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arXiv:1208.3209 · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

A geometric view of quantum cellular automata

Jonathan R. McDonald, Paul M. Alsing, Howard A. Blair

Published May 1, 2012• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Nielsen, et al.1, 2 proposed a view of quantum computation where determining optimal algorithms is equivalent to extremizing a geodesic length or cost functional. This view of optimization is highly suggestive of an action principle of the space of N-qubits interacting via local operations. The cost or action functional is given by the cost of evolution operators on local qubit operations leading to causal dynamics, as in Blute et. al.3 Here we propose a view of information geometry for quantum algorithms where the inherent causal structure determines topology and information distances4, 5 set the local geometry. This naturally leads to geometric characterization of hypersurfaces in a quantum cellular automaton. While in standard quantum circuit representations the connections between individual qubits, i.e. the topology, for hypersurfaces will be dynamic, quantum cellular automata have readily identifiable static hypersurface topologies determined via the quantum update rules. We demonstrate construction of quantum cellular automata geometry and discuss the utility of this approach for tracking entanglement and algorithm optimization.

DOI
10.1117/12.921329

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Nielsen, et al.1, 2 proposed a view of quantum computation where determining optimal algorithms is equivalent to extremizing a geodesic length or cost functional. This view of optimization is highly suggestive of an action principle of the space of N-qubits interacting via local operations. The cost or action functional is given by the cost of evolution operators on local qubit operations leading to causal dynamics, as in Blute et. al.3 Here we propose a view of information geometry for quantum algorithms where the inherent causal structure determines topology and information distances4, 5 set the local geometry. This naturally leads to geometric characterization of hypersurfaces in a quantum cellular automaton. While in standard quantum circuit representations the connections between individual qubits, i.e. the topology, for hypersurfaces will be dynamic, quantum cellular automata have readily identifiable static hypersurface topologies determined via the quantum update rules. We demonstrate construction of quantum cellular automata geometry and discuss the utility of this approach for tracking entanglement and algorithm optimization.
Nielsen, et al. [1, 2] proposed a view of quantum computation where determining optimal algorithms is equivalent to extremizing a geodesic length or cost functional. This view of optimization is highly suggestive of an action principle of the space of N-qubits interacting via local operations. The cost or action functional is given by the cost of evolution operators on local qubit operations leading to causal dynamics, as in Blute et. al. [3] Here we propose a view of information geometry for quantum algorithms where the inherent causal structure determines topology and information distances [4, 5] set the local geometry. This naturally leads to geometric characterization of hypersurfaces in a quantum cellular automaton. While in standard quantum circuit representations the connections between individual qubits, i.e. the topology, for hypersurfaces will be dynamic, quantum cellular automata have readily identifiable static hypersurface topologies determined via the quantum update rules. We demonstrate construction of quantum cellular automata geometry and discuss the utility of this approach for tracking entanglement and algorithm optimization.
Determining the quantum circuit complexity of a unitary operation is closely related to the problem of finding minimal length paths in a particular curved geometry [Nielsen et al, Science 311, 1133-1135 (2006)]. This paper investigates many of the basic geometric objects associated to this space, including the Levi-Civita connection, the geodesic equation, the curvature, and the Jacobi equation. We show that the optimal Hamiltonian evolution for synthesis of a desired unitary necessarily obeys a simple universal geodesic equation. As a consequence, once the initial value of the Hamiltonian is set, subsequent changes to the Hamiltonian are completely determined by the geodesic equation. We develop many analytic solutions to the geodesic equation, and a set of invariants that completely determine the geodesics. We investigate the problem of finding minimal geodesics through a desired unitary, U, and develop a procedure which allows us to deform the (known) geodesics of a simple and well understood metric to the geodesics of the metric of interest in quantum computation. This deformation procedure is illustrated using some three-qubit numerical examples. We study the computational complexity of evaluating distances on Riemmanian manifolds, and show that no efficient classical algorithm for this problem exists, subject to the assumption that good pseudorandom generators exist. Finally, we develop a canonical extension procedure for unitary operations which allows ancilla qubits to be incorporated into the geometric approach to quantum computing.
Determining the quantum circuit complexity of a unitary operation is closely related to the problem of finding minimal length paths in a particular curved geometry [Nielsen et al, Science 311, 1133-1135 (2006)]. This paper investigates many of the basic geometric objects associated to this space, including the Levi-Civita connection, the geodesic equation, the curvature, and the Jacobi equation. We show that the optimal Hamiltonian evolution for synthesis of a desired unitary necessarily obeys a simple universal geodesic equation. As a consequence, once the initial value of the Hamiltonian is set, subsequent changes to the Hamiltonian are completely determined by the geodesic equation. We develop many analytic solutions to the geodesic equation, and a set of invariants that completely determine the geodesics. We investigate the problem of finding minimal geodesics through a desired unitary, U, and develop a procedure which allows us to deform the (known) geodesics of a simple and well understood metric to the geodesics of the metric of interest in quantum computation. This deformation procedure is illustrated using some three-qubit numerical examples. We study the computational complexity of evaluating distances on Riemmanian manifolds, and show that no efficient classical algorithm for this problem exists, subject to the assumption that good pseudorandom generators exist. Finally, we develop a canonical extension procedure for unitary operations which allows ancilla qubits to be incorporated into the geometric approach to quantum computing.
Several proposed schemes for the physical realization of a quantum computer consist of qubits arranged in a cellular array. In the quantum circuit model of quantum computation, an often complex series of two-qubit gate operations is required between arbitrarily distant pairs of lattice qubits. An alternative model of quantum computation based on quantum cellular automata (QCA) requires only homogeneous local interactions that can be implemented in parallel. This would be a huge simplification in an actual experiment. We find some minimal physical requirements for the construction of unitary QCA in a one-dimensional Ising spin chain and demonstrate optimal pulse sequences for information transport and entanglement distribution. We also introduce the theory of nonunitary QCA and show by example that nonunitary rules can generate environment assisted entanglement.
A quantum cellular automaton (QCA) is a unitary discrete-time evolution of a quantum many-body system, which can be described as a dynamics system , where A is any matrix and is a unitary operator representing the global evolution of QCA. And QCAs are characterized by locality (or causality). Among them, quantum circuits are the special classes of QCAs, which use unitary operators to control and transform the initial quantum state of qubit into a final quantum state, quantum circuits are special and widely studied in quantum information. A group is a set of elements combined with an operation, which satisfies associativity, identity and invertibility. This article shows that group theory provides the right language for studying the relation between QCAs and quantum circuits among them.
Quantum cellular automata consist in arrays of identical finite-dimensional quantum systems, evolving in discrete-time steps by iterating a unitary operator G. Moreover the global evolution G is required to be causal (it propagates information at a bounded speed) and translation-invariant (it acts everywhere the same). Quantum cellular automata provide a model/architecture for distributed quantum computation. More generally, they encompass most of discrete-space discrete-time quantum theory. We give an overview of their theory, with particular focus on structure results; computability and universality results; and quantum simulation results.