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arXiv:2305.14276 · Combinatorial Theory

Pretty good state transfer among large sets of vertices

Ada Chan, Peter Sin

Published Sep 27, 2024• 2 citations
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Abstract

In a continuous-time quantum walk on a network of qubits, pretty good state transfer is the phenomenon of state transfer between two vertices with fidelity arbitrarily close to 1. We construct families of graphs to demonstrate that there is no bound on the size of a set of vertices that admits pretty good state transfer between any two vertices of the set.Mathematics Subject Classifications: 05C50, 05C38Keywords: Continuous-time quantum walks, pretty good state transfer

DOI
10.5070/c64264238

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In a continuous-time quantum walk on a network of qubits, pretty good state transfer is the phenomenon of state transfer between two vertices with fidelity arbitrarily close to 1. We construct families of graphs to demonstrate that there is no bound on the size of a set of vertices that admits pretty good state transfer between any two vertices of the set.Mathematics Subject Classifications: 05C50, 05C38Keywords: Continuous-time quantum walks, pretty good state transfer
Quantum computing is believed to provide many advantages over traditional computing, particularly considering the speed at which computations can be performed. One of the challenges that needs to be resolved in order to construct a quantum computer is the transmission of information from one part of the computer to another. Quantum walks, the quantum analogues of classical random walks, provide one potential method for resolving this challenge. \n \nIn this thesis, we use techniques from algebraic graph theory and number theory to analyze the mathematical model for continuous time quantum walks on graphs. For the continuous time quantum walk model, we define a transition operator, which is a function of a Hamiltonian. We focus on the cases where the adjacency matrix or the Laplacian of a graph act as the Hamiltionian. We mainly consider quantum walks on paths as a model for spin chains, which are the underlying basis of a quantum communication protocol. \n \nFor communication to be efficient, we desire states to be transferred with high fidelity, a measure of the amount of similarity between the transmitted state and the received state. At the maximum fidelity of 1, we say we have achieved perfect state transfer. Examples of perfect state transfer are relatively rare, so the concept of pretty good state transfer was introduced as a natural relaxation, which exists if fidelities arbitrarily close to 1 are obtained. \n \nOur first main result is to characterize pretty good state transfer on paths. Previously, pretty good state transfer on paths was considered mainly for the end vertices, though results for both models indicated that if there was pretty good state transfer between the end vertices, then there was pretty good state transfer between internal vertices equidistant from each end. We complete the characterization by demonstrating, for the adjacency matrix model, a family of paths where pretty good state transfer exists between internal vertices but not between end vertices, and verifying that no other example exists. For the Laplacian model, we show that there are no paths with pretty good state transfer between internal vertices but not between the end vertices. \n \nOur second main result considers initial states involving multiple vertices. Under the adjacency matrix model, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for pretty good state transfer in a particular family of paths in terms of the eigenvalue support of the initial state. We also discuss recent results on fractional revival, which is another form of multiple qubit state transfer.
Pretty good state transfer in networks of qubits occurs when a continuous-time quantum walk allows the transmission of a qubit state from one node of the network to another, with fidelity arbitrarily close to 1. We prove that in a Heisenberg chain with n qubits, there is pretty good state transfer between the nodes at the jth and (n − j + 1)th positions if n is a power of 2. Moreover, this condition is also necessary for j = 1. We obtain this result by applying a theorem due to Kronecker about Diophantine approximations, together with techniques from algebraic graph theory.
Pretty good state transfer in networks of qubits occurs when a continuous-time quantum walk allows the transmission of a qubit state from one node of the network to another, with fidelity arbitrarily close to 1. We prove that in a Heisenberg chain with n qubits, there is pretty good state transfer between the nodes at the jth and (n − j + 1)th positions if n is a power of 2. Moreover, this condition is also necessary for j = 1. We obtain this result by applying a theorem due to Kronecker about Diophantine approximations, together with techniques from algebraic graph theory.
We introduce and study peak state transfer, a notion of high state transfer in qubit networks modeled by continuous-time quantum walks. Unlike perfect or pretty good state transfer, peak state transfer does not require fidelity arbitrarily close to 1, but crucially allows for an explicit determination of the time at which transfer occurs. We provide a spectral characterization of peak state transfer, which allows us to find many examples of peak state transfer, and we also establish tight lower bounds on fidelity and success probability. As a central example, we construct a family of weighted path graphs that admit peak state transfer over arbitrarily long distances with transfer probability approaching π/4≈0.78π/4 \approx 0.78π/4≈0.78. These graphs offer exponentially improved sensitivity over known perfect state transfer examples such as the weighted paths related to hypercubes, making them practical candidates for efficient quantum wires.
Abstract We establish the theory for pretty good state transfer in discrete-time quantum walks. For a class of walks, we show that pretty good state transfer is characterized by the spectrum of certain Hermitian adjacency matrix of the graph; more specifically, the vertices involved in pretty good state transfer must be strongly cospectral relative to this matrix, and the arccosines of its eigenvalues must satisfy some number theoretic conditions. Using normalized adjacency matrices, cyclic covers, and the theory on linear relations between geodetic angles, we construct several infinite families of walks that exhibits this phenomenon.
We study pretty good quantum state transfer (i.e., state transfer that becomes arbitrarily close to perfect) between vertices of graphs with an involution in the presence of an energy potential. In particular, we show that if a graph has an involution that fixes at least one vertex or at least one edge, then there exists a choice of potential on the vertex set of the graph for which we get pretty good state transfer between symmetric vertices of the graph. We show further that in many cases, the potential can be chosen so that it is only non-zero at the vertices between which we want pretty good state transfer. As a special case of this, we show that such a potential can be chosen on the endpoints of a path to induce pretty good state transfer in paths of any length. This is in contrast to the result of [6], in which the authors show that there cannot be perfect state transfer in paths of length 4 or more, no matter what potential is chosen.