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arXiv:2101.05250 · Physical Review A

Average scattering entropy of quantum graphs

Alison A. Silva, Fabiano M. Andrade, D. Bazeia

Published Jun 4, 2021• 6 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The scattering amplitude in simple quantum graphs is a well-known process which may be highly complex. In this work, motivated by the Shannon entropy, we propose a methodology that associates a graph with a scattering entropy, which we call the average scattering entropy. It is defined by taking into account the period of the scattering amplitude which we calculate using the Green's function procedure. We first describe the methodology on general grounds and then exemplify our findings considering several distinct groups of graphs. We go on and investigate other possibilities, one that contains groups of graphs with the same number of vertices, with the same degree, and the same number of edges, with the same length, but with distinct topologies and with different entropies. Another possibility we investigate contains graphs of the fishbone type, where the scattering entropy depends on the boundary conditions on the vertices of degree 1, with the corresponding values decreasing and saturating very rapidly as we increase the number of elementary structures in the graphs.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.103.062208

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The scattering amplitude in simple quantum graphs is a well-known process which may be highly complex. In this work, motivated by the Shannon entropy, we propose a methodology that associates a graph with a scattering entropy, which we call the average scattering entropy. It is defined by taking into account the period of the scattering amplitude which we calculate using the Green's function procedure. We first describe the methodology on general grounds and then exemplify our findings considering several distinct groups of graphs. We go on and investigate other possibilities, one that contains groups of graphs with the same number of vertices, with the same degree, and the same number of edges, with the same length, but with distinct topologies and with different entropies. Another possibility we investigate contains graphs of the fishbone type, where the scattering entropy depends on the boundary conditions on the vertices of degree 1, with the corresponding values decreasing and saturating very rapidly as we increase the number of elementary structures in the graphs.
We introduce a mapping between graphs and pure quantum bipartite states and show that the associated entanglement entropy conveys non-trivial information about the structure of the graph. Our primary goal is to investigate the family of random graphs known as complex networks. In the case of classical random graphs, we derive an analytic expression for the averaged entanglement entropy while for general complex networks we rely on numerics. For a large number of nodes n we find a scaling where both the prefactor c and the sub-leading O (1) term g e are characteristic of the different classes of complex networks. In particular, g e encodes topological features of the graphs and is named network topological entropy. Our results suggest that quantum entanglement may provide a powerful tool for the analysis of large complex networks with non-trivial topological properties.
Random pure states of multi-partite quantum systems, associated with arbitrary graphs, are investigated. Each vertex of the graph represents a generic interaction between subsystems, described by a random unitary matrix distributed according to the Haar measure, while each edge of the graph represents a bipartite, maximally entangled state. For any splitting of the graph into two parts we consider the corresponding partition of the quantum system and compute the average entropy of entanglement. First, in the special case where the partition does not cross any vertex of the graph, we show that the area law is satisfied exactly. In the general case, we show that the entropy of entanglement obeys an area law on average, this time with a correction term that depends on the topologies of the graph and of the partition. The results obtained are applied to the problem of distribution of quantum entanglement in a quantum network with prescribed topology.
In this paper, we consider a class of Unitary Quantum Walks on arbitrary graphs, parameterized by a family of scattering matrices. These Scattering Quantum Walks model the discrete dynamics of a system on the graph’s edges, where a scattering process at the vertices is governed by the scattering matrices assigned to each vertex. We show the Scattering Quantum Walks encompass several known Quantum Walks. We further introduce two classes of Scattering Open Quantum Walks on arbitrary graphs, also parameterized by scattering matrices: one defined on the edges, the other on the vertices of the graph. We show these walks give rise to proper quantum channels and describe their main spectral and dynamical properties, relating them to naturally associated classical Markov chains.
Quantum walks are roughly analogous to classical random walks, and similar to classical walks they have been used to find new (quantum) algorithms. When studying the behavior of large graphs or combinations of graphs, it is useful to find the response of a subgraph to signals of different frequencies. In doing so, we can replace an entire subgraph with a single vertex with variable scattering coefficients. In this paper, a simple technique for quickly finding the scattering coefficients of any discrete-time quantum graph will be presented. These scattering coefficients can be expressed entirely in terms of the characteristic polynomial of the graph’s time step operator. This is a marked improvement over previous techniques which have traditionally required finding eigenstates for a given eigenvalue, which is far more computationally costly. With the scattering coefficients we can easily derive the “impulse response” which is the key to predicting the response of a graph to any signal. This gives us a powerful set of tools for rapidly understanding the behavior of graphs or for reducing a large graph into its constituent subgraphs regardless of how they are connected.
We formulate and discuss one-particle quantum scattering theory on an arbitrary finite graph with n open ends and where we define the Hamiltonian to be (minus) the Laplace operator with general boundary conditions at the vertices. This results in a scattering theory with n channels. The corresponding on-shell S -matrix formed by the reflection and transmission amplitudes for incoming plane waves of energy E>0 is given explicitly in terms of the boundary conditions and the lengths of the internal lines. It is shown to be unitary, which may be viewed as the quantum version of Kirchhoff's law. We exhibit covariance and symmetry properties. It is symmetric if the boundary conditions are real. Also there is a duality transformation on the set of boundary conditions and the lengths of the internal lines such that the low-energy behaviour of one theory gives the high-energy behaviour of the transformed theory. Finally, we provide a composition rule by which the on-shell S -matrix of a graph is factorizable in terms of the S -matrices of its subgraphs. All proofs use only known facts from the theory of self-adjoint extensions, standard linear algebra, complex function theory and elementary arguments from the theory of Hermitian symplectic forms.
In this work a Green-function approach for scattering quantum walks is developed. The exact formula has the form of a sum over paths and always can be cast into a closed analytic expression for arbitrary topologies and position-dependent quantum amplitudes. By introducing the step and path operators, it is shown how to extract any information about the system from the Green function. The method's relevant features are demonstrated by discussing in detail an example, a general diamond-shaped graph.