arXiv subjects

Barbara Kraus

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara Kraus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Computable fermionic non-Gaussianity from the covariance matrix

Fermionic non-Gaussianity, or fermionic magic, is a key resource underlying the computational complexity of fermionic quantum systems, yet tractable and operationally meaningful ways to quantify it remain limited. We address this challenge by developing a convex resource theory of fermionic non-Gaussianity and introducing two families of computable quantities for pure fermionic states, both derived from the Williamson normal form of the covariance matrix. The first family, occupation number entropies, is defined as the Tsallis-$\alpha$ entropy of the occupation numbers. We prove that one member of this family is monotonic under Gaussian protocols, establishing it as a computable convex resource monotone. It consequently lower bounds the number of non-Gaussian gates needed for state preparation. The second family, natural-orbital participation entropies, is given by the R\'enyi-$\alpha$ entropy of the squared amplitudes of the state in the natural-orbital basis, defined by the eigenvectors of the covariance matrix. They quantify state compressibility in this basis and thus upper bound the classical simulation cost in an orthonormal Gaussian basis. We analyze both families for stabilizer and translation-invariant states, where they simplify and reveal additional structure. We further study representative examples, including random SWAP-doped matchgate circuits and the bond-modulated XXZ model, highlighting the role of non-Gaussianity in many-body phenomena. Our work establishes a resource-theoretic framework for computable fermionic non-Gaussianity that unifies notions arising across quantum information, condensed-matter physics, and quantum chemistry, opening new directions for studying the complexity of quantum many-body systems and providing practical tools to assess the classical simulability of fermionic states relevant for quantum advantage.

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arXiv2026

Benchmark of quantum algorithms for ground state preparation in the presence of noise

We compare the performance of representative cooling, adiabatic, and optimization algorithms for ground-state preparation in the presence of noise. Using an exactly solvable family of quadratic fermionic Hamiltonians subject to depolarizing noise, we derive the scaling of the achievable relative energy as a function of the noise rate and support these results with numerical simulations. The Hamiltonian exhibits two phases, separated by a quantum phase transition. As expected, the performance of the different algorithms depends on the phase: adiabatic evolution is favorable in the trivial phase, while a multi-frequency cooling algorithm, as proposed in [1], becomes competitive or superior in the topological phase, where gap-closing limits adiabatic protocols. We further present numerical results for the quantum approximate optimization algorithm [2], showing that it performs competitively with cooling in the trivial phase but is typically outperformed in the topological regime. Finally, we show that for this model the cooling protocol exhibits enhanced robustness to parameter imperfections, highlighting its potential advantage for realistic implementations of noisy quantum state preparation. The analytical approach developed here, in conjunction with numerical validation, establishes an extendable approach to benchmarking ground-state preparation algorithms.

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arXiv2026

Matchgate circuit representation of fermionic Gaussian states: optimal preparation, approximation, and classical simulation

Fermionic Gaussian states (FGSs) and the associated matchgate circuits play a central role in quantum information theory and condensed matter physics. Despite being possibly highly entangled, they can still be efficiently simulated on classical computers. We address the question of how to optimally create such states when using matchgate circuits acting on product states. To this end, we derive lower bounds on the number of gates required to prepare an arbitrary pure FGS: We establish both an asymptotic bound on the minimal gate count over general nearest-neighbor gate sets and an exact bound for circuits composed solely of matchgates. We present explicit algorithms whose constructions saturate these bounds, thereby proving their optimality. We furthermore determine when an FGS can be prepared with a circuit of any given depth, and derive an algorithm that constructs such a circuit whenever this condition is satisfied, either exactly or approximately. Our results have direct applications to (approximate) state preparation and to disentangling procedures. Moreover, we introduce a new classical simulation algorithm for matchgate circuits, based entirely on manipulating the generating circuits of the FGSs. Finally, we briefly study an extension of our framework for $t$-doped Gaussian states and circuits.

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arXiv2026

Phases of matrix-product states with symmetries and measurements: Finite nilpotent groups

We study phases of one-dimensional matrix-product states (MPS) when transformations are restricted to symmetric local circuits supplemented with symmetric measurements and feedforward (G-CMF). Building on the framework introduced in Gunn et al., Phys. Rev. B 111, 115110 (2025), we extend the analysis to all finite nilpotent groups for which we obtain a complete classification of G-CMF phases. We construct explicit symmetry-respecting protocols that map any symmetry-protected topological (SPT) or non-normal (GHZ-type) MPS to the trivial phase-and vice versa-with success probability approaching one in the thermodynamic limit. The key technical ingredient is a finite hierarchical structure of irreducible representations of nilpotent groups, which enables successive rounds of symmetric measurements to systematically reduce non-abelian components to abelian ones. Our results demonstrate that allowing symmetric measurements and feedforward fundamentally simplifies the phase structure of 1D systems with nilpotent symmetries: all SPT and non-normal MPS phases collapse into a single asymptotically equivalent phase under G-CMF transformations.

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arXiv2025

Bounded-Error Quantum Simulation via Hamiltonian and Lindbladian Learning

Analog Quantum Simulators offer a route to exploring strongly correlated many-body dynamics beyond classical computation, but their predictive power remains limited by the absence of quantitative error estimation. Establishing rigorous uncertainty bounds is essential for elevating such devices from qualitative demonstrations to quantitative scientific tools. Here we introduce a general framework for bounded-error quantum simulation, which provides predictions for many-body observables with experimentally quantifiable uncertainties. The approach combines Hamiltonian and Lindbladian Learning--a statistically rigorous inference of the coherent and dissipative generators governing the dynamics--with the propagation of their uncertainties into the simulated observables, yielding confidence bounds directly derived from experimental data. We demonstrate this framework on trapped-ion quantum simulators implementing long-range Ising interactions with up to 51 ions, and validate it where classical comparison is possible. We analyze error bounds on two levels. First, we learn an open-system model from experimental data collected in an initial time window of quench dynamics, simulate the corresponding master equation, and quantitatively verify consistency between theoretical predictions and measured dynamics at long times. Second, we establish error bounds directly from experimental measurements alone, without relying on classical simulation--crucial for entering regimes of quantum advantage. The learned models reproduce the experimental evolution within the predicted bounds, demonstrating quantitative reliability and internal consistency. Bounded-error quantum simulation provides a scalable foundation for trusted analog quantum computation, bridging the gap between experimental platforms and predictive many-body physics. The techniques presented here directly extend to digital quantum simulation.

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arXiv2025

Disentangling strategies and entanglement transitions in unitary circuit games with matchgates

In unitary circuit games, two competing parties, an "entangler" and a "disentangler", can induce an entanglement phase transition in a quantum many-body system. The transition occurs at a certain rate at which the disentangler acts. We analyze such games within the context of matchgate dynamics, which equivalently corresponds to evolutions of non-interacting fermions. We first investigate general entanglement properties of fermionic Gaussian states (FGS). We introduce a representation of FGS using a minimal matchgate circuit capable of preparing the state and derive an algorithm based on a generalized Yang-Baxter relation for updating this representation as unitary operations are applied. This representation enables us to define a natural disentangling procedure that reduces the number of gates in the circuit, thereby decreasing the entanglement contained in the system. We then explore different strategies to disentangle the systems and study the unitary circuit game in two different scenarios: with braiding gates, i.e., the intersection of Clifford gates and matchgates, and with generic matchgates. For each model, we observe qualitatively different entanglement transitions, which we characterize both numerically and analytically.

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arXiv2025

Quantum algorithms for cooling: a simple case study

Preparation of low-energy quantum many-body states has a wide range of applications in quantum information processing and condensed matter physics. Quantum cooling algorithms offer a promising alternative to other methods based, for instance, on variational and adiabatic principles, or on dissipative state preparation. In this work, we investigate a set of cooling algorithms in a simple, solvable fermionic model which allows us to identify the mechanisms which underlie the cooling process and, also, those which prevent it. We derive analytical expressions for the cooling dynamics, steady states, and cooling rates in the weak coupling limit. We find that multi-frequency and randomized cycle strategies can significantly enhance the performance of the quantum algorithm and circumvent some of the obstacles. We also analyze the effects of noise and evaluate the conditions under which cooling remains feasible. Furthermore, we present optimized cooling protocols that can significantly enhance cooling performance in the presence of noise. Additionally, we compare cooling and dissipative state preparation and show that, in the model analyzed here, cooling generally achieves lower energies and is more resilient to noise.

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arXiv2024

Hamiltonian and Liouvillian learning in weakly-dissipative quantum many-body systems

We discuss Hamiltonian and Liouvillian learning for analog quantum simulation from non-equilibrium quench dynamics in the limit of weakly dissipative many-body systems. We present and compare various methods and strategies to learn the operator content of the Hamiltonian and the Lindblad operators of the Liouvillian. We compare different ans\"atze based on an experimentally accessible "learning error" which we consider as a function of the number of runs of the experiment. Initially, the learning error decreases with the inverse square root of the number of runs, as the error in the reconstructed parameters is dominated by shot noise. Eventually the learning error remains constant, allowing us to recognize missing ansatz terms. A central aspect of our approaches is to (re-)parametrize ans\"atze by introducing and varying the dependencies between parameters. This allows us to identify the relevant parameters of the system, thereby reducing the complexity of the learning task. Importantly, this (re-)parametrization relies solely on classical post-processing, which is compelling given the finite amount of data available from experiments. We illustrate and compare our methods with two experimentally relevant spin models.

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arXiv2024

Identifying families of multipartite states with non-trivial local entanglement transformations

The study of state transformations by spatially separated parties with local operations assisted by classical communication (LOCC) plays a crucial role in entanglement theory and its applications in quantum information processing. Transformations of this type among pure bipartite states were characterized long ago and have a revealing theoretical structure. However, it turns out that generic fully entangled pure multipartite states cannot be obtained from nor transformed to any inequivalent fully entangled state under LOCC. States with this property are referred to as isolated. Nevertheless, the above result does not forbid the existence of particular SLOCC classes that are free of isolation, and therefore, display a rich structure regarding LOCC convertibility. In fact, it is known that the celebrated $n$-qubit GHZ and W states give particular examples of such classes and in this work, we investigate this question in general. One of our main results is to show that the SLOCC class of the 3-qutrit totally antisymmetric state is isolation-free as well. Actually, all states in this class can be converted to inequivalent states by LOCC protocols with just one round of classical communication (as in the GHZ and W cases). Thus, we consider next whether there are other classes with this property and we find a large set of negative answers. Indeed, we prove weak isolation (i.e., states that cannot be obtained with finite-round LOCC nor transformed by one-round LOCC) for very general classes, including all SLOCC families with compact stabilizers and many with non-compact stabilizers, such as the classes corresponding to the $n$-qunit totally antisymmetric states for $n\geq4$. Finally, given the pleasant feature found in the family corresponding to the 3-qutrit totally antisymmetric state, we explore in more detail the structure induced by LOCC and the entanglement properties within this class.

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arXiv2023

Phases of Matrix Product States with Symmetric Quantum Circuits and Symmetric Measurements with Feedforward

Two matrix product states (MPS) are in the same phase in the presence of symmetries if they can be transformed into one another via symmetric short-depth circuits. We consider how symmetry-preserving measurements with feedforward alter the phase classification of MPS in the presence of global on-site symmetries. We demonstrate that, for all finite abelian symmetries, any two symmetric MPS belong to the same phase. We give an explicit protocol that achieves a transformation between any two phases and that uses only a depth-two symmetric circuit, two rounds of symmetric measurements, and a constant number of auxiliary systems per site. In the case of non-abelian symmetries, symmetry protection prevents one from deterministically transforming symmetry-protected topological (SPT) states to product states directly via measurements, thereby complicating the analysis. Nonetheless, we provide protocols that allow for asymptotically deterministic transformations between the trivial phase and certain SPT phases.

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arXiv2023

State transformations within entanglement classes containing permutation-symmetric states

The study of state transformations under local operations and classical communication (LOCC) plays a crucial role in entanglement theory. While this has been long ago characterized for pure bipartite states, the situation is drastically different for systems of more parties: generic pure qudit states cannot be obtained from nor transformed to any state (i.e., they are isolated), which contains a different amount of entanglement. We consider here the question of LOCC convertibility for permutation-symmetric pure states of an arbitrary number of parties and local dimension, a class of clear interest both for physical and mathematical reasons and for which the aforementioned result does not apply given that it is a zero-measure subset in the state space. While it turns out that generic $n$-qubit symmetric states are also isolated, we consider particular families for which we can determine to be, on the contrary, endowed with a rich local stabilizer, a necessary requirement for LOCC convertibility to be possible. This allows us to identify classes in which LOCC transformations among permutation-symmetric states are possible. Notwithstanding, we provide several results that indicate severe obstructions to LOCC convertibility in general even within these highly symmetrical classes. In the course of the study of LOCC transformations, we also characterize the local symmetries of symmetric states.

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arXiv2023

Gaining confidence on the correct realization of arbitrary quantum computations

We present verification protocols to gain confidence in the correct performance of the realization of an arbitrary universal quantum computation. The derivation of the protocols is based on the fact that matchgate computations, which are classically efficiently simulable, become universal if supplemented with additional resources. We combine tools from weak simulation, randomized compiling, and classical statistics to derive verification circuits. These circuits have the property that (i) they strongly resemble the original circuit and (ii) cannot only be classically efficiently simulated in the ideal, i.e. error free, scenario, but also in the realistic situation where errors are present. In fact, in one of the protocols we apply exactly the same circuit as in the original computation, however, to a slightly modified input state.

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arXiv2023

Indistinguishability of identical bosons from a quantum information theory perspective

Using tools from quantum information theory, we present a general theory of indistinguishability of identical bosons in experiments consisting of passive linear optics followed by particle number detection. Our results do neither rely on additional assumptions on the input state of the interferometer, such as, for instance, a fixed mode occupation, nor on any assumption on the degrees of freedom that potentially make the particles distinguishable. We identify the expectation value of the projector onto the $N$-particle symmetric subspace as an operationally meaningful measure of indistinguishability, and derive tight lower bounds on it that can be efficiently measured in experiments. Moreover, we present a consistent definition of perfect distinguishability and characterize the corresponding set of states. In particular, we show that these states are diagonal in the computational basis up to a permutationally invariant unitary. Moreover, we find that convex combinations of states that describe partially distinguishable and perfectly indistinguishable particles can lead to perfect distinguishability, which itself is not preserved under convex combinations.

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arXiv2023

Approximate and ensemble local entanglement transformations for multipartite states

Understanding multipartite entanglement is a key goal in quantum information. Entanglement in pure states can be characterised by considering transformations under Local Operations assisted by Classical Communication (LOCC). However, it has been shown that, for $n\ge5$ parties, multipartite pure states are generically isolated, i.e., they can neither be reached nor transformed under LOCC. Nonetheless, in any real lab, one never deterministically transforms a pure initial state exactly to a pure target state. Instead, one transforms a mixed state near the initial state to an ensemble that is on average close to the target state. This motivates studying approximate LOCC transformations. After reviewing in detail the known results in the bipartite case, we present the gaps that remain open in the multipartite case. While the analysis of the multipartite setting is much more technically involved due to the existence of different SLOCC classes, certain features simplify in the approximate setting. In particular, we show that it is sufficient to consider pure initial states, that it is sufficient to consider LOCC protocols with finitely-many rounds of communication and that approximate transformations can be approximated by ensemble transformations within an SLOCC class. Then, we formally define a hierarchy of different forms of approximate transformations that are relevant from a physical point of view. Whereas this hierarchy collapses in the bipartite case, we show that this is not the case for the multipartite setting, which is fundamentally richer. To wit, we show that optimal multipartite approximate transformations are not generally deterministic, that ensemble transformations within an SLOCC class can achieve a higher fidelity than deterministic transformations within an SLOCC class, and that there are approximate transformations with no deterministic transformations nearby.

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arXiv2023

Hardware efficient quantum simulation of non-abelian gauge theories with qudits on Rydberg platforms

Non-abelian gauge theories underlie our understanding of fundamental forces in nature, and developing tailored quantum hardware and algorithms to simulate them is an outstanding challenge in the rapidly evolving field of quantum simulation. Here we take an approach where gauge fields, discretized in spacetime, are represented by qudits and are time-evolved in Trotter steps with multiqudit quantum gates. This maps naturally and hardware-efficiently to an architecture based on Rydberg tweezer arrays, where long-lived internal atomic states represent qudits, and the required quantum gates are performed as holonomic operations supported by a Rydberg blockade mechanism. We illustrate our proposal for a minimal digitization of SU(2) gauge fields, demonstrating a significant reduction in circuit depth and gate errors in comparison to a traditional qubit-based approach, which puts simulations of non-abelian gauge theories within reach of NISQ devices.

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arXiv2022

Entanglement phase diagrams from partial transpose moments

We present experimentally and numerically accessible quantities that can be used to differentiate among various families of random entangled states. To this end, we analyze the entanglement properties of bipartite reduced states of a tripartite pure state. We introduce a ratio of simple polynomials of low-order moments of the partially transposed reduced density matrix and show that this ratio takes well-defined values in the thermodynamic limit for various families of entangled states. This allows to sharply distinguish entanglement phases, in a way that can be understood from a quantum information perspective based on the spectrum of the partially transposed density matrix. We analyze in particular the entanglement phase diagram of Haar random states, states resulting form the evolution of chaotic Hamiltonians, stabilizer states, which are outputs of Clifford circuits, Matrix Product States, and fermionic Gaussian states. We show that for Haar random states the resulting phase diagram resembles the one obtained via the negativity and that for all the cases mentioned above a very distinctive behaviour is observed. Our results can be used to experimentally test necessary conditions for different types of mixed-state randomness, in quantum states formed in quantum computers and programmable quantum simulators.

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arXiv2022

Transformations of Stabilizer States in Quantum Networks

Stabilizer states and graph states find application in quantum error correction, measurement-based quantum computation and various other concepts in quantum information theory. In this work, we study party-local Clifford (PLC) transformations among stabilizer states. These transformations arise as a physically motivated extension of local operations in quantum networks with access to bipartite entanglement between some of the nodes of the network. First, we show that PLC transformations among graph states are equivalent to a generalization of the well-known local complementation, which describes local Clifford transformations among graph states. Then, we introduce a mathematical framework to study PLC equivalence of stabilizer states, relating it to the classification of tuples of bilinear forms. This framework allows us to study decompositions of stabilizer states into tensor products of indecomposable ones, that is, decompositions into states from the entanglement generating set (EGS). While the EGS is finite up to $3$ parties [Bravyi et al., J. Math. Phys. {\bf 47}, 062106~(2006)], we show that for $4$ and more parties it is an infinite set, even when considering party-local unitary transformations. Moreover, we explicitly compute the EGS for $4$ parties up to $10$ qubits. Finally, we generalize the framework to qudit stabilizer states in prime dimensions not equal to $2$, which allows us to show that the decomposition of qudit stabilizer states into states from the EGS is unique.

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arXiv2022

Towards experimental classical verification of quantum computation

With today's quantum processors venturing into regimes beyond the capabilities of classical devices [1-3], we face the challenge to verify that these devices perform as intended, even when we cannot check their results on classical computers [4,5]. In a recent breakthrough in computer science [6-8], a protocol was developed that allows the verification of the output of a computation performed by an untrusted quantum device based only on classical resources. Here, we follow these ideas, and demonstrate in a first, proof-of-principle experiment a verification protocol using only classical means on a small trapped-ion quantum processor. We contrast this to verification protocols, which require trust and detailed hardware knowledge, as in gate-level benchmarking [9], or additional quantum resources in case we do not have access to or trust in the device to be tested [5]. While our experimental demonstration uses a simplified version [10] of Mahadev's protocol [6] we demonstrate the necessary steps for verifying fully untrusted devices. A scaled-up version of our protocol will allow for classical verification, requiring no hardware access or detailed knowledge of the tested device. Its security relies on post-quantum secure trapdoor functions within an interactive proof [11]. The conceptually straightforward, but technologically challenging scaled-up version of the interactive proofs, considered here, can be used for a variety of additional tasks such as verifying quantum advantage [8], generating [12] and certifying quantum randomness [7], or composable remote state preparation [13].

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