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arXiv:0809.0034 · Physical Review A

Quantum random walks without walking

Kia Manouchehri, Jingbo B. Wang

Published Dec 16, 2009• 17 citations
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Abstract

Quantum random walks have received much interest due to their nonintuitive dynamics, which may hold the key to a new generation of quantum algorithms. What remains a major challenge is a physical realization that is experimentally viable and not limited to special connectivity criteria. We present a scheme for walking on arbitrarily complex graphs, which can be realized using a variety of quantum systems such as a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped inside an optical lattice. This scheme is particularly elegant since the walker is not required to physically step between the nodes; only flipping coins is sufficient.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.80.060304

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Quantum random walks have received much interest due to their nonintuitive dynamics, which may hold the key to a new generation of quantum algorithms. What remains a major challenge is a physical realization that is experimentally viable and not limited to special connectivity criteria. We present a scheme for walking on arbitrarily complex graphs, which can be realized using a variety of quantum systems such as a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped inside an optical lattice. This scheme is particularly elegant since the walker is not required to physically step between the nodes; only flipping coins is sufficient.
In this thesis we present a theoretical study of quantum walks, with a particular focus on the development of viable schemes concerned with their physical realization. Ever since their introduction over a decade ago, quantum walks have been extensively explored for their non-intuitive dynamics which may hold the key to a new generation of quantum algorithms. This growing interest in the theoretical applications of quantum walks has been paralleled by a flurry of research into a more practical problem: how does one physically implement a quantum walk in the laboratory? We begin this thesis by first presenting an overview of the quantum walk theory, including some of its algorithmic applications. This is then followed by a comprehensive survey of numerous proposals for a physical implementation of quantum walks, underpinned by a wide range of quantum, classical and hybrid technologies. This review consequently highlights what has so far remained a major challenge for the quantum walk enthusiasts; a physical realization that is experimentally viable whilst remaining readily scalable and not limited to problems with specific connectivity criteria. It is precisely this challenge that we seek to examine in the remaining parts of this thesis.
Randomness is the essence of many processes in nature and human society. It can provide important insights into phenomena as diverse as disease transmission, financial markets, and signal processing. Quantum randomness is intrinsically different from classical stochasticity since it is affected by interference and entanglement. Quantum walks profit from the entanglement that is built up between a walker's position and the "coin" degree of freedom that determines the direction of a walker's motion. This entanglement makes quantum walks promising candidates for the implementation of quantum computational algorithms and as a detector of quantum behavior. While several proof-of-principle quantum walk experiments have recently been implemented, the walk scheme we demonstrate here involves the synthesis of the atom-optics kicked rotor with the dynamics of a state selective ratchet realized with a Bose-Einstein condensate. Here we present a discrete-time quantum walk that uses the momentum of ultra-cold rubidium-87 atoms as the walk space and two internal atomic states as the coin degree of freedom. To implement each step of the walk, i.e. a coin toss followed by a unitary shift operator, we use a microwave pulse, which produces a superposition of two internal states, and a resonant quantum ratchet, which entangles the internal and external degrees of freedom. Our quantum ratchet, whose direction at each step depends on the result of the coin toss, is realized by the atom-optics kicked rotor. We demonstrate the principle features of a standard quantum walk, contrasting them to the behavior of a classical walk. In addition, by manipulating either the walk or coin operator we show how the walk dynamics can be biased or reversed. Furthermore, we show the quantum-to-classical transition in our walk, via randomizing the mixing between the two internal states during each coin toss. Our walk offers distinct advantages arising from the robustness of its dynamics in momentum space, extendability to higher dimensions, and possible dependence on many-body correlations.
The quantum random walk has drawn special interests because its remarkable features to the classical counterpart could lead to new quantum algorithms. In this paper, we propose a feasible scheme to implement quantum random walks on a line using only linear optics elements. With current single-photon interference technology, the steps that could be experimentally implemented can be extended to very large numbers. We also show that, by decohering the quantum states, our scheme for quantum random walk tends to be classical.
Quantum walks are the quantum-mechanical analog of random walks, in which a quantum ``walker'' evolves between initial and final states by traversing the edges of a graph, either in discrete steps from node to node or via continuous evolution under the Hamiltonian furnished by the adjacency matrix of the graph. We present a hybrid scheme for universal quantum computation in which a quantum walker takes discrete steps of continuous evolution. This ``discontinuous'' quantum walk employs perfect quantum-state transfer between two nodes of specific subgraphs chosen to implement a universal gate set, thereby ensuring unitary evolution without requiring the introduction of an ancillary coin space. The run time is linear in the number of simulated qubits and gates. The scheme allows multiple runs of the algorithm to be executed almost simultaneously by starting walkers one time step apart.
Recently, quantum random walks (QRWs) have been thoroughly studied in order to develop new quantum algorithms. In this paper we propose scalable quantum networks for discrete QRWs on circles, lines, and also in higher dimensions. In our method the information about the position of the walker is stored in a quantum register and the network consists of only one-qubit rotation and ${(\text{controlled})}^{n}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{NOT}$ gates, therefore it is purely computational and independent of the physical implementation. As an example, we describe the experimental realization in an ion-trap system.
Quantum walks model the behavior of a quantum state traversing a classically defined, generally finite, graph structure. This paper introduces blind quantum diffusion, a technique for evolving quantum walkers through a finite connected network without requiring global knowledge of the graph. We frame the multi-walker problem as a finite quantum cellular automaton where each vertex holds a walker at all times. These walkers will never collide as their vertex position is superpositioned by the network’s evolution and at each time step their positions update by conditioning swaps on quantum coins and partial comparators of the neighboring states. This model generates strong entanglement between vertex states providing a path toward structure independent diffusion driven by highly localized computation. We will examine some mathematical structures underlying state diffusion on arbitrary graphs such as the commutativity of operations and expected time for walkers to reach specified destinations.