arXiv subjects

Erik J. Gustafson

Publications and source records attributed to Erik J. Gustafson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Preparing Fermions via Classical Sampling and Linear Combinations of Unitaries

We present an extension of the Evolving density matrices on Qubits (E$ρ$OQ) framework that enables efficient fault-tolerant preparation of fermionic quantum states. The original method circumvents state preparation by stochastic sampling, but faces a sign problem in fermionic systems leading to a large number of circuits necessary. We resolve this by combining classical stochastic sampling with a linear combination of unitaries method that avoids the exponential circuit scaling that plagued naïve implementations. The resulting algorithm requires $\mathcal{O}(M^2)$ $R_Z$ rotations for circuit preparation, where $M$ is the number of retained basis states. We validate the method for ground and excited states in the Thirring model, including by computing two-point correlation functions relevant to scattering. In this model for fixed accuracy $\varepsilon$, $M$ is found to scale empirically as $M \propto \frac{1}{mg}\log(1/g)\log(1/m)$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Primitive Quantum Gates for an $SU(3)$ Discrete Subgroup: $Σ(72\times3)$

We construct a primitive gate set for the digital quantum simulation of a discrete subgroup of $SU(3)$: the 216-element $Σ(72\times3)$. The necessary primitives are the inversion gate, the group multiplication gate, the trace gate, and the group Fourier transform, for which we provide qubit decompositions. The resulting fault-tolerant T gate costs for a fiducial calculation of shear viscosity would require about $10^{12}$ T gates which compares favorably to other modern estimates.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Synthesis of Single Qutrit Circuits from Clifford+R

We present two deterministic algorithms to approximate single-qutrit gates. These algorithms utilize the Clifford + $\mathbf{R}$ group to find the best approximation of diagonal rotations. The first algorithm exhaustively searches over the group; while the second algorithm searches only for Householder reflections. The exhaustive search algorithm yields an average $\mathbf{R}$ count of $2.193(11) + 8.621(7) \log_{10}(1 / \varepsilon)$, albeit with a time complexity of $\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon^{-4.4})$. The Householder search algorithm results in a larger average $\mathbf{R}$ count of $3.20(13) + 10.77(3) \log_{10}(1 / \varepsilon)$ at a reduced time complexity of $\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon^{-0.42})$, greatly extending the reach in $\varepsilon$. These costs correspond asymptotically to 35% and 69% more non-Clifford gates compared to synthesizing the same unitary with two qubits. Such initial results are encouraging for using the $\mathbf{R}$ gate as the non-transversal gate for qutrit-based computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

A model independent description of $B\rightarrow D π\ell ν$ decays

We introduce a new parameterization of $B\rightarrow D π\ell ν$ form factors using a partial-wave expansion and derive bounds on the series coefficients using analyticity and unitarity. This is the first generalization of the model-independent formalism developed by Boyd, Grinstein, and Lebed for $B \to D \ell ν$ to semileptonic decays with multi-hadron final states, and enables data-driven form factor determinations with robust, systematically-improvable uncertainties. Using this formalism, we extract the form-factor parameters for $B \to D_2^\ast(\to Dπ) \ell ν$ decays in a model-independent way from fits of data from the Belle Experiment, and, for the first time, study the two-pole structure in the $Dπ$ S-wave in semileptonic decays employing lineshapes from unitarized chiral perturbation theory.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Robust Finite-Temperature Many-Body Scarring on a Quantum Computer

Mechanisms for suppressing thermalization in disorder-free many-body systems, such as Hilbert space fragmentation and quantum many-body scars, have recently attracted much interest in foundations of quantum statistical physics and potential quantum information processing applications. However, their sensitivity to realistic effects such as finite temperature remains largely unexplored. Here, we have utilized IBM's Kolkata quantum processor to demonstrate an unexpected robustness of quantum many-body scars at finite temperatures when the system is prepared in a thermal Gibbs ensemble. We identify such robustness in the PXP model, which describes quantum many-body scars in experimental systems of Rydberg atom arrays and ultracold atoms in tilted Bose--Hubbard optical lattices. By contrast, other theoretical models which host exact quantum many-body scars are found to lack such robustness, and their scarring properties quickly decay with temperature. Our study sheds light on the important differences between scarred models in terms of their algebraic structures, which impacts their resilience to finite temperature.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Primitive Quantum Gates for an SU(3) Discrete Subgroup: $Σ(36\times3)$

We construct the primitive gate set for the digital quantum simulation of the 108-element $Σ(36\times3)$ group. This is the first time a nonabelian crystal-like subgroup of $SU(3)$ has been constructed for quantum simulation. The gauge link registers and necessary primitives -- the inversion gate, the group multiplication gate, the trace gate, and the $Σ(36\times3)$ Fourier transform -- are presented for both an eight-qubit encoding and a heterogeneous three-qutrit plus two-qubit register. For the latter, a specialized compiler was developed for decomposing arbitrary unitaries onto this architecture.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2024

Towards Efficient Quantum Computation of Molecular Ground State Energies using Bayesian Optimization with Priors over Surface Topology

Variational Quantum Eigensolvers (VQEs) represent a promising approach to computing molecular ground states and energies on modern quantum computers. These approaches use a classical computer to optimize the parameters of a trial wave function, while the quantum computer simulates the energy by preparing and measuring a set of bitstring observations, referred to as shots, over which an expected value is computed. Although more shots improve the accuracy of the expected ground state, it also increases the simulation cost. Hence, we propose modifications to the standard Bayesian optimization algorithm to leverage few-shot circuit observations to solve VQEs with fewer quantum resources. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach, Bayesian optimization with priors on surface topology (BOPT), by comparing optimizers for molecular systems and demonstrate how current quantum hardware can aid in finding ground state energies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Surrogate optimization of variational quantum circuits

Variational quantum eigensolvers are touted as a near-term algorithm capable of impacting many applications. However, the potential has not yet been realized, with few claims of quantum advantage and high resource estimates, especially due to the need for optimization in the presence of noise. Finding algorithms and methods to improve convergence is important to accelerate the capabilities of near-term hardware for VQE or more broad applications of hybrid methods in which optimization is required. To this goal, we look to use modern approaches developed in circuit simulations and stochastic classical optimization, which can be combined to form a surrogate optimization approach to quantum circuits. Using an approximate (classical CPU/GPU) state vector simulator as a surrogate model, we efficiently calculate an approximate Hessian, passed as an input for a quantum processing unit or exact circuit simulator. This method will lend itself well to parallelization across quantum processing units. We demonstrate the capabilities of such an approach with and without sampling noise and a proof-of-principle demonstration on a quantum processing unit utilizing 40 qubits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Model-independent description of $B\rightarrow D π\ell ν$ decays

In this contribution we present a novel, model-independent description of semileptonic $B\rightarrow D π\ell ν$ decays. In addition, we discuss recent developments in the understanding of coupled-channel $D π$-$D η$-$D_s K$ S-wave scattering and, for the first time, apply them to semileptonic decays. We not only obtain model-independent predictions for kinematic distributions in $B\rightarrow D π\ell ν$ decays, but also rule out the hypothesis that the gap between the inclusive $B\rightarrow X\ellν$ branching fraction and the sum over exclusive channels is made up predominantly by $B\rightarrow D^{(\ast)} η\ell ν$ decays.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Primitive Quantum Gates for an $SU(2)$ Discrete Subgroup: Binary Octahedral

We construct a primitive gate set for the digital quantum simulation of the 48-element binary octahedral ($\mathbb{BO}$) group. This nonabelian discrete group better approximates $SU(2)$ lattice gauge theory than previous work on the binary tetrahedral group at the cost of one additional qubit -- for a total of six -- per gauge link. The necessary primitives are the inversion gate, the group multiplication gate, the trace gate, and the $\mathbb{BO}$ Fourier transform.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2023

Preparing quantum many-body scar states on quantum computers

Quantum many-body scar states are highly excited eigenstates of many-body systems that exhibit atypical entanglement and correlation properties relative to typical eigenstates at the same energy density. Scar states also give rise to infinitely long-lived coherent dynamics when the system is prepared in a special initial state having finite overlap with them. Many models with exact scar states have been constructed, but the fate of scarred eigenstates and dynamics when these models are perturbed is difficult to study with classical computational techniques. In this work, we propose state preparation protocols that enable the use of quantum computers to study this question. We present protocols both for individual scar states in a particular model, as well as superpositions of them that give rise to coherent dynamics. For superpositions of scar states, we present both a system-size-linear depth unitary and a finite-depth nonunitary state preparation protocol, the latter of which uses measurement and postselection to reduce the circuit depth. For individual scarred eigenstates, we formulate an exact state preparation approach based on matrix product states that yields quasipolynomial-depth circuits, as well as a variational approach with a polynomial-depth ansatz circuit. We also provide proof of principle state-preparation demonstrations on superconducting quantum hardware.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Simulating $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theory on a quantum computer

The utility of quantum computers for simulating lattice gauge theories is currently limited by the noisiness of the physical hardware. Various quantum error mitigation strategies exist to reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainties in quantum simulations via improved algorithms and analysis strategies. We perform quantum simulations of $1+1d$ $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge theory with matter to study the efficacy and interplay of different error mitigation methods: readout error mitigation, randomized compiling, rescaling, and dynamical decoupling. We compute Minkowski correlation functions in this confining gauge theory and extract the mass of the lightest spin-1 state from fits to their time dependence. Quantum error mitigation extends the range of times over which our correlation function calculations are accurate by a factor of six and is therefore essential for obtaining reliable masses.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2023

Quantum mean estimation for lattice field theory

We demonstrate the quantum mean estimation algorithm on Euclidean lattice field theories. This shows a quadratic advantage over Monte Carlo methods which persists even in presence of a sign problem, and is insensitive to critical slowing down. The algorithm is used to compute $π$ with and without a sign problem, a toy U(1) gauge theory model, and the Ising model. The effect of $R_{Z}$-gate synthesis errors on a future fault-tolerant quantum computer is investigated.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2023

Robustness of Gauge Digitization to Quantum Noise

Quantum noise limits the use of quantum memory in high energy physics simulations. In particular, it breaks the gauge symmetry of stored quantum states. We examine this effect for abelian and nonabelian theories and demonstrate that optimizing the digitization of gauge theories to quantum memory to account for noise channels can extend the lifetime before complete loss of gauge symmetry by $2-10\times$ over some other digitizations. These constructions also allow for quantum error correction to integrate the symmetries of quantum fields and prioritize the largest gauge violations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2022

Stout Smearing on a Quantum Computer

Smearing of gauge-field configurations in lattice field theory improves the results of lattice simulations by suppressing high energy modes from correlation functions. In quantum simulations, high kinetic energy eigenstates are introduced when the time evolution operator is approximated such as Trotterization. While improved Trotter product formulae exist to reduce the errors, they have diminishing accuracy returns with respect to resource costs. Therefore having an algorithm that has fewer resources than an improved Trotter formula is desirable. In this work I develop a representation agnostic method for quantum smearing and show that it reduces the coupling to high energy modes in the discrete nonabelian gauge theory $D_4$

hep-lat↗

arXiv2022

Primitive Quantum Gates for an SU(2) Discrete Subgroup: BT

We construct a primitive gate set for the digital quantum simulation of the binary tetrahedral ($\mathbb{BT}$) group on two quantum architectures. This nonabelian discrete group serves as a crude approximation to $SU(2)$ lattice gauge theory while requiring five qubits or one quicosotetrit per gauge link. The necessary basic primitives are the inversion gate, the group multiplication gate, the trace gate, and the $\mathbb{BT}$ Fourier transform over $\mathbb{BT}$. We experimentally benchmark the inversion and trace gates on ibm nairobi, with estimated fidelities between $14-55\%$, depending on the input state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Gauge Theory Couplings on Anisotropic Lattices

The advantage of simulating lattice field theory with quantum computers is hamstrung by the limited resources that induce large errors from finite volume and sizable lattice spacings. Previous work has shown how classical simulations near the Hamiltonian limit can be used for setting the lattice spacings in real-time through analytical continuation, thereby reducing errors in quantum simulations. In this work, we derive perturbative relations between bare and renormalized quantities in Euclidean spacetime at any anisotropy factor -- the ratio of spatial to temporal lattice spacings -- and in any spatial dimension for $U(N)$ and $SU(N)$. This reduces the required classical preprocessing for quantum simulations. We find less than $10\%$ discrepancy between our perturbative results and those from existing nonperturbative determinations of the anisotropy for $SU(2)$ and $U(1)$ gauge theories. For the discrete groups $\mathbb{Z}_{10}$, $\mathbb{Z}_{100}$ and $\mathbb{BI}$, we perform lattice Monte Carlo simulations to extract anisotropy factors and observe similar agreement with our perturbative results.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2022

Quantum computing hardware for HEP algorithms and sensing

Quantum information science harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics to realize computational algorithms with complexities vastly intractable by current computer platforms. Typical applications range from quantum chemistry to optimization problems and also include simulations for high energy physics. The recent maturing of quantum hardware has triggered preliminary explorations by several institutions (including Fermilab) of quantum hardware capable of demonstrating quantum advantage in multiple domains, from quantum computing to communications, to sensing. The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center, led by Fermilab, is dedicated to providing breakthroughs in quantum computing and sensing, mediating quantum engineering and HEP based material science. The main goal of the Center is to deploy quantum systems with superior performance tailored to the algorithms used in high energy physics. In this Snowmass paper, we discuss the two most promising superconducting quantum architectures for HEP algorithms, i.e. three-level systems (qutrits) supported by transmon devices coupled to planar devices and multi-level systems (qudits with arbitrary N energy levels) supported by superconducting 3D cavities. For each architecture, we demonstrate exemplary HEP algorithms and identify the current challenges, ongoing work and future opportunities. Furthermore, we discuss the prospects and complexities of interconnecting the different architectures and individual computational nodes. Finally, we review several different strategies of error protection and correction and discuss their potential to improve the performance of the two architectures. This whitepaper seeks to reach out to the HEP community and drive progress in both HEP research and QIS hardware.

quant-ph↗