Global control offers a promising route to scalable quantum computing. A recent conjecture by Hu et al. (arXiv:2508.19075) proposes that any connected qubit graph equipped with global Ising-type interactions and tunable global transverse fields achieves universality if and only if an additional control field breaks every non-trivial automorphism of the underlying graph. We disprove this conjecture by exhibiting explicit seven- and nine-qubit counterexamples: connected graphs with trivial automorphism group for which the generated Lie algebra is nonetheless not universal. Our analysis reveals that graph automorphisms capture only part of the Hamiltonian symmetry structure: there exist hidden symmetries beyond the automorphism group of the graph. Additionally, in the case of non-trivial automorphism group, we find control terms which break the graph symmetries but are still not universal. These findings sharpen the characterization of universality for globally controlled quantum systems.
Global control offers a promising route to scalable quantum computing. A recent conjecture by Hu et al. (arXiv:2508.19075) proposes that any connected qubit graph equipped with global Ising-type interactions and tunable global transverse fields achieves universality if and only if an additional control field breaks every non-trivial automorphism of the underlying graph. We disprove this conjecture by exhibiting explicit seven- and nine-qubit counterexamples: connected graphs with trivial automorphism group for which the generated Lie algebra is nonetheless not universal. Our analysis reveals that graph automorphisms capture only part of the Hamiltonian symmetry structure: there exist hidden symmetries beyond the automorphism group of the graph. Additionally, in the case of non-trivial automorphism group, we find control terms which break the graph symmetries but are still not universal. These findings sharpen the characterization of universality for globally controlled quantum systems.
An important result in the theory of quantum control is the "universality" of 2-local unitary gates, i.e. the fact that any global unitary evolution of a system of L qudits can be implemented by composition of 2-local unitary gates. Surprisingly, recent results have shown that universality can break down in the presence of symmetries: in general, not all globally symmetric unitaries can be constructed using k-local symmetric unitary gates. This also restricts the dynamics that can be implemented by symmetric local Hamiltonians. In this paper, we show that obstructions to universality in such settings can in general be understood in terms of superoperator symmetries associated with unitary evolution by restricted sets of gates. These superoperator symmetries lead to block decompositions of the operator Hilbert space, which dictate the connectivity of operator space, and hence the structure of the dynamical Lie algebra. We demonstrate this explicitly in several examples by systematically deriving the superoperator symmetries from the gate structure using the framework of commutant algebras, which has been used to systematically derive symmetries in other quantum many-body systems. We clearly delineate two different types of non-universality, which stem from different structures of the superoperator symmetries, and discuss its signatures in physical observables. In all, our work establishes a comprehensive framework to explore the universality of unitary circuits and derive physical consequences of its absence.
An important result in the theory of quantum control is the “universality” of 2-local unitary gates, i.e., the fact that any global unitary evolution of a system of L qudits can be implemented by composition of 2-local unitary gates. Surprisingly, recent results have shown that universality can break down in the presence of symmetries: in general, not all globally symmetric unitaries can be constructed using k -local symmetric unitary gates. This also restricts the dynamics that can be implemented by symmetric local Hamiltonians. In this paper, we show that obstructions to universality in such settings can in general be understood in terms of superoperator symmetries associated with unitary evolution by restricted sets of gates. These superoperator symmetries lead to block decompositions of the operator Hilbert space, which dictate the connectivity of operator space, and hence the structure of the dynamical Lie algebra. We demonstrate this explicitly in several examples by systematically deriving the superoperator symmetries from the gate structure using the framework of commutant algebras, which has been used to systematically derive symmetries in other quantum many-body systems. We clearly delineate two different types of nonuniversality, which stem from different structures of the superoperator symmetries, and discuss its signatures in physical observables. In all, our work establishes a comprehensive framework to explore the universality of unitary circuits and derive physical consequences of its absence.
We study the controllability of a system of qubits under global control, where control pulses act identically on all qubits. Specifically, we consider a collection of qubits identically coupled to a single bosonic mode, or harmonic oscillator, via the Jaynes-Cummings interaction. This collective coupling, known as the Tavis-Cummings (TC) interaction, has been realized in several quantum computing platforms, including superconducting and atomic qubit systems. Although the qubits do not interact directly with one another, they can become entangled through their common coupling to the bosonic mode. We characterize the group of unitaries that can be implemented on the joint Hilbert space of the qubits and bosonic mode using the TC interaction together with a global z field Jz, corresponding to identical z rotations on all qubits. We show that for n>2 qubits the set of realizable unitaries is restricted by an "accidental" symmetry of the TC Hamiltonian, distinct from its "standard" U(1) and permutational symmetries. On the other hand, we find that the Hamiltonian Jz2 breaks this accidental symmetry and, together with the TC interaction and Jz, achieves semi-universality: it allows the implementation of arbitrary unitaries that respect permutational and U(1) symmetry, up to certain constraints on the center of the group. In a companion paper, we further analyze this remarkable accidental symmetry and show that it can be understood through Schwinger's bosonic model of angular momentum.
Gauge theories are important descriptions for many physical phenomena and systems in quantum computation. Automorphism of gauge group naturally gives global symmetries of gauge theories. In this work we study such symmetries in gauge theories induced by automorphisms of the gauge group, when the gauge theories have nontrivial topological actions in different spacetime dimensions. We discover the automorphism symmetry can be extended, become a higher group symmetry, and/or become a non-invertible symmetry. We illustrate the discussion with various models in field theory and on the lattice. In particular, we use automorphism symmetry to construct new transversal non-Clifford logical gates in topological quantum codes. In particular, we show that 2+1d ZN qudit Clifford stabilizer models can implement non-Clifford transversal logical gate in the 4th level ZN qudit Clifford hierarchy for N≥3, extending the generalized Bravyi-König bound proposed in the companion paper [arXiv:2511.02900] for qubits.
Controlling the dynamics of quantum systems has been a long-standing goal of quantum physics. To understand the controllability of a finite-dimensional quantum system is a fundamental problem in quantum control theory, but can be very challenging in many cases. In particular, results on controllability of open-loop coherently controlled closed quantum systems under symmetry constraints have been elusive. In this paper, we study the controllability of spin systems with some specific symmetry where spins are coupled via Ising interaction and manipulated collectively by a global control field. Based on Lie group and Lie algebra techniques, we find the conditions under which the system is universally controllable in its irreducible subspaces. We believe that the results obtained here will contribute to quantum controlling on symmetric quantum systems.
Given a graph G, does it have quantum symmetries, or in other words, is the algebra of the quantum automorphism group non-commutative? In the world of ordinary groups, determining whether a finitely presented group is commutative is undecidable. This is an immediate consequence of the Adian-Rabin theorem, which shows that many natural properties of finitely presented groups are undecidable. In this paper, we prove an Adian-Rabin theorem for quantum automorphism groups of graphs, showing that many natural properties of the quantum automorphism group of a graph (including having quantum symmetries) are undecidable. We also show that it's undecidable to determine if the discrete quantum automorphism group is non-trivial. Our methods are based on solution groups of linear system nonlocal games, and we also prove an Adian-Rabin theorem in this context.