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arXiv:2402.13994

Clifford circuits over non-cyclic abelian groups

Milo Moses, Jacek Horecki, Konrad Deka, Jan Tułowiecki

Published Feb 21, 2024• 0 citations
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Abstract

We present a discussion of the generalized Clifford group over non-cyclic finite abelian groups. These Clifford groups appear naturally in the theory of topological error correction and abelian anyon models. We demonstrate a generalized Gottesman-Knill theorem, stating that every Clifford circuit can be efficiently classically simulated. We additionally provide circuits for a universal quantum computing scheme based on local two-qudit Clifford gates and magic states.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2402.13994

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We present a discussion of the generalized Clifford group over non-cyclic finite abelian groups. These Clifford groups appear naturally in the theory of topological error correction and abelian anyon models. We demonstrate a generalized Gottesman-Knill theorem, stating that every Clifford circuit can be efficiently classically simulated. We additionally provide circuits for a universal quantum computing scheme based on local two-qudit Clifford gates and magic states.
Abstract Associated to every finite abelian group G , there is a generalization of qubit Clifford group associated to G . We demonstrate that every G -Clifford gate can be decomposed into some distinguished elementary types: Fourier transforms, quadratic phase gates, and automorphism gates. Combined with earlier results on classical simulation of normalizer circuits, this implies a generalized Gottesman-Knill-type result. We additionally provide circuits for a universal quantum computing scheme based on local two-qudit G -Clifford gates and magic states.
Quantum normalizer circuits were recently introduced as generalizations of Clifford circuits: a normalizer circuit over a finite Abelian group G is composed of the quantum Fourier transform (QFT) over G, together with gates which compute quadratic functions and automorphisms. In \cite{VDNest_12_QFTs} it was shown that every normalizer circuit can be simulated efficiently classically. This result provides a nontrivial example of a family of quantum circuits that cannot yield exponential speed-ups in spite of usage of the QFT, the latter being a central quantum algorithmic primitive. Here we extend the aforementioned result in several ways. Most importantly, we show that normalizer circuits supplemented with intermediate measurements can also be simulated efficiently classically, even when the computation proceeds adaptively. This yields a generalization of the Gottesman-Knill theorem (valid for n-qubit Clifford operations) to quantum circuits described by arbitrary finite Abelian groups. Moreover, our simulations are twofold: we present efficient classical algorithms to sample the measurement probability distribution of any adaptive-normalizer computation, as well as to compute the amplitudes of the state vector in every step of it. Finally we develop a generalization of the stabilizer formalism relative to arbitrary finite Abelian groups: for example we characterize how to update stabilizers under generalized Pauli measurements and provide a normal form of the amplitudes of generalized stabilizer states using quadratic functions and subgroup cosets.
The quantum Fourier transform (QFT) is an important ingredient in various quantum algorithms which achieve superpolynomial speed-ups over classical computers. In this paper we study under which conditions the QFT can be simulated efficiently classically. We introduce a class of quantum circuits, called \emph{normalizer circuits}: a normalizer circuit over a finite Abelian group is any quantum circuit comprising the QFT over the group, gates which compute automorphisms and gates which realize quadratic functions on the group. In our main result we prove that all normalizer circuits have polynomial-time classical simulations. The proof uses algorithms for linear diophantine equation solving and the monomial matrix formalism introduced in our earlier work. Our result generalizes the Gottesman-Knill theorem: in particular, Clifford circuits for ddd-level qudits arise as normalizer circuits over the group Zdm{\mathbf Z}_d^mZdm​. We also highlight connections between normalizer circuits and Shor's factoring algorithm, and the Abelian hidden subgroup problem in general. Finally we prove that quantum factoring cannot be realized as a normalizer circuit owing to its modular exponentiation subroutine.
We study the computational power of unitary Clifford circuits with solely magic state inputs (CM circuits), supplemented by classical efficient computation. We show that CM circuits are hard to classically simulate up to multiplicative error (assuming polynomial hierarchy non-collapse), and also up to additive error under plausible average-case hardness conjectures. Unlike other such known classes, a broad variety of possible conjectures apply. Along the way, we give an extension of the Gottesman-Knill theorem that applies to universal computation, showing that for Clifford circuits with joint stabilizer and non-stabilizer inputs, the stabilizer part can be eliminated in favour of classical simulation, leaving a Clifford circuit on only the non-stabilizer part. Finally, we discuss implementational advantages of CM circuits.
We study the computational power of unitary Clifford circuits with solely magic state inputs (CM circuits), supplemented by classical efficient computation. We show that CM circuits are hard to classically simulate up to multiplicative error (assuming polynomial hierarchy non-collapse), and also up to additive error under plausible average-case hardness conjectures. Unlike other such known classes, a broad variety of possible conjectures apply. Along the way, we give an extension of the Gottesman-Knill theorem that applies to universal computation, showing that for Clifford circuits with joint stabilizer and non-stabilizer inputs, the stabilizer part can be eliminated in favour of classical simulation, leaving a Clifford circuit on only the non-stabilizer part. Finally, we discuss implementational advantages of CM circuits.
Clifford gates are a winsome class of quantum operations combining mathematical elegance with physical significance. The Gottesman-Knill theorem asserts that Clifford computations can be classically efficiently simulated but this is true only in a suitably restricted setting. Here we consider Clifford computations with a variety of additional ingredients: (a) strong vs. weak simulation, (b) inputs being computational basis states vs. general product states, (c) adaptive vs. non-adaptive choices of gates for circuits involving intermediate measurements, (d) single line outputs vs. multi-line outputs. We consider the classical simulation complexity of all combinations of these ingredients and show that many are not classically efficiently simulatable (subject to common complexity assumptions such as P not equal to NP). Our results reveal a surprising proximity of classical to quantum computing power viz. a class of classically simulatable quantum circuits which yields universal quantum computation if extended by a purely classical additional ingredient that does not extend the class of quantum processes occurring.