Discrete-time quantum walks via interchange framework and memory in quantum evolution

Zlatko Dimcovic, Yevgeniy Kovchegov

Zlatko Dimcovic, Yevgeniy Kovchegov

We construct a quantum interchange walk, related to classical walks with memory. This gives us a coinless discrete walk, while the origin in classical walks with memory offers the promise of use of existing tools from classical memoried walks. This approach readily reproduces all standard approaches. We briefly discuss its generality and advantages.

Zlatko Dimcovic, Daniel Rockwell, Ian Milligan +3 more

We formulate a framework for discrete-time quantum walks, motivated by classical random walks with memory. We present a specific representation of the classical walk with memory 2, on which this is based. The framework has no need for coin spaces, it imposes no constraints on the evolution operator other than unitarity, and is unifying of other approaches. As an example we construct a symmetric discrete-time quantum walk on the semi-infinite binary tree. The generating function of the amplitude at the root is computed in closed form, as a function of time and the initial level $n$ in the tree, and we find the asymptotic and a full numerical solution for the amplitude. It exhibits a sharp interference peak and a power-law tail, as opposed to the exponentially decaying tail of a broadly peaked distribution of the classical symmetric random walk on a binary tree. The probability peak is orders of magnitude larger than it is for the classical walk (already at small $n$). The quantum walk shows a polynomial algorithmic speedup in $n$ over the classical walk, which we conjecture to be of the order $2/3$, based on strong trends in data.

Albert T. Schmitz

Chris Jones

We examine a discrete-time quantum walk with two-step memory for a particle on a onedimensional infinite space. The walk is defined with a four-state memory space analogous to the two-state coin space commonly used in discrete time quantum walks, and a method is presented for calculating the time evolution by using the Fourier transform. An integral expression for the probability is calculated, and this is used to produce numerical solutions for the probability distribution as a function of the time step and position. The results show two peaks in the probability distribution. One peak propagates ballistically with time, which is a common feature of quantum walks. The other peak is stationary with time and located at the initial site of the particle. This feature is not common in quantum walks and suggests that tracing the immediate history of the particle using two-step memory may represent the beginning of a transition to a classical system.

Sayumi Takei, Akira Ishikawa, Kiyoshi Kobayashi