2022/07/14 by Anthony W. Schlimgen, Schlimgen, Anthony W., Kade Head-Marsden +7 · 3 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph) #Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Quantum and electron transport phenomena
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2207.07112
openalex publication_date 2022/07/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Electronic structure and transport in realistically-sized systems often require an open quantum system (OQS) treatment, where the system is defined in the context of an environment. As OQS evolution is non-unitary, implementation on quantum computers -- limited to unitary operations -- is challenging. We present a general framework for OQSs where the system's d × d density matrix is recast as a d2 wavefunction which can be evolved by unitary transformations. This theory has two significant advantages over conventional approaches: (i) the wavefunction requires only an n-qubit, compared to 2n-qubit, bath for an n-qubit system and (ii) the purification includes dynamics of any pure-state universe. We demonstrate this method on a two-level system in a zero temperature amplitude damping channel and a two-site quantum Ising model. Quantum simulation and experimental-device results agree with classical calculations, showing promise in simulating non-unitary operations on NISQ quantum devices.