First-principle simulations of 1+1d quantum field theories at $\theta=\pi$ and spin-chains

We present a lattice study of a 2-flavor $U(1)$ gauge-Higgs model quantum field theory with a topological term at $\theta=\pi$. Such studies are prohibitively costly in the standard lattice formulation due to the sign-problem. Using a novel discretization of the model, along with an exact lattice dualization, we overcome the sign-problem and reliably simulate such systems. Our work provides the first ab initio demonstration that the model is in the spin-chain universality class, and demonstrates the power of the new approach to $U(1)$ gauge theories.