Abstract
We present a framework to simulate the dynamics of hard probes such as heavy quarks or jets in a hot, strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (QGP) on a quantum computer. Hard probes in the QGP can be treated as open quantum systems governed in the Markovian limit by the Lindblad equation. However, due to large computational costs, most current phenomenological calculations of hard probes evolving in the QGP use semiclassical approximations of the quantum evolution. Quantum computation can mitigate these costs and offers the potential for a fully quantum treatment with exponential speed-up over classical techniques. We report a simplified demonstration of our framework on IBM Q quantum devices and apply the random identity insertion method to account for cnot depolarization noise, in addition to measurement error mitigation. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of simulating open quantum systems on current and near-term quantum devices, which is of broad relevance to applications in nuclear physics, quantum information, and other fields.
Highlights
Considerable advancements in quantum devices, such as qubit coherence times, have recently been achieved [1,2,3,4]
We focus on the application of quantum simulations of open quantum systems to relativistic heavy-ion collisions (HICs)
These results demonstrate that the simulation of open quantum system dynamics relevant for HICs should be feasible on current and near-term quantum devices
Summary
Considerable advancements in quantum devices, such as qubit coherence times, have recently been achieved [1,2,3,4]. Quantum simulation can be applied to study dynamics of large size systems that are in principle intractable with classical methods. It is expected that as the size of the subsystem increases (such as the jet radiation phase space, or the number of heavy quarks [83,84] in the subsystem), solving Lindblad equations would challenge the limits of classical computation. We outline a formulation of the evolution of hard probes in the QGP as a Lindblad equation and explore how simulations on noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ [13]) devices can be used to advance theoretical studies of hard probes in the QGP. We demonstrate that quantum algorithms simulating simple Lindblad evolution are tractable on current and near-term devices, in terms of available number of qubits, gate depth, and error rates
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
