Physics as Quantum Information Processing: Quantum Fields as Quantum Automata

Can we reduce Quantum Field Theory (QFT) to a quantum computation? Can physics be simulated by a quantum computer? Do we believe that a quantum field is ultimately made of a numerable set of quantum systems that are unitarily interacting? A positive answer to these questions corresponds to substituting QFT with a theory of quantum cellular automata (QCA), and the present work is examining this hypothesis. These investigations are part of a large research program on a "quantum-digitalization" of physics, with Quantum Theory as a special theory of information, and Physics as emergent from the same quantum-information processing. A QCA-based QFT has tremendous potential advantages compared to QFT, being quantum "ab-initio" and free from the problems plaguing QFT due to the continuum hypothesis. Here I will show how dynamics emerges from the quantum processing, how the QCA can reproduce the Dirac-field phenomenology at large scales, and the kind of departures from QFT that that should be expected at a Planck-scale discreteness. I will introduce the notions of linear field quantum automaton and local-matrix quantum automaton, in terms of which I will provide the solution to the Feynman's problem about the possibility of simulating a Fermi field with a quantum computer.Comment: This version: further improvements in notation. Added reference. Work presented at the conference "Foundations of Probability and Physics-6" (FPP6) held on 12-15 June 2011 at the Linnaeus University, Vaaxjo, Sweden. Many new results, e.g. Feynman problem of qubit-ization of Fermi fields solved

A Graph Theory Approach for Regional Controllability of Boolean Cellular Automata

Controllability is one of the central concepts of modern control theory that allows a good understanding of a system's behaviour. It consists in constraining a system to reach the desired state from an initial state within a given time interval. When the desired objective affects only a sub-region of the domain, the control is said to be regional. The purpose of this paper is to study a particular case of regional control using cellular automata models since they are spatially extended systems where spatial properties can be easily defined thanks to their intrinsic locality. We investigate the case of boundary controls on the target region using an original approach based on graph theory. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given based on the Hamiltonian Circuit and strongly connected component. The controls are obtained using a preimage approach

A single-shot measurement of the energy of product states in a translation invariant spin chain can replace any quantum computation

In measurement-based quantum computation, quantum algorithms are implemented via sequences of measurements. We describe a translationally invariant finite-range interaction on a one-dimensional qudit chain and prove that a single-shot measurement of the energy of an appropriate computational basis state with respect to this Hamiltonian provides the output of any quantum circuit. The required measurement accuracy scales inverse polynomially with the size of the simulated quantum circuit. This shows that the implementation of energy measurements on generic qudit chains is as hard as the realization of quantum computation. Here a ''measurement'' is any procedure that samples from the spectral measure induced by the observable and the state under consideration. As opposed to measurement-based quantum computation, the post-measurement state is irrelevant.Comment: 19 pages, transition rules for the CA correcte

Physics Without Physics: The Power of Information-theoretical Principles

David Finkelstein was very fond of the new information-theoretic paradigm of physics advocated by John Archibald Wheeler and Richard Feynman. Only recently, however, the paradigm has concretely shown its full power, with the derivation of quantum theory (Chiribella et al., Phys. Rev. A 84:012311, 2011; D'Ariano et al., 2017) and of free quantum field theory (D'Ariano and Perinotti, Phys. Rev. A 90:062106, 2014; Bisio et al., Phys. Rev. A 88:032301, 2013; Bisio et al., Ann. Phys. 354:244, 2015; Bisio et al., Ann. Phys. 368:177, 2016) from informational principles. The paradigm has opened for the first time the possibility of avoiding physical primitives in the axioms of the physical theory, allowing a refoundation of the whole physics over logically solid grounds. In addition to such methodological value, the new information-theoretic derivation of quantum field theory is particularly interesting for establishing a theoretical framework for quantum gravity, with the idea of obtaining gravity itself as emergent from the quantum information processing, as also suggested by the role played by information in the holographic principle (Susskind, J. Math. Phys. 36:6377, 1995; Bousso, Rev. Mod. Phys. 74:825, 2002). In this paper I review how free quantum field theory is derived without using mechanical primitives, including space-time, special relativity, Hamiltonians, and quantization rules. The theory is simply provided by the simplest quantum algorithm encompassing a countable set of quantum systems whose network of interactions satisfies the three following simple principles: homogeneity, locality, and isotropy. The inherent discrete nature of the informational derivation leads to an extension of quantum field theory in terms of a quantum cellular automata and quantum walks. A simple heuristic argument sets the scale to the Planck one, and the observed regime is that of small wavevectors ...Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures. Paper for in memoriam of David Finkelstei

Spin-1/2 particles moving on a 2D lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions can realize an autonomous quantum computer

What is the simplest Hamiltonian which can implement quantum computation without requiring any control operations during the computation process? In a previous paper we have constructed a 10-local finite-range interaction among qubits on a 2D lattice having this property. Here we show that pair-interactions among qutrits on a 2D lattice are sufficient, too, and can also implement an ergodic computer where the result can be read out from the time average state after some post-selection with high success probability. Two of the 3 qutrit states are given by the two levels of a spin-1/2 particle located at a specific lattice site, the third state is its absence. Usual hopping terms together with an attractive force among adjacent particles induce a coupled quantum walk where the particle spins are subjected to spatially inhomogeneous interactions implementing holonomic quantum computing. The holonomic method ensures that the implemented circuit does not depend on the time needed for the walk. Even though the implementation of the required type of spin-spin interactions is currently unclear, the model shows that quite simple Hamiltonians are powerful enough to allow for universal quantum computing in a closed physical system.Comment: More detailed explanations including description of a programmable version. 44 pages, 12 figures, latex. To appear in PR

Quantum Cellular Automata

Quantum cellular automata (QCA) are reviewed, including early and more recent proposals. QCA are a generalization of (classical) cellular automata (CA) and in particular of reversible CA. The latter are reviewed shortly. An overview is given over early attempts by various authors to define one-dimensional QCA. These turned out to have serious shortcomings which are discussed as well. Various proposals subsequently put forward by a number of authors for a general definition of one- and higher-dimensional QCA are reviewed and their properties such as universality and reversibility are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the Springer Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Scienc

Physical portrayal of computational complexity

Computational complexity is examined using the principle of increasing entropy. To consider computation as a physical process from an initial instance to the final acceptance is motivated because many natural processes have been recognized to complete in non-polynomial time (NP). The irreversible process with three or more degrees of freedom is found intractable because, in terms of physics, flows of energy are inseparable from their driving forces. In computational terms, when solving problems in the class NP, decisions will affect subsequently available sets of decisions. The state space of a non-deterministic finite automaton is evolving due to the computation itself hence it cannot be efficiently contracted using a deterministic finite automaton that will arrive at a solution in super-polynomial time. The solution of the NP problem itself is verifiable in polynomial time (P) because the corresponding state is stationary. Likewise the class P set of states does not depend on computational history hence it can be efficiently contracted to the accepting state by a deterministic sequence of dissipative transformations. Thus it is concluded that the class P set of states is inherently smaller than the set of class NP. Since the computational time to contract a given set is proportional to dissipation, the computational complexity class P is a subset of NP.Comment: 16, pages, 7 figure