arXiv subjects

Viv Kendon

Publications and source records attributed to Viv Kendon.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Quantum computing using continuous-time evolution

Computational methods are the most effective tools we have besides scientific experiments to explore the properties of complex biological systems. Progress is slowing because digital silicon computers have reached their limits in terms of speed. Other types of computation using radically different architectures, including neuromorphic and quantum, promise breakthroughs in both speed and efficiency. Quantum computing exploits the coherence and superposition properties of quantum systems to explore many possible computational paths in parallel. This provides a fundamentally more efficient route to solving some types of computational problems, including several of relevance to biological simulations. In particular, optimisation problems, both convex and non-convex, feature in many biological models, including protein folding and molecular dynamics. Early quantum computers will be small, reminiscent of the early days of digital silicon computing. Understanding how to exploit the first generation of quantum hardware is crucial for making progress in both biological simulation and the development of the next generations of quantum computers. This review outlines the current state-of-the-art and future prospects for quantum computing, and provides some indications of how and where to apply it to speed up bottlenecks in biological simulation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Finding spin-glass ground states using quantum walks

Quantum computation using continuous-time evolution under a natural hardware Hamiltonian is a promising near- and mid-term direction toward powerful quantum computing hardware. We investigate the performance of continuous-time quantum walks as a tool for finding spin glass ground states, a problem that serves as a useful model for realistic optimization problems. By performing detailed numerics, we uncover significant ways in which solving spin glass problems differs from applying quantum walks to the search problem. Importantly, unlike for the search problem, parameters such as the hopping rate of the quantum walk do not need to be set precisely for the spin glass ground state problem. Heuristic values of the hopping rate determined from the energy scales in the problem Hamiltonian are sufficient for obtaining a better than square-root scaling. This makes it practical to use quantum walks for solving such problems, and opens the door for a range of applications on suitable quantum hardware.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Practical designs for permutation symmetric problem Hamiltonians on hypercubes

We present a method to experimentally realize large-scale permutation-symmetric Hamiltonians for continuous-time quantum protocols such as quantum walk and adiabatic quantum computation. In particular, the method can be used to perform an encoded continuous-time quantum search on a hypercube graph with 2^n vertices encoded into 2n qubits. We provide details for a realistically achievable implementation in Rydberg atomic systems. Although the method is perturbative, the realization is always achieved at second order in perturbation theory, regardless of the size of the mapped system. This highly efficient mapping provides a natural set of problems which are tractable both numerically and analytically, thereby providing a powerful tool for benchmarking quantum hardware and experimentally investigating the physics of continuous-time quantum protocols.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Quantum search with hybrid adiabatic-quantum walk algorithms and realistic noise

Computing using a continuous-time evolution, based on the natural interaction Hamiltonian of the quantum computer hardware, is a promising route to building useful quantum computers in the near-term. Adiabatic quantum computing, quantum annealing, computation by continuous-time quantum walk, and special purpose quantum simulators all use this strategy. In this work, we carry out a detailed examination of adiabatic and quantum walk implementation of the quantum search algorithm, using the more physically realistic hypercube connectivity, rather than the complete graph, for our base Hamiltonian. We calculate the optimal adiabatic schedule for the hypercube, and then interpolate between adiabatic and quantum walk searching, obtaining a family of hybrid algorithms. We show that all of these hybrid algorithms provide the quadratic quantum speed up when run with optimal parameter settings, which we determine and discuss in detail. We incorporate the effects of multiple runs of the same algorithm, noise applied to the qubits, and two types of problem misspecification, determining the optimal hybrid algorithm for each case. Our results reveal a rich structure of how these different computational mechanisms operate and should be balanced in different scenarios. For large systems with low noise and good control, quantum walk is the best choice, while hybrid strategies can mitigate the effects of many shortcomings in hardware and problem misspecification.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Protecting quantum memories using coherent parity check codes

Coherent parity check (CPC) codes are a new framework for the construction of quantum error correction codes that encode multiple qubits per logical block. CPC codes have a canonical structure involving successive rounds of bit and phase parity checks, supplemented by cross-checks to fix the code distance. In this paper, we provide a detailed introduction to CPC codes using conventional quantum circuit notation. We demonstrate the implementation of a CPC code on real hardware, by designing a [[4,2,2]] detection code for the IBM 5Q superconducting qubit device. Whilst the individual gate-error rates on the IBM device are too high to realise a fault tolerant quantum detection code, our results show that the syndrome information from a full encode-decode cycle of the [[4,2,2]] CPC code can be used to increase the output state fidelity by post-selection. Following this, we generalise CPC codes to other quantum technologies by showing that their structure allows them to be efficiently compiled using any experimentally realistic native two-qubit gate. We introduce a three-stage CPC design process for the construction of hardware-optimised quantum memories. As a proof-of-concept example, we apply our design process to an idealised linear seven-qubit ion trap. In the first stage of the process, we use exhaustive search methods to find a large set of [[7,3,3]] codes that saturate the quantum Hamming bound for seven qubits. We then optimise over the discovered set of codes to meet the hardware and layout demands of the ion trap device. We also discuss how the CPC design process will generalise to larger-scale codes and other qubit technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Quantum walk transport properties on graphene structures

We present numerical studies of quantum walks on \C60 and related graphene structures, to investigate their transport properties. Also known as a \emph{honeycomb lattice}, the lattice formed by carbon atoms in the graphene phase can be rolled up to form nanotubes of various dimensions. Graphene nanotubes have many important applications, some of which rely on their unusual electrical conductivity and related properties. Quantum walks on graphs provide an abstract setting in which to study such transport properties independent of the other chemical and physical properties of a physical substance. They can thus be used to further the understanding of mechanisms behind such properties. We find that nanotube structures are significantly more efficient in transporting a quantum walk than cycles of equivalent size, provided the symmetry of the structure is respected in how they are used. We find faster transport on zig-zag nanotubes compared to armchair nanotubes, which is unexpected given that for the actual materials the armchair nanotube is metallic, while the zig-zag is semiconducting.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Journeys from Quantum Optics to Quantum Technology

Sir Peter Knight is a pioneer in quantum optics which has now grown to an important branch of modern physics to study the foundations and applications of quantum physics. He is leading an effort to develop new technologies from quantum mechanics. In this collection of essays, we recall the time we were working with him as a postdoc or a PhD student and look at how the time with him has influenced our research.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2017

Ancilla-driven quantum computation for qudits and continuous variables

Although qubits are the leading candidate for the basic elements in a quantum computer, there are also a range of reasons to consider using higher dimensional qudits or quantum continuous variables (QCVs). In this paper we use a general `quantum variable' formalism to propose a method of quantum computation in which ancillas are used to mediate gates on a well-isolated `quantum memory' register and which may be applied to the setting of qubits, qudits (for $d>2$) or QCVs. More specifically, we present a model in which universal quantum computation may be implemented on a register using only: repeated applications of a single fixed two-body ancilla-register interaction gate, ancillas prepared in a single state, and local measurements of these ancillas. In order to maintain determinism in the computation, adaptive measurements via a classical-feedforward of measurement outcomes are used, with the method similar to that in measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC). We show that our model has the same hybrid quantum-classical processing advantages as MBQC, including the power to implement any Clifford circuit in essentially one layer of quantum computation. In some physical settings, high-quality measurements of the ancillas may be highly challenging or not possible, and hence we also present a globally unitary model which replaces the need for measurements of the ancillas with the requirement for ancillas to be prepared in states from a fixed orthonormal basis. Finally, we discuss settings in which these models may be of practical interest.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Hybrid quantum computing with ancillas

In the quest to build a practical quantum computer, it is important to use efficient schemes for enacting the elementary quantum operations from which quantum computer programs are constructed. The opposing requirements of well-protected quantum data and fast quantum operations must be balanced to maintain the integrity of the quantum information throughout the computation. One important approach to quantum operations is to use an extra quantum system - an ancilla - to interact with the quantum data register. Ancillas can mediate interactions between separated quantum registers, and by using fresh ancillas for each quantum operation, data integrity can be preserved for longer. This review provides an overview of the basic concepts of the gate model quantum computer architecture, including the different possible forms of information encodings - from base two up to continuous variables - and a more detailed description of how the main types of ancilla-mediated quantum operations provide efficient quantum gates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Quantum computation mediated by ancillary qudits and spin coherent states

Models of universal quantum computation in which the required interactions between register (computational) qubits are mediated by some ancillary system are highly relevant to experimental realisations of a quantum computer. We introduce such a universal model that employs a $d$-dimensional ancillary qudit. The ancilla-register interactions take the form of controlled displacements operators, with a displacement operator defined on the periodic and discrete lattice phase space of a qudit. We show that these interactions can implement controlled phase gates on the register by utilising geometric phases that are created when closed loops are traversed in this phase space. The extra degrees of freedom of the ancilla can be harnessed to reduce the number of operations required for certain gate sequences. In particular, we see that the computational advantages of the quantum bus (qubus) architecture, which employs a field-mode ancilla, are also applicable to this model. We then explore an alternative ancilla-mediated model which employs a spin-ensemble as the ancillary system and again the interactions with the register qubits are via controlled displacement operators, with a displacement operator defined on the Bloch sphere phase space of the spin coherent states of the ensemble. We discuss the computational advantages of this model and its relationship with the qubus architecture.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Minimal ancilla mediated quantum computation

Schemes of universal quantum computation in which the interactions between the computational elements, in a computational register, are mediated by some ancillary system are of interest due to their relevance to the physical implementation of a quantum computer. Furthermore, reducing the level of control required over both the ancillary and register systems has the potential to simplify any experimental implementation. In this paper we consider how to minimise the control needed to implement universal quantum computation in an ancilla-mediated fashion. Considering computational schemes which require no measurements and hence evolve by unitary dynamics for the global system, we show that when employing an ancilla qubit there are certain fixed-time ancilla-register interactions which, along with ancilla initialisation in the computational basis, are universal for quantum computation with no additional control of either the ancilla or the register. We develop two distinct models based on locally inequivalent interactions and we then discuss the relationship between these unitary models and the measurement-based ancilla-mediated models known as ancilla-driven quantum computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

The expressive power of quantum walks in terms of language acceptance

Discrete time quantum walks are known to be universal for quantum computation. This has been proven by showing that they can simulate a universal quantum gate set. In this paper, we examine computation by quantum walks in terms of language acceptance, and present two ways in which discrete time quantum walks can accept some languages with certainty. These walks can take quantum as well as classical inputs, and we show that when the input is quantum, the walks can also be interpreted as performing the task of quantum state discrimination.

cs.FL↗

arXiv2014

When does a physical system compute?

Computing is a high-level process of a physical system. Recent interest in non-standard computing systems, including quantum and biological computers, has brought this physical basis of computing to the forefront. There has been, however, no consensus on how to tell if a given physical system is acting as a computer or not; leading to confusion over novel computational devices, and even claims that every physical event is a computation. In this paper we introduce a formal framework that can be used to determine whether or not a physical system is performing a computation. We demonstrate how the abstract computational level interacts with the physical device level, drawing the comparison with the use of mathematical models to represent physical objects in experimental science. This powerful formulation allows a precise description of the similarities between experiments, computation, simulation, and technology, leading to our central conclusion: physical computing is the use of a physical system to predict the outcome of an abstract evolution. We give conditions that must be satisfied in order for computation to be occurring, and illustrate these with a range of non-standard computing scenarios. The framework also covers broader computing contexts, where there is no obvious human computer user. We define the critical notion of a 'computational entity', and show the role this plays in defining when computing is taking place in physical systems.

cs.ET↗

arXiv2013

Universal quantum computation by the unitary control of ancilla qubits and using a fixed ancilla-register interaction

We characterise a model of universal quantum computation where the register (computational) qubits are controlled by ancillary qubits, using only a single fixed interaction between register and ancillary qubits. No additional access is required to the computational register and the dynamics of both the register and ancilla are unitary. This scheme is inspired by the measurement-based ancilla-driven quantum computation of Anders et al. [PRA 82, 020301(R), 2010], but does not require measurements of the ancillas, and in this respect is similar to the original gate based model of quantum computation. We consider what possible forms this ancilla-register interaction can take, with a proof that the interaction is necessarily locally equivalent to SWAP combined with an entangling controlled gate. We further show which Hamiltonians can create such interactions and discuss two examples; the two-qubit XY Hamiltonian and a particular case of the XXZ Hamiltonian. We then give an example of a simple, finite and fault tolerant gate set for universal quantum computation in this model.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

A Framework for Heterotic Computing

Computational devices combining two or more different parts, one controlling the operation of the other, for example, derive their power from the interaction, in addition to the capabilities of the parts. Non-classical computation has tended to consider only single computational models: neural, analog, quantum, chemical, biological, neglecting to account for the contribution from the experimental controls. In this position paper, we propose a framework suitable for analysing combined computational models, from abstract theory to practical programming tools. Focusing on the simplest example of one system controlled by another through a sequence of operations in which only one system is active at a time, the output from one system becomes the input to the other for the next step, and vice versa. We outline the categorical machinery required for handling diverse computational systems in such combinations, with their interactions explicitly accounted for. Drawing on prior work in refinement and retrenchment, we suggest an appropriate framework for developing programming tools from the categorical framework. We place this work in the context of two contrasting concepts of "efficiency": theoretical comparisons to determine the relative computational power do not always reflect the practical comparison of real resources for a finite-sized computational task, especially when the inputs include (approximations of) real numbers. Finally we outline the limitations of our simple model, and identify some of the extensions that will be required to treat more complex interacting computational systems.

cs.ET↗

arXiv2012

Formal languages analysed by quantum walks

Discrete time quantum walks are known to be universal for quantum computation. This has been proven by showing that they can simulate a universal gate set. In this paper we examine computation in terms of language acceptance and present two ways in which discrete time quantum walks can accept some languages with certainty. These walks can take quantum as well as classical inputs, and we show that when the input is quantum, the walks can be interpreted as performing state discrimination.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Layer by layer generation of cluster states

Cluster states can be used to perform measurement-based quantum computation. The cluster state is a useful resource, because once it has been generated only local operations and measurements are needed to perform universal quantum computation. In this paper, we explore techniques for quickly and deterministically building a cluster state. In particular we consider generating cluster states on a qubus quantum computer, a computational architecture which uses a continuous variable ancilla to generate interactions between qubits. We explore several techniques for building the cluster, with the number of operations required depending on whether we allow the ability to destroy previously created controlled-phase links between qubits. In the case where we can not destroy these links, we show how to create an n x m cluster using just 3nm -2n -3m/2 + 3 operations. This gives more than a factor of 2 saving over a naive method. Further savings can be obtained if we include the ability to destroy links, in which case we only need (8nm-4n-4m-8)/3 operations. Unfortunately the latter scheme is more complicated so choosing the correct order to interact the qubits is considerably more difficult. A half way scheme, that keeps a modular generation but saves additional operations over never destroying links requires only 3nm-2n-2m+4 operations. The first scheme and the last scheme are the most practical for building a cluster state because they split up the generation into the repetition of simple sections.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

The quantum walk search algorithm: Factors affecting efficiency

We numerically study the quantum walk search algorithm of Shenvi, Kempe and Whaley [PRA \textbf{67} 052307] and the factors which affect its efficiency in finding an individual state from an unsorted set. Previous work has focused purely on the effects of the dimensionality of the dataset to be searched. Here, we consider the effects of interpolating between dimensions, connectivity of the dataset, and the possibility of disorder in the underlying substrate: all these factors affect the efficiency of the search algorithm. We show that, as well as the strong dependence on the spatial dimension of the structure to be searched, there are also secondary dependencies on the connectivity and symmetry of the lattice, with greater connectivity providing a more efficient algorithm. In addition, we also show that the algorithm can tolerate a non-trivial level of disorder in the underlying substrate.

quant-ph↗