We explore static noise in a discrete quantum random walk over a homogeneous cyclic graph, focusing on the spectral and dynamical properties of the system. Using a three-parameter unitary coin, we control the spectral structure of the noiseless step operator on the unit circle in the complex plane. One parameter governs the probability amplitudes and induces two spectral bandgaps proportional to its value. The half-sum of the two phase parameters rotates the spectrum and induces twofold degeneracy under specific conditions. Degenerate spectra yield eigenstates with sinusoidal probability distributions, while non-degenerate spectra produce flat distributions. We introduce static phase noise in the sites and analyze its impact across two distinct propagation regimes. In the walk-on-the-line regime, which precedes a full traversal of the graph, we extract the spreading exponent β from the step-resolved mean squared displacement. We find that low participation ratios correlate with sub-diffusive spread, while high ratios correspond to ballistic or super-diffusive evolution. After the walker completes a cycle, finite-size effects dominate. In this walk-on-the-cycle regime, the spreading exponent no longer characterizes the behavior. We quantify localization using a convergence criterion based on the coefficient of variation of the mean squared displacement. Across both regimes, we identify a sharp crossover near static site noise strength ϕs = π/3. This transition coincides with a drop in the participation ratio, a transition from diffusive to sub-diffusive spread in the walk-on-the-line regime, and a reduction in the saturation level of the mean squared displacement in the walk-on-the-cycle regime. Our results demonstrate that the eigenstate participation ratio provides a computationally efficient spectral diagnostic that anticipates localization across both regimes, offering an alternative to full dynamical simulations.
We explore static noise in a discrete quantum random walk over a homogeneous cyclic graph, focusing on the spectral and dynamical properties of the system. Using a three-parameter unitary coin, we control the spectral structure of the noiseless step operator on the unit circle in the complex plane. One parameter governs the probability amplitudes and induces two spectral bandgaps proportional to its value. The half-sum of the two phase parameters rotates the spectrum and induces twofold degeneracy under specific conditions. Degenerate spectra yield eigenstates with sinusoidal probability distributions, while non-degenerate spectra produce flat distributions. We introduce static phase noise in the sites and analyze its impact across two distinct propagation regimes. In the walk-on-the-line regime, which precedes a full traversal of the graph, we extract the spreading exponent β from the step-resolved mean squared displacement. We find that low participation ratios correlate with sub-diffusive spread, while high ratios correspond to ballistic or super-diffusive evolution. After the walker completes a cycle, finite-size effects dominate. In this walk-on-the-cycle regime, the spreading exponent no longer characterizes the behavior. We quantify localization using a convergence criterion based on the coefficient of variation of the mean squared displacement. Across both regimes, we identify a sharp crossover near static site noise strength ϕs = π/3. This transition coincides with a drop in the participation ratio, a transition from diffusive to sub-diffusive spread in the walk-on-the-line regime, and a reduction in the saturation level of the mean squared displacement in the walk-on-the-cycle regime. Our results demonstrate that the eigenstate participation ratio provides a computationally efficient spectral diagnostic that anticipates localization across both regimes, offering an alternative to full dynamical simulations.
This study investigates the crossover dynamics of a one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk (DTQW) in noisy environments using the density matrix formalism and Kraus operator representation of quantum operations. Decoherence is modeled by bit-flip, dephasing, and bit-phase noise channels, while dissipation is represented by generalized amplitude damping channels. The analysis of crossover dynamics involves examining the probability distribution, scaling exponent of variance, coherence measures, and entropy metrics such as Shannon and von Neumann entropy. The DTQW produces a symmetrical probability distribution of displacement under decoherence, with distinct features in scaling exponents of mean squared displacement or variance. Under dissipation, DTQW produces a non-symmetric probability distribution and spreads faster than classical walk under extreme decoherence. These suggest a broad class of crossover transport behavior, which can be classified as pure quantum walk, quantum-like walk, semi-classical-like walk, and classical-like walk. Remarkably, maximum Shannon entropy is achieved at lower degrees of decoherence. This study also analyzes the effect of temporal disorder in the coin operator modeled using fractional Gaussian noise (fGn). The crossover dynamic occurs in the form of weak localization, followed by enhanced entanglement and information backflow. Notably, the correlation of fGn is transferred to the coin's degree of entanglement and transpires in the two-point correlation of the von Neumann entropy fluctuation. These findings can be useful for implementing DTQW-based protocols in quantum error correction, quantum cryptography, and quantum memory on the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) platform.
We quantitatively differentiate between the spreads of discrete-time quantum and classical random walks on a cyclic graph. Due to the closed nature of any cyclic graph, there is additional “collision”-like interference in the quantum random walk along with the usual interference in any such walk on any graph, closed or otherwise. We find that the quantum walker exhibits inhibition of spread in comparison to the classical one, even in the absence of disorder, a phenomenon that is potentially attributable to the additional interference in the quantum case. This is to be contrasted with the situation on open graphs, where the quantum walker, being effectively denied the collision-like interference, garners a much higher spread than its classical counterpart. Inhibition of spread also occurs on open graphs, but with insertion of disorder. We use the Shannon entropy of the position probability distribution to quantify the spread of the walker in both quantum and classical cases. We find that for a given number of vertices on a cyclic graph, the entropy with respect to number of steps for the quantum walker saturates, on average, to a value lower than that for the corresponding classical one. We also analyze variations of the entropies with respect to system size, and look at the corresponding asymptotic growth rates.
Discrete-time quantum walks exhibit ballistic spreading that is highly sensitive to decoherence. We study the long-time dynamics of a one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk under Pauli noise acting on the coin. Choosing the unitary coin such that its invariant Bloch-sphere axis is orthogonal to the axis fixed by the conditional shift, we identify the distinct effects of noise aligned with either dynamical axis or orthogonal to both. Using a Fourier-space Pauli-superoperator formalism, we derive expressions for the first two position moments and long-time asymptotics for X-, Y-, Z-, and depolarizing noise. All channels induce a crossover from ballistic to diffusive spreading, with a second moment growing linearly at long times. The approach to this regime is channel dependent: it is exponentially fast for X-, Z-, and depolarizing noise, but algebraic, with a leading t−1/2 correction, for Y-noise. The position distributions retain distinct finite-noise signatures, including a Gaussian-like profile with a central depression for Y-noise. In the maximal-noise limit, depolarizing, Y-, and Z-noise yield the classical binomial distribution for arbitrary initial coin states, whereas X-noise does so only when the initial state has no component along the noise axis. Thus, the quantum-to-classical transition is governed by the relative alignment of the noise, the coherent walk dynamics, and the initial state.
The classicalization of a decoherent discrete-time quantum walk on a line or an n-cycle can be demonstrated in various ways that do not necessarily provide a geometry-independent description. For example, the position probability distribution becomes increasingly Gaussian, with a concomitant fall in the standard deviation, in the former case, but not in the latter. As another example, each step of the quantum walk on a line may be subjected to an arbitrary phase gate, without affecting the position probability distribution, no matter whether the walk is noiseless or noisy. This symmetry, which is absent in the case of noiseless cyclic walk, but is restored in the presence of sufficient noise, serves as an indicator of classicalization, but only in the cyclic case. Here we show that the degree of quantum correlations between the coin and position degrees of freedom, quantified by a measure based on the disturbance induced by local measurements [Luo, Phys. Rev. A 77, 022301 (2008)], provides a suitable measure of classicalization across both type of walks. Applying this measure to compare the two walks, we find that cyclic quantum walks tend to classicalize faster than quantum walks on a line because of more efficient phase randomization due to the self-interference of the two counter-rotating waves. We model noise as acting on the coin, and given by the squeezed generalized amplitude damping (SGAD) channel, which generalizes the generalized amplitude damping channel.
We investigate one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk on the line where the links between neighboring sites are randomly broken. Two link-broken ways, static percolation and dynamical percolation, are considered. The former means that the broken links are fixed in position space at each time step, while the latter is that broken links are varied with time step. Our attention focuses on the effects of these disorders on two physical quantities, the probability distribution and the entanglement between the coin degree of freedom and position degree of freedom. Choosing Hadamard coin operator and assuming the walker to start from the position eigenstate|0〉and attach itself to a coherent coin state 1/√2 (|↑〉+ i|↓〉), we give the statistical average results after making numerical calculations many times. The choices of coin operator and initial state, resulting in a symmetric probability distribution about origin in the ideal case, is helpful in comparing with different cases in different disorder strengths. It is shown that the probability distribution of static percolation quantum walk can change from a coherent behavior at short time to Anderson localization at longer time, while the dynamical percolation quantum walk can change to a classical diffusive behavior. With the decrease of the percolation probability, these transitions become faster. The entanglement for ideal case without disorder reaches a constant value after a short time evolution. The static percolation makes the entanglement less than that of ideal case and fluctuate irregularly around a certain value. The situation is very different for the dynamical percolation:the entanglement increases smoothly with the time step and can exceed the constant value in the ideal case at some time. Both of entanglements for two types of percolations decrease with reducing percolation probability. As a striking characteristic, the entanglement in dynamical case can tend to maximum regardless of percolation probability in long time limit, while the static case cannot. In the model for our study, the randomized unitary operations, induced by the static and dynamical percolations, can lead to some noticeable effects on the transport and entanglement of discrete time quantum walk. The results about the interplay between disorder and entanglement not only assist quantum information processing, but also give more options to further explore and understand disorder physical processes in nature.
Abstract Quantum walks are known to propagate quadratically faster than their classical counterparts and are used to model dynamics in various quantum systems. The spread of the quantum walk in position space shows anomalous diffusion behavior. By controlling the action of quantum coin operation on the corresponding coin degree of freedom of the walker, one can demonstrate control over the diffusion behavior. In this work, we report different forms of coin operations on quantum walks exhibiting anomalous diffusion behavior. Homogeneous and accelerated quantum walks display superdiffusive behavior, whereas uncorrelated static and dynamic disorders in the evolution induce strong and weak localization of the particle indicating subdiffusive and normal diffusive behavior. The role played by the interference effects in the spreading of the walker has remained elusive and our aim in this work is to present the interplay between quantum coherence and mean squared displacement of the walker. We employ two reliable measures of coherence for conclusively establishing the role of quantum interference as the driving force behind the anomalous diffusive behavior in the dynamics of quantum walks.