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arXiv:1512.06775 · Physical Review A

Hamiltonian quantum computer in one dimension

Tzu-Chieh Wei, John C. Liang

Published Dec 21, 2015• 8 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum computation can be achieved by preparing an appropriate initial product state of qudits and then letting it evolve under a fixed Hamiltonian. The readout is made by measurement on individual qudits at some later time. This approach is called the Hamiltonian quantum computation and it includes, for example, the continuous-time quantum cellular automata and the universal quantum walk. We consider one spatial dimension and study the compromise between the locality $k$ and the local Hilbert space dimension $d$. For geometrically 2-local (i.e., $k=2$), it is known that $d=8$ is already sufficient for universal quantum computation but the Hamiltonian is not translationally invariant. As the locality $k$ increases, it is expected that the minimum required $d$ should decrease. We provide a construction of a Hamiltonian quantum computer for $k=3$ with $d=5$. One implication is that simulating one-dimensional chains of spin-2 particles is BQP-complete (BQP denotes ``bounded error, quantum polynomial time''). Imposing translation invariance will increase the required $d$. For this we also construct another 3-local $(k=3)$ Hamiltonian that is invariant under translation of a unit cell of two sites but that requires $d$ to be 8.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.92.062334

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Quantum computation can be achieved by preparing an appropriate initial product state of qudits and then letting it evolve under a fixed Hamiltonian. The readout is made by measurement on individual qudits at some later time. This approach is called the Hamiltonian quantum computation and it includes, for example, the continuous-time quantum cellular automata and the universal quantum walk. We consider one spatial dimension and study the compromise between the locality kkk and the local Hilbert space dimension ddd. For geometrically 2-local (i.e., k=2k=2k=2), it is known that d=8d=8d=8 is already sufficient for universal quantum computation but the Hamiltonian is not translationally invariant. As the locality kkk increases, it is expected that the minimum required ddd should decrease. We provide a construction of a Hamiltonian quantum computer for k=3k=3k=3 with d=5d=5d=5. One implication is that simulating one-dimensional chains of spin-2 particles is BQP-complete (BQP denotes ``bounded error, quantum polynomial time''). Imposing translation invariance will increase the required ddd. For this we also construct another 3-local (k=3)(k=3)(k=3) Hamiltonian that is invariant under translation of a unit cell of two sites but that requires ddd to be 8.
We construct a simple translationally invariant, nearest-neighbor Hamiltonian on a chain of ten-dimensional qudits that makes it possible to realize universal quantum computing without any external control during the computational process. We only require the ability to prepare an initial computational basis state that encodes both the quantum circuit and its input. The computational process is then carried out by the autonomous Hamiltonian time evolution. After a time polynomially long in the size of the quantum circuit has passed, the result of the computation is obtained with high probability by measuring a few qudits in the computational basis. This result also implies that there cannot exist efficient classical simulation methods for generic translationally invariant nearest-neighbor Hamiltonians on qudit chains, unless quantum computers can be efficiently simulated by classical computers (or, put in complexity theoretic terms, unless BPP=BQP\mathrm{BPP}=\mathrm{BQP}BPP=BQP).
In this thesis, I investigate aspects of local Hamiltonians in quantum computing. First, I focus on the Adiabatic Quantum Computing model, based on evolution with a time dependent Hamiltonian. I show that to succeed using AQC, the Hamiltonian involved must have local structure, which leads to a result about eigenvalue gaps from information theory. I also improve results about simulating quantum circuits with AQC. Second, I look at classically simulating time evolution with local Hamiltonians and finding their ground state properties. I give a numerical method for finding the ground state of translationally invariant Hamiltonians on an infinite tree. This method is based on imaginary time evolution within the Matrix Product State ansatz, and uses a new method for bringing the state back to the ansatz after each imaginary time step. I then use it to investigate the phase transition in the transverse field Ising model on the Bethe lattice. Third, I focus on locally constrained quantum problems Local Hamiltonian and Quantum Satisfiability and prove several new results about their complexity. Finally, I define a Hamiltonian Quantum Cellular Automaton, a continuous-time model of computation which doesn't require control during the computation process, only preparation of product initial states. I construct two of these, showing that time evolution with a simple, local, translationally invariant and time-independent Hamiltonian can be used to simulate quantum circuits.
Quantum error correction (QEC) normally requires active maintenance using measurements, classical processing and externally controlled correction schedules. Passive QEC, by contrast, was previously established only in unphysical spatial dimensions. Here, we give an explicit scheme for autonomous quantum error correction and computation in two dimensions, formulated as a dissipative quantum cellular automaton with a fixed, local and translation-invariant update rule. The construction uses hierarchical, self-simulating control elements based on ideas from the seminal classical results of Gács (1986, 1989) together with a measurement-free concatenated quantum code. We prove the existence of a nonzero noise threshold under a local noise model. Below this threshold, logical errors on encoded initial states are suppressed exponentially with increasing system size and the memory lifetime diverges in the thermodynamic limit. As an extension, we outline how this mechanism can also be implemented in continuous time by a time-independent, translation-invariant local Lindbladian. Quantum circuits can moreover be encoded in the automaton's initial state and executed fault-tolerantly with polylogarithmic overhead under the same circuit-independent rule. Our scheme thus realizes a self-correcting quantum computer capable of universal computation.
We construct a family of time-independent nearest-neighbor Hamiltonians coupling eight-state systems on a 1D ring that enables universal quantum computation. Hamiltonians in this family can achieve universality either by driving a continuous-time quantum walk or by terminating an adiabatic algorithm. In either case, the universality property can be understood as arising from an efficient simulation of a programmable quantum circuit. Using gadget perturbation theory, one can demonstrate the same kind of universality for related Hamiltonian families acting on qubits in 2D. Our results demonstrate that simulating 1D chains of spin-7/2 particles is BQP-hard, and indeed BQP-complete because the outputs of decision problems can be encoded in the outputs of such simulations.
Abstract Recent work has characterized rigorously what it means for one quantum system to simulate another and demonstrated the existence of universal Hamiltonians—simple spin lattice Hamiltonians that can replicate the entire physics of any other quantum many-body system. Previous universality results have required proofs involving complicated ‘chains’ of perturbative ‘gadgets.’ In this paper, we derive a significantly simpler and more powerful method of proving universality of Hamiltonians, directly leveraging the ability to encode quantum computation into ground states. This provides new insight into the origins of universal models and suggests a deep connection between universality and complexity. We apply this new approach to show that there are universal models even in translationally invariant spin chains in 1D. This gives as a corollary a new Hamiltonian complexity result that the local Hamiltonian problem for translationally invariant spin chains in one dimension with an exponentially small promise gap is PSPACE-complete. Finally, we use these new universal models to construct the first known toy model of 2D–1D holographic duality between local Hamiltonians.
We present a Hamiltonian quantum-computation scheme universal for quantum computation. Our Hamiltonian is a sum of a polynomial number (in the number of gates LLL in the quantum circuit) of constant-norm, time-independent, two-body interaction terms. Furthermore, each qubit in the system interacts only with a constant number of other qubits in a three-layer, geometrically local layout. The computer runs in three steps---it starts in a simple initial product state, evolves according to a time-independent Hamiltonian for time of order L2{L}^{2}L2 (up to logarithmic factors), and finishes with a two-qubit measurement. Our model improves previous universal two-local-Hamiltonian constructions, as it avoids using perturbation gadgets and large energy-penalty terms in the Hamiltonian, which would result in a large required run time.