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arXiv:2512.06070

RedCarD: A Quantum Assisted Algorithm for Fixed-Depth Unitary Synthesis via Cartan Decomposition

Omar Alsheikh, Efekan Kökcü, Bojko N. Bakalov, A. F. Kemper

quant-phSubmitted Dec 5, 2025• Announced Dec 9, 2025• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A critical step in developing circuits for quantum simulation is to synthesize a desired unitary operator using the circuit building blocks. Studying unitaries and their generators from the Lie algebraic perspective has given rise to several algorithms for synthesis based on a Cartan decomposition of the dynamical Lie algebra. For unitaries of the form $e^{-itH}$, such as time-independent Hamiltonian simulation, the resulting circuits have depth that does not depend on simulation time $t$. However, finding such circuits has a large classical overhead in the cost function evaluation and the high dimensional optimization problem. In this work, by further partitioning the dynamical Lie algebra, we break down the optimization problem into smaller independent subproblems. Moreover, the resulting algebraic structure allows us to easily shift the evaluation of the cost function to the quantum computer, further cutting the classical overhead of the algorithm. As an application of the new hybrid algorithm, we synthesize the time evolution unitary for the 4-site transverse field Ising model on several IBM devices and Quantinuum's H1-1 quantum computer.

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A critical step in developing circuits for quantum simulation is to synthesize a desired unitary operator using the circuit building blocks. Studying unitaries and their generators from the Lie algebraic perspective has given rise to several algorithms for synthesis based on a Cartan decomposition of the dynamical Lie algebra. For unitaries of the form e−itHe^{-itH}e−itH, such as time-independent Hamiltonian simulation, the resulting circuits have depth that does not depend on simulation time ttt. However, finding such circuits has a large classical overhead in the cost function evaluation and the high dimensional optimization problem. In this work, by further partitioning the dynamical Lie algebra, we break down the optimization problem into smaller independent subproblems. Moreover, the resulting algebraic structure allows us to easily shift the evaluation of the cost function to the quantum computer, further cutting the classical overhead of the algorithm. As an application of the new hybrid algorithm, we synthesize the time evolution unitary for the 4-site transverse field Ising model on several IBM devices and Quantinuum's H1-1 quantum computer.
Simulating quantum dynamics on classical computers is challenging for large systems due to the significant memory requirements. Simulation on quantum computers is a promising alternative, but fully optimizing quantum circuits to minimize limited quantum resources remains an open problem. We tackle this problem by presenting a constructive algorithm, based on Cartan decomposition of the Lie algebra generated by the Hamiltonian, which generates quantum circuits with time-independent depth. We highlight our algorithm for special classes of models, including Anderson localization in one-dimensional transverse field XY model, where O(n^{2})-gate circuits naturally emerge. Compared to product formulas with significantly larger gate counts, our algorithm drastically improves simulation precision. In addition to providing exact circuits for a broad set of spin and fermionic models, our algorithm provides broad analytic and numerical insight into optimal Hamiltonian simulations.
We show the applicability of the Cartan decomposition of Lie algebras to quantum circuits. This approach can be used to synthesize circuits that can efficiently implement any desired unitary operation. Our method finds explicit quantum circuit representations of the algebraic generators of the relevant Lie algebras allowing the direct implementation of a Cartan decomposition on a quantum computer. The construction is recursive and allows us to expand any circuit down to generators and rotation matrices on individual qubits, where through our recursive algorithm we find that the generators themselves can be expressed with controlled-not (cnot) and swap gates explicitly. Our approach is independent of the standard cnot implementation and can be easily adapted to other cross-qubit circuit elements. In addition to its versatility, we also achieve near-optimal counts when working with cnot gates, achieving an asymptotic cnot cost of 21164n\frac{21}{16}{4}^{n}1621​4n for nnn qubits.
Quantum algorithms usually are described via quantum circuits representable as unitary operators. Synthesizing the unitary operators described mathematically in terms of the unitary operators recognizable as quantum circuits is essential. One such a challenge lies in the Hamiltonian simulation problem, where the matrix exponential of a large-scale skew-Hermitian matrix is to be computed. Most current techniques are prone to approximation errors, whereas the parametrization of the underlying Hamiltonian via the Cartan decomposition is more promising. To prepare for such a simulation, this work proposes to tackle the Cartan decomposition by means of the Lax dynamics. The advantages include not only that it is numerically feasible with no matrices involved, but also that this approach offers a genuine unitary synthesis within the integration errors. This work contributes to the theoretic and algorithmic foundations in three aspects: exploiting the quaternary representation of Hamiltonian subalgebras; describing a common mechanism for deriving the Lax dynamics; and providing a mathematical theory of convergence.
The analysis of Hamiltonian Variational Ansätze centers on three fundamental questions: which states are exactly reachable from a given initial state, what native control depth suffices for local and global synthesis, and whether a bounded circuit extension can expose a direction of decreasing cost at a suboptimal output. We address these challenges by leveraging the dynamical Lie algebras (DLAs) associated with the circuits and the geometry of the initial state's orbit under the action of the corresponding dynamical Lie group GGG. We show that an initial state has a closed projective orbit whenever it is a nondegenerate eigenstate of a control Hamiltonian. Combined with asymptotic QAOA convergence, this guarantees exact, finite depth ground state preparation for architectures employing diagonal problem Hamiltonians and irreducible stoquastic mixers. We bound the number of native control exponentials required for local unitary synthesis and state preparation using DLA commutator filtration growth alongside reachable orbit dimensions. Complementing these local results, we construct global frameworks on invariant sectors equipped with full unitary or special unitary dynamical Lie algebras. These constructions yield explicit applications to Pauli-generated systems and constrained maximum independent set multi-angle QAOA circuits; specifically, we show that their native control costs are directly determined by commutator filtration depth and independent-set toggle-group geometry, respectively. Finally, if the dynamical Lie group is compact, the observable HPH_PHP​ generates an admissible evolution (iHP∈giH_P \in \mathfrak{g}iHP​∈g, where g\mathfrak{g}g is the DLA), and the projective orbit of the initial state contains a ground state ray of HPH_PHP​, then a bounded depth, identity-initialized circuit extension exhibits either first-order descent or negative curvature at every suboptimal circuit output.
Quantum dynamics simulations (QDSs) are one of the most highly anticipated applications of quantum computing. Quantum circuit depth for implementing Hamiltonian simulation algorithms is commonly time dependent so that long time dynamics simulations become impratical on near-term quantum processors. The Hamiltonian simulation algorithm based on Cartan decomposition (CD) provides an appealing scheme for QDSs with fixed-depth circuits while limited to time-independent case. In this work, we generalize this CD-based Hamiltonian simulation algorithm for studying time-dependent systems by combining it with variational Hamiltonian simulation. The time-dependent and time-independent parts of the Hamiltonian are treated with the variational approach and the CD-based Hamiltonian simulation algorithms, respectively. As such, only fixed-depth quantum circuits are required in this hybrid Hamiltonian simulation algorithm while still maintaining high accuracy. We apply this new algorithm to study the response of spin and molecular systems to δδδ-kick electric fields and obtain accurate spectra for these excitation processes.
Abstract Simulating the time evolution of a Hamiltonian system on a classical computer is hard—The computational power required to even describe a quantum system scales exponentially with the number of its constituents, let alone integrate its equations of motion. Hamiltonian simulation on a quantum machine is a possible solution to this challenge—Assuming that a quantum system composing of spin-½ particles can be manipulated at will, then it is tenable to engineer the interaction between those particles according to the one that is to be simulated, and thus predict the value of physical quantities by simply performing the appropriate measurements on the system. Establishing a linkage between the unitary operators described mathematically as a logic solution and the unitary operators recognizable as quantum circuits for execution, is therefore essential for algorithm design and circuit implementation. Most current techniques are fallible because of truncation errors or the stagnation at local solutions. This work offers an innovative avenue by tackling the Cartan decomposition with the notion of Lax dynamics. Within the integration errors that is controllable, this approach gives rise to a genuine unitary synthesis that not only is numerically feasible, but also can be utilized to gauge the quality of results produced by other means, and extend the knowledge to a wide range of applications. This paper aims at establishing the theoretic and algorithmic foundations by exploiting the geometric properties of Hamiltonian subalgebras and describing a common mechanism for deriving the Lax dynamics.