Given a graph with Hermitian adjacency matrix
H, perfect state transfer occurs from vertex
a to vertex
b if the
(b,a)-entry of the unitary matrix
exp(−iHt) has unit magnitude for some time
t. This phenomenon is relevant for information transmission in quantum spin networks and is known to be monogamous under real symmetric matrices. We prove the following results: 1. For oriented graphs (whose nonzero weights are
±i), the oriented
3-cycle and the oriented edge are the only graphs where perfect state transfer occurs between every pair of vertices. This settles a conjecture of Cameron et al. On the other hand, we construct an infinite family of oriented graphs with perfect state transfer between any pair of vertices on a subset of size four. 2. There are infinite families of Hermitian graphs with one-way perfect state transfer, where perfect state transfer occurs without periodicity. In contrast, perfect state transfer implies periodicity whenever the adjacency matrix has algebraic entries (as shown by Godsil). 3. There are infinite families with non-monogamous pretty good state transfer in rooted graph products. In particular, we generalize known results on double stars (due to Fan and Godsil) and on paths with loops (due to Kempton, Lippner and Yau). The latter extends the experimental observation of quantum transport (made by Zimborás et al.) and shows non-monogamous pretty good state transfer can occur amongst distant vertices.
In this paper we answer the question of when circulant quantum spin networks with nearest-neighbor couplings can give perfect state transfer. The network is described by a circulant graph
G, which is characterized by its circulant adjacency matrix
A. Formally, we say that there exists a {\it perfect state transfer} (PST) between vertices
a,b∈V(G) if
∣F(τ)ab∣=1, for some positive real number
τ, where
F(t)=exp(ıAt). Saxena, Severini and Shparlinski ({\it International Journal of Quantum Information} 5 (2007), 417--430) proved that
∣F(τ)aa∣=1 for some
a∈V(G) and
τ∈R+ if and only if all eigenvalues of
G are integer (that is, the graph is integral). The integral circulant graph $\ICG_n (D)$ has the vertex set
Zn={0,1,2,...,n−1} and vertices
a and
b are adjacent if
gcd(a−b,n)∈D, where $D \subseteq \{d : d \mid n,\ 1\leq d
For perfect state transfer (PST) on unweighted mixed graphs, we classify the normalized transfer times of complete PST classes. A finite set
Λ⊂R/Z containing zero occurs at a nonstationary periodic vertex if and only if
cos(2π(x−y))∈Q for all
x,y∈Λ. Every admissible set has a connected oriented realization. We also classify the possible return phases of oriented realizations at the minimum vertex period. Transfers at rational multiples of the common minimum vertex period partition a complete class into sets of size at most six, or at most three in an oriented graph with return phase
−1; both bounds are sharp. We construct complete classes of every finite size, including classes in which all transfers between distinct vertices occur at irrational multiples of the period and no switching automorphism maps a class vertex to a distinct class vertex. We also characterize simultaneous realization in connected oriented graphs with prescribed relative minimum vertex periods and return phases. The proof combines an imaginary quadratic field restriction with an unweighted construction that selects the complete target set.
This paper investigates perfect state transfer (PST) in discrete-time quantum walks constructed via the shunt decomposition method. The walks are defined on a graph
G and its associated quotient graph
G/π, induced by an equitable partition
π. Through the shunt decomposition of
G, we derive an explicit relation between the shift operator of the parent graph
G and that of its quotient graph
G/π. We construct a reflection operator based on the characteristic matrix, which establishes a connection between the transition operator of the parent graph and that of its lower-dimensional quotient graph. We then prove that PST occurs on
G if and only if it occurs on
G/π. Furthermore, we express the unitary evolution operator of the quotient graph in terms of Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind, from which we derive explicit criteria for PST. As an application, we establish PST on the cycle graph
Cn at time
k=n/2, and lift the result to the parent graph
C2n via the equitable partition
π. We further show that if an equitable partition
π of
G induces a quotient isomorphic to
Kn↺, the complete digraph on
n vertices with a loop at every vertex, then PST occurs at step
k=n, and the walk is periodic at
k=2n. This framework is applied to two families of graphs, which are the complete bipartite digraph
Kn,n⇌ and the circulant graph
Circ(2n,S), where
S consists of all odd residues modulo
2n and
n=2s for some
s≥1, establishing PST in their respective line digraphs. Collectively, these results also answer the question posed by Godsil and Zhan concerning which shunt decompositions or embeddings of a graph admit PST.
This thesis extends results about periodicity and perfect state transfer \nto oriented graphs. We prove that if a vertex a is periodic, then elements of \nthe eigenvalue support lie in Z √∆ for some squarefree negative integer \n∆. We find an infinite family of orientations of the complete graph that are \nperiodic. We find an example of a graph with both perfect state transfer \nand periodicity that is not periodic at an integer multiple of the period, and \nwe prove and use Gelfond-Schneider Theorem to show that every oriented \ngraph with perfect state transfer between two vertices will have both vertices \nperiodic. We find a complete characterization of when perfect state transfer \ncan occur in oriented graphs, and find a new example of a graph where one \nvertex has perfect state transfer to multiple other vertices.
We completely classify connected Cayley graphs over finite abelian groups that exhibit perfect state transfer in Grover walks. First, we show that a Cayley graph over any finite group exhibiting perfect state transfer has valency
1,
2, or
4. For valency
4, we prove that an abelian Cayley graph
Cay(Γ,S) exhibits perfect state transfer if and only if
S={a,−a,a+h,−a+h}, where
h has order
2, and
4∤∣Γ∣/2. Combining this characterization with the valency-one and valency-two cases, we explicitly determine all pairs
(Γ,S) for which
Cay(Γ,S) exhibits perfect state transfer. Our results extend the classification of circulant graphs of valency at most four obtained by Kubota and Yoshino [Circulant graphs with valency up to 4 that admit perfect state transfer in Grover walks, \emph{J. Comb. Theory Ser. A.}, 216 (2025) 106064] to Cayley graphs over arbitrary finite abelian groups and to all valencies.