Abstract The solution to the time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation is written using quaternion algebra, i.e. by expressing the unitary operator describing the time evolution of the Pauli spinor and the Pauli spinor itself as left-chirality quaternions. The quaternion approach is used to express the time evolution of a qubit on the Bloch sphere under the action of the commonly used quantum gates and to implement the two-qubit controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate and the three-qubit Tofolli gate. The quaternion formalism is also applied to describe: (1) a general two-qubit quaternionic gate, (2) the Larmor precession of an electron spin in an uniform magnetic field, and (3) the issue of measurements in quantum mechanics. Finally, the time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation is also solved using right-chirality quaternions.
Abstract The solution to the time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation is written using quaternion algebra, i.e. by expressing the unitary operator describing the time evolution of the Pauli spinor and the Pauli spinor itself as left-chirality quaternions. The quaternion approach is used to express the time evolution of a qubit on the Bloch sphere under the action of the commonly used quantum gates and to implement the two-qubit controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate and the three-qubit Tofolli gate. The quaternion formalism is also applied to describe: (1) a general two-qubit quaternionic gate, (2) the Larmor precession of an electron spin in an uniform magnetic field, and (3) the issue of measurements in quantum mechanics. Finally, the time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation is also solved using right-chirality quaternions.
Abstract A thorough approach to quantum mechanics should rely on an algebraic operation of multiplication based on proper algebraic structures, i.e. division algebras. Quaternions, with their commutation rules isomorphic to SU (2), offer such a framework. In this work, a quaternion algebraic approach derived from the finite groups is used to solve the spatially invariant time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation and derive the Rabi formula and the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance and its generalization. The spatial and time-dependent Pauli–Schrödinger equation is then written using left-chirality quaternions, i.e. by expressing the Pauli spinor, its time derivative, and the Hamiltonian as elements of the same division algebra. The quaternion formalism is used to derive the dispersion relation of a free electron and of an electron in a constant magnetic field. Finally, the formalism is applied to calculate the transmission probabilities through a one-dimensional delta scatterer and through a resonant tunneling structure composed of two one-dimensional quaternionic delta-scatterers in series. The results are compared to the transmission probabilities calculated using traditional (complex) quantum mechanics.
Abstract. The spinor representation of spin-1/2 states can equally well be mapped to a single unit quaternion, yielding a new perspective despite the equivalent mathematics. This paper first demonstrates a useable map that allows Bloch-sphere rotations to be represented as quaternionic multiplications, simplifying the form of the dynamical equations. Left-multiplications generally correspond to non-unitary transformations, providing a simpler (essentially classical) analysis of time-reversal. But the quaternion viewpoint also reveals a surprisingly large broken symmetry, as well as a potential way to restore it, via a natural expansion of the state space that has parallels to second order fermions. This expansion to “second order qubits ” would imply either a larger gauge freedom or a natural space of hidden variables. ‡ Present address: The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York NY 10016. ar X iv
The spinor representation of spin-1/2 states can equally well be mapped to a single unit quaternion, yielding a new perspective despite the equivalent mathematics. This paper first demonstrates a useable map that allows Bloch-sphere rotations to be represented as quaternionic multiplications, simplifying the form of the dynamical equations. Left-multiplications generally correspond to non-unitary transformations, providing a simpler (essentially classical) analysis of time-reversal. But the quaternion viewpoint also reveals a surprisingly large broken symmetry, as well as a potential way to restore it, via a natural expansion of the state space that has parallels to second order fermions. This expansion to ‘second order qubits’ would imply either a larger gauge freedom or a natural space of hidden variables.
In this chapter, we will consider the general approach used to calculate the time evolution of the probability of a spinor reaching a particular location on the Bloch sphere from another location, when subjected to the simultaneous actions of two spatially uniform magnetic fields. One of these fields is static (time-independent) and directed along a specific axis, while the other is timedependent, has a different amplitude, and rotates in the plane perpendicular to the first magnetic field. This problem was originally considered by I. I. Rabi who calculated the probability of a “spin flip,” i.e., the probability for a spinor, originally located at the north pole on the Bloch sphere, to ultimately reach the south pole [1, 2, 3]. Rabi calculated the time evolution of the probability in the case of a constant (dc) magnetic field along the z-axis and a circularly polarized time-varying (ac) magnetic field of different amplitude, with a specific frequency, rotating in the (x-y) plane. This led to the derivation of what is known as the Rabi formula which is one of the key ingredients in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). In most textbooks, the Rabi formula is derived by solving the time-dependent Pauli equation [Equation (2.31)] with a judicious choice of the reference frame to describe the time-evolution of the 2-component spinor wavefunction. Here, we use a different approach based on the concept of the Bloch sphere described in the previous chapter. This approach is more instructive since it directly relates to NMR concepts and is more synergistic with concepts used in spin-based quantum computing.
This paper systematically reviews the theoretical progression from blackbody radiation to the foundations of quantum computing. Beginning with Planck’s energy quantization and the representation of electromagnetic wave electric field components, the wave-particle duality of photons is analogized to introduce the de Broglie relation between momentum and wave vector for matter waves, leading to the establishment of the matter wave function and the Schrödinger equation as its governing partial differential equation. The consistency between the rigorous solution for a one-dimensional infinitely deep rectangular potential well and the conclusions for a one-dimensional hydrogen atom is demonstrated. Subsequently, within the Dirac notation formalism, the wave function is expressed, and the correspondence between spatial differentiation and momentum is derived, formalizing the momentum operator (often referred to as first quantization). To lay the physical groundwork for manipulating two-qubit states in quantum computing, the potential energy function of an electron’s orbital magnetic moment in an external magnetic field is introduced, starting from the torque and work on a current-carrying rectangular coil. This is extended to the magnetic moment and potential energy of a spinning electron, where the orientation of the magnetic field determines the form of the potential and accordingly selects the three components of the Pauli operators. The properties of quantum gates corresponding to the Pauli operators are then examined for single-qubit states. A two-qubit state, constructed via the coupling of two arbitrary single-qubit states represented in a two-level system or electron spin, is shown to be uniquely expressible as a superposition of four eigen two-qubit states. The paper further investigates joint manipulations of two-qubit states, including evolution under X and Z gates conditioned on high- and low-level states, the representation of control-flow circuits (with the low-level as control), and the formulation of measurement and CNOT gates. Throughout this work, essential mathematical tools—including integration, matrix operations, complex Euler’s formula, and solutions to simple second-order ordinary differential equations—are incorporated to provide a coherent theoretical framework for state representation and gate operations in quantum computing.
In this chapter we study the application of geometric algebra to both nonrelativistic and relativistic quantum mechanics. We concentrate on the quantum theory of spin-1/2 particles, whose dynamics is described by the Pauli and Dirac equations. For interactions where spin and relativity are not important the dynamics reduces to that of the Schrödinger equation. There are many good textbooks describing this topic and we will make no attempt to cover it here. We assume, furthermore, that most readers have a basic understanding of quantum mechanics, and are familiar with the concepts of states and operators. Both the Pauli and Dirac matrices arise naturally as representations of the geometric algebras of space and spacetime. It is no surprise, then, that much of quantum theory finds a natural expression within geometric algebra. To achieve this, however, one must reconsider the standard interpretation of the quantum spin operators. Like much discussion of the interpretation of quantum theory, certain issues raised here are controversial. There is no question about the validity of our algebraic approach, however, and little doubt about its advantages. Whether the algebraic simplifications obtained here are indicative of a deeper structure embedded in quantum mechanics is an open question. In this chapter we only consider the quantum theory of single particles in background fields. Multiparticle systems are considered in the following chapter.