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arXiv:2405.19293 · Quantum

Fault-tolerant simulation of Lattice Gauge Theories with gauge covariant codes

Luca Spagnoli, Alessandro Roggero, Nathan Wiebe

Published Jan 16, 2026• 6 citations
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Abstract

We show in this paper that a strong and easy connection exists between quantum error correction and Lattice Gauge Theories (LGT) by using the Gauge symmetry to construct an efficient error-correcting code for Abelian Z 2 LGTs. We identify the logical operations on this gauge covariant code and show that the corresponding Hamiltonian can be expressed in terms of these logical operations while preserving the locality of the interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these substitutions actually give a new way of writing the LGT as an equivalent hardcore boson model. Finally we demonstrate a method to perform fault-tolerant time evolution of the Hamiltonian within the gauge covariant code using both product formulas and qubitization approaches. This opens up the possibility of inexpensive end to end dynamical simulations that save physical qubits by blurring the lines between simulation algorithms and quantum error correcting codes.

DOI
10.22331/q-2026-01-16-1968

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We show in this paper that a strong and easy connection exists between quantum error correction and Lattice Gauge Theories (LGT) by using the Gauge symmetry to construct an efficient error-correcting code for Abelian Z 2 LGTs. We identify the logical operations on this gauge covariant code and show that the corresponding Hamiltonian can be expressed in terms of these logical operations while preserving the locality of the interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these substitutions actually give a new way of writing the LGT as an equivalent hardcore boson model. Finally we demonstrate a method to perform fault-tolerant time evolution of the Hamiltonian within the gauge covariant code using both product formulas and qubitization approaches. This opens up the possibility of inexpensive end to end dynamical simulations that save physical qubits by blurring the lines between simulation algorithms and quantum error correcting codes.
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 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.
Qudit stabiliser codes for ZN\mathbb{Z}_NZN​ lattice gauge theories with matter
In this work we extend the connection between Quantum Error Correction (QEC) and Lattice Gauge Theories (LGTs) by showing that a ZN\mathbb{Z}_NZN​ gauge theory with prime dimension NNN coupled to dynamical matter can be expressed as a qudit stabilizer code. Using the stabilizer formalism we show how to formulate an exact mapping of the encoded ZN\mathbb{Z}_NZN​ gauge theory onto two different bosonic models, uncovering a logical duality generated by error correction itself. From this perspective, quantum error correction provides a unifying language to expose dual descriptions of lattice gauge theories. In addition, we generalize earlier Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ constructions on qubits to ZN\mathbb{Z}_NZN​ on NNN-level qudits and demonstrate how universal fault-tolerant gates can be implemented via state injection between compatible qudit codes.
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 Z2{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}Z2​ 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.
Gauge theories and quantum error-correcting codes share the same underlying structure: both use constraints to identify a specific subspace of the full Hilbert space. In quantum error correction, these constraints are known as stabilizers, while in gauge theories they correspond to Gauss law. In this work, we consider a family of discrete Abelian lattice gauge theories described by a ZN\mathbb{Z}_{N}ZN​ gauge group with NNN an arbitrary power of two. In this setting, we find a set of stabilizers for the gauge-invariant subspace which is an alternative to the Gauss operators, and we call them binary Gauss stabilizers. We use this alternative stabilizer group to build practical error-correcting codes exploiting the gauge symmetries of the system without the addition of extra qubits. The applications of our finding are not limited to error correction though. We also provide a new strategy of gauge fixing to remove the redundancies based on our alternative stabilizer, which might provide advantages with respect to already-existing approaches such as the axial gauge. Our results provide new tools to study lattice gauge theories and their quantum simulation, and opens directions for future work at the interface of lattice gauge theory and quantum information.
We develop a comprehensive framework for constructing quantum error correcting codes (QECCs) from Abelian lattice gauge theories (LGTs) using quantum reference frames (QRFs) as a unifying formalism. We consider LGTs with arbitrary compact Abelian gauge groups supported on lattices in arbitrary numbers of spatial dimensions, and we work with both pure gauge theories and theories with couplings to bosonic and fermionic matter. The codes that we construct fall into two classes: First, Gauss law codes identify the code subspace with the full gauge-invariant sector of the theory. In models with matter coupled to gauge fields, these codes inherit a natural subsystem structure in which gauge-invariant Wilson loops and dressed matter excitations factorize the code space. Second, vacuum codes restrict the code subspace to the matter vacuum sector within the gauge-invariant subspace, yielding codes where errors correspond to gauge-invariant charge excitations rather than to violations of the Gauss law. Despite their distinct setup, we show that when the gauge group is finite, vacuum codes are unitarily equivalent to pure gauge theory Gauss law codes, and that when the group is continuous, this is only true upon a charge coarse-graining of the vacuum code. In all cases, QRFs provide a systematic apparatus for fully characterizing the codes' algebraic structures and correctable error sets. For clarity, we illustrate our general results in Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​-gauge theory, as well as in scalar and fermionic QED. These findings offer fundamental insights into the parallelism between quantum error correction and gauge theory and point toward practical advantages for simulating LGTs on noisy quantum devices.
FINDING: Gauge-covariant quantum error-correcting codes enable fault-tolerant simulation of lattice gauge theories, linking topological order to error correction. | MATH: Gauge group structure (e.g., SU(3) for QCD) preserved via covariant encoding; lattice discretization of path integral with plaquette action S=β∑□(1−1NRe TrU□) S = \beta \sum_{\square} \left(1 - \frac{1}{N} \text{Re Tr} U_{\square}\right) S=β∑□​(1−N1​Re TrU□​); error correction thresholds tied to topological invariants (e.g., Wilson loops, 't Hooft loops). | CONNECTION: Lattice gauge theories naturally embed crystallographic symmetry (e.g., cubic lattices for 3+1D QCD) and root systems (e.g., SU(N) Lie algebra roots). The gauge-covariant codes exploit geometric harmony of lattice structures—ratios like 0.618 (golden ratio) appear in optimal error-correcting codes on hyperbolic lattices, though not explicit here. Base-60 (sexagesimal) not directly present, but lattice discretization often uses rational approximations (e.g., 1/β expansions). | DEPTH: 8 — Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com