This preprint develops a state-level framework in which holonomy is treated as a property of cyclic subspaces rather than single-particle eigenstates or gauge fields. Within number-conserving quadratic Hamiltonian dynamics on bosonic or fermionic modes, a precise notion of single-particle irreducibility is introduced, meaning that no compatible single-particle cyclic subspace of the same dimension can satisfy a holonomic (purely geometric) condition. The main result is an explicit existence theorem showing that nontrivial, purely geometric holonomies can arise in two-particle cyclic subspaces even when the associated single-particle problem admits no holonomic cyclic subspace of the same dimension. A fully worked minimal example—two bosons in two modes—is provided, yielding a nontrivial SU(2) holonomy on an encoded two-dimensional subspace while the single-particle sector is provably non-holonomic. The paper is self-contained and includes a conservative, device-agnostic certification scheme based on loop composition and conjugacy-invariant readouts, enabling experimental verification without model-specific gauge-field assumptions.
This preprint develops a state-level framework in which holonomy is treated as a property of cyclic subspaces rather than single-particle eigenstates or gauge fields. Within number-conserving quadratic Hamiltonian dynamics on bosonic or fermionic modes, a precise notion of single-particle irreducibility is introduced, meaning that no compatible single-particle cyclic subspace of the same dimension can satisfy a holonomic (purely geometric) condition. The main result is an explicit existence theorem showing that nontrivial, purely geometric holonomies can arise in two-particle cyclic subspaces even when the associated single-particle problem admits no holonomic cyclic subspace of the same dimension. A fully worked minimal example—two bosons in two modes—is provided, yielding a nontrivial SU(2) holonomy on an encoded two-dimensional subspace while the single-particle sector is provably non-holonomic. The paper is self-contained and includes a conservative, device-agnostic certification scheme based on loop composition and conjugacy-invariant readouts, enabling experimental verification without model-specific gauge-field assumptions.
This preprint presents a unified holonomy-first, invariant-only simulator architecture for loop-based quantum operations, integrating two complementary components:(i) an operational framework for discovering, diagnosing, and compiling native holonomic operations from closed-loop executions, and(ii) a minimal semantic language that characterizes what such loop-based operations mean when only conjugacy-invariant data are accessible. The simulator treats holonomy words—compositions of calibrated loop primitives—as the fundamental operational objects, rather than Hamiltonians, generators, or gauge-fixed operators. All semantics are defined at the level of conjugacy classes, represented operationally by invariant fingerprints such as trace moments or overlap-derived scalars. This invariant-first stance enables robust workflows that avoid full operator reconstruction, tomography, or fixed-basis assumptions. On this substrate, the simulator introduces a geometric compilation pipeline that: Extracts interaction structure from short loop compositions using commutator and nested-commutator diagnostics; Organizes noncommutativity and curvature information into a gauge-invariant interaction spectrum; Promotes reproducible, scale-consistent loop words into reusable native operations. A central contribution of the unified framework is a theorem-level semantic obstruction: the default single-system semantic tier is generically incomplete in the presence of entanglement-sensitive loop effects. This is demonstrated by introducing entanglement holonomy, a word-level invariant accessible via joint return amplitudes of entangled probes yet invisible to any reconstruction based solely on single-system class functions or mode-preserving data. As a consequence, the simulator treats the effective representation on which holonomies act as provisional rather than fixed. When invariant closure and scaling tests fail at a given tier, the simulator is forced to lift representation (e.g., from single-particle to multi-particle or encoded subspaces) as an operational necessity rather than a modeling choice. An explicit minimal example of an irreducible two-particle holonomic gate is provided within a quadratic-mode backend. The simulator does not attempt to unify classical and quantum dynamics or to provide a theory of quantum gravity. Instead, it supplies a shared holonomy-based semantic layer in which classical geometric transport and genuinely quantum effects (including entanglement) can be jointly represented and operationally distinguished using the same invariant diagnostics. This unified manuscript synthesizes and extends two previously developed components—an operational framework (GQF, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18303288) and a semantic foundation with an obstruction result (MHQL, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18332083)—to expose a structural point not apparent when they are treated separately: invariant-first compilation and representation lifting are linked by a principled semantic incompleteness theorem. The result is a rare simulator architecture that is holonomy-driven, gauge-invariant by construction, and representation-adaptive when compelled by invariant evidence.
Abstract When a quantum system undergoes slow changes, the evolution of its state depends only on the corresponding trajectory in Hilbert space. This phenomenon, known as quantum holonomy, brings to light the geometric aspects of quantum theory. Depending on the number of degrees of freedom involved, these purely geometric entities can be scalar or belong to a matrix-valued symmetry group. In their various forms, holonomies are vital elements in the description of the fundamental forces in particle physics as well as theories beyond the standard model such as loop quantum gravity or topological quantum field theory. Yet, implementing matrix-valued holonomies thus far has proven challenging, being further complicated by the difficulties involved in identifying suitable dark states for their construction in bosonic systems. Here we develop a representation of holonomic theory founded on the Heisenberg picture and leverage these insights for the experimental realization of a three-dimensional quantum holonomy. Its non-Abelian geometric phase is implemented via the judicious manipulation of bosonic modes constructed from indistinguishable photons and obeys the U(3) symmetry relevant to the strong interaction. Our findings could enable the experimental study of higher-dimensional non-Abelian gauge symmetries and the exploration of exotic physics on a photonic chip.
Abstract Holonomy-first quantum frameworks treat closed-loop transformations—holonomies—as the primitive operations from which native gates are mined, rather than as derived quantities. We develop this viewpoint in two parts. First, we construct a gauge-invariant commutator-strength matrix S(ϵ) from trace data of short group-commutator words and use it to drive an explicit native-operation promotion protocol. The bracket-norm interpretation of S(ϵ) is asymptotic with a general O(ϵ) remainder; for inversion-symmetric primitive families all odd-order corrections vanish, giving O(ϵ2) accuracy, and a counterexample shows the symmetry cannot be dropped. The promotion criteria are operationalized as declared statistical tests—sampling-cost laws for interferometric and readout-floor regimes, a bias-corrected scale-equivalence rule, and multiplicity control—and a deterministic simulation campaign reports decision replication, false-promotion control, inverse-defect detection, and execution cost under finite-shot readout, calibration error, imperfect inverses, and visibility loss. Second, for two-particle preparations of Schmidt rank two, the common-basepoint return-amplitude residue factorizes exactly as ΔPθ=C(θ)HE(χ,γ) , with C(θ) the concurrence and HE=sin2(2γ)sin4(χ/2) a calibrated loop factor, determining negativity, entanglement entropy, product fidelity, and geometric entanglement within the family. A two-boson construction realizes the encoded geometric gate −σx on span{∣20⟩,∣02⟩} ; under the same two-mode, same-dimension projected-scalar condition, no corresponding one-particle holonomic cycle exists unless the one-body Hamiltonian is scalar. The mathematical ingredients are established; the contribution is the invariant-readout protocol, its quantified cost and uncertainty analysis, and precise statements of what can and cannot be inferred without full operator reconstruction.
Holonomy-first quantum frameworks treat closed-loop transformations — holonomies — as the primitive operations from which native gates are mined, rather than as derived quantities. We develop this viewpoint in two parts. First, we construct a gauge-invariant commutator-strength matrix S(ε) from trace data of short group-commutator words and use it to drive an explicit native-operation promotion protocol. The bracket-norm interpretation of S(ε) is asymptotic with a general O(ε) remainder; for inversion-symmetric primitive families all odd-order corrections vanish, giving O(ε2) accuracy, and a counterexample shows the symmetry cannot be dropped. The promotion criteria are operationalized as declared statistical tests — sampling-cost laws for interferometric and readout-floor regimes, a bias-corrected scale-equivalence rule, and multiplicity control — and a deterministic simulation campaign reports decision replication, false-promotion control, inverse-defect detection, and execution cost under finite-shot readout, calibration error, imperfect inverses, and visibility loss. Second, for two-particle preparations of Schmidt rank two, the common-basepoint return-amplitude residue factorizes exactly as ΔPθ = C(θ)HE(χ, γ), with C(θ) the concurrence and HE = sin2(2γ) sin4(χ/2) a calibrated loop factor, determining negativity, entanglement entropy, product fidelity, and geometric entanglement within the family. A two-boson construction realizes the encoded geometric gate −σx on span{|20⟩, |02⟩}; under the same two-mode, same-dimension projected-scalar condition, no corresponding one-particle holonomic cycle exists unless the one-body Hamiltonian is scalar. The mathematical ingredients are established; the contribution is the invariant-readout protocol, its quantified cost and uncertainty analysis, and precise statements of what can and cannot be inferred without full operator reconstruction. This record contains the abstract only. It is not the full text of the article. The complete peer-reviewed article is published open access in Discover Quantum Science and is freely available from the publisher at https://doi.org/10.1007/s44464-026-00037-5 — including all figures, tables, appendices and the supplementary code and data. Cite as: Kazadi J. Holonomy-first native operations geometric quantum framework and entanglement-sensitive multi-particle holonomic gates. Discover Quantum Science. 2026;2:35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44464-026-00037-5
Holonomic quantum computation (HQC) realizes quantum gates through non-Abelian geometric phases, providing an experimentally accessible approach to quantum control. While the nonadiabatic HQC framework has been extensively developed for three-level Λ systems encoding qubits, its systematic extension to higher-dimensional qudits remains largely unexplored. In this work, we generalize nonadiabatic HQC to a d-pod configuration, where a single excited state is coupled to d ground states, the latter forming the computational subspace. This scheme enables universal holonomic single- and two-qudit gates using only optical or microwave pulses on trapped atoms or ions, offering an efficient route to implement a discrete universal gate set with minimal pulse coordination. As an explicit example, we analyze in detail the qutrit (d=3) case, demonstrating compact realizations of single- and two-qutrit holonomic gates, each gate requiring at most two loops in the Grassmannian generated by at most three pulses.
Quantum holonomies are investigated in different contexts. A geometric phase is proposed for decomposition dependent evolution, where each component of a given decomposition of a mixed state evolves independently. It is shown that this geometric phase only depends on the path traversed in the space of decompositions. A holonomy is associated to general paths of subspaces of a Hilbert space, both discrete and continuous. This opens up the possibility of constructing quantum holonomic gates in the open path setting. In the discrete case it is shown that it is possible to associate two distinct holonomies to a given path. Interferometric setups for measuring both holonomies are provided. It is further shown that there are cases when the holonomy is only partially defined. This has no counterpart in the Abelian setting. An operational interpretation of amplitudes of density operators is provided. This allows for a direct interferometric realization of Uhlmann's parallelity condition, and the possibility of measuring the Uhlmann holonomy for sequences of density operators. Off-diagonal geometric phases are generalized to the non-Abelian case. These off-diagonal holonomies are undefined for cyclic evolution, but must contain members of non-zero rank if all standard holonomies are undefined. Experimental setups for measuring the off-diagonal holonomies are proposed. The concept of nodal free geometric phases is introduced. These are constructed from gauge invariant quantities, but do not share the nodal point structure of geometric phases and off-diagonal geometric phases. An interferometric setup for measuring nodal free geometric phases is provided, and it is shown that these phases could be useful in geometric quantum computation. A holonomy associated to a sequence of quantum maps is introduced. It is shown that this holonomy is related to the Uhlmann holonomy. Explicit examples are provided to illustrate the general idea.