No Arabic abstract
We study the correlation clustering problem using the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) and qudits, which constitute a natural platform for such non-binary problems. Specifically, we consider a neutral atom quantum computer and propose a full stack approach for correlation clustering, including Hamiltonian formulation of the algorithm, analysis of its performance, identification of a suitable level structure for ${}^{87}{rm Sr}$ and specific gate design. We show the qudit implementation is superior to the qubit encoding as quantified by the gate count. For single layer QAOA, we also prove (conjecture) a lower bound of $0.6367$ ($0.6699$) for the approximation ratio on 3-regular graphs. Our numerical studies evaluate the algorithms performance by considering complete and ErdH{o}s-Renyi graphs of up to 7 vertices and clusters. We find that in all cases the QAOA surpasses the Swamy bound $0.7666$ for the approximation ratio for QAOA depths $p geq 2$. Finally, by analysing the effect of errors when solving complete graphs we find that their inclusion severely limits the algorithms performance.
We propose to implement the Jaynes-Cummings model by coupling a few-micrometer large atomic ensemble to a quantized cavity mode and classical laser fields. A two-photon transition resonantly couples the single-atom ground state |g> to a Rydberg state |e> via a non-resonant intermediate state |i>, but due to the interaction between Rydberg atoms only a single atom can be resonantly excited in the ensemble. This restricts the state space of the ensemble to the collective ground state |G> and the collectively excited state |E> with a single Rydberg excitation distributed evenly on all atoms. The collectively enhanced coupling of all atoms to the cavity field with coherent coupling strengths which are much larger than the decay rates in the system leads to the strong coupling regime of the resulting effective Jaynes-Cummings model. We use numerical simulations to show that the cavity transmission can be used to reveal detailed properties of the Jaynes-Cummings ladder of excited states, and that the atomic nonlinearity gives rise to highly non-trivial photon emission from the cavity. Finally, we suggest that the absence of interactions between remote Rydberg atoms may, due to a combinatorial effect, induce a cavity-assisted excitation blockade whose range is larger than the typical Rydberg dipole-dipole interaction length.
Arrays of optically trapped atoms excited to Rydberg states have recently emerged as a competitive physical platform for quantum simulation and computing, where high-fidelity state preparation and readout, quantum logic gates and controlled quantum dynamics of more than 100 qubits have all been demonstrated. These systems are now approaching the point where reliable quantum computations with hundreds of qubits and realistically thousands of multiqubit gates with low error rates should be within reach for the first time. In this article we give an overview of the Rydberg quantum toolbox, emphasizing the high degree of flexibility for encoding qubits, performing quantum operations and engineering quantum many-body Hamiltonians. We then review the state-of-the-art concerning high-fidelity quantum operations and logic gates as well as quantum simulations in many-body regimes. Finally, we discuss computing schemes that are particularly suited to the Rydberg platform and some of the remaining challenges on the road to general purpose quantum simulators and quantum computers.
We report spectroscopic observation of Rydberg polarons in an atomic Bose gas. Polarons are created by excitation of Rydberg atoms as impurities in a strontium Bose-Einstein condensate. They are distinguished from previously studied polarons by macroscopic occupation of bound molecular states that arise from scattering of the weakly bound Rydberg electron from ground-state atoms. The absence of a $p$-wave resonance in the low-energy electron-atom scattering in Sr introduces a universal behavior in the Rydberg spectral lineshape and in scaling of the spectral width (narrowing) with the Rydberg principal quantum number, $n$. Spectral features are described with a functional determinant approach (FDA) that solves an extended Fr{o}hlich Hamiltonian for a mobile impurity in a Bose gas. Excited states of polyatomic Rydberg molecules (trimers, tetrameters, and pentamers) are experimentally resolved and accurately reproduced with FDA.
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) involve transformations between different states of matter that are driven by quantum fluctuations. These fluctuations play a dominant role in the quantum critical region surrounding the transition point, where the dynamics are governed by the universal properties associated with the QPT. While time-dependent phenomena associated with classical, thermally driven phase transitions have been extensively studied in systems ranging from the early universe to Bose Einstein Condensates, understanding critical real-time dynamics in isolated, non-equilibrium quantum systems is an outstanding challenge. Here, we use a Rydberg atom quantum simulator with programmable interactions to study the quantum critical dynamics associated with several distinct QPTs. By studying the growth of spatial correlations while crossing the QPT, we experimentally verify the quantum Kibble-Zurek mechanism (QKZM) for an Ising-type QPT, explore scaling universality, and observe corrections beyond QKZM predictions. This approach is subsequently used to measure the critical exponents associated with chiral clock models, providing new insights into exotic systems that have not been understood previously, and opening the door for precision studies of critical phenomena, simulations of lattice gauge theories and applications to quantum optimization.
We propose a physical realization of quantum cellular automata (QCA) using arrays of ultracold atoms excited to Rydberg states. The key ingredient is the use of programmable multifrequency couplings which generalize the Rydberg blockade and facilitation effects to a broader set of non-additive, unitary and non-unitary (dissipative) conditional interactions. Focusing on a 1D array we define a set of elementary QCA rules that generate complex and varied quantum dynamical behavior. Finally we demonstrate theoretically that Rydberg QCA is ideally suited for variational quantum optimization protocols and quantum state engineering by finding parameters that generate highly entangled states as the steady state of the quantum dynamics.