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

arXiv:quant-ph/0502143 · Physical Review A

Reversible universal quantum computation within translation-invariant systems

K. G. H. Vollbrecht, J. I. Cirac

Published Jan 18, 2006• 32 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We show how to perform reversible universal quantum computation on a translationally invariant pure state, using only global operations based on next-neighbor interactions. We do not need to break the translational symmetry of the state at any time during the computation. Since the proposed scheme fulfills the locality condition of a quantum cellular automata, we present a reversible quantum cellular automaton capable of universal quantum computation.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.73.012324

Related papers

Reversible quantum cellular automata

Benjamin W. Schumacher, Reinhard F. Werner

We define quantum cellular automata as infinite quantum lattice systems with discrete time dynamics, such that the time step commutes with lattice translations and has strictly finite propagation speed. In contrast to earlier definitions this allows us to give an explicit characterization of all local rules generating such automata. The same local rules also generate the global time step for automata with periodic boundary conditions. Our main structure theorem asserts that any quantum cellular automaton is structurally reversible, i.e., that it can be obtained by applying two blockwise unitary operations in a generalized Margolus partitioning scheme. This implies that, in contrast to the classical case, the inverse of a nearest neighbor quantum cellular automaton is again a nearest neighbor automaton. We present several construction methods for quantum cellular automata, based on unitaries commuting with their translates, on the quantization of (arbitrary) reversible classical cellular automata, on quantum circuits, and on Clifford transformations with respect to a description of the single cells by finite Weyl systems. Moreover, we indicate how quantum random walks can be considered as special cases of cellular automata, namely by restricting a quantum lattice gas automaton with local particle number conservation to the single particle sector.

arXiv:quant-ph/0405174•May 28, 2004•98 citations

Universally Programmable Quantum Cellular Automaton

Dan J. Shepherd, Titus Franz, Reinhard F. Werner

We discuss the role of classical control in the context of reversible quantum cellular automata. Employing the structure theorem for quantum cellular automata, we give a general construction scheme to turn an arbitrary cellular automaton with external classical control into an autonomous one, thereby proving the computational equivalence of these two models. We use this technique to construct a universally programmable cellular automaton on a one-dimensional lattice with single cell dimension 12.

arXiv:quant-ph/0512058•Physical Review Letters•Jul 13, 2006•49 citations

An overview of Quantum Cellular Automata

Pablo J. Arrighi

Quantum cellular automata consist in arrays of identical finite-dimensional quantum systems, evolving in discrete-time steps by iterating a unitary operator G. Moreover the global evolution G is required to be causal (it propagates information at a bounded speed) and translation-invariant (it acts everywhere the same). Quantum cellular automata provide a model/architecture for distributed quantum computation. More generally, they encompass most of discrete-space discrete-time quantum theory. We give an overview of their theory, with particular focus on structure results; computability and universality results; and quantum simulation results.

arXiv:1904.12956•Apr 29, 2019•2 citations

Quantum Cellular Automata for Quantum Error Correction and Density Classification

Thiago L. M. Guedes, D. Winter, Markus Müller

Quantum cellular automata are alternative quantum-computing paradigms to quantum Turing machines and quantum circuits. Their working mechanisms are inherently automated, therefore measurement free, and they act in a translation invariant manner on all cells or qudits of a register, generating a global rule that updates cell states locally, i.e., based solely on the states of their neighbors. Although desirable features in many applications, it is generally not clear to which extent these fully automated discrete-time local updates can generate and sustain long-range order in the (noisy) systems they act upon. In particular, whether and how quantum cellular automata can perform quantum error correction remain open questions. We close this conceptual gap by proposing quantum cellular automata with quantum-error-correction capabilities. We design and investigate two (quasi)one dimensional quantum cellular automata based on known classical cellular-automata rules with density-classification capabilities, namely the local majority voting and the two-line voting. We investigate the performances of those quantum cellular automata as quantum-memory components by simulating the number of update steps required for the logical information they act upon to be afflicted by a logical bit flip. The proposed designs pave a way to further explore the potential of new types of quantum cellular automata with built-in quantum-error-correction capabilities.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 7, 2024•9 citations

Quantum cellular automata for quantum error correction and density classification

Thiago L. M. Guedes, Winter, Don, Markus Müller

Quantum cellular automata are alternative quantum-computing paradigms to quantum Turing machines and quantum circuits. Their working mechanisms are inherently automated, therefore measurement free, and they act in a translation invariant manner on all cells/qudits of a register, generating a global rule that updates cell states locally, i.e., based solely on the states of their neighbors. Although desirable features in many applications, it is generally not clear to which extent these fully automated discrete-time local updates can generate and sustain long-range order in the (noisy) systems they act upon. In special, whether and how quantum cellular automata can perform quantum error correction remain open questions. We close this conceptual gap by proposing quantum cellular automata with quantum-error-correction capabilities. We design and investigate two (quasi-)one dimensional quantum cellular automata based on known classical cellular-automata rules with density-classification capabilities, namely the local majority voting and the two-line voting. We investigate the performances of those quantum cellular automata as quantum-memory components by simulating the number of update steps required for the logical information they act upon to be afflicted by a logical bit flip. The proposed designs pave a way to further explore the potential of new types of quantum cellular automata with built-in quantum error correction capabilities.

arXiv:2309.03608•Jan 1, 2023•0 citations

Quantum cellular automaton for universal quantum computation

Robert Raussendorf

This paper describes a quantum cellular automaton capable of performing universal quantum computation. The automaton has an elementary transition function that acts on Margolus cells of $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2$ qubits, and both the ``quantum input'' and the program are encoded in the initial state of the system.

arXiv:quant-ph/0412048•Physical Review A•Aug 1, 2005•54 citations
We show how to perform reversible universal quantum computation on a translationally invariant pure state, using only global operations based on next-neighbor interactions. We do not need to break the translational symmetry of the state at any time during the computation. Since the proposed scheme fulfills the locality condition of a quantum cellular automata, we present a reversible quantum cellular automaton capable of universal quantum computation.
We define quantum cellular automata as infinite quantum lattice systems with discrete time dynamics, such that the time step commutes with lattice translations and has strictly finite propagation speed. In contrast to earlier definitions this allows us to give an explicit characterization of all local rules generating such automata. The same local rules also generate the global time step for automata with periodic boundary conditions. Our main structure theorem asserts that any quantum cellular automaton is structurally reversible, i.e., that it can be obtained by applying two blockwise unitary operations in a generalized Margolus partitioning scheme. This implies that, in contrast to the classical case, the inverse of a nearest neighbor quantum cellular automaton is again a nearest neighbor automaton. We present several construction methods for quantum cellular automata, based on unitaries commuting with their translates, on the quantization of (arbitrary) reversible classical cellular automata, on quantum circuits, and on Clifford transformations with respect to a description of the single cells by finite Weyl systems. Moreover, we indicate how quantum random walks can be considered as special cases of cellular automata, namely by restricting a quantum lattice gas automaton with local particle number conservation to the single particle sector.
We discuss the role of classical control in the context of reversible quantum cellular automata. Employing the structure theorem for quantum cellular automata, we give a general construction scheme to turn an arbitrary cellular automaton with external classical control into an autonomous one, thereby proving the computational equivalence of these two models. We use this technique to construct a universally programmable cellular automaton on a one-dimensional lattice with single cell dimension 12.
Quantum cellular automata consist in arrays of identical finite-dimensional quantum systems, evolving in discrete-time steps by iterating a unitary operator G. Moreover the global evolution G is required to be causal (it propagates information at a bounded speed) and translation-invariant (it acts everywhere the same). Quantum cellular automata provide a model/architecture for distributed quantum computation. More generally, they encompass most of discrete-space discrete-time quantum theory. We give an overview of their theory, with particular focus on structure results; computability and universality results; and quantum simulation results.
Quantum cellular automata are alternative quantum-computing paradigms to quantum Turing machines and quantum circuits. Their working mechanisms are inherently automated, therefore measurement free, and they act in a translation invariant manner on all cells or qudits of a register, generating a global rule that updates cell states locally, i.e., based solely on the states of their neighbors. Although desirable features in many applications, it is generally not clear to which extent these fully automated discrete-time local updates can generate and sustain long-range order in the (noisy) systems they act upon. In particular, whether and how quantum cellular automata can perform quantum error correction remain open questions. We close this conceptual gap by proposing quantum cellular automata with quantum-error-correction capabilities. We design and investigate two (quasi)one dimensional quantum cellular automata based on known classical cellular-automata rules with density-classification capabilities, namely the local majority voting and the two-line voting. We investigate the performances of those quantum cellular automata as quantum-memory components by simulating the number of update steps required for the logical information they act upon to be afflicted by a logical bit flip. The proposed designs pave a way to further explore the potential of new types of quantum cellular automata with built-in quantum-error-correction capabilities.
Quantum cellular automata are alternative quantum-computing paradigms to quantum Turing machines and quantum circuits. Their working mechanisms are inherently automated, therefore measurement free, and they act in a translation invariant manner on all cells/qudits of a register, generating a global rule that updates cell states locally, i.e., based solely on the states of their neighbors. Although desirable features in many applications, it is generally not clear to which extent these fully automated discrete-time local updates can generate and sustain long-range order in the (noisy) systems they act upon. In special, whether and how quantum cellular automata can perform quantum error correction remain open questions. We close this conceptual gap by proposing quantum cellular automata with quantum-error-correction capabilities. We design and investigate two (quasi-)one dimensional quantum cellular automata based on known classical cellular-automata rules with density-classification capabilities, namely the local majority voting and the two-line voting. We investigate the performances of those quantum cellular automata as quantum-memory components by simulating the number of update steps required for the logical information they act upon to be afflicted by a logical bit flip. The proposed designs pave a way to further explore the potential of new types of quantum cellular automata with built-in quantum error correction capabilities.