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

Physical Review Letters

Adiabatic Preparation of Many-Body Quantum States: Getting the Beginning and the End Right

Anonymous, Freek Witteveen, Klaus Mølmer, Matthias Christandl

Published Sep 2, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present numerical calculations, and simulations performed on a Rydberg atom quantum simulator, of the adiabatic evolution of closed many-body quantum systems around a quantum phase transition. We demonstrate that the end-to-end transfer error, for a given process duration, can be suppressed by adopting smooth initial and final scheduling functions for the Hamiltonian. We consider a one-dimensional mixed-field Ising model, as well as a chain of Rydberg atoms, and compare numerical calculations and results on a commercially available quantum computer for the end-to-end transfer error with different schedule functions. We provide a new rigorous proof under minimal regularity assumptions of the known result that if the time dependent Hamiltonian is n times differentiable with vanishing first to n th order derivatives in the beginning and in the end, the infidelity with respect to the final adiabatic eigenstate scales as 1/T^{n+1} when evolving for time T.

DOI
10.1103/hnlr-hm29

Related papers

Adiabatic preparation of many-body quantum states: getting the beginning and ending right

Emil T. M. Pedersen, Freek Witteveen, Klaus Mølmer +1 more

We present numerical calculations, and simulations performed on a Rydberg atom quantum simulator, of the adiabatic evolution of many-body quantum systems around a quantum phase transition. We demonstrate that the end-to-end transfer error, for a given process duration and dissipative losses, can be suppressed by adopting smooth initial and final scheduling functions for the Hamiltonian. We consider a one-dimensional mixed-field Ising model, as well as a chain of Rydberg atoms, and compare numerical calculations and experimental results for the end-to-end transfer error with different schedule functions. We show, in particular, that if the time dependent Hamiltonian is $n$ times differentiable with vanishing $1^{st}$ to $n^{th}$ order derivatives in the beginning and in the end, the infidelity with respect to the final adiabatic eigenstate scales as $1/T^{n+1}$ when evolving for time $T$.

quant-pharXiv:2512.17780•Dec 22, 2025•0 citations

Adiabatic approximation with exponential accuracy for many-body systems and quantum computation

Daniel A. Lidar, Ali T. Rezakhani, Alioscia Hamma

We derive a version of the adiabatic theorem that is especially suited for applications in adiabatic quantum computation, where it is reasonable to assume that the adiabatic interpolation between the initial and final Hamiltonians is controllable. Assuming that the Hamiltonian is analytic in a finite strip around the real-time axis, that some number of its time derivatives vanish at the initial and final times, and that the target adiabatic eigenstate is nondegenerate and separated by a gap from the rest of the spectrum, we show that one can obtain an error between the final adiabatic eigenstate and the actual time-evolved state which is exponentially small in the evolution time, where this time itself scales as the square of the norm of the time derivative of the Hamiltonian divided by the cube of the minimal gap.

arXiv:0808.2697•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Oct 1, 2009•166 citations

Adiabatic approximation with better than exponential accuracy for many-body systems and quantum computation

Daniel A. Lidar, A. T. Rezakhani, Alioscia Hamma

We derive a version of the adiabatic theorem that is especially suited for applications in adiabatic quantum computation, where it is reasonable to assume that the adiabatic interpolation between the initial and final Hamiltonians is controllable. Assuming that the Hamiltonian is analytic in a finite strip around the real time axis, that some number of its time-derivatives vanish at the initial and final times, and that the target adiabatic eigenstate is non-degenerate and separated by a gap from the rest of the spectrum, we show that one can obtain an error between the final adiabatic eigenstate and the actual time-evolved state which is exponentially small in the evolution time, where this time itself scales as the square of the norm of the time-derivative of the Hamiltonian, divided by the cube of the minimal gap.

•Aug 20, 2008•4 citations

Error reduction in quantum annealing using boundary cancellation: Only the end matters

Lorenzo Campos Venuti, Daniel A. Lidar

The adiabatic theorem of quantum mechanics states that the error between an instantaneous eigenstate of a time-dependent Hamiltonian and the state given by quantum evolution of duration $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is upper bounded by $C/\ensuremath{\tau}$ for some positive constant $C$. It has been known for decades that this error can be reduced to ${C}_{k}/{\ensuremath{\tau}}^{k+1}$ if the Hamiltonian has vanishing derivatives up to order $k$ at the beginning and end of the evolution. Here we extend this result to open systems described by a time-dependent Liouvillian superoperator. We find that the same results holds provided the Liouvillian has vanishing derivatives up to order $k$ only at the end of the evolution. This asymmetry is ascribable to the arrow of time inherent in open system evolution. We further investigate whether it is possible to satisfy the required assumptions by controlling only the system, as required for realistic implementations. Surprisingly, we find the answer to be affirmative. We establish this rigorously in the setting of the Davies-Lindblad adiabatic master equation, and numerically in the setting of two different time-dependent Redfield-type master equations we derive. The results are shown to be stable with respect to imperfections in the preparation. Finally, we prove that the results hold also in a fully Hamiltonian model.

arXiv:1806.06310•Physical Review A•Aug 13, 2018•19 citations

Quantum simulation of the Heisenberg XXZ model on a Rydberg atom array

Matthias Werner, Artur García-Sáez

A major application of analog quantum hardware is quantum simulation, where a system evolves over time according to a given Hamiltonian. One challenge when implementing the Hamiltonian on a programmable quantum simulator is the availability of distinct coupling types, many of which go beyond the conventional ZZ-couplings found in Ising Hamiltonians that are naturally implemented by various platforms. In prior work, we have developed a method based on domain wall encoding to simulate one-dimensional spin chains using only Ising Hamiltonians, which would otherwise require XX+YY-couplings as well. Here, we implement the method on a commercially accessible Rydberg atom quantum device, and simulate the time evolution of the Heisenberg XXZ model with various anisotropies. We successfully probe the XY and Ising phases of the model and reproduce the qualitative behavior of several one- and two-body observables in both phases, as well as at the critical point. Our work augments the toolbox to simulate canonical quantum many-body systems on analog quantum simulators.

quant-pharXiv:2610.10357•Oct 8, 2026•0 citations

Relaxation versus adiabatic quantum steady-state preparation

Lorenzo Campos Venuti, Tameem Albash, Milad Marvian +2 more

Adiabatic preparation of the ground states of many-body Hamiltonians in the closed-system limit is at the heart of adiabatic quantum computation, but in reality systems are always open. This motivates a natural comparison between, on the one hand, adiabatic preparation of steady states of Lindbladian generators and, on the other hand, relaxation towards the same steady states subject to the final Lindbladian of the adiabatic process. In this work we thus adopt the perspective that the goal is the most efficient possible preparation of such steady states, rather than ground states. Using known rigorous bounds for the open-system adiabatic theorem and for mixing times, we are then led to a disturbing conclusion that at first appears to doom efforts to build physical quantum annealers: relaxation seems to always converge faster than adiabatic preparation. However, by carefully estimating the adiabatic preparation time for Lindbladians describing thermalization in the low-temperature limit, we show that there is, after all, room for an adiabatic speedup over relaxation. To test the analytically derived bounds for the adiabatic preparation time and the relaxation time, we numerically study three models: a dissipative quasifree fermionic chain, a single qubit coupled to a thermal bath, and the ``spike'' problem of $n$ qubits coupled to a thermal bath. Via these models we find that the answer to the ``which wins'' question depends for each model on the temperature and the system-bath coupling strength. In the case of the ``spike'' problem we find that relaxation during the adiabatic evolution plays an important role in ensuring a speedup over the final-time relaxation procedure. Thus, relaxation-assisted adiabatic preparation can be more efficient than both pure adiabatic evolution and pure relaxation.

arXiv:1612.07979•Physical Review A•Apr 4, 2017•33 citations
We present numerical calculations, and simulations performed on a Rydberg atom quantum simulator, of the adiabatic evolution of closed many-body quantum systems around a quantum phase transition. We demonstrate that the end-to-end transfer error, for a given process duration, can be suppressed by adopting smooth initial and final scheduling functions for the Hamiltonian. We consider a one-dimensional mixed-field Ising model, as well as a chain of Rydberg atoms, and compare numerical calculations and results on a commercially available quantum computer for the end-to-end transfer error with different schedule functions. We provide a new rigorous proof under minimal regularity assumptions of the known result that if the time dependent Hamiltonian is n times differentiable with vanishing first to n th order derivatives in the beginning and in the end, the infidelity with respect to the final adiabatic eigenstate scales as 1/T^{n+1} when evolving for time T.
We present numerical calculations, and simulations performed on a Rydberg atom quantum simulator, of the adiabatic evolution of many-body quantum systems around a quantum phase transition. We demonstrate that the end-to-end transfer error, for a given process duration and dissipative losses, can be suppressed by adopting smooth initial and final scheduling functions for the Hamiltonian. We consider a one-dimensional mixed-field Ising model, as well as a chain of Rydberg atoms, and compare numerical calculations and experimental results for the end-to-end transfer error with different schedule functions. We show, in particular, that if the time dependent Hamiltonian is nnn times differentiable with vanishing 1st1^{st}1st to nthn^{th}nth order derivatives in the beginning and in the end, the infidelity with respect to the final adiabatic eigenstate scales as 1/Tn+11/T^{n+1}1/Tn+1 when evolving for time TTT.
We derive a version of the adiabatic theorem that is especially suited for applications in adiabatic quantum computation, where it is reasonable to assume that the adiabatic interpolation between the initial and final Hamiltonians is controllable. Assuming that the Hamiltonian is analytic in a finite strip around the real-time axis, that some number of its time derivatives vanish at the initial and final times, and that the target adiabatic eigenstate is nondegenerate and separated by a gap from the rest of the spectrum, we show that one can obtain an error between the final adiabatic eigenstate and the actual time-evolved state which is exponentially small in the evolution time, where this time itself scales as the square of the norm of the time derivative of the Hamiltonian divided by the cube of the minimal gap.
We derive a version of the adiabatic theorem that is especially suited for applications in adiabatic quantum computation, where it is reasonable to assume that the adiabatic interpolation between the initial and final Hamiltonians is controllable. Assuming that the Hamiltonian is analytic in a finite strip around the real time axis, that some number of its time-derivatives vanish at the initial and final times, and that the target adiabatic eigenstate is non-degenerate and separated by a gap from the rest of the spectrum, we show that one can obtain an error between the final adiabatic eigenstate and the actual time-evolved state which is exponentially small in the evolution time, where this time itself scales as the square of the norm of the time-derivative of the Hamiltonian, divided by the cube of the minimal gap.
The adiabatic theorem of quantum mechanics states that the error between an instantaneous eigenstate of a time-dependent Hamiltonian and the state given by quantum evolution of duration $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is upper bounded by $C/\ensuremath{\tau}$ for some positive constant CCC. It has been known for decades that this error can be reduced to ${C}_{k}/{\ensuremath{\tau}}^{k+1}$ if the Hamiltonian has vanishing derivatives up to order kkk at the beginning and end of the evolution. Here we extend this result to open systems described by a time-dependent Liouvillian superoperator. We find that the same results holds provided the Liouvillian has vanishing derivatives up to order kkk only at the end of the evolution. This asymmetry is ascribable to the arrow of time inherent in open system evolution. We further investigate whether it is possible to satisfy the required assumptions by controlling only the system, as required for realistic implementations. Surprisingly, we find the answer to be affirmative. We establish this rigorously in the setting of the Davies-Lindblad adiabatic master equation, and numerically in the setting of two different time-dependent Redfield-type master equations we derive. The results are shown to be stable with respect to imperfections in the preparation. Finally, we prove that the results hold also in a fully Hamiltonian model.
A major application of analog quantum hardware is quantum simulation, where a system evolves over time according to a given Hamiltonian. One challenge when implementing the Hamiltonian on a programmable quantum simulator is the availability of distinct coupling types, many of which go beyond the conventional ZZ-couplings found in Ising Hamiltonians that are naturally implemented by various platforms. In prior work, we have developed a method based on domain wall encoding to simulate one-dimensional spin chains using only Ising Hamiltonians, which would otherwise require XX+YY-couplings as well. Here, we implement the method on a commercially accessible Rydberg atom quantum device, and simulate the time evolution of the Heisenberg XXZ model with various anisotropies. We successfully probe the XY and Ising phases of the model and reproduce the qualitative behavior of several one- and two-body observables in both phases, as well as at the critical point. Our work augments the toolbox to simulate canonical quantum many-body systems on analog quantum simulators.
Adiabatic preparation of the ground states of many-body Hamiltonians in the closed-system limit is at the heart of adiabatic quantum computation, but in reality systems are always open. This motivates a natural comparison between, on the one hand, adiabatic preparation of steady states of Lindbladian generators and, on the other hand, relaxation towards the same steady states subject to the final Lindbladian of the adiabatic process. In this work we thus adopt the perspective that the goal is the most efficient possible preparation of such steady states, rather than ground states. Using known rigorous bounds for the open-system adiabatic theorem and for mixing times, we are then led to a disturbing conclusion that at first appears to doom efforts to build physical quantum annealers: relaxation seems to always converge faster than adiabatic preparation. However, by carefully estimating the adiabatic preparation time for Lindbladians describing thermalization in the low-temperature limit, we show that there is, after all, room for an adiabatic speedup over relaxation. To test the analytically derived bounds for the adiabatic preparation time and the relaxation time, we numerically study three models: a dissipative quasifree fermionic chain, a single qubit coupled to a thermal bath, and the ``spike'' problem of nnn qubits coupled to a thermal bath. Via these models we find that the answer to the ``which wins'' question depends for each model on the temperature and the system-bath coupling strength. In the case of the ``spike'' problem we find that relaxation during the adiabatic evolution plays an important role in ensuring a speedup over the final-time relaxation procedure. Thus, relaxation-assisted adiabatic preparation can be more efficient than both pure adiabatic evolution and pure relaxation.