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The Entangling Properties of Knots and Links

Eshan Mehrotra

Published Jan 1, 2016• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

It has been conjectured that quantum entanglement operators can be lifted to braiding operators by the way of the topological quantum field theory axioms set forth by Witten and Atiyah. Moreover, it can be readily shown that quantum link invariants need entanglement to construct topological invariants. Given these results and the already dense mathematical framework underlying topology and quantum field theory, we propose that, through the usage of quantum algebra and bracket models, we can identify a significant area of overlap where entangling R-matrix solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation can be used to construct invariants of knots and links. Such a connection illuminates the relationship between quantum and topological entanglement, and allows us to draw novel insights about properties of entangling gates, for example the question of what it is that allows some entangling R-matrices to generate topological invariants when others do not. In conclusion, by studying the boundary between topological and quantum entanglement we construct novel topological invariants that can have significant impact on the study of quantum computing and can help make progress towards the problem of representing the Artin braid group as unitary matrices.

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In my research, we developed a method to distinguish knots. A knot is a mathematical depiction of the everyday knot that occurs in ropes and cords. The distinguishing of knots is a computationally hard problem, which is equivalent with the untangling of knots. Often, knots are distinguished by a so called knot invariant. Such an invariant is a label that can be attributed to any knot, such that the label is identical for two identical knots. The theory of knots is closely related to quantum computing and lattices of atoms. The distinguishing of knots is a problem that can be solved in an exponential number of computations, in the number of crossings of a knot. Our invariants can be computed in polynomial time. This means that the number of computations is a power of the number of crossings of a knot. Another advantage of our method is that for the knots that have been calculated, the invariant was able to distinguish as the most effective methods combined. In fact, by removing unnecessary information from the conventional knot invariants, we obtained an invariant that can be computed much faster, and is as effective as the usual invariants.

•Sep 1, 2020•1 citation
It has been conjectured that quantum entanglement operators can be lifted to braiding operators by the way of the topological quantum field theory axioms set forth by Witten and Atiyah. Moreover, it can be readily shown that quantum link invariants need entanglement to construct topological invariants. Given these results and the already dense mathematical framework underlying topology and quantum field theory, we propose that, through the usage of quantum algebra and bracket models, we can identify a significant area of overlap where entangling R-matrix solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation can be used to construct invariants of knots and links. Such a connection illuminates the relationship between quantum and topological entanglement, and allows us to draw novel insights about properties of entangling gates, for example the question of what it is that allows some entangling R-matrices to generate topological invariants when others do not. In conclusion, by studying the boundary between topological and quantum entanglement we construct novel topological invariants that can have significant impact on the study of quantum computing and can help make progress towards the problem of representing the Artin braid group as unitary matrices.
Kauffman and Lomonaco (New J Phys 4:73.1–73.18, 2002. arXiv:quant-ph/0401090 , New J Phys 6:134.1–134.40, 2004) explored the idea of understanding quantum entanglement (the non-local correlation of certain properties of particles) topologically by viewing unitary entangling operators as braiding operators. In Alagic et al. (Yang–Baxter operators need quantum entanglement to distinguish knots, 2015. arXiv:1507.05979v1 ), it is shown that entanglement is a necessary condition for forming non-trivial invariants of knots from braid closures via solutions to the Yang–Baxter equation. We show that the arguments used by Alagic et al. (2015) generalize to essentially the same results for quantum invariant state summation models of knots. In one case (the unoriented swap case) we give an example of a Yang–Baxter operator, and associated quantum invariant, that can detect the Hopf link. Again this is analogous to the results of Alagic et al. (2015). We also give a class of R matrices that are entangling and are weak invariants of classical knots and links yet strong invariants of virtual knots and links. We also give an example of an SU(2) representation of the three-strand braid group that models the Jones polynomial for closures of three-strand braids. This invariant is a quantum model for the Jones polynomial restricted to three-strand braids, and it does not involve quantum entanglement. These relationships between topological braiding and quantum entanglement can be used as a framework for future work in understanding the properties of entangling gates in topological quantum computing. The paper ends with a discussion of the Aravind hypothesis about the direct relationship of knots and quantum entanglement and the ER=EPRER = EPRER=EPR E R = E P R hypothesis about the relationship of quantum entanglement with the connectivity of space. We describe how, given a background space and a quantum tensor network, to construct a new topological space that welds the network and the background space together. This construction embodies the principle that quantum entanglement and topological connectivity are intimately related.
. This paper is an introduction to relationships between quantum topology and quantum computing. We show how knots are related not just to braiding and quantum operators, but to quantum set theoretical foundations, algebras of fermions, and we show how the operation of negation in logic, seen as both a value and an operator, can generate the fusion algebra for a Majorana fermion. We call negation in this mode the mark, as it operates on itself to change from marked to unmarked states. The mark viewed recursively as a simplest discrete dynamical system naturally generates the fermion algebra, the quaternions and the braid group representations related to Majorana fermions. The paper begins with these fundamentals. It then discusses unitary solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation that are universal quantum gates, quantum entanglement and topological entanglement, and gives an exposition of knot-theoretic recoupling theory, its relationship with topological quantum field theory and applies these methods to produce unitary representations of the braid groups that are dense in the unitary groups. These methods are rooted in the bracket state sum model for the Jones polynomial. A self-contained study of the quantum universal Fibonacci model is given. Results are applied to give quantum algorithms for the computation of the colored Jones polynomials for knots and links, and theWitten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant of three manifolds. Two constructions are given for the Fibonacci model, one based in Temperley-Lieb recoupling theory, the other quite elementary and also based on the Temperley-Lieb algebra. This paper begins an exploration of quantum epistemology in relation to the structure of discrimination as the underpinning of basic logic, perception and measurement. Introduction. This paper is an introduction to relationships between quantum topology and quantum computing. We take a foundational approach, showing how knots are related not just to braiding and quantum operators, but to quantum set theoretical foundations and algebras of fermions. We show how the operation of negation in logic, seen as both a value and an operator, can generate the fusion algebra for a Majorana fermion, a particle that is its own anti-particle and interacts with itself either to annihilate itself or to produce itself. We call negation in this mode the mark , as it operates on itself to change from marked to unmarked states.
Any solution to the Yang-Baxter equation yields a family of representations of braid groups. Under certain conditions, identified by Turaev, the appropriately normalized trace of these representations yields a link invariant. Any Yang-Baxter solution can be interpreted as a two-qudit quantum gate. Here we show that if this gate is non-entangling, then the resulting invariant of knots is trivial. We thus obtain a general connection between topological entanglement and quantum entanglement, as suggested by Kauffman et al.
These notes review a description of quantum mechanics in terms of the topology of spaces, basing on the axioms of Topological Quantum Field Theory and path integral formalism. In this description quantum states and operators are encoded by the topology of spaces that are used as modules to build the quantum mechanical model, while expectation values and probabilities are given by topological invariants of spaces, knots and links. The notes focus on the specific way the topology encodes quantum mechanical features, or, equivalently, on how these features can be controlled through the topology. A topological classification of entanglement is discussed, as well as properties of entanglement entropy and basic quantum protocols. The primary aim is to build a less conventional diagrammatic intuition about quantum mechanics, expanding the paradigm of ``Quantum Picturalism".
Quantum entanglement, long recognized as a peculiar phenomenon, holds a profound potential beyond simple correlations. This paper explores the concept of entanglement as a fundamental state of a topological space, suggesting that it represents a novel approach to quantum computation. We propose a new mathematical framework, the 'topological braid' model, to describe entanglement, linking it to the inherent properties of topological spaces. This research aims to expand our understanding of entanglement by proposing a fundamentally different perspective, potentially unlocking new quantum algorithms and computational paradigms. The core claim is that entanglement, when viewed through this lens, provides a more robust and versatile foundation for quantum systems.
In my research, we developed a method to distinguish knots. A knot is a mathematical depiction of the everyday knot that occurs in ropes and cords. The distinguishing of knots is a computationally hard problem, which is equivalent with the untangling of knots. Often, knots are distinguished by a so called knot invariant. Such an invariant is a label that can be attributed to any knot, such that the label is identical for two identical knots. The theory of knots is closely related to quantum computing and lattices of atoms. The distinguishing of knots is a problem that can be solved in an exponential number of computations, in the number of crossings of a knot. Our invariants can be computed in polynomial time. This means that the number of computations is a power of the number of crossings of a knot. Another advantage of our method is that for the knots that have been calculated, the invariant was able to distinguish as the most effective methods combined. In fact, by removing unnecessary information from the conventional knot invariants, we obtained an invariant that can be computed much faster, and is as effective as the usual invariants.