arXiv subjects

Hlér Kristjánsson

Publications and source records attributed to Hlér Kristjánsson.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Linearised quantum signal processing

Quantum functional programming has been developed through two distinct paradigms in the last few years: Quantum Signal Processing (QSP)-based methods, including the Quantum Singular Value Transformation (QSVT), and methods based on higher-order quantum transformations, such as the Universal Hamiltonian Eigenvalue Transformation (UHET). While UHET performs functional transformations of Hamiltonian dynamics, its relationship to QSP-based techniques has remained unclear despite evident structural similarities. In this work, we resolve this gap by establishing a connection between UHET and QSP-based frameworks; specifically, we show that UHET can be interpreted as a (randomised) linearisation of Generalised QSP (GQSP). Building on this result, we introduce a linearised variant of (Hamiltonian-based) QSVT, which we call Universal Hamiltonian Singular Value Transformation (UHSVT), that enables the efficient transformation of the singular values of any arbitrary matrix $A$ encoded in a block of a Hamiltonian, whose dynamics is accessible as a black box, by any sufficiently differentiable complex-valued function $f$. Our algorithm requires the sole condition that $f$ vanishes at the origin, in contrast to previous QSVT-based approaches that assumed either a lower bound on the singular values of $A$ or the ability to perform $X$-rotation gates on the induced two-dimensional 'qubitised' subspace.

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arXiv2026

Efficient quantum transport in disordered Floquet networks

We propose a mechanism for fast and efficient quantum transport through disordered networks with variable on-site energies, inspired by photosynthetic complexes. The mechanism relies on an interplay between inter-site couplings of the network and driving by external vibrations. Two design principles are shown to ensure close-to-perfect transport despite the disorder, namely a reflection symmetry in Floquet-Hilbert space and the existence of a dominant doublet or triplet of Floquet states.

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arXiv2025

Simulating the quantum switch with quantum circuits is computationally hard

Higher-order transformations acting on input quantum channels in an indefinite causal order, such as the quantum switch, cannot be described by quantum circuits using the same number of calls to the input channels. A natural question is whether they can be simulated, i.e., whether their action can be exactly and deterministically reproduced by a quantum circuit with more calls to the input channels. Here, we prove that the quantum switch acting on two $n$-qubit channels cannot be simulated by any quantum circuit using $k$ calls to one channel and one to the other, if $k<2^n$. This establishes an exponential separation in quantum query complexity between processes with indefinite causal order and quantum circuits. Moreover, even with one extra call to both input channels, such a simulation remains impossible. We further demonstrate the robustness of this separation by extending the result to probabilistic and approximate simulations scenarios.

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arXiv2025

Consistent circuits for indefinite causal order

Over the past decade, a number of quantum processes have been proposed which are logically consistent, yet feature a cyclic causal structure. However, there is no general formal method to construct a process with an exotic causal structure in a way that ensures, and makes clear why, it is consistent. Here we provide such a method, given by an extended circuit formalism. This only requires directed graphs endowed with Boolean matrices, which encode basic constraints on operations. Our framework (a) defines a set of elementary rules for checking the validity of any such graph, (b) provides a way of constructing consistent processes as a circuit from valid graphs, and (c) yields an intuitive interpretation of the causal relations within a process and an explanation of why they do not lead to inconsistencies. We display how several standard examples of exotic processes, including ones that violate causal inequalities, are among the class of processes that can be generated in this way; we conjecture that this class in fact includes all unitarily extendible processes.

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arXiv2025

Universal algorithm for transforming Hamiltonian eigenvalues

Manipulating Hamiltonians governing physical systems has found a broad range of applications, from quantum chemistry to semiconductor design. In this work, we provide a new way of manipulating Hamiltonians, by transforming their eigenvalues while keeping their eigenstates unchanged. We develop a universal algorithm that deterministically implements any desired (suitably differentiable) function on the eigenvalues of any unknown Hamiltonian, whose positive-time and negative-time dynamics are given as a black box. Our algorithm uses correlated randomness to efficiently combine two subroutines -- namely controlization and Fourier series simulation -- exemplifying a general compilation procedure that we develop. The time complexity of our algorithm is significantly reduced via said compilation technique compared to a na{ï}ve concatenation of the subroutines and outperforms similar methods based on the quantum singular value transformation.

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arXiv2024

Exponential separation in quantum query complexity of the quantum switch with respect to simulations with standard quantum circuits

Quantum theory is consistent with a computational model permitting black-box operations to be applied in an indefinite causal order, going beyond the standard circuit model of computation. The quantum switch -- the simplest such example -- has been shown to provide numerous information-processing advantages. Here, we prove that the action of the quantum switch on two $n$-qubit quantum channels cannot be simulated deterministically and exactly by any causally ordered quantum circuit that uses $M$ calls to one channel and one call to the other, if $M \leq \max(2, 2^n-1)$. This demonstrates an exponential separation in quantum query complexity of indefinite causal order compared to standard quantum circuits.

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arXiv2024

Quantum gravity as a communication resource

Quantum information can provide a lens for characterizing the operational implications of spacetime physics. A well-known result in this area is that quantum entanglement is degraded in the vicinity of a black hole. This result treats the black hole and its spacetime as classical. But what if these were to be treated quantum-mechanically? Here, we show that quantum coherence in black hole, and thus spacetime, degrees of freedom can limit the degradation of entanglement, thereby improving the performance of nearby quantum communication protocols. This finding indicates that quantum features of spacetime could serve as resources for quantum information processing.

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arXiv2023

Higher-order quantum transformations of Hamiltonian dynamics

We present a quantum algorithm to achieve higher-order transformations of Hamiltonian dynamics. Namely, the algorithm takes as input a finite number of queries to a black-box seed Hamiltonian dynamics to simulate a desired Hamiltonian. Our algorithm efficiently simulates linear transformations of any seed Hamiltonian with a bounded energy range consisting of a polynomial number of terms in system size, making use of only controlled-Pauli gates and time-correlated randomness. This algorithm is an instance of quantum functional programming, where the desired function is specified as a concatenation of higher-order quantum transformations. By way of example, we demonstrate the simulation of negative time-evolution and time-reversal, and perform a Hamiltonian learning task.

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arXiv2023

Quantum networks with coherent routing of information through multiple nodes

Large-scale communication networks, such as the internet, rely on routing packets of data through multiple intermediate nodes to transmit information from a sender to a receiver. In this paper, we develop a model of a quantum communication network that routes information simultaneously along multiple paths passing through intermediate stations. We demonstrate that a quantum routing approach can in principle extend the distance over which information can be transmitted reliably. Surprisingly, the benefit of quantum routing also applies to the transmission of classical information: even if the transmitted data is purely classical, delocalising it on multiple routes can enhance the achievable transmission distance. Our findings highlight the potential of a future quantum internet not only for achieving secure quantum communication and distributed quantum computing but also for extending the range of classical data transmission.

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arXiv2021

Witnessing latent time correlations with a single quantum particle

When a noisy communication channel is used multiple times, the errors occurring at different times generally exhibit correlations. Classically, these correlations do not affect the evolution of individual particles: a single classical particle can only traverse the channel at a definite moment of time, and its evolution is insensitive to the correlations between subsequent uses of the channel. In stark contrast, here we show that a single quantum particle can sense the correlations between multiple uses of a channel at different moments of time. In an extreme example, we show that a channel that outputs white noise when the particle is sent at a definite time can exhibit correlations that enable a perfect transmission of classical bits when the particle is sent at a superposition of two times. In contrast, we show that, in the lack of correlations, a single particle sent at a superposition of two times undergoes an effective channel with classical capacity of at most 0.16 bits. When multiple transmission lines are available, time correlations can be used to simulate the application of quantum channels in a coherent superposition of alternative causal orders, and even to provide communication advantages that are not accessible through the superposition of causal orders.

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arXiv2021

Routed quantum circuits

We argue that the quantum-theoretical structures studied in several recent lines of research cannot be adequately described within the standard framework of quantum circuits. This is in particular the case whenever the combination of subsystems is described by a nontrivial blend of direct sums and tensor products of Hilbert spaces. We therefore propose an extension to the framework of quantum circuits, given by \textit{routed linear maps} and \textit{routed quantum circuits}. We prove that this new framework allows for a consistent and intuitive diagrammatic representation in terms of circuit diagrams, applicable to both pure and mixed quantum theory, and exemplify its use in several situations, including the superposition of quantum channels and the causal decompositions of unitaries. We show that our framework encompasses the `extended circuit diagrams' of Lorenz and Barrett [arXiv:2001.07774 (2020)], which we derive as a special case, endowing them with a sound semantics.

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arXiv2021

Experimental Quantum Communication Enhancement by Superposing Trajectories

In quantum communication networks, wires represent well-defined trajectories along which quantum systems are transmitted. In spite of this, trajectories can be used as a quantum control to govern the order of different noisy communication channels, and such a control has been shown to enable the transmission of information even when quantum communication protocols through well-defined trajectories fail. This result has motivated further investigations on the role of the superposition of trajectories in enhancing communication, which revealed that the use of quantum control of parallel communication channels, or of channels in series with quantum-controlled operations, can also lead to communication advantages. Building upon these findings, here we experimentally and numerically compare different ways in which two trajectories through a pair of noisy channels can be superposed. We observe that, within the framework of quantum interferometry, the use of channels in series with quantum-controlled operations generally yields the largest advantages. Our results contribute to clarify the nature of these advantages in experimental quantum-optical scenarios, and showcase the benefit of an extension of the quantum communication paradigm in which both the information exchanged and the trajectory of the information carriers are quantum.

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arXiv2020

Resource theories of communication

A series of recent works has shown that placing communication channels in a coherent superposition of alternative configurations can boost their ability to transmit information. Instances of this phenomenon are the advantages arising from the use of communication devices in a superposition of alternative causal orders, and those arising from the transmission of information along a superposition of alternative trajectories. The relation among these advantages has been the subject of recent debate, with some authors claiming that the advantages of the superposition of orders could be reproduced, and even surpassed, by other forms of superpositions. To shed light on this debate, we develop a general framework of resource theories of communication. In this framework, the resources are communication devices, and the allowed operations are (a) the placement of communication devices between the communicating parties, and (b) the connection of communication devices with local devices in the parties' laboratories. The allowed operations are required to satisfy the minimal condition that they do not enable communication independently of the devices representing the initial resources. The resource-theoretic analysis reveals that the aforementioned criticisms on the superposition of causal orders were based on an uneven comparison between different types of quantum superpositions, exhibiting different operational features.

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arXiv2019

Quantum Shannon theory with superpositions of trajectories

Shannon's theory of information was built on the assumption that the information carriers were classical systems. Its quantum counterpart, quantum Shannon theory, explores the new possibilities arising when the information carriers are quantum systems. Traditionally, quantum Shannon theory has focussed on scenarios where the internal state of the information carriers is quantum, while their trajectory is classical. Here we propose a second level of quantisation where both the information and its propagation in spacetime is treated quantum mechanically. The framework is illustrated with a number of examples, showcasing some of the counterintuitive phenomena taking place when information travels simultaneously through multiple transmission lines.

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arXiv2016

Quantum generalisation of feedforward neural networks

We propose a quantum generalisation of a classical neural network. The classical neurons are firstly rendered reversible by adding ancillary bits. Then they are generalised to being quantum reversible, i.e.\ unitary. (The classical networks we generalise are called feedforward, and have step-function activation functions.) The quantum network can be trained efficiently using gradient descent on a cost function to perform quantum generalisations of classical tasks. We demonstrate numerically that it can: (i) compress quantum states onto a minimal number of qubits, creating a quantum autoencoder, and (ii) discover quantum communication protocols such as teleportation. Our general recipe is theoretical and implementation-independent. The quantum neuron module can naturally be implemented photonically.

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