Quantum walks provide a framework for designing quantum algorithms that is both intuitive and universal. To leverage the computational power of these walks, it is important to be able to programmably modify the graph a walker traverses while maintaining coherence. We do this by combining the fast, programmable control provided by optical tweezers with the scalable, homogeneous environment of an optical lattice. With these tools we study continuous-time quantum walks of single atoms on a square lattice and perform proof-of-principle demonstrations of spatial search with these walks. When scaled to more particles, the capabilities demonstrated can be extended to study a variety of problems in quantum information science, including performing more effective versions of spatial search using a larger graph with increased connectivity.
Quantum walks provide a framework for designing quantum algorithms that is both intuitive and universal. To leverage the computational power of these walks, it is important to be able to programmably modify the graph a walker traverses while maintaining coherence. We do this by combining the fast, programmable control provided by optical tweezers with the scalable, homogeneous environment of an optical lattice. With these tools we study continuous-time quantum walks of single atoms on a square lattice and perform proof-of-principle demonstrations of spatial search with these walks. When scaled to more particles, the capabilities demonstrated can be extended to study a variety of problems in quantum information science, including performing more effective versions of spatial search using a larger graph with increased connectivity.
Quantum walks in an elaborately designed graph are a powerful tool for simulating physical and topological phenomena, constructing novel quantum algorithms, and realizing universal quantum computing. Integrated photonics technology has emerged as a versatile platform for implementing a variety of quantum information tasks and as a promising candidate for performing large-scale quantum walks. Both extending physical dimensions and involving more particles will increase the complexity of the evolving systems. Pioneering studies have demonstrated a single particle walking on two-dimensional lattices and multiple walkers interfering on a one-dimensional structure. However, multiple particles evolving in a genuine two-dimensional space in a scalable fashion has remained a vacancy for nearly 10 years. We present a genuine two-dimensional quantum walk with correlated photons on a triangular photonic lattice, which is mapped to a 37 × 37 high-dimensional state space. The genuine two-dimensional quantum walk breaks through the physical restrictions of single-particle evolution, allowing for the encoding of information in large spaces and construction of high-dimensional graphs, which are beneficial for quantum information processing. Between the chip and the two-dimensional fanout interface, site-by-site addressing enables simultaneous detection of over 600 nonclassical interferences and observation of quantum correlations that violate a classical limit by 57 standard deviations. Our implementation provides a paradigm for multi-photon quantum walks in a two-dimensional configuration on a large scale, paving the way for practical quantum simulation and computation beyond the classical regime.
Quantum walks in an elaborately designed graph, is a powerful tool simulating physical and topological phenomena, constructing analog quantum algorithms and realizing universal quantum computing. Integrated photonics technology has emerged as a versatile platform to implement various quantum information tasks and a promising candidate to perform large-scale quantum walks. Both extending physical dimensions and involving more particles will increase the complexity of the evolving systems and the desired quantum resources. Pioneer works have demonstrated single particle walking on two-dimensional (2D) lattices and multiple walkers interfering on a one-dimensional structure. However, 2D multi-particle quantum walk, genuinely being not classically simulatable, has been a vacancy for nearly ten years. Here, we present a genuine 2D quantum walk with correlated photons on a triangular photonic lattice, which can be mapped to a state space up to 37X37 dimensions. This breaks through the physically restriction of single-particle evolution, which can encode information in a large space and constitute high-dimensional graphs indeed beneficial to quantum information processing. A site-by-site addressing between the chip facet and the 2D fanout interface enables an observation of over 600 non-classical interferences simultaneously, violating a classical limit up to 57 standard deviations. Our platform offers a promising prospect for multi-photon quantum walks in a large-scale 2D arrangement, paving the way for practical quantum simulation and quantum computation beyond classical regime.
One approach to the development of quantum search algorithms is the quantum walk. A spatial search can be effected by the continuous-time evolution of a single quantum particle on a lattice or graph containing a marked site. In most conceivable physical applications, however, one would rather expect to have multiple interacting particles. In bosonic systems at zero temperature, the dynamics would be well-described by a discrete non-linear Schrodinger equation. In this thesis we investigate the role of non-linearity in determining the efficiency of the spatial search algorithm within the quantum walk model, for the complete graph. Our analytical results indicate that the search time for this non-linear quantum search scales with size of the database N like square root of N, equivalent to linear spatial search time. The analytical results will be compared with numerical calculations of multiple interacting quantum walkers.
In this paper, we present a simulator for two-particle quantum walks on the line and one-particle on a two-dimensional squared lattice. It can be used to investigate the equivalence between the two cases (one- and two-particle walks) for various boundary conditions (open, circular, reflecting, absorbing and their combinations). For the case of a single walker on a two-dimensional lattice, the simulator can also implement the Möbius strip. Furthermore, other topologies for the walker are also simulated by the proposed tool, like certain types of planar graphs with degree up to 4, by considering missing links over the lattice. The main purpose of the simulator is to study the genuinely quantum effects on the global properties of the two-particle joint probability distribution on the entanglement between the walkers/axis. For that purpose, the simulator is designed to compute various quantities such as: the entanglement and classical correlations, (classical and quantum) mutual information, the average distance between the two walkers, different hitting times and quantum discord. These quantities are of vital importance in designing possible algorithmic applications of quantum walks, namely in search, 3-SAT problems, etc. The simulator can also implement the static partial measurements of particle(s) positions and dynamic breaking of the links between certain nodes, both of which can be used to investigate the effects of decoherence on the walker(s). Finally, the simulator can be used to investigate the dynamic Anderson-like particle localization by varying the coin operators of certain nodes on the line/lattice. We also present some illustrative and relevant examples of one- and two-particle quantum walks in various scenarios. The tool was implemented in C and is available on-line at http://qwsim.weebly.com/ .
Multidimensional quantum walks can exhibit highly nontrivial topological structure, providing a powerful tool for simulating quantum information and transport systems. We present a flexible implementation of a two-dimensional (2D) optical quantum walk on a lattice, demonstrating a scalable quantum walk on a nontrivial graph structure. We realized a coherent quantum walk over 12 steps and 169 positions by using an optical fiber network. With our broad spectrum of quantum coins, we were able to simulate the creation of entanglement in bipartite systems with conditioned interactions. Introducing dynamic control allowed for the investigation of effects such as strong nonlinearities or two-particle scattering. Our results illustrate the potential of quantum walks as a route for simulating and understanding complex quantum systems.
Quantum walks are the quantum mechanical analog of classical random walks and an extremely powerful tool in quantum simulations, quantum search algorithms, and even for universal quantum computing. In our work, we have designed and fabricated an 8-by-8 two-dimensional square superconducting qubit array composed of 62 functional qubits. We used this device to demonstrate high-fidelity single- and two-particle quantum walks. Furthermore, with the high programmability of the quantum processor, we implemented a Mach-Zehnder interferometer where the quantum walker coherently traverses in two paths before interfering and exiting. By tuning the disorders on the evolution paths, we observed interference fringes with single and double walkers. Our work is a milestone in the field, bringing future larger-scale quantum applications closer to realization for noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors.