arXiv subjects

Crispin H. W. Barnes

Publications and source records attributed to Crispin H. W. Barnes.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Molecular excited state calculations with the QEB-ADAPT-VQE

Calculations of molecular spectral properties, like photodissociation rates and absorption bands, rely on knowledge of the excited state energies of the molecule of interest. Protocols based on the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) are promising candidates to calculate such energies on emerging noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) computers. The successful implementation of these protocols on NISQ computers, relies on ansätze that can accurately approximate the molecular states and that can be implemented by shallow quantum circuits. In this paper, we introduce the excited qubit-excitation-based adaptive (e-QEB-ADAPT)-VQE protocol to calculate molecular excited state energies. The e-QEB-ADAPT-VQE constructs efficient problem-tailored ansätze by iteratively appending evolutions of qubit excitation operators. The e-QEB-ADAPT-VQE is an adaptation of the QEB-ADAPT-VQE protocol, which is designed to be independent on the choice of an initial reference state. We perform classical numerical simulations for LiH and BeH$_2$ to benchmark the performance of the e-QEB-ADAPT-VQE. We demonstrate that the e-QEB-ADAPT-VQE can construct highly accurate ansätze that require at least an order of magnitude fewer $CNOT$s than standard fixed UCC ansätze, such as the UCCSD and the GUCCSD.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Qubit-excitation-based adaptive variational quantum eigensolver

Molecular simulations with the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) are a promising application for emerging noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers. Constructing accurate molecular ansätze that are easy to optimize and implemented by shallow quantum circuits is crucial for the successful implementation of such simulations. Ansätze are, generally, constructed as series of fermionic-excitation evolutions. Instead, we demonstrate the usefulness of constructing ansätze with "qubit-excitation evolutions", which, contrary to fermionic excitation evolutions, obey "qubit commutation relations". We show that qubit excitation evolutions, despite the lack of some of the physical features of fermionic excitation evolutions, accurately construct ansätze, while requiring asymptotically fewer gates. Utilizing qubit excitation evolutions, we introduce the qubit-excitation-based adaptive (QEB-ADAPT)-VQE protocol. The QEB-ADAPT-VQE is a modification of the ADAPT-VQE that performs molecular simulations using a problem-tailored ansatz, grown iteratively by appending evolutions of qubit excitation operators. By performing classical numerical simulations for small molecules, we benchmark the QEB-ADAPT-VQE, and compare it against the original fermionic-ADAPT-VQE and the qubit-ADAPT-VQE. In terms of circuit efficiency and convergence speed, we demonstrate that the QEB-ADAPT-VQE outperforms the qubit-ADAPT-VQE, which to our knowledge was the previous most circuit-efficient scalable VQE protocol for molecular simulations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Non-planar geometrical effects on the magnetoelectrical signal in a three-dimensional nanomagnetic circuit

Expanding nanomagnetism and spintronics into three dimensions (3D) offers great opportunities for both fundamental and technological studies. However, probing the influence of complex 3D geometries on magnetoelectrical phenomena poses important experimental and theoretical challenges. In this work, we investigate the magnetoelectrical signals of a ferromagnetic 3D nanodevice integrated into a microelectronic circuit using direct-write nanofabrication. Due to the 3D vectorial nature of both electrical current and magnetisation, a complex superposition of several magnetoelectrical effects takes place. By performing electrical measurements under the application of 3D magnetic fields, in combination with macrospin simulations and finite element modelling, we disentangle the superimposed effects, finding how a 3D geometry leads to unusual angular dependences of well-known magnetotransport effects such as the anomalous Hall effect. Crucially, our analysis also reveals a strong role of the noncollinear demagnetising fields intrinsic to 3D nanostructures, which results in an angular dependent magnon magnetoresistance contributing strongly to the total magnetoelectrical signal. These findings are key to the understanding of 3D spintronic systems and underpin further fundamental and device-based studies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Efficient quantum circuits for quantum computational chemistry

Molecular quantum simulations with the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) rely on ansatz states that approximate the molecular ground states. These ansatz states are generally defined by parametrized fermionic excitation operators and an initial reference state. Efficient ways to perform fermionic excitations are vital for the realization of the VQE on noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers. Here, we address this issue by first demonstrating circuits that perform qubit excitations, excitations that do not account for fermionic anticommutation relations. We then extend the functionality of these circuits to perform fermionic excitations. Compared to circuits constructed with the standard use of "$CNOT$ staircases", our circuits offer a linear reduction in the number of $CNOT$ gates, by a factor of $2$ and $8$ per single and double excitation, respectively. Our results reduce the requirements for near-term realizations of quantum molecular simulations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Quantum Advantage in Postselected Metrology

We show that postselection offers a nonclassical advantage in metrology. In every parameter-estimation experiment, the final measurement or the postprocessing incurs some cost. Postselection can improve the rate of Fisher information (the average information learned about an unknown parameter from an experimental trial) to cost. This improvement, we show, stems from the negativity of a quasiprobability distribution, a quantum extension of a probability distribution. In a classical theory, in which all observables commute, our quasiprobability distribution can be expressed as real and nonnegative. In a quantum-mechanically noncommuting theory, nonclassicality manifests in negative or nonreal quasiprobabilities. The distribution's nonclassically negative values enable postselected experiments to outperform even postselection-free experiments whose input states and final measurements are optimized: Postselected quantum experiments can yield anomalously large information-cost rates. We prove that this advantage is genuinely nonclassical: no classically commuting theory can describe any quantum experiment that delivers an anomalously large Fisher information. Finally, we outline a preparation-and-postselection procedure that can yield an arbitrarily large Fisher information. Our results establish the nonclassicality of a metrological advantage, leveraging our quasiprobability distribution as a mathematical tool.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Invariant subspaces of two-qubit quantum gates and their application in the verification of quantum computers

We investigate the groups generated by the sets of $CP$, $CNOT$ and $SWAP^α$ (power-of-SWAP) quantum gate operations acting on $n$ qubits. Isomorphisms to standard groups are found, and using techniques from representation theory, we are able to determine the invariant subspaces of the $n-$qubit Hilbert space under the action of each group. For the $CP$ operation, we find isomorphism to the direct product of $n(n-1)/2$ cyclic groups of order $2$, and determine $2^n$ $1$-dimensional invariant subspaces corresponding to the computational state-vectors. For the $CNOT$ operation, we find isomorphism to the general linear group of an $n$-dimensional space over a field of $2$ elements, $GL(n,2)$, and determine two $1$-dimensional invariant subspaces and one $(2^n-2)$-dimensional invariant subspace. For the $SWAP^α$ operation we determine a complex structure of invariant subspaces with varying dimensions and occurrences and present a recursive procedure to construct them. As an example of an application for our work, we suggest that these invariant subspaces can be used to construct simple formal verification procedures to assess the operation of quantum computers of arbitrary size.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Resolution of spin Hall and anisotropic magnetoresistance in Pt/EuO$_{1-x}$

We report on the angular and field dependence of the magnetoresistance (MR) in bilayers of Pt/EuO_{1-x} thin films, measured in both in-plane and out-of-plane geometries at different temperatures (T). Presence of oxygen vacancies manifested by a metal-insulator transition as well as a high-T ferromagnet to paramagnet transition (T_P) were observed in the bilayers. The Anisotropic Magnetoresistance (AMR) could be extracted in the entire T-range, even above T_P, exhibiting two sign crossovers. We attribute its T-evolution to the rotation of easy axis direction from a high-T out-of-plane to a low-T in-plane orientation. In addition, considering MR contributions from the films' (111) texture and interface, we identify a T-window wherein the spin Hall effect induced spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) could be extracted.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Entanglement generation via power-of-SWAP operations between dynamic electron-spin qubits

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can create moving quantum dots in piezoelectric materials. Here we show how electron-spin qubits located on dynamic quantum dots can be entangled. Previous theoretical and numerical models of quantum-dot entanglement generation have been insufficient to study quantum dynamics in realistic experimental devices. We utilize state-of-the-art graphics processing units to simulate the wave function dynamics of two electrons carried by a SAW through a 2D semiconductor heterostructure. We build a methodology to implement a power-of-SWAP gate via the Coulomb interaction. A benefit of the SAW architecture is that it provides a coherent way of transporting the qubits through an electrostatic potential. This architecture allows us to avoid problems associated with fast control pulses and guarantees operation consistency, providing an advantage over static qubits. For inter-dot barrier heights where the double occupation energy is sufficiently greater than the double-dot hopping energy, we find that parameters based on experiments in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures can produce a high-fidelity root-of-SWAP operation. Our results provide a methodology for a crucial component of dynamic-qubit quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Implementation of a general single-qubit positive operator-valued measure on a circuit-based quantum computer

We derive a deterministic protocol to implement a general single-qubit POVM on near-term circuit-based quantum computers. The protocol has a modular structure, such that an $n$-element POVM is implemented as a sequence of $(n-1)$ circuit modules. Each module performs a $2$-element POVM. Two variations of the protocol are suggested, one optimal in terms of number of ancilla qubits, the other optimal in terms of number of qubit gate operations and quantum circuit depth. We use the protocol to implement $2$- and $3$-element POVMs on two publicly available quantum computing devices. The results we obtain suggest that implementing non-trivial POVMs could be within the reach of the current noisy quantum computing devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Role of spin mixing conductance in determining thermal spin pumping near the ferromagnetic phase transition in EuO_{1-x} and La2NiMnO6

We present a comprehensive study of the temperature (T) dependence of the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE) in Pt/EuO_{1-x} and Pt/La2NiMnO6 (LNMO) hybrid structures across their Curie temperatures (Tc). Both systems host ferromagnetic interaction below Tc, hence present optimal conditions for testing magnon spin current based theories against ferrimagnetic YIG. Notably, we observe an anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) generated voltage in bare EuO_{1-x}, however, we find LSSE predominates the thermal signals in the bilayers with Pt. The T-dependence of the LSSE in small T-range near Tc could be fitted to a power law of the form (Tc-T)^P. The derived critical exponent, P, was verified for different methods of LSSE representation and sample crystallinity. The results are explained based on the magnon-driven thermal spin pumping mechanism that relate the T-dependence of LSSE to the spin mixing conductance (Gmix) at the heavy metal/ferromagnet (HM/FM) interface, which in turn is known to vary in accordance with the square of the spontaneous magnetization (Ms). Additionally, the T-dependence of the real part of Gmix derived from spin Hall magnetoresistance measurements at different temperatures for the Pt/LNMO structure, further establish the interdependence.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Sound-driven single-electron transfer in a circuit of coupled quantum rails

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) strongly modulate the shallow electric potential in piezoelectric materials. In semiconductor heterostructures such as GaAs/AlGaAs, SAWs can thus be employed to transfer individual electrons between distant quantum dots. This transfer mechanism makes SAW technologies a promising candidate to convey quantum information through a circuit of quantum logic gates. Here we present two essential building blocks of such a SAW-driven quantum circuit. First, we implement a directional coupler allowing to partition a flying electron arbitrarily into two paths of transportation. Second, we demonstrate a triggered single-electron source enabling synchronisation of the SAW-driven sending process. Exceeding a single-shot transfer efficiency of 99 %, we show that a SAW-driven integrated circuit is feasible with single electrons on a large scale. Our results pave the way to perform quantum logic operations with flying electron qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Post-Selection and Counterfactual Communication

A recent quantum protocol for counterfactual communication [Y. Aharonov and L. Vaidman, Phys. Rev. A 99, 010103(R), 2019] relies on post-selection to eliminate the weak trace in the transmission channel. We show that the post-selection in this protocol also eliminates the flow of Fisher information from transmitter to receiver. However, we also show that a classical communication protocol with post-selection can be counterfactual. Hence, we argue that post-selection should not be allowed in genuine counterfactual communication. In the quantum counterfactual communication protocol, the probability of discarding an event by post-selection tends to zero with an increasing number of ideal optical components. But the counterfactual violation strength tends to infinity at a faster rate. Consequently, the quantum protocol is not counterfactual proper.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Protocol for Fermionic Positive-Operator-Valued Measures

In this paper we present a protocol for the implementation of a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM) on massive fermionic qubits. We present methods for implementing non-dispersive qubit transport, spin rotations and spin polarizing beam-splitter operations. Our scheme attains linear optics-like control of the spatial extent of the qubits by considering groundstate electrons trapped in the minima of surface acoustic waves in semiconductor heterostructures. Furthermore, we numerically simulate a high-fidelity POVM that carries out Procrustean entanglement distillation in the framework of our scheme, using experimentally realistic potentials. Our protocol can be applied, not only to pure ensembles with particle pairs of known identical entanglement, but also to realistic ensembles of particle pairs with a distribution of entanglement entropies. This paper provides an experimentally realisable design for future quantum technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

The elevated Curie temperature and half-metallicity in the ferromagnetic semiconductor La$_{x}$Eu$_{1-x}$O

Here we study the effect of La doping in EuO thin films using SQUID magnetometry, muon spin rotation ($μ$SR), polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR), and density functional theory (DFT). The $μ$SR data shows that the La$_{0.15}$Eu$_{0.85}$O is homogeneously magnetically ordered up to its elevated $T_{\rm C}$. It is concluded that bound magnetic polaron behavior does not explain the increase in $T_{\rm C}$ and an RKKY-like interaction is consistent with the $μ$SR data. The estimation of the magnetic moment by DFT simulations concurs with the results obtained by PNR, showing a reduction of the magnetic moment per La$_{x}$Eu$_{1-x}$O for increasing lanthanum doping. This reduction of the magnetic moment is explained by the reduction of the number of Eu-4$f$ electrons present in all the magnetic interactions in EuO films. Finally, we show that an upwards shift of the Fermi energy with La or Gd doping gives rise to half-metallicity for doping levels as high as 3.2 %.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Spatially homogeneous ferromagnetism below the enhanced Curie temperature in EuO_{1-x} thin films

We have used low energy implanted muons as a volume sensitive probe of the magnetic properties of EuO_{1-x} thin films. We find that static and homogeneous magnetic order persists up to the elevated T_C in the doped samples and the muon signal displays the double dome feature also observed in the sample magnetization. Our results appear incompatible with either the magnetic phase separation or bound magnetic polaron descriptions previously suggested to explain the elevated T_C, but are compatible with an RKKY-like interaction mediating magnetic interactions above 69 K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Surface Acoustic Wave Single-Electron Interferometry

We propose an experiment to observe interference of a single electron as it is transported along two parallel quasi-one-dimensional channels trapped in a single minimum of a travelling periodic electric field. The experimental device is a modification of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) based quantum processor. Interference is achieved by creating a superposition of spatial wavefunctions between the two channels and inducing a relative phase shift via either a transverse electric field or a magnetic field. The interference can be used to estimate the decoherence time of an electron in this type of solid-state device.

quant-ph↗