906 research outputs found
Efficient Quantum Algorithms for Simulating Lindblad Evolution
We consider the natural generalization of the Schrodinger equation to Markovian open system dynamics: the so-called the Lindblad equation. We give a quantum algorithm for simulating the evolution of an n-qubit system for time t within precision epsilon. If the Lindbladian consists of poly(n) operators that can each be expressed as a linear combination of poly(n) tensor products of Pauli operators then the gate cost of our algorithm is O(t polylog(t/epsilon) poly(n)). We also obtain similar bounds for the cases where the Lindbladian consists of local operators, and where the Lindbladian consists of sparse operators. This is remarkable in light of evidence that we provide indicating that the above efficiency is impossible to attain by first expressing Lindblad evolution as Schrodinger evolution on a larger system and tracing out the ancillary system: the cost of such a reduction incurs an efficiency overhead of O(t^2/epsilon) even before the Hamiltonian evolution simulation begins. Instead, the approach of our algorithm is to use a novel variation of the "linear combinations of unitaries" construction that pertains to channels
Wave Matrix Lindbladization II: General Lindbladians, Linear Combinations, and Polynomials
In this paper, we investigate the problem of simulating open system dynamics
governed by the well-known Lindblad master equation. In our prequel paper, we
introduced an input model in which Lindblad operators are encoded into pure
quantum states, called program states, and we also introduced a method, called
wave matrix Lindbladization, for simulating Lindbladian evolution by means of
interacting the system of interest with these program states. Therein, we
focused on a simple case in which the Lindbladian consists of only one Lindblad
operator and a Hamiltonian. Here, we extend the method to simulating general
Lindbladians and other cases in which a Lindblad operator is expressed as a
linear combination or a polynomial of the operators encoded into the program
states. We propose quantum algorithms for all these cases and also investigate
their sample complexity, i.e., the number of program states needed to simulate
a given Lindbladian evolution approximately. Finally, we demonstrate that our
quantum algorithms provide an efficient route for simulating Lindbladian
evolution relative to full tomography of encoded operators, by proving that the
sample complexity for tomography is dependent on the dimension of the system,
whereas the sample complexity of wave matrix Lindbladization is dimension
independent.Comment: 59 pages, 11 figures, submission to the second journal special issue
dedicated to the memory of G\"oran Lindblad, sequel to arXiv:2307.1493
How Quantum Computers Fail: Quantum Codes, Correlations in Physical Systems, and Noise Accumulation
The feasibility of computationally superior quantum computers is one of the
most exciting and clear-cut scientific questions of our time. The question
touches on fundamental issues regarding probability, physics, and
computability, as well as on exciting problems in experimental physics,
engineering, computer science, and mathematics. We propose three related
directions towards a negative answer. The first is a conjecture about physical
realizations of quantum codes, the second has to do with correlations in
stochastic physical systems, and the third proposes a model for quantum
evolutions when noise accumulates. The paper is dedicated to the memory of
Itamar Pitowsky.Comment: 16 page
One-dimensional many-body entangled open quantum systems with tensor network methods
We present a collection of methods to simulate entangled dynamics of open
quantum systems governed by the Lindblad equation with tensor network methods.
Tensor network methods using matrix product states have been proven very useful
to simulate many-body quantum systems and have driven many innovations in
research. Since the matrix product state design is tailored for closed
one-dimensional systems governed by the Schr\"odinger equation, the next step
for many-body quantum dynamics is the simulation of open quantum systems. We
review the three dominant approaches to the simulation of open quantum systems
via the Lindblad master equation: quantum trajectories, matrix product density
operators, and locally purified tensor networks. Selected examples guide
possible applications of the methods and serve moreover as a benchmark between
the techniques. These examples include the finite temperature states of the
transverse quantum Ising model, the dynamics of an exciton traveling under the
influence of spontaneous emission and dephasing, and a double-well potential
simulated with the Bose-Hubbard model including dephasing. We analyze which
approach is favorable leading to the conclusion that a complete set of all
three methods is most beneficial, push- ing the limits of different scenarios.
The convergence studies using analytical results for macroscopic variables and
exact diagonalization methods as comparison, show, for example, that matrix
product density operators are favorable for the exciton problem in our study.
All three methods access the same library, i.e., the software package Open
Source Matrix Product States, allowing us to have a meaningful comparison
between the approaches based on the selected examples. For example, tensor
operations are accessed from the same subroutines and with the same
optimization eliminating one possible bias in a comparison of such numerical
methods.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures. Small extension of time evolution section and
moving quantum simulators to introduction in comparison to v
Can One Trust Quantum Simulators?
Various fundamental phenomena of strongly-correlated quantum systems such as
high- superconductivity, the fractional quantum-Hall effect, and quark
confinement are still awaiting a universally accepted explanation. The main
obstacle is the computational complexity of solving even the most simplified
theoretical models that are designed to capture the relevant quantum
correlations of the many-body system of interest. In his seminal 1982 paper
[Int. J. Theor. Phys. 21, 467], Richard Feynman suggested that such models
might be solved by "simulation" with a new type of computer whose constituent
parts are effectively governed by a desired quantum many-body dynamics.
Measurements on this engineered machine, now known as a "quantum simulator,"
would reveal some unknown or difficult to compute properties of a model of
interest. We argue that a useful quantum simulator must satisfy four
conditions: relevance, controllability, reliability, and efficiency. We review
the current state of the art of digital and analog quantum simulators. Whereas
so far the majority of the focus, both theoretically and experimentally, has
been on controllability of relevant models, we emphasize here the need for a
careful analysis of reliability and efficiency in the presence of
imperfections. We discuss how disorder and noise can impact these conditions,
and illustrate our concerns with novel numerical simulations of a paradigmatic
example: a disordered quantum spin chain governed by the Ising model in a
transverse magnetic field. We find that disorder can decrease the reliability
of an analog quantum simulator of this model, although large errors in local
observables are introduced only for strong levels of disorder. We conclude that
the answer to the question "Can we trust quantum simulators?" is... to some
extent.Comment: 20 pages. Minor changes with respect to version 2 (some additional
explanations, added references...
Effects of noise on quantum error correction algorithms
It has recently been shown that there are efficient algorithms for quantum
computers to solve certain problems, such as prime factorization, which are
intractable to date on classical computers. The chances for practical
implementation, however, are limited by decoherence, in which the effect of an
external environment causes random errors in the quantum calculation. To combat
this problem, quantum error correction schemes have been proposed, in which a
single quantum bit (qubit) is ``encoded'' as a state of some larger number of
qubits, chosen to resist particular types of errors. Most such schemes are
vulnerable, however, to errors in the encoding and decoding itself. We examine
two such schemes, in which a single qubit is encoded in a state of qubits
while subject to dephasing or to arbitrary isotropic noise. Using both
analytical and numerical calculations, we argue that error correction remains
beneficial in the presence of weak noise, and that there is an optimal time
between error correction steps, determined by the strength of the interaction
with the environment and the parameters set by the encoding.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX, 4 PS figures embedded. Reprints available from the
authors or http://eve.physics.ox.ac.uk/QChome.htm
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