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arXiv:2312.06906 · Discrete Mathematics

Quantum walks on join graphs

Steve Kirkland, Hermie Monterde

Published Oct 8, 2025• 2 citations
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Abstract

The join X ∨ Y of two graphs X and Y is the graph obtained by joining each vertex of X to each vertex of Y . We explore the behaviour of a continuous quantum walk on a join graph with positive edge weights having the adjacency matrix or Laplacian matrix as its associated Hamiltonian, where the underlying graphs are assumed to be regular when dealing with the adjacency matrix. We characterize strong cospectrality, periodicity and perfect state transfer (PST) in a join graph. We also determine conditions in which strong cospectrality, periodicity and PST are preserved in the join. Under certain conditions, we show that there are graphs with no PST that exhibit PST when joined with another graph. We also show that | | U M ( X ∨ Y , t ) u , v | − | U M ( X , t ) u , v | | ≤ 2 | V ( X ) | for all vertices u and v of X , where U M ( X ∨ Y , t ) and U M ( X , t ) denote the transition matrices of X ∨ Y and X respectively relative to the adjacency or Laplacian matrix. We demonstrate that the bound 2 | V ( X ) | is tight for infinite families of graphs.

DOI
10.1016/j.disc.2025.114832

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This paper is a sequel to the work of Bhattacharjya et al. (2024) [2] on quantum state transfer on blow-up graphs, where instead of the adjacency matrix, we take the Laplacian matrix as the time-independent Hamiltonian associated with a blow-up graph. We characterize Laplacian strong cospectrality, periodicity, perfect state transfer (LPST) and pretty good state transfer (LPGST) on blow-up graphs. We present several constructions of blow-up graphs with LPST and produce new infinite families of regular graphs where each vertex is involved in LPST. We also determine LPST and LPGST in blow-ups of classes of trees. Finally, if n ≡ 0 (mod 4), then the blow-up of n copies of a graph has no LPST, but we show that under certain conditions, the addition of an appropriate matching to this blow-up graph results in LPST.
Quantum spin systems carry information in the form of quantum states, and the propagation of these quantum states is described by a quantum walk. In order to construct an operational quantum computer, the task of reliably transmitting quantum states from one part of a quantum computer to another must be accomplished. Quantum walks are known to be powerful tools in achieving this task. Pure states are quantum states represented by unit complex vectors. In this thesis, we use algebraic and combinatorial techniques to develop the theory of perfect state transfer on pure states in quantum walks, with emphasis on the adjacency and Laplacian matrices as Hamiltonians of a graph representing a spin network. We prove basic results about eigenvalue supports, periodicity, and strong cospectrality on pure states. We investigate a special type of strong cospectrality called m-strong cospectrality, and show that m-strongly cospectral pure states admit desirable quantum state transfer properties. Several characterisations of perfect state transfer are also given, one for general pure states, one for m-strongly pure states, and another one for real pure states. These characterisations give rise to algebraic and analytic properties of pure states admitting perfect state transfer. Moreover, we determine all complete graphs, complete bipartite graphs, cycles, and paths that admit perfect state transfer between m-strongly pure states. Constructions of infinite families of graphs admitting perfect state transfer are also given. We also characterise perfect state transfer between vertex states in joins and blowup graphs. We determine when the join operation preserves or induces perfect state transfer in the resulting graph. We also use blow-up graphs to construct new families of regular graphs with perfect state transfer. We use these two graph operations to demonstrate that graphs with perfect state transfer can be constructed from graphs that do not exhibit such a property. Finally, we investigate perfect state transfer on s-pair states – pure states that represent entanglement between two vertices. We establish combinatorial and spectral properties of s-pair states with perfect state transfer, and characterise its existence in complete graphs, complete bipartite graphs, paths and distance-regular graphs. Further, we construct infinite families of graphs with s-pair state transfer.
In this paper, we define directed partial join graphs with signed couplings and construct discrete-time quantum-walk transition operators for these graphs using the shunt-decomposition framework. The resulting transition operators apply to several important graph families, including complete graphs with loops, circulant partial joins, complete bipartite graphs, tensor powers of complete bipartite graphs, all with signed couplings. For each family, we identify the corresponding structure of the transition operator and derive necessary and sufficient conditions for periodicity and perfect state transfer (PST), when one of the two directed regular graphs admits PST. Based on these results, we identify two types of state transfer; internal PST, which occurs between vertices within the same graph, and coupling PST, which occurs between two components of join graphs. We further develop a double-cover construction for directed partial join graphs and derive conditions for periodicity and PST when the associated transition operators do not necessarily commute. Using this construction, we establish PST results for double covers of complete graphs with loops. In particular, we provide an example in which the complete graph KnK_nKn​ does not exhibit PST for n≥4n\geq4n≥4, whereas a suitable partial join of KnK_nKn​ exhibits PST when n=2mn=2^mn=2m, m≥2m\geq2m≥2. Hence, these results extend the class of graph families admitting PST in shunt-decomposition-based quantum walks and provide a unified framework for studying quantum state transfer in graph joins, products, and covers.
Let G be a graph and let t be a positive real number. Then the evolution of the continuous quantum walk defined on G is described by the transition matrix U(t)=exp(itH).The matrix H is called Hamiltonian. So far the most studied quantum walks are the ones whose Hamiltonians are the adjacency matrices of the underlying graphs and initial states are vertex states e_a, with e_a being the characteristic vector of vertex a. \n \nThis thesis focuses on Laplacian edge state transfer, that is, the quantum walks whose initial states are edge states e_a-e_b and Hamiltonians are the Laplacians of the underlying graphs. So far the research about perfect state transfer only involves vertex states and Laplacian edge state transfer has not been studied before. We extend the known results of perfect vertex state transfer and periodicity of vertex states to Laplacian edge state transfer. \n \nWe prove two useful closure properties for perfect Laplacian edge state transfer. One is that complementation preserves perfect edge state transfer. The other is that if G has perfect Laplacian edge state transfer at time τ and H has perfect Laplacian vertex state transfer also at time τ, then with some mild assumption on the pairs of vertex states and edge states that have perfect state transfer, the Cartesian product G □ H also admits perfect edge state transfer. Those two properties provide us new ways to construct graphs with perfect Laplacian edge state transfer. We also observe one phenomenon that happens in Laplacian edge state transfer which never happens in vertex state transfer: if there is perfect state transfer from e_a-e_b to e_α-e_β and also from e_b-e_c to e_β-e_γ at the same time t in G, then G admits perfect state transfer from e_a-e_c to e_α-e_γ at time t. \n \nWe give characterizations of perfect Laplacian edge state transfer in cycles, paths and complete bipartite graphs K_{2,4n}. We study perfect state transfer and periodicity on edge states with special spectral features. We also consider the case when the unsigned Laplacian is Hamiltonian and initial states are plus states of the form e_a+e_b. In this case, we characterize perfect state transfer in paths, cycles and bipartite graphs. \nWe close this thesis by a list of open questions.
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