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arXiv:2507.10285 · PRX Quantum

From Linear Differential Equations to Unitaries: A Moment-Matching Dilation Framework with Near-Optimal Quantum Algorithms

Xiantao Li

Published May 12, 2026• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce a universal dilation framework to simulate arbitrary non-Hermitian dynamics x ˙ = L ( t ) x on unitary quantum processors. By imposing algebraic moment-matching conditions on an ancilla, our framework generates diverse families of dilation schemes that unify existing methods and broaden the design space for hardware-aware implementations. A tight-binding dilation that maps the ancilla to a 1D lattice with nearest-neighbor hopping is derived, overcoming the connectivity bottlenecks of dilation schemes. This construction handles general dynamics, including gain, without rescaling and achieves near-optimal complexity, as demonstrated by benchmarks on dissipative wave propagations.

DOI
10.1103/xm61-ytf7

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We introduce a universal dilation framework to simulate arbitrary non-Hermitian dynamics x ˙ = L ( t ) x on unitary quantum processors. By imposing algebraic moment-matching conditions on an ancilla, our framework generates diverse families of dilation schemes that unify existing methods and broaden the design space for hardware-aware implementations. A tight-binding dilation that maps the ancilla to a 1D lattice with nearest-neighbor hopping is derived, overcoming the connectivity bottlenecks of dilation schemes. This construction handles general dynamics, including gain, without rescaling and achieves near-optimal complexity, as demonstrated by benchmarks on dissipative wave propagations.
Quantum simulation has primarily focused on unitary dynamics, while many physical and engineering systems can be modeled by linear ordinary differential equations whose generators include non-Hermitian terms. Recent studies have shown that such equations, which give rise to nonunitary dynamics, can be embedded into a larger unitary framework via dilation techniques. However, their concrete realization on quantum circuits remains underexplored. In this paper we present a concrete pipeline that connects the dilation formalism with explicit quantum circuit constructions. On the analytical side, building on the recent dilation framework, we introduce a discretization of the continuous dilation operator that is tailored for quantum implementation. This construction ensures an exactly skew-Hermitian ancillary generator, which allows the moment conditions to be satisfied without imposing artificial constraints. We prove that the resulting scheme achieves a global error bound of order O(M−3/2)O(M^{-3/2})O(M−3/2), up to exponentially small boundary effects. This error can be suppressed by refining the discretization, where MMM denotes the discretization parameter. On the algorithmic side, we demonstrate that the dilation triple (Fh,∣rh⟩,⟨lh∣)(F_h, |r_h\rangle, \langle l_h|)(Fh​,∣rh​⟩,⟨lh​∣) can be efficiently implemented on quantum circuits. Using linear combinations of unitaries, QFT-adder operators, and quantum singular value transformation, the framework requires resources ranging from O(log⁡M)O(\log M)O(logM) to O((log⁡M)2)O((\log M)^2)O((logM)2), depending on the stage of the pipeline.
Linear response theory and Green's functions provide a universal framework for understanding dynamical correlations in strongly correlated open quantum systems. While the theoretical foundation for non-Hermitian linear response has been recently established to describe dissipation and fluctuation-dissipation relations (FDR), generalizing these predictions onto practical quantum computers remains a formidable algorithmic challenge due to the intrinsically non-unitary nature of the dynamics. In this work, we present a systematic algorithmic framework that seamlessly transforms non-unitary multi-time correlation functions into a unitary form viable for digital quantum hardware. By mapping the vectorization of the Lindblad master equation into an expanded continuous-variable Liouville space, we employ the Schrödingerization technique to deterministically evaluate the non-Hermitian response. Furthermore, through hardware-aware simulations utilizing a 133-qubit device noise model, we demonstrate that our unitary framework robustly preserves the fundamental spectral information -- specifically the phase and oscillatory frequency -- against realistic depolarizing channels. By bypassing explicit non-unitary mid-circuit measurements, this approach intrinsically supports the integration of standard quantum error mitigation protocols, providing a scalable algorithmic blueprint for probing open-system universality on near-term hardware.
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We present a universal framework for simulating NNN-dimensional linear Itô stochastic differential equations (SDEs) on quantum computers with additive or multiplicative noises. Building on a unitary dilation technique, we establish a rigorous mapping from the general linear SDEs dXt=A(t)Xt dt+∑j=1JBj(t)Xt dWtj dX_t = A(t) X_t\,dt + \sum_{j=1}^J B_j(t)X_t\,dW_t^j dXt​=A(t)Xt​dt+∑j=1J​Bj​(t)Xt​dWtj​ to stochastic Schrödinger equations (SSE) on a dilated Hilbert space. Crucially, this embedding is pathwise exact in that the classical solution is recovered as a projection of the dilated quantum state for each fixed noise realization. We demonstrate that the resulting SSEs are {naturally implementable} on digital quantum processors, where the stochastic Wiener increments are encoded directly by preparing the ancillary qubits. Exploiting this physical mapping, we develop two algorithmic strategies: (1) a trajectory-based approach that uses sequential weak measurements to realize efficient stochastic integrators, including a second-order scheme, and (2) an ensemble-based approach that maps moment evolution to a deterministic Lindblad quantum master equation, enabling simulation without Monte Carlo sampling. We provide error bounds based on a stochastic light-cone analysis and validate the framework with numerical experiments.
Nonautonomous linear ordinary differential equations of the form v˙(t)=A(t) v(t)\dot{v}(t) = A(t)\, v(t)v˙(t)=A(t)v(t), where A(t)A(t)A(t) is non-skew-symmetric, are often used to describe nonunitary dynamics in a variety of fields that range from open quantum system dynamics to economic modeling. Because quantum computing hardware is designed to natively implement unitary transformations, existing algorithms for solving such equations on quantum hardware are based on the assumption that the nonunitary propagator is known, and use dilation techniques to embed the nonunitary dynamics within the unitary dynamics of a larger system. However, with the exception of cases where the nonunitary propagator is known in closed form, it needs to be calculated and manipulated on a classical computer at each time step. In this paper, we propose a quantum algorithm that does not require a priori knowledge of the explicit nonunitary propagator and effectively performs the dilation on the quantum hardware. Our algorithm combines a dilation scheme that uses singular value decomposition (SVD) to write the nonunitary propagator as a sum of unitaries with simulating the dynamics of the SVD factors on the quantum hardware. The population-only time-convolutionless quantum master equation describing photoinduced charge transfer in a solvated molecular triad is used as a demonstrative example of the applicability of the algorithm and its sensitivity to noise.
Differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) arise naturally in constrained dynamical systems, but their algebraic constraints and hidden compatibility conditions make them more subtle than standard ordinary differential equations. This paper initiates a quantum-algorithmic study of constrained linear DAEs. We introduce a dilation framework that embeds the generally non-Hermitian constrained evolution into a projected Schrödinger-type dynamics on an enlarged Hilbert space, iddtΨ(t)=PH^PΨ(t), i\frac{d}{dt}Ψ(t)=P\widehat H PΨ(t), idtd​Ψ(t)=PHPΨ(t), where H^\widehat HH is Hermitian and PPP is the orthogonal projector onto the lifted constraint subspace. This identifies the DAE evolution with a quantum Zeno-type dynamics and enables the use of block encodings, QSVT-based projector construction, and Hamiltonian simulation. We apply the framework to structure-preserving discretizations of the unsteady Stokes equations, where the pressure enforces the discrete incompressibility constraint. For Stokes, the Zeno-reduced generator has the projected square factorization Sh=−ΠhΔhΠh=(GhΠh)†(GhΠh), S_h=-Π_hΔ_hΠ_h=(G_hΠ_h)^\dagger(G_hΠ_h), Sh​=−Πh​Δh​Πh​=(Gh​Πh​)†(Gh​Πh​), which can be represented through a Gaussian moment dilation and implemented as a Gaussian superposition of unitary Zeno evolutions generated by a first-order square-root Hamiltonian. In the generic sparse-access model, this gives a simulation-stage cost O~(h−2t)\widetilde O(h^{-2}\sqrt t)O(h−2t​), up to the usual postselection factor for preparing the normalized dissipative state. The results provide a first step toward understanding the intersection of quantum algorithms, DAEs, constrained PDE dynamics, and square-root Gaussian dilations.