We obtain the complexity geometry associated with the Hamiltonian of a quantum mechanical system, specifically in cases where the Hamiltonian is explicitly time-dependent. Using Nielsen's geometric formulation of circuit complexity, we calculate the bi-invariant cost associated with these time-dependent Hamiltonians by suitably regularizing their norms and obtain analytical expressions of the costs for several well-known time-dependent quantum mechanical systems. In particular, we show that an equivalence exists between the total costs of obtaining an operator through time evolution generated by a unit mass harmonic oscillator whose frequency depends on time, and a harmonic oscillator whose both mass and frequency are functions of time. These results are illustrated with several examples, including a specific smooth quench protocol where the comparison of time variation of the cost with other information theoretic quantities, such as the Shannon entropy, is discussed.We obtain the complexity geometry associated with the Hamiltonian of a quantum mechanical system, specifically in cases where the Hamiltonian is explicitly time-dependent. Using Nielsen's geometric formulation of circuit complexity, we calculate the bi-invariant cost associated with these time-dependent Hamiltonians by suitably regularizing their norms and obtain analytical expressions of the costs for several well-known time-dependent quantum mechanical systems. In particular, we show that an equivalence exists between the total costs of obtaining an operator through time evolution generated by a unit mass harmonic oscillator whose frequency depends on time, and a harmonic oscillator whose both mass and frequency are functions of time. These results are illustrated with several examples, including a specific smooth quench protocol where the comparison of time variation of the cost with other information theoretic quantities, such as the Shannon entropy, is discussed.

Physical review. EJan 2, 20252 citations

Geometric quantum complexity of bosonic oscillator systems

Satyaki Chowdhury, Martin Bojowald A, Jakub Mielczarek A B

A bstract According to the pioneering work of Nielsen and collaborators, the length of the minimal geodesic in a geometric realization of a suitable operator space provides a measure of the quantum complexity of an operation. Compared with the original concept of complexity based on the minimal number of gates required to construct the desired operation as a product, this geometrical approach amounts to a more concrete and computable definition, but its evaluation is nontrivial in systems with a high-dimensional Hilbert space. The geometrical formulation can more easily be evaluated by considering the geometry associated with a suitable finite-dimensional group generated by a small number of relevant operators of the system. In this way, the method has been applied in particular to the harmonic oscillator, which is also of interest in the present paper. However, subtle and previously unrecognized issues of group theory can lead to unforeseen complications, motivating a new formulation that remains on the level of the underlying Lie algebras for most of the required steps. Novel insights about complexity can thereby be found in a low-dimensional setting, with the potential of systematic extensions to higher dimensions as well as interactions. Specific examples include the quantum complexity of various target unitary operators associated with a harmonic oscillator, inverted harmonic oscillator, and coupled harmonic oscillators. The generality of this approach is demonstrated by an application to an anharmonic oscillator with a cubic term.A bstract According to the pioneering work of Nielsen and collaborators, the length of the minimal geodesic in a geometric realization of a suitable operator space provides a measure of the quantum complexity of an operation. Compared with the original concept of complexity based on the minimal number of gates required to construct the desired operation as a product, this geometrical approach amounts to a more concrete and computable definition, but its evaluation is nontrivial in systems with a high-dimensional Hilbert space. The geometrical formulation can more easily be evaluated by considering the geometry associated with a suitable finite-dimensional group generated by a small number of relevant operators of the system. In this way, the method has been applied in particular to the harmonic oscillator, which is also of interest in the present paper. However, subtle and previously unrecognized issues of group theory can lead to unforeseen complications, motivating a new formulation that remains on the level of the underlying Lie algebras for most of the required steps. Novel insights about complexity can thereby be found in a low-dimensional setting, with the potential of systematic extensions to higher dimensions as well as interactions. Specific examples include the quantum complexity of various target unitary operators associated with a harmonic oscillator, inverted harmonic oscillator, and coupled harmonic oscillators. The generality of this approach is demonstrated by an application to an anharmonic oscillator with a cubic term.

arXiv:2307.13736Journal of High Energy PhysicsOct 4, 20247 citations

Time Evolution of Quadratic Quantum Systems: Evolution Operators, Propagators, and Invariants

Sh. M. Nagiyev, A. I. Ahmadov

We use the evolution operator method to describe time-dependent quadratic quantum systems in the framework of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. For simplicity, we consider a free particle with a variable mass M(t), a particle with a variable mass M(t) in an alternating homogeneous field, and a harmonic oscillator with a variable mass M(t) and frequency ω(t) subject to a variable force F(t). To construct the evolution operators for these systems in an explicit disentangled form, we use a simple technique to find the general solution of a certain class of differential and finite-difference nonstationary Schrödinger-type equations of motion and also the operator identities of the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff type. With known evolution operators, we can easily find the most general form of the propagators, invariants of any order, and wave functions and establish a unitary relation between systems. Results known in the literature follow from the obtained general results as particular cases.We use the evolution operator method to describe time-dependent quadratic quantum systems in the framework of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. For simplicity, we consider a free particle with a variable mass M(t), a particle with a variable mass M(t) in an alternating homogeneous field, and a harmonic oscillator with a variable mass M(t) and frequency ω(t) subject to a variable force F(t). To construct the evolution operators for these systems in an explicit disentangled form, we use a simple technique to find the general solution of a certain class of differential and finite-difference nonstationary Schrödinger-type equations of motion and also the operator identities of the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff type. With known evolution operators, we can easily find the most general form of the propagators, invariants of any order, and wave functions and establish a unitary relation between systems. Results known in the literature follow from the obtained general results as particular cases.

Theoretical and Mathematical PhysicsMar 1, 20198 citations

The Geometry of Quantum Complexity in Open Systems

Ezra Acalapati, Kausik Ghosh, Giuseppe Policastro

We extend Nielsen's geometric approach for quantum complexity from closed to open quantum systems, whose dynamics is governed by Lindbladian evolution. In this framework, complexity is defined through an optimal-control problem on the space of mixed states, with a cost assigned to both unitary and non-unitary generators. We show that the resulting geometric structure differs fundamentally from the Riemannian geometry that emerges in the case of unitary evolution. In the open-system setting, the natural geometry is typically sub-Finslerian. Dissipation makes the geodesics non-reversible, while the admissible tangent directions are restricted by the physically allowed controls. We analyze several physically motivated examples, including a single qubit subject to depolarizing and amplitude-damping channels, as well as the damped harmonic oscillator. We show that, similarly to the unitary case, varying the penalty factors in the cost functional modifies the geometric properties through changes in the flag curvature, the Finslerian analog of sectional curvature. Our results provide a geometric framework for quantifying the abstract notion of complexity in dissipative quantum systems, with potential connections to experimentally realizable setups.We extend Nielsen's geometric approach for quantum complexity from closed to open quantum systems, whose dynamics is governed by Lindbladian evolution. In this framework, complexity is defined through an optimal-control problem on the space of mixed states, with a cost assigned to both unitary and non-unitary generators. We show that the resulting geometric structure differs fundamentally from the Riemannian geometry that emerges in the case of unitary evolution. In the open-system setting, the natural geometry is typically sub-Finslerian. Dissipation makes the geodesics non-reversible, while the admissible tangent directions are restricted by the physically allowed controls. We analyze several physically motivated examples, including a single qubit subject to depolarizing and amplitude-damping channels, as well as the damped harmonic oscillator. We show that, similarly to the unitary case, varying the penalty factors in the cost functional modifies the geometric properties through changes in the flag curvature, the Finslerian analog of sectional curvature. Our results provide a geometric framework for quantifying the abstract notion of complexity in dissipative quantum systems, with potential connections to experimentally realizable setups.

quant-pharXiv:2607.08411Jul 10, 20260 citations

Time-dependent quantum geometric tensor and some applications

Bogar Díaz, Diego González, Marcos J. Hernández +1 more

Abstract We define a time-dependent extension of the quantum geometric tensor to describe the geometry of the time-parameter space for a quantum state by considering small variations in both time and wave function parameters. Compared to the standard quantum geometric tensor, this tensor introduces new temporal components, enabling the analysis of systems with non-time-separable or explicitly time-dependent quantum states and encoding new information about these systems. In particular, the time-time component of this tensor is related to the energy dispersion of the system. We applied this framework to a harmonic/inverted oscillator, a time-dependent harmonic oscillator, and a chain of generalized harmonic/inverted oscillators. We show some results on the scalar curvature associated with the time-dependent quantum geometric tensor and the generalized Berry curvature behavior on the transition from harmonic oscillators to inverted ones. Furthermore, we analyze the entanglement for the chain through purity analysis, obtaining that the purity for any excited state is zero in the mentioned transitions.Abstract We define a time-dependent extension of the quantum geometric tensor to describe the geometry of the time-parameter space for a quantum state by considering small variations in both time and wave function parameters. Compared to the standard quantum geometric tensor, this tensor introduces new temporal components, enabling the analysis of systems with non-time-separable or explicitly time-dependent quantum states and encoding new information about these systems. In particular, the time-time component of this tensor is related to the energy dispersion of the system. We applied this framework to a harmonic/inverted oscillator, a time-dependent harmonic oscillator, and a chain of generalized harmonic/inverted oscillators. We show some results on the scalar curvature associated with the time-dependent quantum geometric tensor and the generalized Berry curvature behavior on the transition from harmonic oscillators to inverted ones. Furthermore, we analyze the entanglement for the chain through purity analysis, obtaining that the purity for any excited state is zero in the mentioned transitions.

arXiv:2502.01788Physica ScriptaJun 26, 20253 citations

Geometric Complexity of Quantum Channels via Unitary Dilations

Alberto Acevedo, Antonio Falcó

Nielsen's geometric approach to quantum circuit complexity provides a Riemannian framework for quantifying the cost of implementing unitary closed-system dynamics. For open evolutions, the reduced dynamics is described by time-dependent families of quantum channels $\{Λ_t\}_{t\ge 0}$ admitting many inequivalent Stinespring realizations, so any meaningful complexity notion must specify which microscopic resources are counted and which transformations are treated as gauge. We develop a dilation-based geometric complexity framework that distinguishes implementation-dependent complexity, attached to a specific realization, from intrinsic channel complexity obtained by minimizing over a physically admissible class of dilations. The proposed functional is subtractive: it removes purely environmental contributions from the geometric cost of the joint unitary realization. The subtraction is derived from concise structural postulates --- closed-system consistency, environment-only neutrality, and invariance under dilation gauge transformations --- and admits a natural variational and geometric interpretation. We also define noise complexity as a companion quantity measuring the geometric deviation of a noisy implementation from a prescribed ideal closed-system evolution. In the Hilbert-Schmidt setting, we establish coherence-based lower bounds for unitary and noise complexity, prove linear time scaling under time-homogeneous dilation models, and obtain dissipator-controlled bounds in the Markovian GKSL regime. We illustrate the framework on canonical single-qubit benchmark channels: dephasing, amplitude damping, and Pauli/depolarizing noise.Nielsen's geometric approach to quantum circuit complexity provides a Riemannian framework for quantifying the cost of implementing unitary closed-system dynamics. For open evolutions, the reduced dynamics is described by time-dependent families of quantum channels $\{Λ_t\}_{t\ge 0}$ admitting many inequivalent Stinespring realizations, so any meaningful complexity notion must specify which microscopic resources are counted and which transformations are treated as gauge. We develop a dilation-based geometric complexity framework that distinguishes implementation-dependent complexity, attached to a specific realization, from intrinsic channel complexity obtained by minimizing over a physically admissible class of dilations. The proposed functional is subtractive: it removes purely environmental contributions from the geometric cost of the joint unitary realization. The subtraction is derived from concise structural postulates --- closed-system consistency, environment-only neutrality, and invariance under dilation gauge transformations --- and admits a natural variational and geometric interpretation. We also define noise complexity as a companion quantity measuring the geometric deviation of a noisy implementation from a prescribed ideal closed-system evolution. In the Hilbert-Schmidt setting, we establish coherence-based lower bounds for unitary and noise complexity, prove linear time scaling under time-homogeneous dilation models, and obtain dissipator-controlled bounds in the Markovian GKSL regime. We illustrate the framework on canonical single-qubit benchmark channels: dephasing, amplitude damping, and Pauli/depolarizing noise.

quant-pharXiv:2601.00735Jan 5, 20260 citations

\{Λ_t\}_{t\ge 0}

admitting many inequivalent Stinespring realizations, so any meaningful complexity notion must specify which microscopic resources are counted and which transformations are treated as gauge. We develop a dilation-based geometric complexity framework that distinguishes implementation-dependent complexity, attached to a specific realization, from intrinsic channel complexity obtained by minimizing over a physically admissible class of dilations. The proposed functional is subtractive: it removes purely environmental contributions from the geometric cost of the joint unitary realization. The subtraction is derived from concise structural postulates --- closed-system consistency, environment-only neutrality, and invariance under dilation gauge transformations --- and admits a natural variational and geometric interpretation. We also define noise complexity as a companion quantity measuring the geometric deviation of a noisy implementation from a prescribed ideal closed-system evolution. In the Hilbert-Schmidt setting, we establish coherence-based lower bounds for unitary and noise complexity, prove linear time scaling under time-homogeneous dilation models, and obtain dissipator-controlled bounds in the Markovian GKSL regime. We illustrate the framework on canonical single-qubit benchmark channels: dephasing, amplitude damping, and Pauli/depolarizing noise.