Simulations of lattice gauge theories on noisy quantum hardware inherently suffer from violations of the gauge symmetry due to coherent and incoherent errors of the underlying physical system that implements the simulation. These gauge violations cause the simulations to become unphysical requiring the result of the simulation to be discarded. We investigate an active correction scheme that relies on detecting gauge violations locally and subsequently correcting them by dissipatively driving the system back into the physical gauge sector. We show that the correction scheme not only ensures the protection of the gauge symmetry, but it also leads to a longer validity of the simulation results even within the gauge-invariant sector. Finally, we discuss further applications of the scheme such as preparation of the many-body ground state of the simulated system.Simulations of lattice gauge theories on noisy quantum hardware inherently suffer from violations of the gauge symmetry due to coherent and incoherent errors of the underlying physical system that implements the simulation. These gauge violations cause the simulations to become unphysical requiring the result of the simulation to be discarded. We investigate an active correction scheme that relies on detecting gauge violations locally and subsequently correcting them by dissipatively driving the system back into the physical gauge sector. We show that the correction scheme not only ensures the protection of the gauge symmetry, but it also leads to a longer validity of the simulation results even within the gauge-invariant sector. Finally, we discuss further applications of the scheme such as preparation of the many-body ground state of the simulated system.

Jan 1, 20240 citations

Quantum error thresholds for gauge-redundant digitizations of lattice field theories

Marcela Carena, Henry Lamm, Ying-Ying Li +1 more

In the quantum simulation of lattice gauge theories, gauge symmetry can be either fixed or encoded as a redundancy of the Hilbert space. While gauge-fixing reduces the number of qubits, keeping the gauge redundancy can provide code space to mitigate and correct quantum errors by checking and restoring Gauss’s law. In this work, we consider the correctable errors for generic finite gauge groups and design the quantum circuits to detect and correct them. We calculate the error thresholds below which the gauge-redundant digitization with Gauss’s law error correction has better fidelity than the gauge-fixed digitization involving only gauge-invariant states. Our results provide guidance for fault-tolerant quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories. Published by the American Physical Society 2024In the quantum simulation of lattice gauge theories, gauge symmetry can be either fixed or encoded as a redundancy of the Hilbert space. While gauge-fixing reduces the number of qubits, keeping the gauge redundancy can provide code space to mitigate and correct quantum errors by checking and restoring Gauss’s law. In this work, we consider the correctable errors for generic finite gauge groups and design the quantum circuits to detect and correct them. We calculate the error thresholds below which the gauge-redundant digitization with Gauss’s law error correction has better fidelity than the gauge-fixed digitization involving only gauge-invariant states. Our results provide guidance for fault-tolerant quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

arXiv:2402.16780Physical review. D/Physical review. D.Sep 23, 202422 citations

Approximate Error Correction for Quantum Simulations of SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theories

Zachary P. Bradshaw

We present a protocol for actively suppressing Gauss law violations in quantum simulations of SU(2) lattice gauge theory. Mid-circuit measurements extract a syndrome $(J,M,N)$ characterising the gauge-violation sector at each vertex by resolving both the total angular momentum and the magnetic quantum numbers of the violation through a group quantum Fourier transform. A syndrome-conditional recovery operation maps the state back to the gauge-invariant subspace, and the procedure is iterated as a sweep over vertices in a process we call gauge cooling. We prove that every single-qubit Pauli error at a coordination-four vertex with four spin- $1/2$ edges is detected by the gauge syndrome, and we show that the Knill--Laflamme conditions fail for syndrome-based recovery alone whenever the singlet multiplicity exceeds one. The residual physical-subspace errors carry a structured Pauli decomposition with vanishing $Y$ component, which suggests compatibility with concatenation by a CSS stabilizer code. We demonstrate the protocol on a single-plaquette simulation of the Kogut--Susskind Hamiltonian truncated to the spin- $1/2$ representation under depolarising and amplitude damping noise, and we observe that gauge cooling restores approximate gauge invariance and improves fidelity at noise rates representative of current superconducting hardware.We present a protocol for actively suppressing Gauss law violations in quantum simulations of SU(2) lattice gauge theory. Mid-circuit measurements extract a syndrome $(J,M,N)$ characterising the gauge-violation sector at each vertex by resolving both the total angular momentum and the magnetic quantum numbers of the violation through a group quantum Fourier transform. A syndrome-conditional recovery operation maps the state back to the gauge-invariant subspace, and the procedure is iterated as a sweep over vertices in a process we call gauge cooling. We prove that every single-qubit Pauli error at a coordination-four vertex with four spin-$1/2$ edges is detected by the gauge syndrome, and we show that the Knill--Laflamme conditions fail for syndrome-based recovery alone whenever the singlet multiplicity exceeds one. The residual physical-subspace errors carry a structured Pauli decomposition with vanishing $Y$ component, which suggests compatibility with concatenation by a CSS stabilizer code. We demonstrate the protocol on a single-plaquette simulation of the Kogut--Susskind Hamiltonian truncated to the spin-$1/2$ representation under depolarising and amplitude damping noise, and we observe that gauge cooling restores approximate gauge invariance and improves fidelity at noise rates representative of current superconducting hardware.

quant-pharXiv:2603.26819Mar 30, 20260 citations

Symmetry-protection Zeno phase transition in monitored lattice gauge theories

Matteo M. Wauters, Edoardo Ballini, Alberto Biella +1 more

Quantum measurements profoundly influence system dynamics. They lead to complex nonequilibrium phenomena like the quantum Zeno effect, and they can be used for mitigating errors in quantum simulations. Such an ability is particularly valuable for lattice gauge theories (LGTs), which require the challenging preservation of an extensive number of local conservation laws. While it is known that tailored quantum measurements can soften violations of gauge symmetry, the nature of this protection, and in particular the possibility of a threshold behavior, is still unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the existence of a sharp transition, triggered by the measurement rate, between a protected gauge-theory regime resistant to simulation errors and an irregular regime. Our results are based on the paradigmatic example of a 1+1d $\mathbb{Z}_2$ LGT. We study in detail the protection through projective measurements of ancillary qubits coupled to the local symmetry generators, and compare this approach with analog (weak) measurement protocols. We show that, while the resulting ensemble averages in the continuous-time limit share the same Liouvillian dynamics, different physical implementations of the stochastic gauge protection protocol yield trajectory unravelings with vastly different statistics. Additionally, we design an on-chip feedback mechanism that corrects bit-flip errors and significantly enhances the discrete-time scheme. Our results shed light on the dissipative criticality of strongly-interacting, highly-constrained quantum systems, and they offer valuable insights into error mitigation and correction of gauge-theory quantum simulations.Quantum measurements profoundly influence system dynamics. They lead to complex nonequilibrium phenomena like the quantum Zeno effect, and they can be used for mitigating errors in quantum simulations. Such an ability is particularly valuable for lattice gauge theories (LGTs), which require the challenging preservation of an extensive number of local conservation laws. While it is known that tailored quantum measurements can soften violations of gauge symmetry, the nature of this protection, and in particular the possibility of a threshold behavior, is still unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the existence of a sharp transition, triggered by the measurement rate, between a protected gauge-theory regime resistant to simulation errors and an irregular regime. Our results are based on the paradigmatic example of a 1+1d $\mathbb{Z}_2$ LGT. We study in detail the protection through projective measurements of ancillary qubits coupled to the local symmetry generators, and compare this approach with analog (weak) measurement protocols. We show that, while the resulting ensemble averages in the continuous-time limit share the same Liouvillian dynamics, different physical implementations of the stochastic gauge protection protocol yield trajectory unravelings with vastly different statistics. Additionally, we design an on-chip feedback mechanism that corrects bit-flip errors and significantly enhances the discrete-time scheme. Our results shed light on the dissipative criticality of strongly-interacting, highly-constrained quantum systems, and they offer valuable insights into error mitigation and correction of gauge-theory quantum simulations.

arXiv:2405.18504May 28, 20241 citation

Quantum error correction with gauge symmetries

Abhishek Rajput, Alessandro Roggero, Nathan Wiebe

Abstract Quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories (LGTs) are often formulated on an enlarged Hilbert space containing both physical and unphysical sectors in order to retain a local Hamiltonian. We provide simple fault-tolerant procedures that exploit such redundancy by combining a phase flip error correction code with the Gauss’ law constraint to correct one-qubit errors for a ${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$ Z 2 or truncated U(1) LGT in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions with a link flux cutoff of 1. Unlike existing work on detecting violations of Gauss’ law, our circuits are fault tolerant and the overall error correction scheme outperforms a naïve application of the [5, 1, 3] code. The constructions outlined can be extended to LGT systems with larger cutoffs and may be of use in understanding how to hybridize error correction and quantum simulation for LGTs in higher space-time dimensions and with different symmetry groups.Abstract Quantum simulations of lattice gauge theories (LGTs) are often formulated on an enlarged Hilbert space containing both physical and unphysical sectors in order to retain a local Hamiltonian. We provide simple fault-tolerant procedures that exploit such redundancy by combining a phase flip error correction code with the Gauss’ law constraint to correct one-qubit errors for a $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$$ Z 2 or truncated U(1) LGT in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions with a link flux cutoff of 1. Unlike existing work on detecting violations of Gauss’ law, our circuits are fault tolerant and the overall error correction scheme outperforms a naïve application of the [5, 1, 3] code. The constructions outlined can be extended to LGT systems with larger cutoffs and may be of use in understanding how to hybridize error correction and quantum simulation for LGTs in higher space-time dimensions and with different symmetry groups.

arXiv:2112.05186npj Quantum InformationApr 25, 20230 citations

Reliability of Lattice Gauge Theories

Jad C. Halimeh, Philipp Hauke

Currently, there are intense experimental efforts to realize lattice gauge theories in quantum simulators. Except for specific models, however, practical quantum simulators can never be fine-tuned to perfect local gauge invariance. There is thus a strong need for a rigorous understanding of gauge-invariance violation and how to reliably protect against it. As we show through analytic and numerical evidence, in the presence of a gauge invariance-breaking term the gauge violation accumulates only perturbatively at short times before proliferating only at very long times. This proliferation can be suppressed up to infinite times by energetically penalizing processes that drive the dynamics away from the initial gauge-invariant sector. Our results provide a theoretical basis that highlights a surprising robustness of gauge-theory quantum simulators.Currently, there are intense experimental efforts to realize lattice gauge theories in quantum simulators. Except for specific models, however, practical quantum simulators can never be fine-tuned to perfect local gauge invariance. There is thus a strong need for a rigorous understanding of gauge-invariance violation and how to reliably protect against it. As we show through analytic and numerical evidence, in the presence of a gauge invariance-breaking term the gauge violation accumulates only perturbatively at short times before proliferating only at very long times. This proliferation can be suppressed up to infinite times by energetically penalizing processes that drive the dynamics away from the initial gauge-invariant sector. Our results provide a theoretical basis that highlights a surprising robustness of gauge-theory quantum simulators.

arXiv:2001.00024Physical Review LettersJul 15, 202083 citations

We present a protocol for actively suppressing Gauss law violations in quantum simulations of SU(2) lattice gauge theory. Mid-circuit measurements extract a syndrome

(J,M,N)

characterising the gauge-violation sector at each vertex by resolving both the total angular momentum and the magnetic quantum numbers of the violation through a group quantum Fourier transform. A syndrome-conditional recovery operation maps the state back to the gauge-invariant subspace, and the procedure is iterated as a sweep over vertices in a process we call gauge cooling. We prove that every single-qubit Pauli error at a coordination-four vertex with four spin-

1/2

edges is detected by the gauge syndrome, and we show that the Knill--Laflamme conditions fail for syndrome-based recovery alone whenever the singlet multiplicity exceeds one. The residual physical-subspace errors carry a structured Pauli decomposition with vanishing

Y

component, which suggests compatibility with concatenation by a CSS stabilizer code. We demonstrate the protocol on a single-plaquette simulation of the Kogut--Susskind Hamiltonian truncated to the spin-

1/2

representation under depolarising and amplitude damping noise, and we observe that gauge cooling restores approximate gauge invariance and improves fidelity at noise rates representative of current superconducting hardware.

\mathbb{Z}_2

LGT. We study in detail the protection through projective measurements of ancillary qubits coupled to the local symmetry generators, and compare this approach with analog (weak) measurement protocols. We show that, while the resulting ensemble averages in the continuous-time limit share the same Liouvillian dynamics, different physical implementations of the stochastic gauge protection protocol yield trajectory unravelings with vastly different statistics. Additionally, we design an on-chip feedback mechanism that corrects bit-flip errors and significantly enhances the discrete-time scheme. Our results shed light on the dissipative criticality of strongly-interacting, highly-constrained quantum systems, and they offer valuable insights into error mitigation and correction of gauge-theory quantum simulations.

{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}

Z 2 or truncated U(1) LGT in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions with a link flux cutoff of 1. Unlike existing work on detecting violations of Gauss’ law, our circuits are fault tolerant and the overall error correction scheme outperforms a naïve application of the [5, 1, 3] code. The constructions outlined can be extended to LGT systems with larger cutoffs and may be of use in understanding how to hybridize error correction and quantum simulation for LGTs in higher space-time dimensions and with different symmetry groups.