arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Ruediger Schack.
By numerically simulating an implementation of the quantum baker's map on a 3-qubit NMR quantum computer based on the molecule trichloroethylene, we demonstrate the feasibility of quantum chaos experiments on present-day quantum computers. We give detailed descriptions of proposed experiments that investigate (a) the rate of entropy increase due to decoherence and (b) the phenomenon of hypersensitivity to perturbation.
Hypersensitivity to perturbation is a criterion for chaos based on the question of how much information about a perturbing environment is needed to keep the entropy of a Hamiltonian system from increasing. In this paper we give a brief overview of our work on hypersensitivity to perturbation in classical and quantum systems.
A source of unpredictability is equivalent to a source of information: unpredictability means not knowing which of a set of alternatives is the actual one; determining the actual alternative yields information. The degree of unpredictability is neatly quantified by the information measure introduced by Shannon. This perspective is applied to three kinds of unpredictability in physics: the absolute unpredictability of quantum mechanics, the unpredictability of the coarse-grained future due to classical chaos, and the unpredictability of open systems. The incompatibility of the first two of these is the root of the difficulty in defining quantum chaos, whereas the unpredictability of open systems, it is suggested, can provide a unified characterization of chaos in classical and quantum dynamics.
We show that the quantum baker's map, a prototypical map invented for theoretical studies of quantum chaos, has a very simple realization in terms of quantum gates. Chaos in the quantum baker's map could be investigated experimentally on a quantum computer based on only 3 qubits.
It has recently been shown that there are efficient algorithms for quantum computers to solve certain problems, such as prime factorization, which are intractable to date on classical computers. The chances for practical implementation, however, are limited by decoherence, in which the effect of an external environment causes random errors in the quantum calculation. To combat this problem, quantum error correction schemes have been proposed, in which a single quantum bit (qubit) is ``encoded'' as a state of some larger number of qubits, chosen to resist particular types of errors. Most such schemes are vulnerable, however, to errors in the encoding and decoding itself. We examine two such schemes, in which a single qubit is encoded in a state of $n$ qubits while subject to dephasing or to arbitrary isotropic noise. Using both analytical and numerical calculations, we argue that error correction remains beneficial in the presence of weak noise, and that there is an optimal time between error correction steps, determined by the strength of the interaction with the environment and the parameters set by the encoding.
Quantum trajectory methods can be used for a wide range of open quantum systems to solve the master equation by unraveling the density operator evolution into individual stochastic trajectories in Hilbert space. This C++ class library offers a choice of integration algorithms for three important unravelings of the master equation. Different physical systems are modeled by different Hamiltonians and environment operators. The program achieves flexibility and user friendliness, without sacrificing execution speed, through the way it represents operators and states in Hilbert space. Primary operators, implemented in the form of simple routines acting on single degrees of freedom, can be used to build up arbitrarily complex operators in product Hilbert spaces with arbitrary numbers of components. Standard algebraic notation is used to build operators and to perform arithmetic operations on operators and states. States can be represented in a local moving basis, often leading to dramatic savings of computing resources. The state and operator classes are very general and can be used independently of the quantum trajectory algorithms. Only a rudimentary knowledge of C++ is required to use this package.
For the quantum kicked top we study numerically the distribution of Hilbert-space vectors evolving in the presence of a small random perturbation. For an initial coherent state centered in a chaotic region of the classical dynamics, the evolved perturbed vectors are distributed essentially like random vectors in Hilbert space. In contrast, for an initial coherent state centered near an elliptic (regular) fixed point of the classical dynamics, the evolved perturbed vectors remain close together, explore only few dimensions of Hilbert space, and do not explore them randomly. These results support and extend results of earlier studies, thereby providing additional support for a new characterization of quantum chaos that uses concepts from information theory.