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arXiv:0910.5891

Quantum Knots and Lattices, or a Blueprint for Quantum Systems that Do Rope Tricks

Samuel J. Lomonaco, Louis Hirsch Kauffman

Published Oct 30, 2009• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Using the cubic honeycomb (cubic tessellation) of Euclidean 3-space, we define a quantum system whose states, called quantum knots, represent a closed knotted piece of rope, i.e., represent the particular spatial configuration of a knot tied in a rope in 3-space. This quantum system, called a quantum knot system, is physically implementable in the same sense as Shor's quantum factoring algorithm is implementable. To define a quantum knot system, we replace the standard three Reidemeister knot moves with an equivalent set of three moves, called respectively wiggle, wag, and tug, so named because they mimic how a dog might wag its tail. We argue that these moves are in fact more "physics friendly" because, unlike the Reidemeister moves, they respect the differential geometry of 3-space, and moreover they can be transformed into infinitesimal moves. These three moves wiggle, wag, and tug generate a unitary group, called the lattice ambient group, which acts on the state space of the quantum system. The lattice ambient group represents all possible ways of moving a rope around in 3-space without cutting the rope, and without letting the rope pass through itself. We then investigate those quantum observables of the quantum knot system which are knot invariants. We also study Hamiltonians associated with the generators of the lattice ambient group. We conclude with a list of open questions.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.0910.5891

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Using the cubic honeycomb (cubic tessellation) of Euclidean 3-space, we define a quantum system whose states, called quantum knots, represent a closed knotted piece of rope, i.e., represent the particular spatial configuration of a knot tied in a rope in 3-space. This quantum system, called a quantum knot system, is physically implementable in the same sense as Shor's quantum factoring algorithm is implementable. To define a quantum knot system, we replace the standard three Reidemeister knot moves with an equivalent set of three moves, called respectively wiggle, wag, and tug, so named because they mimic how a dog might wag its tail. We argue that these moves are in fact more "physics friendly" because, unlike the Reidemeister moves, they respect the differential geometry of 3-space, and moreover they can be transformed into infinitesimal moves. These three moves wiggle, wag, and tug generate a unitary group, called the lattice ambient group, which acts on the state space of the quantum system. The lattice ambient group represents all possible ways of moving a rope around in 3-space without cutting the rope, and without letting the rope pass through itself. We then investigate those quantum observables of the quantum knot system which are knot invariants. We also study Hamiltonians associated with the generators of the lattice ambient group. We conclude with a list of open questions.
In this paper, we give a precise and workable definition of a quantum knot system, the states of which are called quantum knots. This definition can be viewed as a blueprint for the construction of an actual physical quantum system. Moreover, this definition of a quantum knot system is intended to represent the "quantum embodiment" of a closed knotted physical piece of rope. A quantum knot, as a state of this system, represents the state of such a knotted closed piece of rope, i.e., the particular spatial configuration of the knot tied in the rope. Associated with a quantum knot system is a group of unitary transformations, called the ambient group, which represents all possible ways of moving the rope around (without cutting the rope, and without letting the rope pass through itself.) Of course, unlike a classical closed piece of rope, a quantum knot can exhibit non-classical behavior, such as quantum superposition and quantum entanglement. This raises some interesting and puzzling questions about the relation between topological and quantum entanglement. The knot type of a quantum knot is simply the orbit of the quantum knot under the action of the ambient group. We investigate quantum observables which are invariants of quantum knot type. We also study the Hamiltonians associated with the generators of the ambient group, and briefly look at the quantum tunneling of overcrossings into undercrossings. A basic building block in this paper is a mosaic system which is a formal (rewriting) system of symbol strings. We conjecture that this formal system fully captures in an axiomatic way all of the properties of tame knot theory.
Topological quantum computing is an emerging field that leverages the mathematical structures of knots and braids to encode and manipulate quantum information. However, the topological nature of quantum tunneling remains largely unexplored. In this work, we introduce a novel paradigm for quantum tunneling based on the knot representation of quantum wavefunctions, where Reidemeister moves—interpreted as braid group operators—govern the wavefunction’s evolution. Specifically, we propose four distinct models for topological quantum tunneling: (1) tunneling via Reidemeister transitions, (2) tunneling on a ring-domain, (3) tunneling under space-time curvature, and (4) tunneling influenced by gravitational potential. By establishing a rigorous connection between knot theory, braid group structures, and quantum tunneling, our approach provides a new framework for understanding quantum transport in complex environments. The broader impact of this work lies in bridging topological quantum mechanics with quantum biology and life sciences, opening new avenues for interdisciplinary research in quantum information processing and biophysical modeling.
In my research, we developed a method to distinguish knots. A knot is a mathematical depiction of the everyday knot that occurs in ropes and cords. The distinguishing of knots is a computationally hard problem, which is equivalent with the untangling of knots. Often, knots are distinguished by a so called knot invariant. Such an invariant is a label that can be attributed to any knot, such that the label is identical for two identical knots. The theory of knots is closely related to quantum computing and lattices of atoms. The distinguishing of knots is a problem that can be solved in an exponential number of computations, in the number of crossings of a knot. Our invariants can be computed in polynomial time. This means that the number of computations is a power of the number of crossings of a knot. Another advantage of our method is that for the knots that have been calculated, the invariant was able to distinguish as the most effective methods combined. In fact, by removing unnecessary information from the conventional knot invariants, we obtained an invariant that can be computed much faster, and is as effective as the usual invariants.
We analyze the connections between the mathematical theory of knots and quantum physics by addressing a number of algorithmic questions related to both knots and braid groups. Knots can be distinguished by means of “knot invariants,” among which the Jones polynomial plays a prominent role, since it can be associated with observables in topological quantum field theory. Although the problem of computing the Jones polynomial is intractable in the framework of classical complexity theory, it has been recently recognized that a quantum computer is capable of approximating it in an efficient way. The quantum algorithms discussed here represent a breakthrough for quantum computation, since approximating the Jones polynomial is actually a “universal problem,” namely, the hardest problem that a quantum computer can efficiently handle.
Braiding operators corresponding to the third Reidemeister move in the theory of knots and links are realized in terms of parametrized unitary matrices for all dimensions.Two distinct classes are considered.Their (nonlocal) unitary actions on separable pure product states of three identical subsystems (i.e., the spin projections of three particles) are explicitly evaluated for all dimensions.This, for our classes, is shown to generate entangled superposition of four terms in the base space.The 3-body and 2-body entanglements (in three 2-body subsystems), the 3 tangles, and 2 tangles are explicitly evaluated for each class.For our matrices, these are parametrized.Varying parameters they can be made to sweep over the domain (0, 1).Thus, braiding operators corresponding to over-and undercrossings of three braids and, on closing ends, to topologically entangled Borromean rings are shown, in another context, to generate quantum entanglements.For higher dimensions, starting with different initial triplets one can entangle by turns, each state with all the rest.A specific coupling of three angular momenta is briefly discussed to throw more light on three body entanglements.
Braiding operators corresponding to the third Reidemeister move in the theory of knots and links are realized in terms of parametrized unitary matrices for all dimensions. Two distinct classes are considered. Their (non-local) unitary actions on separable pure product states of three identical subsystems (say, the spin projections of three particles) are explicitly evaluated for all dimensions. This, for our classes, is shown to generate entangled superposition of four terms in the base space. The 3-body and 2-body entanglements (in three 2-body subsystems), the 3-tangles and 2-tangles are explicitly evaluated for each class. For our matrices, these are parametrized. Varying parameters they can be made to sweep over the domain (0,1).Thus braiding operators corresponding to over- and under-crossings of three braids and, on closing ends, to topologically entangled Borromean rings are shown, in another context, to generate quantum entanglements. For higher dimensions, starting with different initial triplets one can entangle by turns, each state with all the rest. A specific coupling of three angular momenta is briefly discussed to throw more light on three body entanglements.