Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Quantum algorithm for the Navier-Stokes equations

Ljubomir Budinski

Published Mar 5, 2021• 4 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A new algorithm for solving the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) on a quantum device is presented. The non-linearity of fluid flow equations is managed by using the stream function-vorticity formulation, while the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is utilized for solving the corresponding system of equations numerically. Following the nature of the lattice Boltzmann method, the proposed quantum algorithm consists of five major sections: initialization, collision, propagation, boundary condition implementation, and macros calculation. The collision and boundary condition step is quantumly implemented by applying the standard-form encoding approach, while the quantum walk procedure is applied for the propagation step. The algorithm is implemented by using IBM's quantum computing software development framework Qiskit, while for the verification purposes two-dimensional (2D) cavity flow is simulated and compared with classical code.

Related papers

Quantum algorithm for the Navier–Stokes equations by using the streamfunction-vorticity formulation and the lattice Boltzmann method

Ljubomir Budinski

In this paper, a new algorithm for solving the Navier–Stokes equations (NSE) on a quantum device is presented. For the fluid flow equations, the stream function-vorticity formulation is adopted, while the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is utilized for solving the corresponding system of equations numerically for one time step. Following the nature of the lattice Boltzmann method, the proposed quantum algorithm consists of five major sections: initialization, collision, propagation, boundary condition implementation and calculation of macroscopic quantities. The collision and boundary condition step is quantumly implemented by applying the standard-form encoding approach, while the quantum walk procedure is applied for the propagation step. The algorithm is implemented by using IBM’s quantum computing software development framework Qiskit, while for the verification purposes, two-dimensional (2D) cavity flow is simulated and compared with classical code.

arXiv:2103.03804•International Journal of Quantum Information•Feb 26, 2022•65 citations

Quantum algorithm for the lattice Boltzmann method with applications on real quantum devices

Antonio Bastida-Zamora, Ljubomir Budinski, Oskari Kerppo +8 more

We introduce a novel quantum algorithm for the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on the one-step simplified LBM. The structure of the algorithm allows for more flexibility in modelling different physics in contrast to earlier quantum algorithms for the LBM, while retaining computational efficiency in terms of the gate and qubit complexity. The new algorithm has potential for full end-to-end quantum utility especially for linear problems. We discuss the implementation of examples in linear acoustics, as well as a nonlinear Navier-Stokes problem that was solved on an IBM QPU in a hybrid simulation loop.

quant-pharXiv:2603.02127•Mar 3, 2026•0 citations

Accelerating fluid flow in Quantum Computing using GPU

Joel Dandin, Satyadhyan Chickerur

In the last few years, quantum computing has evolved as the next big technological breakthrough. Many big companies are actively researching this area and have built open-source frameworks which can be used to develop solutions for problems that connect be solved by classical computers. One such problem is the solution of Navier-Stokes equations which takes exponential time for simulation but using quantum computers, they can be solved in polynomial time. But the current state of quantum computation does not enable everyone to test their implementation on a real quantum computer. In this situation, a simulator enables rapid prototype and testing techniques and algorithms for when the real quantum computer is ready. This paper focuses on simulating fluid flow algorithms using a quantum framework, such as Navier- Stokes equations, with the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) used to numerically solve the relevant system of equations on both CPU and GPU to speed up the process. The quantum framework used in this paper is Qiskit, an open-source software development kit created by IBM that allows developers to create and test quantum algorithms. NVIDIA cuQuantum is an SDK of optimized libraries and tools for expediting quantum computing operations used in this paper to solve the fundamental problem of modeling large-size quantum circuits using the power of GPU

International Conference on Computer, Electronics & Electrical Engineering & their Applications (IC2E3)•Jun 8, 2023•0 citations

A quantum algorithm for the lattice-Boltzmann method advection-diffusion equation

David Wawrzyniak, Josef M. Winter, Steffen J. Schmidt +4 more

We present a versatile and efficient quantum algorithm based on the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) approximate solution of the linear advection-diffusion equation (ADE). We emphasize that the LBM approximation modifies the diffusion term of the underlying exact ADE and leads to a modified equation (mADE). Due to its versatility in terms of operator splitting, the proposed quantum LBM algorithm for the mADE provides a building block for future quantum algorithms to solve the linearized Navier-Stokes equation on quantum computers. We split the algorithm into four operations: initialization, collision, streaming, and calculation of the macroscopic quantities. We propose general quantum building blocks for each operator, which adapt intrinsically from the general three-dimensional case to smaller dimensions and apply to arbitrary lattice-velocity sets. Based on (sub-linear) amplitude data encoding, we propose improved initialization and collision operations with reduced complexity and efficient sampling-based simulation. Quantum streaming algorithms are based on previous developments. The proposed quantum algorithm allows for the computation of successive time steps, requiring full state measurement and reinitialization after every time step. It is validated by comparison with a digital implementation and based on analytical solutions in one and two dimensions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the versatility of the quantum algorithm for two cases with non-uniform advection velocities in two and three dimensions. Various velocity sets are considered to further highlight the flexibility of the algorithm. We benchmark our optimized quantum algorithm against previous methods employed in sampling-based quantum simulators. We demonstrate sampling efficiency, with sampling accelerated convergence requiring fewer shots. • Novel LBM quantum algorithm for solving the linear advection-diffusion equation with variable velocity as a building block. • Modular quantum algorithm for 1 through 3 spatial dimensions and all common lattice-velocity sets. • Significant reduction in quantum-algorithm complexity achieved through efficient encoding strategy leveraging symmetries. • Improved collision quantum-algorithm building block leading to higher success rates for the collision operator. • Benchmarking shows faster convergence and reduced shot requirements compared to previous algorithms.

Computer Physics Communications•Sep 10, 2024•33 citations

A quantum computing-based lattice Boltzmann method with a linearized non-equilibrium collision operator and modular circuit for practical flow simulation

Kang-Yang Zeng, Xiaodong Niu, Adnan Khan +2 more

Quantum computing (QC) has emerged as a potential computational tool in fluid dynamics. However, a practical QC protocol with end-to-end practical applications to fluid flow is still in nascent. We here propose a simple and practical hybrid QC algorithm based on lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM), which we term HQLBM, for fluid dynamics simulations. The existing QC-based LBMs are limited to simple low-Reynolds-number flow simulations due to their disability to handle the nonlinear collision term in LBM for QC. In this work, a linearized non-equilibrium collision, derived from kinetic theory, is presented for HQLBM simulating practical flows. The present approach ensures the unitary of quantum algorithms while keeping the collision relaxation parameter adjustable for simulating different Reynolds number flows. Most importantly, the linearized collision keeps the accuracy of the original nonlinear one in the lattice Boltzmann equation when it theoretically recovers its macroscopic counterpart—Navier–Stokes equations. The practicality of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulating two typical flows, including lid-driven and natural convection flows in a square cavity at different Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers, respectively. It is shown that the proposed HQLBM has good numerical accuracy compared to the conventional LBM, and lower complexity on comparisons to the QC-based LBM carried out on single-circuit QC even when it is performed on a Qiskit virtual quantum computer. This work offers a practical application of QC-based LBM for complex fluid dynamics problems.

Physics of Fluids•Aug 1, 2025•6 citations

Quantum computing of fluid dynamics using the hydrodynamic Schrödinger equation

Zhaoyuan Meng, Yue Yang

Simulating fluid dynamics on a quantum computer is intrinsically difficult due to the nonlinear and non-Hamiltonian nature of the Navier-Stokes equation (NSE). We propose a framework for quantum computing of fluid dynamics based on the hydrodynamic Schr\"odinger equation (HSE), which can be promising in simulating three-dimensional turbulent flows in various engineering applications. The HSE is derived by generalizing the Madelung transform to compressible or incompressible flows with finite vorticity and dissipation. Since the HSE is expressed as a unitary operator on a two-component wave function, it is more suitable than the NSE for quantum computing. The flow governed by the HSE can resemble a turbulent flow consisting of tangled vortex tubes with the five-thirds scaling of energy spectrum. We develop a prediction-correction quantum algorithm to solve the HSE. This algorithm is implemented for simple flows on the quantum simulator Qiskit with partial exponential speedup.

arXiv:2302.09741•Physical Review Research•Sep 12, 2023•76 citations
A new algorithm for solving the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) on a quantum device is presented. The non-linearity of fluid flow equations is managed by using the stream function-vorticity formulation, while the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is utilized for solving the corresponding system of equations numerically. Following the nature of the lattice Boltzmann method, the proposed quantum algorithm consists of five major sections: initialization, collision, propagation, boundary condition implementation, and macros calculation. The collision and boundary condition step is quantumly implemented by applying the standard-form encoding approach, while the quantum walk procedure is applied for the propagation step. The algorithm is implemented by using IBM's quantum computing software development framework Qiskit, while for the verification purposes two-dimensional (2D) cavity flow is simulated and compared with classical code.
In this paper, a new algorithm for solving the Navier–Stokes equations (NSE) on a quantum device is presented. For the fluid flow equations, the stream function-vorticity formulation is adopted, while the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is utilized for solving the corresponding system of equations numerically for one time step. Following the nature of the lattice Boltzmann method, the proposed quantum algorithm consists of five major sections: initialization, collision, propagation, boundary condition implementation and calculation of macroscopic quantities. The collision and boundary condition step is quantumly implemented by applying the standard-form encoding approach, while the quantum walk procedure is applied for the propagation step. The algorithm is implemented by using IBM’s quantum computing software development framework Qiskit, while for the verification purposes, two-dimensional (2D) cavity flow is simulated and compared with classical code.
We introduce a novel quantum algorithm for the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on the one-step simplified LBM. The structure of the algorithm allows for more flexibility in modelling different physics in contrast to earlier quantum algorithms for the LBM, while retaining computational efficiency in terms of the gate and qubit complexity. The new algorithm has potential for full end-to-end quantum utility especially for linear problems. We discuss the implementation of examples in linear acoustics, as well as a nonlinear Navier-Stokes problem that was solved on an IBM QPU in a hybrid simulation loop.
In the last few years, quantum computing has evolved as the next big technological breakthrough. Many big companies are actively researching this area and have built open-source frameworks which can be used to develop solutions for problems that connect be solved by classical computers. One such problem is the solution of Navier-Stokes equations which takes exponential time for simulation but using quantum computers, they can be solved in polynomial time. But the current state of quantum computation does not enable everyone to test their implementation on a real quantum computer. In this situation, a simulator enables rapid prototype and testing techniques and algorithms for when the real quantum computer is ready. This paper focuses on simulating fluid flow algorithms using a quantum framework, such as Navier- Stokes equations, with the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) used to numerically solve the relevant system of equations on both CPU and GPU to speed up the process. The quantum framework used in this paper is Qiskit, an open-source software development kit created by IBM that allows developers to create and test quantum algorithms. NVIDIA cuQuantum is an SDK of optimized libraries and tools for expediting quantum computing operations used in this paper to solve the fundamental problem of modeling large-size quantum circuits using the power of GPU
We present a versatile and efficient quantum algorithm based on the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) approximate solution of the linear advection-diffusion equation (ADE). We emphasize that the LBM approximation modifies the diffusion term of the underlying exact ADE and leads to a modified equation (mADE). Due to its versatility in terms of operator splitting, the proposed quantum LBM algorithm for the mADE provides a building block for future quantum algorithms to solve the linearized Navier-Stokes equation on quantum computers. We split the algorithm into four operations: initialization, collision, streaming, and calculation of the macroscopic quantities. We propose general quantum building blocks for each operator, which adapt intrinsically from the general three-dimensional case to smaller dimensions and apply to arbitrary lattice-velocity sets. Based on (sub-linear) amplitude data encoding, we propose improved initialization and collision operations with reduced complexity and efficient sampling-based simulation. Quantum streaming algorithms are based on previous developments. The proposed quantum algorithm allows for the computation of successive time steps, requiring full state measurement and reinitialization after every time step. It is validated by comparison with a digital implementation and based on analytical solutions in one and two dimensions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the versatility of the quantum algorithm for two cases with non-uniform advection velocities in two and three dimensions. Various velocity sets are considered to further highlight the flexibility of the algorithm. We benchmark our optimized quantum algorithm against previous methods employed in sampling-based quantum simulators. We demonstrate sampling efficiency, with sampling accelerated convergence requiring fewer shots. • Novel LBM quantum algorithm for solving the linear advection-diffusion equation with variable velocity as a building block. • Modular quantum algorithm for 1 through 3 spatial dimensions and all common lattice-velocity sets. • Significant reduction in quantum-algorithm complexity achieved through efficient encoding strategy leveraging symmetries. • Improved collision quantum-algorithm building block leading to higher success rates for the collision operator. • Benchmarking shows faster convergence and reduced shot requirements compared to previous algorithms.
Quantum computing (QC) has emerged as a potential computational tool in fluid dynamics. However, a practical QC protocol with end-to-end practical applications to fluid flow is still in nascent. We here propose a simple and practical hybrid QC algorithm based on lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM), which we term HQLBM, for fluid dynamics simulations. The existing QC-based LBMs are limited to simple low-Reynolds-number flow simulations due to their disability to handle the nonlinear collision term in LBM for QC. In this work, a linearized non-equilibrium collision, derived from kinetic theory, is presented for HQLBM simulating practical flows. The present approach ensures the unitary of quantum algorithms while keeping the collision relaxation parameter adjustable for simulating different Reynolds number flows. Most importantly, the linearized collision keeps the accuracy of the original nonlinear one in the lattice Boltzmann equation when it theoretically recovers its macroscopic counterpart—Navier–Stokes equations. The practicality of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulating two typical flows, including lid-driven and natural convection flows in a square cavity at different Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers, respectively. It is shown that the proposed HQLBM has good numerical accuracy compared to the conventional LBM, and lower complexity on comparisons to the QC-based LBM carried out on single-circuit QC even when it is performed on a Qiskit virtual quantum computer. This work offers a practical application of QC-based LBM for complex fluid dynamics problems.
Simulating fluid dynamics on a quantum computer is intrinsically difficult due to the nonlinear and non-Hamiltonian nature of the Navier-Stokes equation (NSE). We propose a framework for quantum computing of fluid dynamics based on the hydrodynamic Schr\"odinger equation (HSE), which can be promising in simulating three-dimensional turbulent flows in various engineering applications. The HSE is derived by generalizing the Madelung transform to compressible or incompressible flows with finite vorticity and dissipation. Since the HSE is expressed as a unitary operator on a two-component wave function, it is more suitable than the NSE for quantum computing. The flow governed by the HSE can resemble a turbulent flow consisting of tangled vortex tubes with the five-thirds scaling of energy spectrum. We develop a prediction-correction quantum algorithm to solve the HSE. This algorithm is implemented for simple flows on the quantum simulator Qiskit with partial exponential speedup.