Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1509.00960 · Physical Review A

Suitable bases for quantum walks with Wigner coins

Iva Bezděková, M. Štefaňák, Igor Jex

Published Aug 24, 2015• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The analysis of a physical problem simplifies considerably when one uses a suitable coordinate system. We apply this approach to the discrete-time quantum walks with coins given by $2j+1$-dimensional Wigner rotation matrices (Wigner walks), a model which was introduced in Miyazaki et al. [Phys. Rev. A 76, 012332 (2007)]. First, we show that from the three parameters of the coin operator only one is physically relevant for the limit density of the Wigner walk. Next, we construct a suitable basis of the coin space in which the limit density of the Wigner walk acquires a much simpler form. This allows us to identify various dynamical regimes which are otherwise hidden in the standard basis description. As an example, we show that it is possible to find an initial state which reduces the number of peaks in the probability distribution from generic $2j+1$ to a single one. Moreover, the models with integer $j$ lead to the trapping effect. The derived formula for the trapping probability reveals that it can be highly asymmetric and it deviates from purely exponential decay. Explicit results are given up to dimension 5.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.92.022347

Related papers

Wigner formula of rotation matrices and quantum walks

Takahiro Miyazaki, Makoto Katori, Norio Konno

Quantization of a random-walk model is performed by giving a qudit (a multicomponent wave function) to a walker at site and by introducing a quantum coin, which is a matrix representation of a unitary transformation. In quantum walks, the qudit of the walker is mixed according to the quantum coin at each time step, when the walker hops to other sites. As special cases of the quantum walks driven by high-dimensional quantum coins generally studied by Brun, Carteret, and Ambainis, we study the models obtained by choosing rotation as the unitary transformation, whose matrix representations determine quantum coins. We show that Wigner's $(2j+1)$-dimensional unitary representations of rotations with half-integers $j$'s are useful to analyze the probability laws of quantum walks. For any value of half-integer $j$, convergence of all moments of walker's pseudovelocity in the long-time limit is proved. It is generally shown for the present models that, if $(2j+1)$ is even, the probability measure of limit distribution is given by a superposition of $(2j+1)∕2$ terms of scaled Konno's density functions, and if $(2j+1)$ is odd, it is a superposition of $j$ terms of scaled Konno's density functions and a Dirac's delta function at the origin. For the two-, three-, and four-component models, the probability densities of limit distributions are explicitly calculated and their dependence on the parameters of quantum coins and on the initial qudit of walker is completely determined. Comparison with computer simulation results is also shown.

arXiv:quant-ph/0611022•Physical Review A•Jul 31, 2007•38 citations

Limit Density of 2D Quantum Walk: Zeroes of the Weight Function

M. Štefaňák, Iva Bezděková, Igor Jex

Properties of the probability distribution generated by a discrete-time quantum walk, such as the number of peaks it contains, depend strongly on the choice of the initial condition. In the present paper we discuss from this point of view the model of the two-dimensional quantum walk analyzed in K. Watabe et al., Phys. Rev. A 77, 062331, (2008). We show that the limit density can be altered in such a way that it vanishes on the boundary or some line. Using this result one can suppress certain peaks in the probability distribution. The analysis is simplified considerably by choosing a more suitable basis of the coin space, namely the one formed by the eigenvectors of the coin operator.

arXiv:1701.00408•Interdisciplinary Information Sciences•Jan 1, 2017•0 citations

Complete classification of trapping coins for quantum walks on the two-dimensional square lattice

Bálint Kollár, András Gilyén, Iva Tkáčová +3 more

One of the unique features of discrete-time quantum walks is called trapping, meaning the inability of the quantum walker to completely escape from its initial position, although the system is translationally invariant. The effect is dependent on the dimension and the explicit form of the local coin. A four-state discrete-time quantum walk on a square lattice is defined by its unitary coin operator, acting on the four-dimensional coin Hilbert space. The well-known example of the Grover coin leads to a partial trapping, i.e., there exists some escaping initial state for which the probability of staying at the initial position vanishes. On the other hand, some other coins are known to exhibit strong trapping, where such an escaping state does not exist. We present a systematic study of coins leading to trapping, explicitly construct all such coins for discrete-time quantum walks on the two-dimensional square lattice, and classify them according to the structure of the operator and the manifestation of the trapping effect. We distinguish three types of trapping coins exhibiting distinct dynamical properties, as exemplified by the existence or nonexistence of the escaping state and the area covered by the spreading wave packet.

arXiv:2002.08070•Physical Review A•Jul 7, 2020•7 citations

Controlling quantum walks with coin eigenstates

M. Štefaňák, Igor Jex

The control of quantum walk is made particularly transparent when the initial state is expressed in terms of the eigenstates of the coin operator. We show that the group-velocity density acquires a much simpler form when expressed in this basis. This allows us to obtain a much deeper understanding of the role of the initial coin state on the dynamics of quantum walks and control it. We find that the eigenvectors of the coin result in an extremal regime of a quantum walk. The approach is illustrated on two examples of quantum walks on a line.

arXiv:1405.6504•May 26, 2014•0 citations

Limit distributions of three-state quantum walks: The role of coin eigenstates

M. Štefaňák, Iva Bezděková, Igor Jex

We analyze two families of three-state quantum walks which show the localization effect. We focus on the role of the initial coin state and its coherence in controlling the properties of the quantum walk. In particular, we show that the description of the walk simplifies considerably when the initial coin state is decomposed in the basis formed by the eigenvectors of the coin operator. This allows us to express the limit distributions in a much more convenient form. Consequently, striking features which are hidden in the standard basis description are easily identified. Moreover, the dependence of moments of the position distribution on the initial coin state can be analyzed in full detail. In particular, we find that in the eigenvector basis the even moments and the localization probability at the origin depend only on incoherent combination of probabilities. In contrast, odd moments and localization outside the origin are affected by the coherence of the initial coin state.

arXiv:1405.7146•Physical Review A•Jul 31, 2014•39 citations

Generic quantum walk using a coin-embedded shift operator

C. M. Chandrashekar

The study of quantum walk processes has been widely divided into two standard variants, the discrete-time quantum walk (DTQW) and the continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW). The connection between the two variants has been established by considering the limiting value of the coin operation parameter in the DTQW, and the coin degree of freedom was shown to be unnecessary [F. W. Strauch, Phys. Rev. A 74, 030301(R) (2006)]. But the coin degree of freedom is an additional resource which can be exploited to control the dynamics of the QW process. In this paper we present a generic quantum walk model using a quantum coin-embedded unitary shift operation ${U}_{C}$. The standard version of the DTQW and the CTQW can be conveniently retrieved from this generic model, retaining the features of the coin degree of freedom in both variants.

arXiv:0810.1556•Physical Review A•Nov 5, 2008•10 citations
The analysis of a physical problem simplifies considerably when one uses a suitable coordinate system. We apply this approach to the discrete-time quantum walks with coins given by 2j+12j+12j+1-dimensional Wigner rotation matrices (Wigner walks), a model which was introduced in Miyazaki et al. [Phys. Rev. A 76, 012332 (2007)]. First, we show that from the three parameters of the coin operator only one is physically relevant for the limit density of the Wigner walk. Next, we construct a suitable basis of the coin space in which the limit density of the Wigner walk acquires a much simpler form. This allows us to identify various dynamical regimes which are otherwise hidden in the standard basis description. As an example, we show that it is possible to find an initial state which reduces the number of peaks in the probability distribution from generic 2j+12j+12j+1 to a single one. Moreover, the models with integer jjj lead to the trapping effect. The derived formula for the trapping probability reveals that it can be highly asymmetric and it deviates from purely exponential decay. Explicit results are given up to dimension 5.
Quantization of a random-walk model is performed by giving a qudit (a multicomponent wave function) to a walker at site and by introducing a quantum coin, which is a matrix representation of a unitary transformation. In quantum walks, the qudit of the walker is mixed according to the quantum coin at each time step, when the walker hops to other sites. As special cases of the quantum walks driven by high-dimensional quantum coins generally studied by Brun, Carteret, and Ambainis, we study the models obtained by choosing rotation as the unitary transformation, whose matrix representations determine quantum coins. We show that Wigner's (2j+1)(2j+1)(2j+1)-dimensional unitary representations of rotations with half-integers jjj's are useful to analyze the probability laws of quantum walks. For any value of half-integer jjj, convergence of all moments of walker's pseudovelocity in the long-time limit is proved. It is generally shown for the present models that, if (2j+1)(2j+1)(2j+1) is even, the probability measure of limit distribution is given by a superposition of (2j+1)∕2(2j+1)∕2(2j+1)∕2 terms of scaled Konno's density functions, and if (2j+1)(2j+1)(2j+1) is odd, it is a superposition of jjj terms of scaled Konno's density functions and a Dirac's delta function at the origin. For the two-, three-, and four-component models, the probability densities of limit distributions are explicitly calculated and their dependence on the parameters of quantum coins and on the initial qudit of walker is completely determined. Comparison with computer simulation results is also shown.
Properties of the probability distribution generated by a discrete-time quantum walk, such as the number of peaks it contains, depend strongly on the choice of the initial condition. In the present paper we discuss from this point of view the model of the two-dimensional quantum walk analyzed in K. Watabe et al., Phys. Rev. A 77, 062331, (2008). We show that the limit density can be altered in such a way that it vanishes on the boundary or some line. Using this result one can suppress certain peaks in the probability distribution. The analysis is simplified considerably by choosing a more suitable basis of the coin space, namely the one formed by the eigenvectors of the coin operator.
One of the unique features of discrete-time quantum walks is called trapping, meaning the inability of the quantum walker to completely escape from its initial position, although the system is translationally invariant. The effect is dependent on the dimension and the explicit form of the local coin. A four-state discrete-time quantum walk on a square lattice is defined by its unitary coin operator, acting on the four-dimensional coin Hilbert space. The well-known example of the Grover coin leads to a partial trapping, i.e., there exists some escaping initial state for which the probability of staying at the initial position vanishes. On the other hand, some other coins are known to exhibit strong trapping, where such an escaping state does not exist. We present a systematic study of coins leading to trapping, explicitly construct all such coins for discrete-time quantum walks on the two-dimensional square lattice, and classify them according to the structure of the operator and the manifestation of the trapping effect. We distinguish three types of trapping coins exhibiting distinct dynamical properties, as exemplified by the existence or nonexistence of the escaping state and the area covered by the spreading wave packet.
The control of quantum walk is made particularly transparent when the initial state is expressed in terms of the eigenstates of the coin operator. We show that the group-velocity density acquires a much simpler form when expressed in this basis. This allows us to obtain a much deeper understanding of the role of the initial coin state on the dynamics of quantum walks and control it. We find that the eigenvectors of the coin result in an extremal regime of a quantum walk. The approach is illustrated on two examples of quantum walks on a line.
We analyze two families of three-state quantum walks which show the localization effect. We focus on the role of the initial coin state and its coherence in controlling the properties of the quantum walk. In particular, we show that the description of the walk simplifies considerably when the initial coin state is decomposed in the basis formed by the eigenvectors of the coin operator. This allows us to express the limit distributions in a much more convenient form. Consequently, striking features which are hidden in the standard basis description are easily identified. Moreover, the dependence of moments of the position distribution on the initial coin state can be analyzed in full detail. In particular, we find that in the eigenvector basis the even moments and the localization probability at the origin depend only on incoherent combination of probabilities. In contrast, odd moments and localization outside the origin are affected by the coherence of the initial coin state.
The study of quantum walk processes has been widely divided into two standard variants, the discrete-time quantum walk (DTQW) and the continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW). The connection between the two variants has been established by considering the limiting value of the coin operation parameter in the DTQW, and the coin degree of freedom was shown to be unnecessary [F. W. Strauch, Phys. Rev. A 74, 030301(R) (2006)]. But the coin degree of freedom is an additional resource which can be exploited to control the dynamics of the QW process. In this paper we present a generic quantum walk model using a quantum coin-embedded unitary shift operation UC{U}_{C}UC​. The standard version of the DTQW and the CTQW can be conveniently retrieved from this generic model, retaining the features of the coin degree of freedom in both variants.