arXiv:2408.10505 · PRX Quantum

Quantum-Trajectory-Inspired Lindbladian Simulation

Sirui Peng, Xiaoming Sun, Qi Zhao, Hongyi Zhou

Published Aug 15, 2025• 8 citations

Abstract

Simulating the dynamics of open quantum systems is a crucial task in quantum computing, offering wide-ranging applications but remaining computationally challenging. In this paper, we propose two quantum algorithms for simulating the dynamics of open quantum systems governed by Lindbladians. We introduce a new approximation channel for short-time evolution, inspired by the quantum trajectory method, which underpins the efficiency of our algorithms. The first algorithm achieves a gate complexity independent of the number of jump operators, m , marking a significant improvement in efficiency. The second algorithm achieves near-optimal dependence on the evolution time t and precision ϵ and introduces only an additional O ~ ( m ) factor, which strictly improves upon state-of-the-art gate-based quantum algorithm that has an O ~ ( m 2 ) factor. The improvement stems from the integration of the new approximation channel with a novel structured linear combination of unitaries method. In both our algorithms, the reduction of dependence on m significantly enhances the efficiency of simulating practical dissipative processes characterized by a large number of jump operators.

DOI: 10.1103/ssrs-8x32

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arXiv:2408.10505 · PRX Quantum

Quantum-Trajectory-Inspired Lindbladian Simulation

Sirui Peng, Xiaoming Sun, Qi Zhao, Hongyi Zhou

Published Aug 15, 2025• 8 citations

arXiv HTML PDF

Abstract

DOI: 10.1103/ssrs-8x32

Related papers

Quantum simulation algorithms based on quantum trajectories

Evan Borras, Milad Marvian

Quantum simulation has emerged as a key application of quantum computing, with significant progress made in algorithms for simulating both closed and open quantum systems. The simulation of open quantum systems, particularly those governed by the Lindblad master equation, has received attention recently with the current state-of-the-art algorithms having an input model query complexity of O ( T p o l y l o g ( T / ϵ ) ) , where T and ϵ are the desired time and precision of the simulation respectively. For the Hamiltonian simulation problem it has been show that the optimal Hamiltonian query complexity is O ( T + log ⁡ ( 1 / ϵ ) ) , which is additive in the two parameters, but for Lindbladian simulation this question remains open. In this work we show that the additive query complexity to a Lindbladian's jump operators is reachable for the simulation of a large class of Lindbladians by constructing a novel quantum algorithm based on quantum trajectories.Quantum simulation has emerged as a key application of quantum computing, with significant progress made in algorithms for simulating both closed and open quantum systems. The simulation of open quantum systems, particularly those governed by the Lindblad master equation, has received attention recently with the current state-of-the-art algorithms having an input model query complexity of O ( T p o l y l o g ( T / ϵ ) ) , where T and ϵ are the desired time and precision of the simulation respectively. For the Hamiltonian simulation problem it has been show that the optimal Hamiltonian query complexity is O ( T + log ⁡ ( 1 / ϵ ) ) , which is additive in the two parameters, but for Lindbladian simulation this question remains open. In this work we show that the additive query complexity to a Lindbladian's jump operators is reachable for the simulation of a large class of Lindbladians by constructing a novel quantum algorithm based on quantum trajectories.

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Query-Optimal and Gate-Efficient Lindbladian Simulation

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We give a quantum algorithm for Lindbladian simulation given a block encoding of the Hamiltonian $H$ and a projected unitary encoding of the stacked jump operator $B=\sum_{k=1}^m \lvert k\rangle\otimes L_k$ , with normalization factors $α_H$ and $α_B$ , respectively. For evolution time $t$ , set $τ=(α_H+α_B^2)t$ . The algorithm approximates the evolution channel to diamond-norm error $\varepsilon$ using $O\!\left(τ+\frac{\log(1/\varepsilon)}{\log\!\left(e+\log(1/\varepsilon)/τ\right)}\right)$ oracle queries, matching the query lower bound for Hamiltonian simulation. The number of additional one- and two-qubit gates is linear in the query complexity up to polylogarithmic factors. The query- and gate-complexity bounds extend to Lipschitz-continuous time-dependent Lindbladians under coherent time-indexed oracle access. Our construction uses a one-query transducer that implements a product of rational approximations to short-time evolution when supplied with a catalyst. We bound the error from omitting the catalyst by exploiting orthogonality between different sequences of Kraus labels. The gate implementation combines a compressed Kraus-label representation, which stores only the positions and values of the nonzero labels, with the rotation factorization of Chen et al.We give a quantum algorithm for Lindbladian simulation given a block encoding of the Hamiltonian $H$ and a projected unitary encoding of the stacked jump operator $B=\sum_{k=1}^m \lvert k\rangle\otimes L_k$, with normalization factors $α_H$ and $α_B$, respectively. For evolution time $t$, set $τ=(α_H+α_B^2)t$. The algorithm approximates the evolution channel to diamond-norm error $\varepsilon$ using $O\!\left(τ+\frac{\log(1/\varepsilon)}{\log\!\left(e+\log(1/\varepsilon)/τ\right)}\right)$ oracle queries, matching the query lower bound for Hamiltonian simulation. The number of additional one- and two-qubit gates is linear in the query complexity up to polylogarithmic factors. The query- and gate-complexity bounds extend to Lipschitz-continuous time-dependent Lindbladians under coherent time-indexed oracle access. Our construction uses a one-query transducer that implements a product of rational approximations to short-time evolution when supplied with a catalyst. We bound the error from omitting the catalyst by exploiting orthogonality between different sequences of Kraus labels. The gate implementation combines a compressed Kraus-label representation, which stores only the positions and values of the nonzero labels, with the rotation factorization of Chen et al.

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Quantum simulation of open quantum systems in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era is hindered by the non-unitary nature of dissipative dynamics and the limited quantum resources available on near-term quantum processors. In this work, we propose a resource-efficient algorithm for simulating Lindbladian dynamics on NISQ devices. For open quantum systems with Pauli dissipations, we first derive a compact and stable mixed-unitary adjoint channel that approximates the target dissipative dynamics and enables ancilla-free implementation through trajectory sampling. To further reduce the circuit depth required for implementing the sampled trajectories, we introduce an adaptive variational quantum trajectory compression framework. In this framework, a depth-adaptive parameterized quantum circuit is trained to approximate repeated Trotterized Hamiltonian simulation operators, which are then used to replace repeated unitary segments appearing in the sampled trajectories. Importantly, the training procedure can also be performed without auxiliary qubits. Numerical simulations of the dissipative quantum $XY$ model demonstrate the accuracy and resource efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Our results provide a practical route toward ancilla-free and depth-reduced simulation of open quantum systems on near-term quantum hardware.Quantum simulation of open quantum systems in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era is hindered by the non-unitary nature of dissipative dynamics and the limited quantum resources available on near-term quantum processors. In this work, we propose a resource-efficient algorithm for simulating Lindbladian dynamics on NISQ devices. For open quantum systems with Pauli dissipations, we first derive a compact and stable mixed-unitary adjoint channel that approximates the target dissipative dynamics and enables ancilla-free implementation through trajectory sampling. To further reduce the circuit depth required for implementing the sampled trajectories, we introduce an adaptive variational quantum trajectory compression framework. In this framework, a depth-adaptive parameterized quantum circuit is trained to approximate repeated Trotterized Hamiltonian simulation operators, which are then used to replace repeated unitary segments appearing in the sampled trajectories. Importantly, the training procedure can also be performed without auxiliary qubits. Numerical simulations of the dissipative quantum $XY$ model demonstrate the accuracy and resource efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Our results provide a practical route toward ancilla-free and depth-reduced simulation of open quantum systems on near-term quantum hardware.

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Simulating the dynamics of dissipative quantum many-body systems governed by local Lindbladians is a fundamental task in quantum computation. While the near-optimal gate count has been achieved for Hamiltonian simulation, comparable results for Lindbladian simulation remain elusive. In this work, we develop quantum algorithms for lattice Lindbladians by exploiting their locality. First, we consider sparsely dissipative systems, in which the dissipation is sparsely located, including boundary-driven systems. We establish a near-optimal quantum algorithm for their dynamics with gate count $O(Nt \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$ , where $N$ is the system size, $t$ is the evolution time, and $\varepsilon$ is the allowable error. We then consider generic lattice Lindbladians with finite-range interactions and dissipation, and develop an algorithm for simulating time-evolved observables with gate count $O((Nt)^{4/3} \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$ per sample with the sampling complexity $Θ(\varepsilon^{-2})$ . The gate count has the smallest known dependence on the system size among algorithms retaining polylogarithmic dependence on $1/\varepsilon$ . Our algorithms are based on two techniques that exploit locality: patching and merging. Patching decomposes dissipative dynamics into dynamics on subsystems with exponentially small error, generalizing a key idea underlying the Haah-Hastings-Kothari-Low algorithm for near-optimal Hamiltonian simulation. Merging absorbs reversed dissipative dynamics into other parts of the evolution, substantially reducing the overhead associated with quasi-probabilistic sampling. These results demonstrate that locality can be fully exploited to achieve fast quantum simulation of dissipative many-body dynamics, opening the way to applications such as predicting nonequilibrium phenomena and preparing desirable quantum states.Simulating the dynamics of dissipative quantum many-body systems governed by local Lindbladians is a fundamental task in quantum computation. While the near-optimal gate count has been achieved for Hamiltonian simulation, comparable results for Lindbladian simulation remain elusive. In this work, we develop quantum algorithms for lattice Lindbladians by exploiting their locality. First, we consider sparsely dissipative systems, in which the dissipation is sparsely located, including boundary-driven systems. We establish a near-optimal quantum algorithm for their dynamics with gate count $O(Nt \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$, where $N$ is the system size, $t$ is the evolution time, and $\varepsilon$ is the allowable error. We then consider generic lattice Lindbladians with finite-range interactions and dissipation, and develop an algorithm for simulating time-evolved observables with gate count $O((Nt)^{4/3} \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))$ per sample with the sampling complexity $Θ(\varepsilon^{-2})$. The gate count has the smallest known dependence on the system size among algorithms retaining polylogarithmic dependence on $1/\varepsilon$. Our algorithms are based on two techniques that exploit locality: patching and merging. Patching decomposes dissipative dynamics into dynamics on subsystems with exponentially small error, generalizing a key idea underlying the Haah-Hastings-Kothari-Low algorithm for near-optimal Hamiltonian simulation. Merging absorbs reversed dissipative dynamics into other parts of the evolution, substantially reducing the overhead associated with quasi-probabilistic sampling. These results demonstrate that locality can be fully exploited to achieve fast quantum simulation of dissipative many-body dynamics, opening the way to applications such as predicting nonequilibrium phenomena and preparing desirable quantum states.

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We present an efficient algorithm for simulating open quantum systems dynamics described by the Lindblad master equation on quantum computers, addressing key challenges in the field. In contrast to existing approaches, our method achieves two significant advancements. First, we employ a repetition of unitary gates on a set of n system qubits and, remarkably, only a single ancillary bath qubit representing the environment. It follows that, for the typical case of m locality of the Lindblad operators, we reach an exponential improvement of the number of ancilla in terms of m and up to a polynomial improvement in ancilla overhead for large n with respect to other approaches. Although stochasticity is introduced, requiring multiple circuit realizations, the sampling overhead is independent of the system size. Second, we show that, under fixed accuracy conditions, our algorithm enables a reduction in the number of Trotter steps compared to other approaches, substantially decreasing circuit depth. These advancements hold particular significance for near-term quantum computers, where minimizing both width and depth is critical due to inherent noise in their dynamics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024We present an efficient algorithm for simulating open quantum systems dynamics described by the Lindblad master equation on quantum computers, addressing key challenges in the field. In contrast to existing approaches, our method achieves two significant advancements. First, we employ a repetition of unitary gates on a set of n system qubits and, remarkably, only a single ancillary bath qubit representing the environment. It follows that, for the typical case of m locality of the Lindblad operators, we reach an exponential improvement of the number of ancilla in terms of m and up to a polynomial improvement in ancilla overhead for large n with respect to other approaches. Although stochasticity is introduced, requiring multiple circuit realizations, the sampling overhead is independent of the system size. Second, we show that, under fixed accuracy conditions, our algorithm enables a reduction in the number of Trotter steps compared to other approaches, substantially decreasing circuit depth. These advancements hold particular significance for near-term quantum computers, where minimizing both width and depth is critical due to inherent noise in their dynamics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

arXiv:2311.10009Physical Review ResearchDec 26, 202415 citations

We give a quantum algorithm for Lindbladian simulation given a block encoding of the Hamiltonian

H

and a projected unitary encoding of the stacked jump operator

B=\sum_{k=1}^m \lvert k\rangle\otimes L_k

, with normalization factors

α_H

and

α_B

, respectively. For evolution time

t

, set

τ=(α_H+α_B^2)t

. The algorithm approximates the evolution channel to diamond-norm error

\varepsilon

using

O\!\left(τ+\frac{\log(1/\varepsilon)}{\log\!\left(e+\log(1/\varepsilon)/τ\right)}\right)

oracle queries, matching the query lower bound for Hamiltonian simulation. The number of additional one- and two-qubit gates is linear in the query complexity up to polylogarithmic factors. The query- and gate-complexity bounds extend to Lipschitz-continuous time-dependent Lindbladians under coherent time-indexed oracle access. Our construction uses a one-query transducer that implements a product of rational approximations to short-time evolution when supplied with a catalyst. We bound the error from omitting the catalyst by exploiting orthogonality between different sequences of Kraus labels. The gate implementation combines a compressed Kraus-label representation, which stores only the positions and values of the nonzero labels, with the rotation factorization of Chen et al.

n

-qubit system for time

t

within precision

ε

. If the Lindbladian consists of

\mathrm{poly}(n)

operators that can each be expressed as a linear combination of

\mathrm{poly}(n)

tensor products of Pauli operators then the gate cost of our algorithm is

O(t\, \mathrm{polylog}(t/ε)\mathrm{poly}(n))

. We also obtain similar bounds for the cases where the Lindbladian consists of local operators, and where the Lindbladian consists of sparse operators. This is remarkable in light of evidence that we provide indicating that the above efficiency is impossible to attain by first expressing Lindblad evolution as Schrödinger evolution on a larger system and tracing out the ancillary system: the cost of such a \textit{reduction} incurs an efficiency overhead of

O(t^2/ε)

even before the Hamiltonian evolution simulation begins. Instead, the approach of our algorithm is to use a novel variation of the "linear combinations of unitaries" construction that pertains to channels.

XY

model demonstrate the accuracy and resource efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Our results provide a practical route toward ancilla-free and depth-reduced simulation of open quantum systems on near-term quantum hardware.

O(Nt \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))

, where

N

is the system size,

t

is the evolution time, and

\varepsilon

is the allowable error. We then consider generic lattice Lindbladians with finite-range interactions and dissipation, and develop an algorithm for simulating time-evolved observables with gate count

O((Nt)^{4/3} \, \mathrm{polylog}(Nt/\varepsilon))

per sample with the sampling complexity

Θ(\varepsilon^{-2})

. The gate count has the smallest known dependence on the system size among algorithms retaining polylogarithmic dependence on

1/\varepsilon

. Our algorithms are based on two techniques that exploit locality: patching and merging. Patching decomposes dissipative dynamics into dynamics on subsystems with exponentially small error, generalizing a key idea underlying the Haah-Hastings-Kothari-Low algorithm for near-optimal Hamiltonian simulation. Merging absorbs reversed dissipative dynamics into other parts of the evolution, substantially reducing the overhead associated with quasi-probabilistic sampling. These results demonstrate that locality can be fully exploited to achieve fast quantum simulation of dissipative many-body dynamics, opening the way to applications such as predicting nonequilibrium phenomena and preparing desirable quantum states.