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arXiv:2303.04818 · SciPost Physics

Quantum simulation of colour in perturbative quantum chromodynamics

Herschel A. Chawdhry, Mathieu Pellen

Published Nov 24, 2023• 12 citations
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Abstract

Quantum computers are expected to give major speed-ups for the simulation of quantum systems. In this work, we present quantum gates that simulate the colour part of the interactions of quarks and gluons in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD). As a first application, we implement these circuits on a simulated noiseless quantum computer and use them to calculate colour factors for various examples of Feynman diagrams. This work constitutes a first key step towards a quantum simulation of generic scattering processes in perturbative QCD.

DOI
10.21468/scipostphys.15.5.205

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Quantum computers are expected to give major speed-ups for the simulation of quantum systems. In this work, we present quantum gates that simulate the colour part of the interactions of quarks and gluons in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD). As a first application, we implement these circuits on a simulated noiseless quantum computer and use them to calculate colour factors for various examples of Feynman diagrams. This work constitutes a first key step towards a quantum simulation of generic scattering processes in perturbative QCD.
Quantum computers are expected to give major speed-ups for the simulation of quantum systems. In these conference proceedings, we discuss quantum algorithms for the simulation of perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) processes. In particular, we describe quantum circuits for simulating the colour part of the interactions of quarks and gluons. We implement our circuits on a simulated noiseless quantum computer and validate them by calculating colour factors for various examples of Feynman diagrams.
A flagship application of quantum computers is the simulation of other quantum systems, including quantum field theories. In this article, we show how quantum computers can be employed to naturally calculate Feynman diagrams and their interferences in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). We simulate the colour parts of the interactions directly on the quantum computer, while the kinematic parts are for now pre-computed classically. For processes where some of the external particles are identical, we find the first hints of a potential quantum advantage. We validate our techniques using simulated quantum computers. Furthermore, for toy examples we also demonstrate our algorithms on a 56-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer. The work constitutes a further key step towards a full quantum simulation of generic perturbative QCD processes.
Theoretical predictions for high-energy collision processes at particle colliders, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), rely on calculations in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), which are often computationally challenging. In these conference proceedings, we explore the possibility of using quantum computers to simulate QCD processes in the perturbative QCD regime. In particular, as a first step towards that goal, we present quantum circuits to simulate the colour part of perturbative QCD. The circuits are validated by implementing them on a simulated quantum computer and verifying the colour factors for several example Feynman diagrams.
Abstract A flagship application of quantum computers is the simulation of other quantum systems, including quantum field theories. In this article, we show how quantum computers can be employed to naturally calculate Feynman diagrams and their interferences in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). We simulate the colour parts of the interactions directly on the quantum computer, while the kinematic parts are for now pre-computed classically. For processes where some of the external particles are identical, we find the first hints of a potential quantum advantage. We validate our techniques using simulated quantum computers. Furthermore, for toy examples we also demonstrate our algorithms on a 56-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer. The work constitutes a further key step towards a full quantum simulation of generic perturbative QCD processes.
Quantum chromodynamics (QCD)---the theory of quarks and gluons---has been studied for decades, but it is yet to be fully understood. A recent example is the prediction and experimental discovery of tetraquarks, which opened a new research field. Crucially, numerous unsolved questions regarding the standard model can exclusively be addressed by nonperturbative calculations. Quantum computers can solve problems for which well-established QCD methods are inapplicable, such as real-time evolution. We take a key step in exploring this possibility by designing a real-time evolution of tetraquark and pentaquark physics in one-dimensional SU(3) gauge theory. We also perform an experiment on a superconducting quantum computer demonstrating an elementary cell consisting of two staggered sites containing quarks and antiquarks with all three colors. This experiment represents an exciting step in quantum computation involving quarks with the gauge group of QCD.
The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram, which reveals the state of strongly interacting matter at different temperatures and densities, is key to answering open questions in physics, ranging from the behaviour of particles in neutron stars to the conditions of the early universe. However, classical simulations of QCD face significant computational barriers, such as the sign problem at finite matter densities. Quantum computing offers a promising solution to overcome these challenges. Here, we take an important step toward exploring the QCD phase diagram with quantum devices by preparing thermal states in one-dimensional non-Abelian gauge theories. We experimentally simulate the thermal states of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories at finite densities on a trapped-ion quantum computer using a variational method. This is achieved by introducing two features: Firstly, we add motional ancillae to the existing qubit register to efficiently prepare thermal probability distributions. Secondly, we introduce charge-singlet measurements to enforce colour-neutrality constraints. This work pioneers the quantum simulation of QCD at finite density and temperature for two and three colours, laying the foundation to explore QCD phenomena on quantum platforms. Quantum simulations of the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics faces hard challenges, such as having to prepare mixed states and enforcing the non-Abelian gauge symmetry constraints. Here, the authors show how to solve the two above problems in a trapped-ion device using motional ancillae and charge-singlet measurements.