arXiv subjects

Mourad Halla

Publications and source records attributed to Mourad Halla.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Qudit Twisted-Torus Codes in the Bivariate Bicycle Framework

We study finite-length qudit quantum low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes from translation-invariant CSS constructions on two-dimensional tori with twisted boundary conditions. Recent qubit work [PRX Quantum 6, 020357 (2025)] showed that, within the bivariate-bicycle viewpoint, twisting generalized toric patterns can significantly improve finite-size performance as measured by $k d^{2}/n$. Here $n$ denotes the number of physical qudits, $k$ the number of logical qudits, and $d$ the code distance. Building on this insight, we extend the search to qudit codes over finite fields. Using algebraic methods, we compute the number of logical qudits and identify compact codes with favorable rate--distance tradeoffs. Overall, for the finite sizes explored, twisted-torus qudit constructions typically achieve larger distances than their untwisted counterparts and outperform previously reported twisted qubit instances. The best new codes are tabulated.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Modified Conjugate Quantum Natural Gradient

The efficient optimization of variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) is critical for their successful application in quantum computing. The Quantum Natural Gradient (QNG) method, which leverages the geometry of quantum state space, has demonstrated improved convergence compared to standard gradient descent [Quantum 4, 269 (2020)]. In this work, we introduce the Modified Conjugate Quantum Natural Gradient (CQNG), an optimization algorithm that integrates QNG with principles from the nonlinear conjugate-gradient method. Unlike QNG, which employs a fixed learning rate, CQNG dynamically adjusts its hyperparameters at each step, enhancing both efficiency and flexibility. Numerical simulations show that CQNG achieves faster convergence and reduces quantum-resource requirements compared to QNG across various optimization scenarios, even when strict conjugacy conditions are not fully satisfied--hence the term ``Modified Conjugate.'' These results highlight CQNG as a promising optimization technique for improving the performance of VQAs.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Estimation of Quantum Fisher Information via Stein's Identity in Variational Quantum Algorithms

The Quantum Fisher Information Matrix (QFIM) plays a crucial role in quantum optimization algorithms such as Variational Quantum Imaginary Time Evolution and Quantum Natural Gradient Descent. However, computing the full QFIM incurs a quadratic computational cost of O(d^2) with respect to the number of parameters d, limiting its scalability for high-dimensional quantum systems. To address this limitation, stochastic methods such as the Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) have been employed to reduce computational complexity to a constant (Quantum 5, 567 (2021)). In this work, we propose an alternative estimation framework based on Stein's identity that also achieves constant computational complexity. Furthermore, our method reduces the quantum resources required for QFIM estimation compared to the SPSA approach. We provide numerical examples using the transverse-field Ising model and the lattice Schwinger model to demonstrate the feasibility of applying our method to realistic quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Natural Gradient with Geodesic Corrections for Small Shallow Quantum Circuits

The Quantum Natural Gradient (QNG) method enhances optimization in variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) by incorporating geometric insights from the quantum state space through the Fubini-Study metric. In this work, we extend QNG by introducing higher-order integrators and geodesic corrections using the Riemannian Euler update rule and geodesic equations, deriving an updated rule for the Quantum Natural Gradient with Geodesic Correction (QNGGC). We also develop an efficient method for computing the Christoffel symbols necessary for these corrections, leveraging the parameter-shift rule to enable direct measurement from quantum circuits. Through theoretical analysis and practical examples, we demonstrate that QNGGC significantly improves convergence rates over standard QNG, highlighting the benefits of integrating geodesic corrections into quantum optimization processes. Our approach paves the way for more efficient quantum algorithms, leveraging the advantages of geometric methods.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Gravitational lensing in Brill spacetimes

We consider the Brill metric which is an electrovacuum solution to Einstein's field equation. It depends on three parameters, a mass parameter $m$, a NUT parameter $l$ and a charge parameter $e$. If the charge parameter is small, the metric describes a black hole; if it is sufficiently big, it describes a wormhole. We determine the relevant lensing features both in the black-hole and in the wormhole case. In particular, we give formulas for the photon spheres, for the angular radius of the shadow and for the deflection angle. We illustrate the lensing features with the help of an effective potential and in terms of embedding diagrams. To that end we make use of the fact that each lightlike geodesic is contained in a (coordinate) cone and that it is a geodesic of a Riemannian optical metric on this cone. By the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, the sign of the Gaussian curvature of the optical metric determines the sign of the deflection angle. In the wormhole case the deflection angle may be negative which means that light rays are repelled from the center.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

A Morse-theoretical analysis of lensing in wormhole spacetimes

We consider a class of stationary and axisymmetric wormhole spacetimes that is closely related to, but not identical with, the class of Teo wormholes. We fix a point $p$ (observation event) and a timelike curve $γ$ (worldline of a light source), and we characterize the set of all past-oriented lightlike geodesics from $p$ to $γ$. As any such geodesic corresponds to an image of the light source on the observer's sky, this allows us to investigate the lensing properties of the wormhole. As a main result, we prove with the help of Morse theory that, under very mild conditions on $γ$, the observer always sees infinitely many images of $γ$. Moreover, we study some qualitative features of the lightlike geodesics with the help of two potentials that determine the sum of centrifugal and Coriolis forces of observers in circular motion for the case that the observers' velocity approaches the velocity of light. We exemplify the general results with two specific wormhole spacetimes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Application of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem to lensing in the NUT metric

We show with the help of Fermat's principle that every lightlike geodesic in the NUT metric projects to a geodesic of a two-dimensional Riemannian metric which we call the optical metric. The optical metric is defined on a (coordinate) cone whose opening angle is determined by the impact parameter of the lightlike geodesic. We show that, surprisingly, the optical metrics on cones with different opening angles are locally (but not globally) isometric. With the help of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem we demonstrate that the deflection angle of a lightlike geodesic is determined by an area integral over the Gaussian curvature of the optical metric. A similar result is known to be true for static and spherically symmetric spacetimes. The generalisation to the NUT spacetime, which is neither static nor spherically symmetric (at least not in the usual sense), is rather non-trivial.

gr-qc↗