Mermin polynomials for non-locality and entanglement detection in Grover’s algorithm and Quantum Fourier Transform

Abstract

The entanglement of a quantum system can be valuated using Mermin polynomials. This gives us a means to study entanglement evolution during the execution of quantum algorithms. We first consider Grover's quantum search algorithm, noticing that states during the algorithm are maximally entangled in the direction of a single constant state, which allows us to search for a single optimal Mermin operator and use it to evaluate entanglement through the whole execution of Grover's algorithm. Then the Quantum Fourier Transform is also studied with Mermin polynomials. A different optimal Mermin operator is searched at each execution step, since in this case there is no single direction of evolution. The results for the Quantum Fourier Transform are compared to results from a previous study of entanglement with Cayley hyperdeterminant. All our computations can be replayed thanks to a structured and documented open-source code that we provide.