The world problem: on the computability of the topology of 4-manifolds

Topological classification of the 4-manifolds bridges computation theory and physics. A proof of the undecidability of the homeomorphy problem for 4-manifolds is outlined here in a clarifying way. It is shown that an arbitrary Turing machine with an arbitrary input can be encoded into the topology of a 4-manifold, such that the 4-manifold is homeomorphic to a certain other 4-manifold if and only if the corresponding Turing machine halts on the associated input. Physical implications are briefly discussed.Comment: Submitted to Class. Quant. Gra

Optimising the Solovay-Kitaev algorithm

The Solovay-Kitaev algorithm is the standard method used for approximating arbitrary single-qubit gates for fault-tolerant quantum computation. In this paper we introduce a technique called "search space expansion", which modifies the initial stage of the Solovay-Kitaev algorithm, increasing the length of the possible approximating sequences but without requiring an exhaustive search over all possible sequences. We show that our technique, combined with a GNAT geometric tree search outputs gate sequences that are almost an order of magnitude smaller for the same level of accuracy. This therefore significantly reduces the error correction requirements for quantum algorithms on encoded fault-tolerant hardware.Comment: 9 page

Excising das All: Evolving Maxwell waves beyond scri

We study the numerical propagation of waves through future null infinity in a conformally compactified spacetime. We introduce an artificial cosmological constant, which allows us some control over the causal structure near null infinity. We exploit this freedom to ensure that all light cones are tilted outward in a region near null infinity, which allows us to impose excision-style boundary conditions in our finite difference code. In this preliminary study we consider electromagnetic waves propagating in a static, conformally compactified spacetime.Comment: 13 pages; incorporated material from gr-qc/051216