2020/11/30 by Alessandro Ciani, Barbara M. Terhal · 9 citations
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Adiabatic process #Adiabatic quantum computation #Canonical transformation #Flux qubit #Hamiltonian (control theory) #Mathematics #Path integral formulation #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum computer #Quantum mechanics #Qubit #Statistical physics #Topology (electrical circuits) #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.103.042401
published in Physical Review A 103(4) (American Physical Society)
arxiv created 2021/03/29 · openalex publication_date 2021/04/01 · arxiv updated 2021/04/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We analyze whether circuit QED Hamiltonians are stoquastic, focusing on systems of coupled flux qubits. We show that scalable sign-problem-free path integral Monte Carlo simulations can typically be performed for such systems. Despite this, we corroborate the recent finding [I. Ozfidan et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 13, 034037 (2020)] that an effective, nonstoquastic qubit Hamiltonian can emerge in a system of capacitively coupled flux qubits. We find that if the capacitive coupling is sufficiently small, this nonstoquasticity of the effective qubit Hamiltonian can be avoided if we perform a canonical transformation prior to projecting onto an effective qubit Hamiltonian. Our results shed light on the power of circuit QED Hamiltonians for the use of quantum adiabatic computation and the subtlety of finding a representation which cures the sign problem in these systems.