# Equivariant Neural Networks for Force-Field Models of Lattice Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.04104 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.04104/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 21 of its 78 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 Jan 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 21 of 21)

- [Group Equivariant Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.07576/) (2016)
- [E(3)-Equivariant Graph Neural Networks for Data-Efficient and Accurate Interatomic Potentials](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.03164/) (2021)
- [SchNet: A continuous-filter convolutional neural network for modeling quantum interactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.08566/) (2017)
- [MACE: Higher Order Equivariant Message Passing Neural Networks for Fast and Accurate Force Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.07697/) (2022)
- [Learning Local Equivariant Representations for Large-Scale Atomistic Dynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.05249/) (2022)
- [Deep Potential Molecular Dynamics: a scalable model with the accuracy of quantum mechanics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.09571/) (2017)
- [Machine Learning Force Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.07067/) (2020)
- [Graph neural networks for materials science and chemistry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.09481/) (2022)
- [DScribe: Library of Descriptors for Machine Learning in Materials Science](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.08875/) (2019)
- [A Survey of Geometric Graph Neural Networks: Data Structures, Models and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00485/) (2024)
- [Equivariant Networks for Crystal Structures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.15420/) (2022)
- [Machine learning dynamics of phase separation in correlated electron magnets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.04205/) (2020)
- [Anomalous phase separation dynamics in a correlated electron system: machine-learning enabled large-scale kinetic Monte Carlo simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.13304/) (2021)
- [Machine learning electron correlation in a disordered medium](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.02323/) (2018)
- [Descriptors for Machine Learning Model of Generalized Force Field in Condensed Matter Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.00798/) (2022)
- [Machine learning for phase ordering dynamics of charge density waves](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03493/) (2023)
- [Machine learning predictions for local electronic properties of disordered correlated electron systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.05967/) (2022)
- [Coarsening of chiral domains in itinerant electron magnets: A machine learning force field approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.11705/) (2024)
- [Kinetics of orbital ordering in cooperative Jahn-Teller models: Machine-learning enabled large-scale simulations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.14776/) (2024)
- [Machine learning force-field model for kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of itinerant Ising magnets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.19780/) (2024)
- [Equivariant and Steerable Neural Networks: A review with special emphasis on the symmetric group](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.03019/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Graph Neural Networks in the Wilson Loop Representation of Abelian Lattice Gauge Theories](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.03901/) (2026)
- [Graph Neural Network Force Fields for Spin Dynamics in Metallic Magnets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.28537/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Machine-learning (ML) force fields enable large-scale simulations with near-first-principles accuracy at substantially reduced computational cost. Recent work has extended ML force-field approaches to adiabatic dynamical simulations of condensed-matter lattice models with coupled electronic and structural or magnetic degrees of freedom. However, most existing formulations rely on hand-crafted, symmetry-aware descriptors, whose construction is often system-specific and can hinder generality and transferability across different lattice Hamiltonians. Here we introduce a symmetry-preserving framework based on equivariant neural networks (ENNs) that provides a general, data-driven mapping from local configurations of dynamical variables to the associated on-site forces in a lattice Hamiltonian. In contrast to ENN architectures developed for molecular systems -- where continuous Euclidean symmetries dominate -- our approach aims to embed the discrete point-group and internal symmetries intrinsic to lattice models directly into the neural-network representation of the force field. As a proof of principle, we construct an ENN-based force-field model for the adiabatic dynamics of the Holstein Hamiltonian on a square lattice, a canonical system for electron-lattice physics. The resulting ML-enabled large-scale dynamical simulations faithfully capture mesoscale evolution of the symmetry-breaking phase, illustrating the utility of lattice-equivariant architectures for linking microscopic electronic processes to emergent dynamical behavior in condensed-matter lattice systems.