Implementation of the Maximum Entropy Method for Analytic Continuation

TL;DR

This paper introduces Maxent, a software tool that applies the maximum entropy method to perform analytic continuation of spectral functions from imaginary to real axes, supporting various data types and representations.

Contribution

The paper presents Maxent, a comprehensive, open-source implementation of the maximum entropy method for analytic continuation, supporting multiple data formats and kernels.

Findings

Successfully transforms imaginary axis data to real axis spectra.

Supports diverse Green's function representations and kernels.

Provides detailed documentation and usage examples.

Abstract

We present $\texttt{Maxent}$, a tool for performing analytic continuation of spectral functions using the maximum entropy method. The code operates on discrete imaginary axis datasets (values with uncertainties) and transforms this input to the real axis. The code works for imaginary time and Matsubara frequency data and implements the 'Legendre' representation of finite temperature Green's functions. It implements a variety of kernels, default models, and grids for continuing bosonic, fermionic, anomalous, and other data. Our implementation is licensed under GPLv2 and extensively documented. This paper shows the use of the programs in detail.