Determining the <i>N</i>-representability of transition reduced density matrices

Abstract

The N-representability problem of reduced density matrices represents a fundamental challenge in electronic structure theory. In this work, we focus on the N-representability of transition reduced density matrices and propose a practical approach to embed a p-body transition reduced density matrix (RDM) of an N-particle system into a (p + 1)-body RDM of an (N + 1)-particle system. This embedding allows us to apply a unitary evolution algorithm based on a recently developed adaptive derivative-assembled pseudo-Trotter variational quantum algorithm to determine the N-representability of reduced density matrices. The algorithm works by effectively applying a sequence of unitary transformations to a given (N + 1)-particle initial state in such a way that the distance of a projection of its corresponding (p + 1)-body RDM (embedded p-body transition RDM) to a target is minimized. Our methodology enables the purification of transition reduced density matrices and the reconstruction of approximate wave functions involved in the studied transitions, providing an effective strategy to correct and refine transition density matrices. We validate our approach with numerical simulations on N-particle systems, including a three-electron model system and the H3 molecule, demonstrating its robustness and accuracy.