Quantum Walk Dynamics Research Articles

State transfer on two-fold Cayley trees via quantum walks* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61802002 and 61701004), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, China (Grant No. 1708085MF162), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20171458).

Perfect state transfer (PST) has great significance due to its applications in quantum information processing and quantum computation. The main problem we study in this paper is to determine whether the two-fold Cayley tree, an extension of the Cayley tree, admits perfect state transfer between two roots using quantum walks. We show that PST can be achieved by means of the so-called nonrepeating quantum walk [Phys. Rev. A 89 042332 (2014)] within time steps that are the distance between the two roots; while both the continuous-time quantum walk and the typical discrete-time quantum walk with Grover coin approaches fail. Our results suggest that in some cases the dynamics of a discrete-time quantum walk may be much richer than that of the continuous-time quantum walk.

Continuous-time quantum walks on planar lattices and the role of the magnetic field

We address the dynamics of continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) on planar 2D lattice graphs, i.e. those forming a regular tessellation of the Euclidean plane (triangular, square, and honeycomb lattice graphs). We first consider the free particle: on square and triangular lattice graphs we observe the well-known ballistic behavior, whereas on the honeycomb lattice graph we obtain a sub-ballistic one, although still faster than the classical diffusive one. We impute this difference to the different amount of coherence generated by the evolution and, in turn, to the fact that, in 2D, the square and the triangular lattices are Bravais lattices, whereas the honeycomb one is non-Bravais. From the physical point of view, this means that CTQWs are not universally characterized by the ballistic spreading. We then address the dynamics in the presence of a perpendicular uniform magnetic field and study the effects of the field by two approaches: (i) introducing the Peierls phase-factors, according to which the tunneling matrix element of the free particle becomes complex, or (ii) spatially discretizing the Hamiltonian of a spinless charged particle in the presence of a magnetic field. Either way, the dynamics of an initially localized walker is characterized by a lower spread compared to the free particle case, the larger is the field the more localized stays the walker. Remarkably, upon analyzing the dynamics by spatial discretization of the Hamiltonian (vector potential in the symmetric gauge), we obtain that the variance of the space coordinate is characterized by pseudo-oscillations, a reminiscence of the harmonic oscillator behind the Hamiltonian in the continuum, whose energy levels are the well-known Landau levels.

Non-Hermitian bulk–boundary correspondence in quantum dynamics

Bulk-boundary correspondence, a central principle in topological matter relating bulk topological invariants to edge states, breaks down in a generic class of non-Hermitian systems that have so far eluded experimental effort. Here we theoretically predict and experimentally observe non-Hermitian bulk-boundary correspondence, a fundamental generalization of the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence, in discrete-time non-unitary quantum-walk dynamics of single photons. We experimentally demonstrate photon localizations near boundaries even in the absence of topological edge states, thus confirming the non-Hermitian skin effect. Facilitated by our experimental scheme of edge-state reconstruction, we directly measure topological edge states, which match excellently with non-Bloch topological invariants calculated from localized bulk-state wave functions. Our work unequivocally establishes the non-Hermitian bulk-boundary correspondence as a general principle underlying non-Hermitian topological systems, and paves the way for a complete understanding of topological matter in open systems.

Topological Quantum Walks in Momentum Space with a Bose-Einstein Condensate.

We report the experimental implementation of discrete-time topological quantum walks of a Bose-Einstein condensate in momentum space. Introducing stroboscopic driving sequences to the generation of a momentum lattice, we show that the dynamics of atoms along the lattice is effectively governed by a periodically driven Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, which is equivalent to a discrete-time topological quantum walk. We directly measure the underlying topological invariants through time-averaged mean chiral displacements, which are consistent with our experimental observation of topological phase transitions. We then observe interaction-induced localization in the quantum-walk dynamics, where atoms tend to populate a single momentum-lattice site under interactions that are nonlocal in momentum space. Our experiment opens up the avenue of investigating discrete-time topological quantum walks using cold atoms, where the many-body environment and tunable interactions offer exciting new possibilities.

Stability of topologically protected edge states in nonlinear fiber loops

We study both theoretically and experimentally the existence and stability of symmetry-protected topological chiral edge states in an all-photonic system mimicking Floquet dynamics of a discrete one-dimensional quantum walk in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity. The system is realized via time multiplexing as two fiber loops of slightly different lengths with a dynamically variable coupling strength. We prove that topological edge states persist in the nonlinear regime for moderate intensities, despite chiral symmetry breaking. Above a certain power threshold, they undergo destabilization, resulting in the radiation into the bulk modes. Finally, we show that the nonlinear interaction with bulk modes can serve as an effective pumping of the topological edge states.

Predicting quantum advantage by quantum walk with convolutional neural networks

Quantum walks are at the heart of modern quantum technologies. They allow to deal with quantum transport phenomena and are an advanced tool for constructing novel quantum algorithms. Quantum walks on graphs are fundamentally different from classical random walks analogs, in particular, they walk faster than classical ones on certain graphs, enabling in these cases quantum algorithmic applications and quantum-enhanced energy transfer. However, little is known about the possible advantages on arbitrary graphs not having explicit symmetries. For these graphs one would need to perform simulations of classical and quantum walk dynamics to check if the speedup occurs, which could take a long computational time. Here we present a new approach for the solution of the quantum speedup problem, which is based on a machine learning algorithm that predicts the quantum advantage by just ‘looking’ at a graph. The convolutional neural network, which we designed specifically to learn from graphs, observes simulated examples and learns complex features of graphs that lead to a quantum advantage, allowing to identify graphs that exhibit quantum advantage without performing any quantum walk or random walk simulations. The performance of our approach is evaluated for line and random graphs, where classification was always better than random guess even for the most challenging cases. Our findings pave the way to an automated elaboration of novel large-scale quantum circuits utilizing quantum walk based algorithms, and to simulating high-efficiency energy transfer in biophotonics and material science.

Attractors and asymptotic dynamics of open discrete-time quantum walks on cycles

Open quantum walks often lead to a classical asymptotic behavior. Here, we look for a simple open quantum walk whose asymptotic behavior can be non-classical. We consider a discrete-time quantum walk on n-cycle subject to a random coin-dependent phase shift at a single position. This finite system, whose evolution is described by only two Kraus operators, can exhibit all kinds of asymptotic behavior observable in quantum Markov chains: it either evolves towards a maximally mixed state, or partially mixed state, or tends to an oscillatory motion on an asymptotic orbit. We find that the asymptotic orbits do not have a product structure, therefore the corresponding states can manifest entanglement between the position and the coin degrees of freedom, even if the system started in a product state.

Multiparticle quantum walk with a gaslike interaction

We analyze the dynamics of multiparticle discrete-time quantum walk on the two-dimensional lattice, with an interaction inspired on a classical model for gas collision, called HPP model. In this classical model, the direction of motion changes only when the particles collide head-on, preserving momentum and energy. In our quantum model, the dynamics is driven by the usual quantum-walk evolution operator if the particles are on different nodes, and is driven by the HPP rules if the particles are in the same node, linearly extended for superpositions. Using this new form of evolution operator, we numerically analyze three physical quantities for the two-walker case: The probability distribution of the position of one walker, the standard deviation of the position of one walker, and the entanglement between the walkers as a function of the number of steps. The numerical analysis implies that the entanglement between the walkers as a function of the number of steps initially increases and quickly tends to a constant value, which depends on the initial condition. We compare the results obtained using the HPP interaction with the equivalent ones using the phase interaction, which is based on an evolution operator that inverts the sign of the coin operator if the walkers are in the same position.

Mimicking the Hadamard discrete-time quantum walk with a time-independent Hamiltonian

We implement the discrete-time quantum walk model using the continuous-time evolution of the Hamiltonian that includes both the shift and the coin generators. Based on the Trotter-Suzuki first-order approximation, we consider an optimization problem in which the Hellinger distance between the walker probability distributions resulted from the evolution of such Hamiltonian and the quantum walk dynamics is minimized. The phase space implementation of the quantum walk is considered where the walker state is encoded on the coherent state of a resonator and the coin on the two-level state of a qubit. In this approach, no mechanism for switching between the coin and the shift operators is included. We show the Hellinger distance is bounded for large number of time steps. The distance is small when we deviate from the standard quantum walk model, namely, when the walker is allowed to move in between the sites. In simulating the standard quantum walk model, the distance is large but bounded by $26\%$ for a relevant number of time steps. Even so, the system evolution shows the essential characteristics of the standard quantum walk dynamics, namely, the ballistic evolution of the probability distribution and the linear growth of the corresponding standard deviation. Moreover, the entanglement generated in this approach is approximately the same as the entanglement generated in the standard quantum walk dynamics. Finally, the system dynamics under the influence of the decoherence also shows the similar quantum-to-classical transition as in the standard quantum walk dynamics.

Kinematics and dynamics of quantum walks in terms of systems of imprimitivity

We build systems of imprimitivity (SI) in the context of quantum walks and provide geometric constructions for their configuration space. We consider three systems, an evolution of unitaries from the group SO3 on a low dimensional de Sitter space where the walk happens on the dual of SO3, a standard quantum walk whose SI live on the orbits of stabilizer subgroups (little groups) of semidirect products describing the symmetries of 1 + 1 spacetime, and automorphisms (walks are specific automorphisms) on distance-transitive graphs as an application of the constructions.

Experimental Engineering of Arbitrary Qudit States with Discrete-Time Quantum Walks.

The capability to generate and manipulate quantum states in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces is a crucial step for the development of quantum technologies, from quantum communication to quantum computation. One-dimensional quantum walk dynamics represents a valid tool in the task of engineering arbitrary quantum states. Here we affirm such potential in a linear-optics platform that realizes discrete-time quantum walks in the orbital angular momentum degree of freedom of photons. Different classes of relevant qudit states in a six-dimensional space are prepared and measured, confirming the feasibility of the protocol. Our results represent a further investigation of quantum walk dynamics in photonics platforms, paving the way for the use of such a quantum state-engineering toolbox for a large range of applications.

Simulating Dynamic Quantum Phase Transitions in Photonic Quantum Walks.

Signaled by nonanalyticities in the time evolution of physical observables, dynamic quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) emerge in quench dynamics of topological systems and possess an interesting geometric origin captured by dynamic topological order parameters (DTOPs). In this Letter, we report the experimental study of DQPTs using discrete-time quantum walks of single photons. We simulate quench dynamics between distinct Floquet topological phases using quantum-walk dynamics and experimentally characterize DQPTs and the underlying DTOPs through interference-based measurements. The versatile photonic quantum-walk platform further allows us to experimentally investigate DQPTs for mixed states and in parity-time-symmetric nonunitary dynamics for the first time. Our experiment directly confirms the relation between DQPTs and DTOPs in quench dynamics of topological systems and opens up the avenue of simulating emergent topological phenomena using discrete-time quantum-walk dynamics.

Impact of Lattice Vibrations on the Dynamics of a Spinor Atom-Optics Kicked Rotor

We investigate the effect of amplitude and phase noise on the dynamics of a discrete-time quantum walk and its related evolution. Our findings underline the robustness of the motion with respect to these noise sources, and can explain the stability of quantum walks that has recently been observed experimentally. This opens the road to measure topological properties of an atom-optics double kicked rotor with an additional internal spin degree of freedom.

Staggered quantum walk on hexagonal lattices

A discrete-time staggered quantum walk was recently introduced as a generalization that allows the unification of other versions, such as the coined and Szegedy's walk. However, it also produces forms of quantum walks not covered by previous versions. To explore their properties, we study here the staggered walk on a hexagonal lattice. Such a walk is defined using a set of overlapping tessellations that cover the graph edges, and each tessellation is a partition of the node set into cliques. The hexagonal lattice requires at least three tessellations. Each tessellation is associated with a local unitary operator and the product of the local operators defines the evolution operator of the staggered walk on the graph. After defining the evolution operator on the hexagonal lattice, we analyze the quantum walk dynamics with the focus on the position standard deviation and localization. We also obtain analytic results for the time complexity of spatial search algorithms with one marked node using cyclic boundary conditions.

Boundary-induced coherence in the staggered quantum walk on different topologies

The staggered quantum walk is a type of discrete-time quantum walk model without a coin which can be generated on a graph using particular partitions of the graph nodes. We design Hamiltonians for potential realization of the staggered dynamics on a two-dimensional lattice composed of superconducting microwave resonators connected with tunable couplings. The naive generalization of the one-dimensional staggered dynamics generates two uncoupled one-dimensional quantum walks thus more complex partitions need to be employed. However, by analyzing the coherence of the dynamics, we show that the quantumness of the evolution corresponding to two independent one-dimensional quantum walks can be elevated to the level of a single two-dimensional quantum walk, only by modifying the boundary conditions. In fact, by changing the lattice boundary conditions (or topology), we explore the walk on different surfaces such as torus, Klein bottle, real projective plane and sphere. The coherence and the entropy reach different levels depending on the topology of the surface. We observe that the entropy captures similar information as coherence, thus we use it to explore the effects of boundaries on the dynamics of the continuous-time quantum walk and the classical random walk.

Bounds on the dynamics of periodic quantum walks and emergence of the gapless and gapped Dirac equation

We study the dynamics of discrete-time quantum walk using quantum coin operations, $\hat{C}(\theta_1)$ and $\hat{C}(\theta_2)$ in time-dependent periodic sequence. For the two-period quantum walk with the parameters $\theta_1$ and $\theta_2$ in the coin operations we show that the standard deviation [$\sigma_{\theta_1, \theta_2} (t)$] is the same as the minimum of standard deviation obtained from one of the one-period quantum walks with coin operations $\theta_1$ or $\theta_2$, $\sigma_{\theta_1, \theta_2}(t) = \min \{\sigma_{\theta_1}(t), \sigma_{\theta_2}(t) \}$. Our numerical result is analytically corroborated using the dispersion relation obtained from the continuum limit of the dynamics. Using the dispersion relation for one- and two-period quantum walks, we present the bounds on the dynamics of three- and higher period quantum walks. We also show that the bounds for the two-period quantum walk will hold good for the split-step quantum walk which is also defined using two coin operators using $\theta_1$ and $\theta_2$. Unlike the previous known connection of discrete-time quantum walks with the massless Dirac equation where coin parameter $\theta=0$, here we show the recovery of the massless Dirac equation with non-zero $\theta$ parameters contributing to the intriguing interference in the dynamics in a totally non-relativistic situation. We also present the effect of periodic sequence on the entanglement between coin and position space.

Dynamics and energy spectra of aperiodic discrete-time quantum walks.

We investigate the role of different aperiodic sequences in the dynamics of single quantum particles in discrete space and time. For this we consider three aperiodic sequences, namely, the Fibonacci, Thue-Morse, and Rudin-Shapiro sequences, as examples of tilings the diffraction spectra of which have pure point, singular continuous, and absolutely continuous support, respectively. Our interest is to understand how the order, intrinsically introduced by the deterministic rule used to generate the aperiodic sequences, is reflected in the dynamical properties of the quantum system. For this system we consider a single particle undergoing a discrete-time quantum walk (DTQW), where the aperiodic sequences are used to distribute the coin operations at different lattice positions (inhomogeneous DTQW) or by applying the same coin operation at all lattice sites at a given time but choosing different coin operation at each time step according to the chosen aperiodic sequence (time dependent DTQW). We study the energy spectra and the spreading of an initially localized wave packet for different cases, finding that in the case of Fibonacci and Thue-Morse tilings the system is superdiffusive, whereas in the Rudin-Shapiro case it is strongly subdiffusive. Trying to understand this behavior in terms of the energy spectra, we look at the survival amplitude as a function of time. By means of the echo we present strong evidence that, although the three orderings are very different as evidenced by their diffraction spectra, the energy spectra are all singular continuous except for the inhomogeneous DTQW with the Rudin-Shapiro sequence where it is discrete. This is in agreement with the observed strong localization both in real space and in the Hilbert space. Our paper is particularly interesting because quantum walks can be engineered in laboratories by means of ultracold gases or in optical waveguides, and therefore would be a perfect playground to study singular continuous energy spectra in a completely controlled quantum setup.

Quantum Walks, Weyl Equation and the Lorentz Group

Quantum cellular automata and quantum walks provide a framework for the foundations of quantum field theory, since the equations of motion of free relativistic quantum fields can be derived as the small wave-vector limit of quantum automata and walks starting from very general principles. The intrinsic discreteness of this framework is reconciled with the continuous Lorentz symmetry by reformulating the notion of inertial reference frame in terms of the constants of motion of the quantum walk dynamics. In particular, among the symmetries of the quantum walk which recovers the Weyl equation--the so called Weyl walk--one finds a non linear realisation of the Poincar\'e group, which recovers the usual linear representation in the small wave-vector limit. In this paper we characterise the full symmetry group of the Weyl walk which is shown to be a non linear realization of a group which is the semidirect product of the Poincar\'e group and the group of dilations.

Noisy quantum walks of two indistinguishable interacting particles

We investigate the dynamics of continuous-time two-particle quantum walks on a one-dimensional noisy lattice. Depending on the initial condition, we show how the interplay between particle indistinguishability and interaction determines distinct propagation regimes. A realistic model for the environment is considered by introducing non-Gaussian noise as time-dependent fluctuations of the tunneling amplitudes between adjacent sites. We observe that the combined effect of particle interaction and fast noise (weak coupling with the environment) provides a faster propagation compared to the noiseless case. This effect can be understood in terms of the band structure of the Hubbard model, and a detailed analysis as a function of both noise and system parameters is presented.

Quantum walks of interacting fermions on a cycle graph.

Quantum walks have been employed widely to develop new tools for quantum information processing recently. A natural quantum walk dynamics of interacting particles can be used to implement efficiently the universal quantum computation. In this work quantum walks of electrons on a graph are studied. The graph is composed of semiconductor quantum dots arranged in a circle. Electrons can tunnel between adjacent dots and interact via Coulomb repulsion, which leads to entanglement. Fermionic entanglement dynamics is obtained and evaluated.