arXiv subjects

Gernot Schaller

Publications and source records attributed to Gernot Schaller.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

The role of symmetries in adiabatic quantum algorithms

Exploiting the similarity between adiabatic quantum algorithms and quantum phase transitions, we argue that second-order transitions -- typically associated with broken or restored symmetries -- should be advantageous in comparison to first-order transitions. Guided by simple examples we construct an alternative adiabatic algorithm for the NP-complete problem {\em Exact Cover 3}. We show numerically that its average performance (for the considered cases up to ${\cal O}\{20\}$ qubits) is better than that of the conventional scheme. The run-time of adiabatic algorithms is not just determined by the minimum value of the fundamental energy gap (between the ground state and the exited states), but also by its curvature at the critical point. The proposed symmetry-restoring adiabatic quantum algorithm only contains contributions linear and quadratic in the Pauli matrices and can be generalized to other problem Hamiltonians which are decomposed of terms involving one and two qubits. We show how the factoring problem can be cast into such a quadratic form. These findings suggest that adiabatic quantum algorithms can solve a large class of NP problems much faster than the Grover search routine (which corresponds to a first-order transition and yields a quadratic enhancement only).

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Systematic Perturbation Theory for Dynamical Coarse-Graining

We demonstrate how the dynamical coarse-graining approach can be systematically extended to higher orders in the coupling between system and reservoir. Up to second order in the coupling constant we explicitly show that dynamical coarse-graining unconditionally preserves positivity of the density matrix -- even for bath density matrices that are not in equilibrium and also for time-dependent system Hamiltonians. By construction, the approach correctly captures the short-time dynamics, i.e., it is suitable to analyze non-Markovian effects. We compare the dynamics with the exact solution for highly non-Markovian systems and find a remarkable quality of the coarse-graining approach. The extension to higher orders is straightforward but rather tedious. The approach is especially useful for bath correlation functions of simple structure and for small system dimensions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Adiabatic preparation without Quantum Phase Transitions

Many physically interesting models show a quantum phase transition when a single parameter is varied through a critical point, where the ground state and the first excited state become degenerate. When this parameter appears as a coupling constant, these models can be understood as straight-line interpolations between different Hamiltonians $H_{\rm I}$ and $H_{\rm F}$. For finite-size realizations however, there will usually be a finite energy gap between ground and first excited state. By slowly changing the coupling constant through the point with the minimum energy gap one thereby has an adiabatic algorithm that prepares the ground state of $H_{\rm F}$ from the ground state of $H_{\rm I}$. The adiabatic theorem implies that in order to obtain a good preparation fidelity the runtime $τ$ should scale with the inverse energy gap and thereby also with the system size. In addition, for open quantum systems not only non-adiabatic but also thermal excitations are likely to occur. It is shown that -- using only local Hamiltonians -- for the 1d quantum Ising model and the cluster model in a transverse field the conventional straight line path can be replaced by a series of straight-line interpolations, along which the fundamental energy gap is always greater than a constant independent on the system size. The results are of interest for adiabatic quantum computation since strong similarities between adiabatic quantum algorithms and quantum phase transitions exist.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Preservation of Positivity by Dynamical Coarse-Graining

We compare different quantum Master equations for the time evolution of the reduced density matrix. The widely applied secular approximation (rotating wave approximation) applied in combination with the Born-Markov approximation generates a Lindblad type master equation ensuring for completely positive and stable evolution and is typically well applicable for optical baths. For phonon baths however, the secular approximation is expected to be invalid. The usual Markovian master equation does not generally preserve positivity of the density matrix. As a solution we propose a coarse-graining approach with a dynamically adapted coarse graining time scale. For some simple examples we demonstrate that this preserves the accuracy of the integro-differential Born equation. For large times we analytically show that the secular approximation master equation is recovered. The method can in principle be extended to systems with a dynamically changing system Hamiltonian, which is of special interest for adiabatic quantum computation. We give some numerical examples for the spin-boson model of cases where a spin system thermalizes rapidly, and other examples where thermalization is not reached.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Decoherence in the dynamical quantum phase transition of the transverse Ising chain

For the prototypical example of the Ising chain in a transverse field, we study the impact of decoherence on the sweep through a second-order quantum phase transition. Apart from the advance in the general understanding of the dynamics of quantum phase transitions, these findings are relevant for adiabatic quantum algorithms due to the similarities between them. It turns out that (in contrast to first-order transitions studied previously) the impact of decoherence caused by a weak coupling to a rather general environment increases with system size (i.e., number of spins/qubits), which might limit the scalability of the system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

A fixed point iteration for computing the matrix logarithm

In various areas of applied numerics, the problem of calculating the logarithm of a matrix A emerges. Since series expansions of the logarithm usually do not converge well for matrices far away from the identity, the standard numerical method calculates successive square roots. In this article, a new algorithm is presented that relies on the computation of successive matrix exponentials. Convergence of the method is demonstrated for a large class of initial matrices and favorable choices of the initial matrix are discussed.

math.NA↗

arXiv2007

Table-top creation of entangled multi-keV photon pairs via the Unruh effect

Electrons moving in a strong periodic electromagnetic field (e.g., laser or undulator) may convert quantum vacuum fluctuations into pairs of entangled photons, which can be understood as a signature of the Unruh effect. Apart from verifying this striking phenomenon, the considered effect may allow the construction of a table-top source for entangled photons (``photon pair laser'') and the associated quantum-optics applications in the multi-keV regime with near-future facilities. 04.62.+v, 12.20.Fv, 41.60.-m, 42.50.Dv.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

A modelling approach towards Epidermal homoeostasis control

In order to grasp the features arising from cellular discreteness and individuality, in large parts of cell tissue modelling agent-based models are favoured. The subclass of off-lattice models allows for a physical motivation of the intercellular interaction rules. We apply an improved version of a previously introduced off-lattice agent-based model to the steady-state flow equilibrium of skin. The dynamics of cells is determined by conservative and drag forces,supplemented with delta-correlated random forces. Cellular adjacency is detected by a weighted Delaunay triangulation. The cell cycle time of keratinocytes is controlled by a diffusible substance provided by the dermis. Its concentration is calculated from a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions and varying diffusion coefficients. The dynamics of a nutrient is also taken into account by a reaction-diffusion equation. It turns out that the analysed control mechanism suffices to explain several characteristics of epidermal homoeostasis formation. In addition, we examine the question of how {\em in silico} melanoma with decreased basal adhesion manage to persist within the steady-state flow-equilibrium of the skin.Interestingly, even for melanocyte cell cycle times being substantially shorter than for keratinocytes, tiny stochastic effects can lead to completely different outcomes. The results demonstrate that the understanding of initial states of tumour growth can profit significantly from the application of off-lattice agent-based models in computer simulations.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2006

Adiabatic quantum algorithms as quantum phase transitions: first versus second order

In the continuum limit (large number of qubits), adiabatic quantum algorithms display a remarkable similarity to sweeps through quantum phase transitions. We find that transitions of second or higher order are advantageous in comparison to those of first order. With this insight, we propose a novel adiabatic quantum algorithm for the solution of 3-satisfiability (3-SAT) problems (exact cover), which is significantly faster than previous proposals according to numerical simulations (up to 20 qubits). These findings suggest that adiabatic quantum algorithms can solve NP-complete problems such as 3-SAT much faster than the Grover search routine (yielding a quadratic enhancement), possibly even with an exponential speed-up. PACS: 03.67.-a, 03.67.Lx, 73.43.Nq, 64.70.-p.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Quantum algorithm for optical template recognition with noise filtering

We propose a probabilistic quantum algorithm that decides whether a monochrome picture matches a given template (or one out of a set of templates). As a major advantage to classical pattern recognition, the algorithm just requires a few incident photons and is thus suitable for very sensitive pictures (similar to the Elitzur-Vaidman problem). Furthermore, for a $2^{n}\times 2^{m}$ image, $\ord(n+m)$ qubits are sufficient. Using the quantum Fourier transform, it is possible to improve the fault tolerance of the quantum algorithm by filtering out small-scale noise in the picture. For example images with $512\times512$ pixels, we have numerically simulated the unitary operations in order to demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm and to analyze its fault tolerance.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Signatures of the Unruh effect from electrons accelerated by ultra-strong laser fields

We calculate the radiation resulting from the Unruh effect for strongly accelerated electrons and show that the photons are created in pairs whose polarizations are maximally entangled. Apart from the photon statistics, this quantum radiation can further be discriminated from the classical (Larmor) radiation via the different spectral and angular distributions. The signatures of the Unruh effect become significant if the external electromagnetic field accelerating the electrons is not too far below the Schwinger limit and might be observable with future facilities. Finally, the corrections due to the birefringent nature of the QED vacuum at such ultra-high fields are discussed. PACS: 04.62.+v, 12.20.Fv, 41.60.-m, 42.25.Lc.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

General error estimate for adiabatic quantum computing

Most investigations devoted to the conditions for adiabatic quantum computing are based on the first-order correction ${\bra{Ψ_{\rm ground}(t)}\dot H(t)\ket{Ψ_{\rm excited}(t)} /ΔE^2(t)\ll1}$. However, it is demonstrated that this first-order correction does not yield a good estimate for the computational error. Therefore, a more general criterion is proposed, which includes higher-order corrections as well and shows that the computational error can be made exponentially small -- which facilitates significantly shorter evolution times than the above first-order estimate in certain situations. Based on this criterion and rather general arguments and assumptions, it can be demonstrated that a run-time $T$ of order of the inverse minimum energy gap $ΔE_{\rm min}$ is sufficient and necessary, i.e., $T=\ord(ΔE_{\rm min}^{-1})$. For some examples, these analytical investigations are confirmed by numerical simulations. PACS: 03.67.Lx, 03.67.-a.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Multicellular Tumor Spheroid in an off-lattice Voronoi/Delaunay cell model

We study multicellular tumor spheroids by introducing a new three-dimensional agent-based Voronoi/Delaunay hybrid model. In this model, the cell shape varies from spherical in thin solution to convex polyhedral in dense tissues. The next neighbors of the cells are provided by a weighted Delaunay triangulation with in average linear computational complexity. The cellular interactions include direct elastic forces and cell-cell as well as cell-matrix adhesion. The spatiotemporal distribution of two nutrients -- oxygen and glucose -- is described by reaction-diffusion equations. Viable cells consume the nutrients, which are converted into biomass by increasing the cell size during G_1 phase. We test hypotheses on the functional dependence of the uptake rates and use the computer simulation to find suitable mechanisms for induction of necrosis. This is done by comparing the outcome with experimental growth curves, where the best fit leads to an unexpected ratio of oxygen and glucose uptake rates. The model relies on physical quantities and can easily be generalized towards tissues involving different cell types. In addition, it provides many features that can be directly compared with the experiment.

q-bio.TO↗

arXiv2003

Kinetic and Dynamic Delaunay tetrahedralizations in three dimensions

We describe the implementation of algorithms to construct and maintain three-dimensional dynamic Delaunay triangulations with kinetic vertices using a three-simplex data structure. The code is capable of constructing the geometric dual, the Voronoi or Dirichlet tessellation. Initially, a given list of points is triangulated. Time evolution of the triangulation is not only governed by kinetic vertices but also by a changing number of vertices. We use three-dimensional simplex flip algorithms, a stochastic visibility walk algorithm for point location and in addition, we propose a new simple method of deleting vertices from an existing three-dimensional Delaunay triangulation while maintaining the Delaunay property. The dual Dirichlet tessellation can be used to solve differential equations on an irregular grid, to define partitions in cell tissue simulations, for collision detection etc.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2002

Dynamical Casimir Effect in a Designed Leaky Cavity

The phenomenon of particle creation within a resonantly vibrating lossy cavity is investigated for the example of a massless scalar field at finite temperature. Leakage is provided by insertion of a dispersive mirror into a larger ideal cavity. Via the rotating wave approximation we demonstrate that for the case of parametric resonance the exponential growth of the number of created particles and the strong enhancement at finite temperatures are preserved in the presence of reasonable losses. The relevance for experimental tests of quantum radiation via the dynamical Casimir effect is addressed.

quant-ph↗