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arXiv:1709.01066 · Physical Review A

Quantum decimation in Hilbert space: Coarse graining without structure

Ashmeet Singh, Sean M. Carroll

Published Mar 14, 2018• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a technique to coarse grain quantum states in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. Our method is distinguished from other approaches by not relying on structures such as a preferred factorization of Hilbert space or a preferred set of operators (local or otherwise) in an associated algebra. Rather, we use the data corresponding to a given set of states, either specified independently or constructed from a single state evolving in time. Our technique is based on principle component analysis (PCA), and the resulting coarse-grained quantum states live in a lower-dimensional Hilbert space whose basis is defined using the underlying (isometric embedding) transformation of the set of fine-grained states we wish to coarse grain. Physically, the transformation can be interpreted to be an ``entanglement coarse-graining'' scheme that retains most of the global, useful entanglement structure of each state, while needing fewer degrees of freedom for its reconstruction. This scheme could be useful for efficiently describing collections of states whose number is much smaller than the dimension of Hilbert space, or a single state evolving over time.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.97.032111

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We present a technique to coarse grain quantum states in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. Our method is distinguished from other approaches by not relying on structures such as a preferred factorization of Hilbert space or a preferred set of operators (local or otherwise) in an associated algebra. Rather, we use the data corresponding to a given set of states, either specified independently or constructed from a single state evolving in time. Our technique is based on principle component analysis (PCA), and the resulting coarse-grained quantum states live in a lower-dimensional Hilbert space whose basis is defined using the underlying (isometric embedding) transformation of the set of fine-grained states we wish to coarse grain. Physically, the transformation can be interpreted to be an ``entanglement coarse-graining'' scheme that retains most of the global, useful entanglement structure of each state, while needing fewer degrees of freedom for its reconstruction. This scheme could be useful for efficiently describing collections of states whose number is much smaller than the dimension of Hilbert space, or a single state evolving over time.
Reduced density matrices are a powerful tool in the analysis of entanglement structure, approximate or coarse-grained dynamics, decoherence, and the emergence of classicality. It is straightforward to produce a reduced density matrix with the partial-trace map by tracing out part of the quantum state, but in many natural situations this reduction may not be achievable. We investigate the general problem of identifying how the quantum state is reduced given a restriction on the observables. For example, in an experimental setting, the set of observables that can actually be measured is usually modest (compared to the set of all possible observables) and their resolution is limited. In such situations, the appropriate state-reduction map can be defined via a generalized bipartition, which is associated with the structure of irreducible representations of the algebra generated by the restricted set of observables. One of our main technical results is a general, not inherently numeric, algorithm for finding irreducible representations of matrix algebras. We demonstrate the viability of this approach with two examples of limited-resolution observables. The definition of quantum state reductions can also be extended beyond algebras of observables. To accomplish this task we introduce a more flexible notion of bipartition, the partial bipartition, which describes coarse grainings preserving information about a limited set (not necessarily algebra) of observables. We describe a variational method to choose the coarse grainings most compatible with a specified Hamiltonian, which exhibit emergent classicality in the reduced state space. We apply this construction to the concrete example of the one-dimensional Ising model. Our results have relevance for quantum information, bulk reconstruction in holography, and quantum gravity.
An algorithm for simulation of quantum many-body dynamics having su(2)(2)(2) spectrum-generating algebra is developed. The algorithm is based on the idea of dynamical coarse-graining. The original unitary dynamics of the target observables---the elements of the spectrum-generating algebra---is simulated by a surrogate open-system dynamics, which can be interpreted as weak measurement of the target observables, performed on the evolving system. The open-system state can be represented by a mixture of pure states, localized in the phase space. The localization reduces the scaling of the computational resources with the Hilbert-space dimension nnn by factor ${n}^{3/2}(\mathrm{ln} n){}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ compared to conventional sparse-matrix methods. The guidelines for the choice of parameters for the simulation are presented and the scaling of the computational resources with the Hilbert-space dimension of the system is estimated. The algorithm is applied to the simulation of the dynamics of systems of $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$ and $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$ cold atoms in a double-well trap, described by the two-site Bose-Hubbard model.
It is usually believed that, in the macroscopic limit, coarse-graining of measurements leads to classical behavior and, in particular, that coarse-graining of quantum correlations leads to local realistic correlations, a principle known as macroscopic locality. We show that, in the most general case, the Hilbert space structure of quantum theory can be preserved in the macroscopic limit. This leads to a violation of a Bell inequality for coarse-grained collective measurements, thus breaking the principle of macroscopic locality.
We develop a systematic coarse-graining procedure for systems of NNN qubits. We exploit the underlying geometrical structures of the associated discrete phase space to produce a coarse-grained version with reduced effective size. Our coarse-grained spaces inherit key properties of the original ones. In particular, our procedure naturally yields a subset of the original measurement operators, which can be used to construct a coarse discrete Wigner function. These operators also constitute a systematic choice of incomplete measurements for the tomographer wishing to probe an intractably large system.
The idea that symmetries simplify or reduce the complexity of a system has been remarkably fruitful in physics, and especially in quantum mechanics. On a mathematical level, symmetry groups single out a certain structure in the Hilbert space that leads to a reduction. This structure is given by the irreducible representations of the group, and in general it can be identified with an operator algebra (a.k.a. C*-algebra or von Neumann algebra). The primary focus of this thesis is the extension of the framework of reductions from symmetries to operator algebras, and its applications in finite-dimensional quantum mechanics. Finding the irreducible representations structure is the principal problem when working with operator algebras. We will therefore review the representation theory of finite-dimensional operator algebras and elucidate this problem with the help of two novel concepts: minimal isometries and bipartition tables. One of the main technical results that we present is the Scattering Algorithm for analytical derivations of the irreducible representations structure of operator algebras. For applications, we will introduce a symmetry-agnostic approach to the reduction of dynamics where we circumvent the non-trivial task of identifying symmetries, and directly reduce the dynamics generated by a Hamiltonian. We will also consider quantum state reductions that arise from operational constraints, such as the partial trace or the twirl map, and study how operational constraints lead to decoherence. Apart from that, we will extend the idea of reduction beyond operator algebras to operator systems, and formulate a quantum notion of coarse-graining that so far only existed in classical probability theory. We will also characterize how the uncertainty principle transitions to the classical regime under coarse-grained measurements and discuss the implications in a finite-dimensional setting.
A scheme to simulate the evolution of a restricted set of observables of a quantum system is proposed. The set comprises the spectrum-generating algebra of the Hamiltonian. Focusing on the simulation of the restricted set allows to drastically reduce the cost of the simulation. This reduction is the result of replacing the original unitary dynamics by a special open-system evolution. This open-system evolution can be interpreted as a process of weak measurement of the distinguished observables performed on the evolving system of interest. Under the condition that the observables are ``classical'' and the Hamiltonian is moderately nonlinear, the open-system dynamics displays a large time-scale separation between the relaxation of the observables and the decoherence of a generic state. This time-scale separation allows the unitary dynamics of the observables to be efficiently simulated by the open-system dynamics on the intermediate time scale. The simulation employs unraveling of the corresponding master equations into pure-state evolutions, governed by the stochastic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. The stochastic pure-state evolution can be simulated efficiently using a representation of the state in the time-dependent basis of the generalized coherent states, associated with the spectrum-generating algebra.