We define the hitting (or absorbing) time for the case of continuous quantum walks by measuring the walk at random times, according to a Poisson process with measurement rate $λ$. From this definition we derive an explicit formula for the hitting time, and explore its dependence on the measurement rate. As the measurement rate goes to either 0 or infinity the hitting time diverges; the first divergence reflects the weakness of the measurement, while the second limit results from the Quantum Zeno effect. Continuous-time quantum walks, like discrete-time quantum walks but unlike classical random walks, can have infinite hitting times. We present several conditions for existence of infinite hitting times, and discuss the connection between infinite hitting times and graph symmetry.
Hitting times are the average time it takes a walk to reach a given final vertex from a given starting vertex. The hitting time for a classical random walk on a connected graph will always be finite. We show that, by contrast, quantum walks can have infinite hitting times for some initial states. We seek criteria to determine if a given walk on a graph will have infinite hitting times, and find a sufficient condition, which for discrete time quantum walks is that the degeneracy of the evolution operator be greater than the degree of the graph. The set of initial states which give an infinite h…
Hitting times for discrete quantum walks on graphs give an average time before the walk reaches an ending condition. To be analogous to the hitting time for a classical walk, the quantum hitting time must involve repeated measurements as well as unitary evolution. We derive an expression for hitting time using superoperators, and numerically evaluate it for the discrete walk on the hypercube. The values found are compared to other analogues of hitting time suggested in earlier work. The dependence of hitting times on the type of unitary ``coin'' is examined, and we give an example of an initia…
The hitting time is the required minimum time for a Markov chain-based walk (classical or quantum) to reach a target state in the state space. We investigate the effect of the perturbation on the hitting time of a quantum walk. We obtain an upper bound for the perturbed quantum walk hitting time by applying Szegedy's work and the perturbation bounds with Weyl's perturbation theorem on classical matrix. Based on the definition of quantum hitting time given in MNRS algorithm, we further compute the delayed perturbed hitting time (DPHT) and delayed perturbed quantum hitting time (DPQHT). We show …
We present a novel application of the HHL (Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd) algorithm -- a quantum algorithm solving systems of linear equations -- in solving an open problem about quantum random walks, namely computing hitting (or absorption) probabilities of a general (not only Hadamard) one-dimensional quantum random walks with two absorbing boundaries. This is achieved by a simple observation that the problem of computing hitting probabilities of quantum random walks can be reduced to inverting a matrix. Then a quantum algorithm with the HHL algorithm as a subroutine is developed for solving the pro…
In recent years, quantum walks have been widely researched and have shown exciting properties. One such is a quadratic speed-up in hitting time compared to its classical counterpart. In this paper, we design a quantum circuit for the MNRS algorithm, which finds a marked node in a graph with a quantum walk, and use it to find a hitting time for the marked nodes in the walk. We do this by implementing the circuit on IBM quantum simulators and show that the execution on a noise-free simulator results in hitting times that agree with the theoretical expectations. We also run the algorithm on a moc…
We demonstrate an implementation of the hitting time of a discrete time quantum random walk on cubelike graphs using IBM's Qiskit platform. Our implementation is based on efficient circuits for the Grover and Shift operators. We verify the results about the one-shot hitting time of quantum walks on a hypercube as proved in [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00440-004-0423-2]. We extend the study to another family of cubelike graphs called the augmented cubes [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/net.10033]. Based on our numerical study, we conjecture that for all families o…
Classical random walks on finite graphs have an underrated property: a walk from any vertex can reach every other vertex in finite time, provided they are connected. Discrete-time quantum walks on finite connected graphs however, can have infinite hitting times. This phenomenon is related to graph symmetry, as previously characterized by the group of direction-preserving graph automorphisms that trivially affect the coin Hilbert space. If a graph is symmetric enough (in a particular sense) then the associated quantum walk unitary will contain eigenvectors that do not overlap a set of target ve…
A discrete-time quantum walk on a graph is the repeated application of a unitary evolution operator to a Hilbert space corresponding to the graph. Hitting times for discrete quantum walks on graphs give an average time before the walk reaches an ending condition. We derive an expression for hitting time using superoperators, and numerically evaluate it for the walk on the hypercube for various coins and decoherence models. We show that, by contrast to classical walks, quantum walks can have infinite hitting times for some initial states. We seek criteria to determine if a given walk on a graph…
Quantum particles are known to be faster than classical when they propagate stochastically on certain graphs. A time needed for a particle to reach a target node on a distance, the hitting time, can be exponentially less for quantum walks than for classical random walks. It is however not known how fast would interacting quantum particles propagate on different graphs. Here we present our results on hitting times for quantum walks of identical particles on cycle graphs, and relate the results to our previous findings on the usefulness of identical interacting particles in quantum information t…
A discrete-time quantum walk on a graph is the repeated application of a unitary evolution operator to a Hilbert space corresponding to the graph. If this unitary evolution operator has an associated group of symmetries, then for certain initial states the walk will be confined to a subspace of the original Hilbert space. Symmetries of the original graph, given by its automorphism group, can be inherited by the evolution operator. We show that a quantum walk confined to the subspace corresponding to this symmetry group can be seen as a different quantum walk on a smaller quotient graph. We giv…
It has been proved by Kempe that discrete quantum walks on the hypercube (HC) hit exponentially faster than the classical analog. The same was also observed numerically by Krovi and Brun for a slightly different property, namely, the expected hitting time. Yet, to what extent this striking result survives in more general graphs, is to date an open question. Here we tackle this question by studying the expected hitting time for quantum walks on HCs that are embedded into larger symmetric structures. By performing numerical simulations of the discrete quantum walk and deriving a general expressi…
Quantum walks play an important role in the area of quantum algorithms. Many interesting problems can be reduced to searching marked states in a quantum Markov chain. In this context, the notion of quantum hitting time is very important, because it quantifies the running time of the algorithms. Markov chain-based algorithms are probabilistic, therefore the calculation of the success probability is also required in the analysis of the computational complexity. Using Szegedy's definition of quantum hitting time, which is a natural extension of the definition of the classical hitting time, we pre…
We define the hitting time for a model of continuous-time open quantum walks in terms of quantum jumps. Our starting point is a master equation in Lindblad form, which can be taken as the quantum analogue of the rate equation for a classical continuous-time Markov chain. The quantum jump method is well known in the quantum optics community and has also been applied to simulate open quantum walks in discrete time. This method however, is well-suited to continuous-time problems. It is shown here that a continuous-time hitting problem is amenable to analysis via quantum jumps: The hitting time ca…
Quantum walks are standard tools for searching graphs for marked vertices, and they often yield quadratic speedups over a classical random walk's hitting time. In some exceptional cases, however, the system only evolves by sign flips, staying in a uniform probability distribution for all time. We prove that the one-dimensional periodic lattice or cycle with any arrangement of marked vertices is such an exceptional configuration. Using this discovery, we construct a search problem where the quantum walk's random sampling yields an arbitrary speedup in query complexity over the classical random …
Continuous-time quantum walks have proven to be an extremely useful framework for the design of several quantum algorithms. Often, the running time of quantum algorithms in this framework is characterized by the quantum hitting time: the time required by the quantum walk to find a vertex of interest with a high probability. In this article, we provide improved upper bounds for the quantum hitting time that can be applied to several CTQW-based quantum algorithms. In particular, we apply our techniques to the glued-trees problem, improving their hitting time upper bound by a polynomial factor: f…
Hitting the exit node from the entrance node faster on a graph is one of the properties that quantum walk algorithms can take advantage of to outperform classical random walk algorithms. Especially, continuous-time quantum walks on central-random glued binary trees have been investigated in theories extensively for their exponentially faster hitting speed over classical random walks. Here, using heralded single photons to represent quantum walkers and waveguide arrays written by femtosecond laser to simulate the theoretical graph, we are able to demonstrate the hitting efficiency of quantum wa…
In this paper we define new Monte Carlo type classical and quantum hitting times, and we prove several relationships among these and the already existing Las Vegas type definitions. In particular, we show that for some marked state the two types of hitting time are of the same order in both the classical and the quantum case. Further, we prove that for any reversible ergodic Markov chain $P$, the quantum hitting time of the quantum analogue of $P$ has the same order as the square root of the classical hitting time of $P$. We also investigate the (im)possibility of achieving a gap greater than …
We present an adiabatic quantum algorithm for the abstract problem of searching marked vertices in a graph, or spatial search. Given a random walk (or Markov chain) $P$ on a graph with a set of unknown marked vertices, one can define a related absorbing walk $P'$ where outgoing transitions from marked vertices are replaced by self-loops. We build a Hamiltonian $H(s)$ from the interpolated Markov chain $P(s)=(1-s)P+sP'$ and use it in an adiabatic quantum algorithm to drive an initial superposition over all vertices to a superposition over marked vertices. The adiabatic condition implies that fo…
We show that certain types of quantum walks can be modeled as waves that propagate in a medium with phase and group velocities that are explicitly calculable. Since the group and phase velocities indicate how fast wave packets can propagate causally, we propose the use of these wave velocities in a new definition for the hitting time of quantum walks. The new definition of hitting time has the advantage that it requires neither the specification of a walker's initial condition nor of an arrival probability threshold. We give full details for the case of quantum walks on the Cayley graphs of Ab…
Classical first-passage times under restart are used in a wide variety of models, yet the quantum version of the problem still misses key concepts. We study the quantum hitting time with restart using a monitored quantum walk. The restart strategy eliminates the problem of dark states, i.e. cases where the particle evades detection, while maintaining the ballistic propagation which is important for fast search. We find profound effects of quantum oscillations on the restart problem, namely a type of instability of the mean detection time, and optimal restart times that form staircases, with su…
Quantum walks are an analog of classical random walks in quantum systems. Quantum walks have smaller hitting times compared to classical random walks on certain types of graphs, leading to a quantum advantage of quantum-walks-based algorithms. An important feature of quantum walks is that they are accompanied by the excitation transfer from one site to another, and a moment of hitting the destination site is characterized by the maximum probability amplitude of observing the excitation on this site. It is therefore prospective to consider such problems as candidates for quantum advantage demon…
We show that the hitting time of the discrete time quantum random walk on the n-bit hypercube from one corner to its opposite is polynomial in n. This gives the first exponential quantum-classical gap in the hitting time of discrete quantum random walks. We provide the framework for quantum hitting time and give two alternative definitions to set the ground for its study on general graphs. We then give an application to random routing.
Quantum computers are susceptible to noises from the outside world. We investigate the effect of perturbation on the hitting time of a quantum walk and the stationary distribution prepared by a quantum walk based algorithm. The perturbation comes from quantizing a transition matrix Q with perturbation E (errors). We bound the perturbed quantum walk hitting time from above by applying Szegedy's work and the perturbation bounds with Weyl's perturbation theorem on classical matrix. Based on an efficient quantum sample preparation approach invented in {\em speed-up via quantum sampling} and the pe…
Quantum walks are powerful kernels in quantum computing protocols that possess strong capabilities in speeding up various simulation and optimisation tasks. One striking example is given by quantum walkers evolving on glued trees for their faster hitting performances than in the case of classical random walks. However, its experimental implementation is challenging as it involves highly complex arrangements of exponentially increasing number of nodes. Here we propose an alternative structure with a polynomially increasing number of nodes. We successfully map such graphs on quantum photonic chi…
We give a quantum algorithm for finding a marked element on the grid when there are multiple marked elements. Our algorithm uses quadratically fewer steps than a random walk on the grid, ignoring logarithmic factors. This is the first known quantum walk that finds a marked element in a number of steps less than the square-root of the extended hitting time. We also give a new tighter upper bound on the extended hitting time of a marked subset, expressed in terms of the hitting times of its members.
We solve an open problem by constructing quantum walks that not only detect but also find marked vertices in a graph. In the case when the marked set $M$ consists of a single vertex, the number of steps of the quantum walk is quadratically smaller than the classical hitting time $HT(P,M)$ of any reversible random walk $P$ on the graph. In the case of multiple marked elements, the number of steps is given in terms of a related quantity $HT^+(\mathit{P,M})$ which we call extended hitting time. Our approach is new, simpler and more general than previous ones. We introduce a notion of interpolatio…
The main results on quantum walk search are scattered over different, incomparable frameworks, most notably the hitting time framework, originally by Szegedy, the electric network framework by Belovs, and the MNRS framework by Magniez, Nayak, Roland and Santha. As a result, a number of pieces are currently missing. For instance, the electric network framework allows quantum walks to start from an arbitrary initial state, but it only detects marked elements. In recent work by Ambainis et al., this problem was resolved for the more restricted hitting time framework, in which quantum walks must s…
We consider the discrete time quantum random walks on a Sierpinski gasket. We study the hitting probability as the level of fractal goes to infinity in terms of their localization exponents $β_w$ , total variation exponents $δ_w$ and relative entropy exponents $η_w$ . We define and solve the amplitude Green functions recursively when the level of the fractal graph goes to infinity. We obtain exact recursive formulas for the amplitude Green functions, based on which the hitting probabilities and expectation of the first-passage time are calculated. Using the recursive formula with the aid of Mo…
The effect of decoherence on the continuous-time quantum walk on the hypercube is revisited. Previously, an exact solution was found for a decoherence model that preserved the effective tensor-product form of the dynamics. Here a new model is presented, inspired by perfect quantum state transfer in qubit networks. A perturbative solution is found for the dynamics of this model which is not of a tensor-product form. In contrast to previous results, the hitting probability has a lower bound that is independent of the hypercube dimension.
We make use of matrix representations of completely positive maps in order to study open quantum dynamics on graphs, with emphasis on quantum walks and the associated trajectories obtained via a monitoring of the position. We discuss the discrete and continuous time setting and consider the statistics of particles located on a vertex with some internal degree of freedom. Other classes of semigroup generators, such as graph-induced generators are also considered. In the case of primitive quantum channels we present expressions of the mean hitting time for a particle to reach a vertex in terms o…
The lackadaisical quantum walk is a quantum analogue of the lazy random walk obtained by adding a self-loop to each vertex in the graph. We analytically prove that lackadaisical quantum walks can find a unique marked vertex on any regular locally arc-transitive graph with constant success probability quadratically faster than the hitting time. This result proves several speculations and numerical findings in previous work, including the conjectures that the lackadaisical quantum walk finds a unique marked vertex with constant success probability on the torus, cycle, Johnson graphs, and other c…
We study quantum Markov chains on graphs, described by completely positive maps, following the model due to S. Gudder (J. Math. Phys. 49, 072105, 2008) and which includes the dynamics given by open quantum random walks as defined by S. Attal et al. (J. Stat. Phys. 147:832-852, 2012). After reviewing such structures we examine a quantum notion of mean time of first visit to a chosen vertex. However, instead of making direct use of the definition as it is usually done, we focus on expressions for such quantity in terms of generalized inverses associated with the walk and most particularly the so…
Spatial search by discrete-time quantum walk can find a marked node on any ergodic, reversible Markov chain $P$ quadratically faster than its classical counterpart, i.e.\ in a time that is in the square root of the hitting time of $P$. However, in the framework of continuous-time quantum walks, it was previously unknown whether such general speed-up is possible. In fact, in this framework, the widely used quantum algorithm by Childs and Goldstone fails to achieve such a speedup. Furthermore, it is not clear how to apply this algorithm for searching any Markov chain $P$. In this article, we aim…
We show that the hitting time of the discrete quantum walk on a symmetric Cayley graph over $\Z_2^n $ from a vertex to its antipodal is polynomial in degree of the graph. We prove that returning time of quantum walk on a symmetric Cayley graph over $\Z_2^n $ is polynomial and the probability to hit is almost one. To prove it, we give a new estimation of Kravchuk coefficients. We give an example of a probabilistic polynomial algorithm that finds an antipodal vertex in symmetric Cayley graphs.
In the classical theory of Markov chains, one may study the mean time to reach some chosen state, and it is well-known that in the irreducible, finite case, such quantity can be calculated in terms of the fundamental matrix of the walk, as stated by the mean hitting time formula. In this work, we present an analogous construction for the setting of irreducible, positive, trace preserving maps. The reasoning on positive maps generalizes recent results given for quantum Markov chains, a class of completely positive maps acting on graphs, presented by S. Gudder. The tools employed in this work ar…
With photonics, the quantum computational advantage has been demonstrated on the task of boson sampling. Next, developing quantum-enhanced approaches for practical problems becomes one of the top priorities for photonic systems. Quantum walks are powerful kernels for developing new and useful quantum algorithms. Here we realize large-scale quantum walks using a fully programmable photonic quantum computing system. The system integrates a silicon quantum photonic chip, enabling the simulation of quantum walk dynamics on graphs with up to 400 vertices and possessing full programmability over qua…
