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arXiv:2107.02262

Cost-efficient QFA Algorithm for Quantum Computers

Özlem Salehi, Abuzer Yakaryılmaz

Published Jul 5, 2021• 3 citations
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Abstract

The study of quantum finite automata (QFAs) is one of the possible approaches in exploring quantum computers with finite memory. Despite being one of the most restricted models, Moore-Crutchfield quantum finite automaton (MCQFA) is proven to be exponentially more succinct than classical finite automata models in recognizing certain languages such as $\mathtt{MOD}_p = \{ a^{j} \mid j \equiv 0 \mod p\}$, where $p$ is a prime number. In this paper, we present a modified MCQFA algorithm for the language $\mathtt{MOD}_p$, the operators of which are selected based on the basis gates on the available real quantum computers. As a consequence, we obtain shorter quantum programs using fewer basis gates compared to the implementation of the original algorithm given in the literature.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2107.02262

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The study of quantum finite automata (QFAs) is one of the possible approaches in exploring quantum computers with finite memory. Despite being one of the most restricted models, Moore-Crutchfield quantum finite automaton (MCQFA) is proven to be exponentially more succinct than classical finite automata models in recognizing certain languages such as MODp={aj∣j≡0mod  p}\mathtt{MOD}_p = \{ a^{j} \mid j \equiv 0 \mod p\}MODp​={aj∣j≡0modp}, where ppp is a prime number. In this paper, we present a modified MCQFA algorithm for the language MODp\mathtt{MOD}_pMODp​, the operators of which are selected based on the basis gates on the available real quantum computers. As a consequence, we obtain shorter quantum programs using fewer basis gates compared to the implementation of the original algorithm given in the literature.
The study of quantum finite automata (QFA's) is one of the possible approaches in exploring quantum computers with finite memory. Despite being one of the most restricted models, Moore-Crutchfield quantum finite automaton (MCQFA) is proven to be exponentially more succinct than classical finite automata models in recognizing certain languages such as MODp={aj ∣ j≡0mod  p}\mathtt{MOD}_{\rm p} = \{a^{j}~ |~ j \equiv 0 \mod p\}MODp​={aj ∣ j≡0modp}, where ppp is a prime number. In this paper, we present a modified MCQFA algorithm for the language MODp\mathtt{MOD}_{\rm p}MODp​, the operators of which are selected based on the basis gates on the available real quantum computers. As a consequence, we obtain shorter quantum programs using less basis gates compared to the implementation of the original algorithm given in the literature.
A quantum finite-state automaton (QFA) is a theoretical model designed to simulate the evolution of a quantum system with finite memory in response to sequential input strings. We define the language of a QFA as the set of strings that lead the QFA to an accepting state when processed from its initial state. QFAs exemplify how quantum computing can achieve greater efficiency compared to classical computing. While being one of the simplest quantum models, QFAs are still notably challenging to construct from scratch due to the preliminary knowledge of quantum mechanics required for superimposing unitary constraints on the automata. Furthermore, even when QFAs are correctly assembled, the limitations of a current quantum computer may cause fluctuations in the simulation results depending on how an assembled QFA is translated into a quantum circuit. We present a framework that provides a simple and intuitive way to build QFAs and maximize the simulation accuracy. Our framework relies on two methods: First, it offers a predefined construction for foundational types of QFAs that recognize special languages MOD and EQU. They play a role of basic building blocks for more complex QFAs. In other words, one can obtain more complex QFAs from these foundational automata using standard language operations. Second, we improve the simulation accuracy by converting these QFAs into quantum circuits such that the resulting circuits perform well on noisy quantum computers. Our framework is available at https://github.com/sybaik1/qfa-toolkit.
One-way quantum finite automata (1QFA) proposed by Moore and Crutchfield and by Kondacs and Watrous accept only subsets of regular languages with bounded error. In this paper, we develop a new computing model of 1QFA, namely, one-way quantum finite automata together with classical states (1QFAC for short). In this model, a component of classical states is added, and the choice of unitary evolution of quantum states at each step is closely related to the current classical state. 1QFAC can accept all regular languages with no error, and in particular, 1QFAC can accept some languages with essentially less number of states than deterministic finite automata (DFA). The main technical results are as follows. (1) We prove that the set of languages accepted by 1QFAC with bounded error consists precisely of all regular languages. (2) We show that, for any prime number m ≥ 2, there exists a regular language L0(m) whose minimal DFA needs O(m) states and that can not be accepted by the 1QFA proposed by Moore and Crutchfield and by Kondacs and Watrous, but there exists 1QFAC accepting L0(m) with only constant classical states and O(log(m)) quantum basis states. Analogous results for multi-letter automata are also established. (3) By a bilinearization technique we prove that any two 1QFAC A1 and A2 are equivalent if and only if they are (k1n1) 2 + (k2n2) 2 − 1-equivalent, and there exists a polynomial-time O([(k1n1) 2 + (k2n2) 2]4) algorithm for determining their equivalence, where k1 and k2 are the numbers of classical states of A1 and A2, as well as n1 and n2 are the numbers of quantum basis states of A1 andA2, respectively. (4) We show that the minimization problem of 1QFAC is in EXPSPACE. As a corollary of this result, we obtain that the minimization problem of MO-1QFA is also in EXPSPACE. Finally, we draw some conclusions and point out open ∗Corresponding author. E-mail address: issqdw@mail.sysu.edu.cn (D. Qiu). †E-mail address: {paulo.mateus,amilcar.sernadas}@math.ist.utl.pt.
The computational model of Quantum Finite Automata has been introduced by multiple authors (e.g. [38, 44]) with some variations in definition. The objective of this thesis is to understand what class of languages can be recognized by these different variations, and how many states are required. We begin by showing that we can use algebraic automata theory to characterize the language recognition power of QFAs. Algebraic automata theory associates to each language a canonical syntactic monoid, and the algebraic structure of this monoid becomes a meaningful parameter in describing language classes. We show that the class of languages recognized by Latvian QFAs [3] corresponds exactly to boolean combinations of languages recognized by Brodsky and Pippenger's QFA model [20], which correspond exactly to those languages whose syntactic monoid is in the class BG. Known results give us a decision procedure for testing membership in this language class. We also use algebraic automata theory to give nearly tight upper and lower bounds on the class of languages recognized by Brodsky and Pippenger's QFAs. We then extend a number of lower bound techniques known for Kondacs and Watrous' 1-way QFA model to Nayak's Generalized QFA. Both of these models are related in that they are permitted to halt before reading the entire input, allowing them to recognize certain languages whose syntactic monoid lies outside of BG. Finally, we investigate the question of QFA succinctness. It is known that QFAs can recognize some languages using exponentially fewer states compared to deterministic finite automata. We extend results from [16] to show that the word problem over abelian groups has this property. We also give example of interesting noncommutative languages with this property.
Quantum finite automata were introduced by C.Moore and J.P.Crutchfield in [MC 97] and by A.Kondacs and J.Watrous in [KW 97]. This notion is not a generalization of the deterministic finite automata, but rather a generalization of deterministic reversible (permutation) automata. In [AF 98] A.Ambainis and R.Freivalds raised the question what kind of probabilistic automata can be viewed as a special case of quantum finite automata. To answer that question and study relationship between quantum finite automata and probabilistic finite automata, we introduce a notion of probabilistic reversible automata (PRA, or doubly stochastic automata). We give the necessary condition for a language to be recognized by PRA. We find that there is a strong relationship between different possible models of PRA and corresponding models of quantum finite automata. In these thesis we regard quantum automata, probabilistic reversible and deterministic reversible automata as reversible automata. At least two non-equivalent definitions of language recognition are used for one-way reversible finite automata in various papers. Both of these definitions have their own advantages and disadvantages, summarized in our classification of one-way reversible automata. Further, we introduce a notion of quantum finite multitape automata and prove that there is a language recognized by a quantum finite multitape automaton but not by deterministic finite multitape automata. Additionally we discover unexpected probabilistic automata recognizing complicated languages. Finally, we revise the concept of quantum pushdown automata (QPA), first introduced by C.Moore and J.P.Cruthchfield in [MC 97]. We give the definition of QPA in a non-equivalent way, including unitarity criteria, by using the definition of quantum finite automata of [KW 97]. It is established that the unitary criteria of QPA are not equivalent to the corresponding unitary criteria of quantum Turing machines [BV 97]. We show that QPA can recognize every regular language. We also present some simple non-context-free languages recognized by QPA (hence not recognizable by deterministic and nondeterministic pushdown automata).