Quaternionic quantum theory is a generalization of the standard complex quantum theory. Inspired by this, we study the quaternionic quantum computation using quaternions. We first develop a theory of quaternionic quantum automata as a model of quaternionic quantum computation. Quaternionic quantum automata also can be seen as an extension of complex quantum automata. Then we introduce some operations of quaternionic quantum automata and establish some of their basic properties.
Quaternionic quantum theory is a generalization of the standard complex quantum theory. Inspired by this, we study the quaternionic quantum computation using quaternions. We first develop a theory of quaternionic quantum automata as a model of quaternionic quantum computation. Quaternionic quantum automata also can be seen as an extension of complex quantum automata. Then we introduce some operations of quaternionic quantum automata and establish some of their basic properties.
Quaternionic quantum theory is an extension of the standard complex quantum theory. Inspired by this, we study the quaternionic quantum computation using quaternions. We first develop a theory of quaternionic quantum Turing machines as a model of quaternionic quantum computation. Quaternionic quantum Turing machines can also be seen as a generalization of the complex quantum Turing machine. Then, we introduce the weighted sum of quaternionic quantum Turing machines and establish some of their basic properties.
We introduce a model of computation based on quaternions, which is inspired on the quantum computing model. Pure states are vectors of a suitable linear space over the quaternions. Other aspects of the theory are the same as in quantum computing: superposition and linearity of the state space, unitarity of the transformations, and projective measurements. However, one notable exception is the fact that quaternionic circuits do not have a uniquely defined behaviour, unless a total ordering of evaluation of the gates is defined. Given such an ordering a unique unitary operator can be associated with the quaternionic circuit and a proper semantics of computation can be associated with it. The main result of this paper consists in showing that this model is no more powerful than quantum computing, as long as such an ordering of gates can be defined. More concretely we show, that for all quaternionic computation using n quaterbits, the behaviour of the circuit for each possible gate ordering can be simulated with n+1 qubits, and this with little or no overhead in circuit size. The proof of this result is inspired of a new simplified and improved proof of the equivalence of a similar model based on real amplitudes to quantum computing, which states that any quantum computation using n qubits can be simulated with n+1 rebits, and in this with no circuit size overhead. Beyond this potential computational equivalence, however, we propose this model as a simpler framework in which to discuss the possibility of a quaternionic quantum mechanics or information theory. In particular, it already allows us to illustrate that the introduction of quaternions might violate some of the ``natural'' properties that we have come to expect from physical models.
The orthodox formulation of quantum theory invokes the mathematical apparatus of complex Hilbert space. In this thesis, we consider a quaternionic quantum formalism for the description of quantum states, quantum channels, and quantum measurements. We prove that probabilities for outcomes of quaternionic quantum measurements arise from canonical inner products of the corresponding quaternionic quantum effects and a unique quaternionic quantum state. We embed quaternionic quantum theory into the framework of usual complex quantum information theory. We prove that quaternionic quantum measurements can be simulated by usual complex positive operator valued measures. Furthermore, we prove that quaternionic quantum channels can be simulated by completely positive trace preserving maps on complex quantum states. We also derive a lower bound on an orthonormality measure for sets of positive semi-definite quaternionic linear operators. We prove that sets of operators saturating the aforementioned lower bound facilitate a reconciliation of quaternionic quantum theory with a generalized Quantum Bayesian framework for reconstructing quantum state spaces.
It has been recently pointed out by Caves, Fuchs, and Rungta [1] that real quantum mechanics (that is, quantum mechanics defined over real vector spaces [2–5]) provides an interesting foil theory whose study may shed some light on just which particular aspects of quantum entanglement are unique to standard quantum theory and which are more generic over other physical theories endowed with this phenomenon. Following this work, some entanglement properties of two-rebit systems are discussed and a comparison with the basic properties of two-qubit systems, i.e., the systems described by standard complex quantum mechanics, is made. The use of quaternionic quantum mechanics as applied to the phenomenon of entanglement is also discussed.
As earlier conjectured by several authors and much later established by Solèr, from the lattice-theory point of view, Quantum Mechanics may be formulated in real, complex or quaternionic Hilbert spaces only. On the other hand, no quantum systems seem to exist that are naturally described in a real or quaternionic Hilbert space. In a previous paper [23], we showed that any quantum system which is elementary from the viewpoint of the Poincaré symmetry group and it is initially described in a real Hilbert space, it can also be described within the standard complex Hilbert space framework. This complex description is unique and more precise than the real one as, for instance, in the complex description, all self-adjoint operators represent observables defined by the symmetry group. The complex picture fulfils the thesis of Solér’s theorem and permits the standard formulation of the quantum Noether’s theorem. The present work is devoted to investigate the remaining case, namely, the possibility of a description of a relativistic elementary quantum system in a quaternionic Hilbert space. Everything is done exploiting recent results of the quaternionic spectral theory that were independently developed. In the initial part of this work, we extend some results of group representation theory and von Neumann algebra theory from the real and complex cases to the quaternionic Hilbert space case. We prove the double commutant theorem also for quaternionic von Neumann algebras (whose proof requires a different procedure with respect to the real and complex cases) and we extend to the quaternionic case a result established in the previous paper concerning the classification of irreducible von Neumann algebras into three categories. In the second part of the paper, we consider an elementary relativistic system within Wigner’s approach defined as a locally-faithful irreducible strongly-continuous unitary representation of the Poincaré group in a quaternionic Hilbert space. We prove that, if the squared-mass operator is non-negative, the system admits a natural, Poincaré invariant and unique up to sign, complex structure which commutes with the whole algebra of observables generated by the representation itself. This complex structure leads to a physically equivalent reformulation of the theory in a complex Hilbert space. Within this complex formulation, differently from what happens in the quaternionic one, all self-adjoint operators represent observables in agreement with Solèr’s thesis, the standard quantum version of Noether theorem may be formulated and the notion of composite system may be given in terms of tensor product of elementary systems. In the third part of the paper, we focus on the physical hypotheses adopted to define a quantum elementary relativistic system relaxing them on the one hand, and making our model physically more general on the other hand. We use a physically more accurate notion of irreducibility regarding the algebra of observables only, we describe the symmetries in terms of automorphisms of the restricted lattice of elementary propositions of the quantum system and we adopt a notion of continuity referred to the states viewed as probability measures on the elementary propositions. Also in this case, the final result proves that there exists a unique (up to sign) Poincaré invariant complex structure making the theory complex and completely fitting into Solèr’s picture. The overall conclusion is that relativistic elementary systems are naturally and better described in complex Hilbert spaces even if starting from a real or quaternionic Hilbert space formulation and this complex description is uniquely fixed by physics.
We develop detailed quaternionic and octonionic frameworks for quantum computation grounded on normed division algebras. Our central result is to prove the polynomial computational equivalence of quaternionic and complex quantum models: Computation over H is polynomially equivalent to the standard complex quantum circuit model and hence captures the same complexity class BQP up to polynomial reductions. Over H, we construct a complete model—quaternionic qubits on right H-modules with quaternion-valued inner products, unitary dynamics, associative tensor products, and universal gate sets—and establish polynomial equivalence with the standard complex model; routes for implementation at fidelities exceeding 99% via pulse-level synthesis on current hardware are discussed. Over O, non-associativity yields path-dependent evolution, ambiguous adjoints/inner products, non-associative tensor products, and possible failure of energy conservation outside associative sectors. We formalize these obstructions and systematize four mitigation strategies: Confinement to associative subalgebras, G2-invariant codes, dynamical decoupling of associator terms, and a seven-factor algebraic decomposition for gate synthesis. The results delineate the feasible quaternionic regime from the constrained octonionic landscape and point to applications in symmetry-protected architectures, algebra-aware simulation, and hypercomplex learning.