−,T−)Z†(S,S−)Z†(T,T−)∑A−S+B−T=U1+⋯+UR∣Ur∣≤2∏r=1RHS,T(Ur),(5)J^\star(\mathcal{A};\mathcal{B}):= \sum_{\substack{S\subset\mathcal{A},T\subset\mathcal{B}\\|S|=|T|}} e^{-N\left(\sum_{\hat a\in S}\hat a+\sum_{\hat b\in T}\hat b\right)} \frac{Z(S,T)Z(S^{-},T^{-})}{Z^\dagger(S,S^{-})Z^\dagger(T,T^{-})} \sum_{\substack{\mathcal{A}-S+\mathcal{B}-T\\=U_1+\cdots+U_R\\|U_r|\leq2}} \prod_{r=1}^{R}H_{S,T}(U_r), \tag*{(5)}

and

HS,T(W)={∑a^∈Sz′z(a−a^)−∑b^∈Tz′z(a+b^)if W={a}⊂A−S,∑b^∈Tz′z(b−b^)−∑a^∈Sz′z(b+a^)if W={b}⊂B−T,(z′z)(a+b)if W={a,b} with a∈A−S, b∈B−T,0otherwise.(6)H_{S,T}(W)= \begin{cases} \sum_{\hat a\in S}\frac{z'}{z}(a-\hat a)-\sum_{\hat b\in T}\frac{z'}{z}(a+\hat b) & \text{if }W=\{a\}\subset\mathcal{A}-S,\\ \sum_{\hat b\in T}\frac{z'}{z}(b-\hat b)-\sum_{\hat a\in S}\frac{z'}{z}(b+\hat a) & \text{if }W=\{b\}\subset\mathcal{B}-T,\\ \left(\frac{z'}{z}\right)(a+b) & \text{if }W=\{a,b\}\text{ with }a\in\mathcal{A}-S,\ b\in\mathcal{B}-T,\\ 0 & \text{otherwise.} \end{cases} \tag*{(6)}

The definition of z(x)z(x) is

z(x)=11−e−x.(7)z(x)=\frac{1}{1-e^{-x}}. \tag*{(7)}

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