This paper is an investigation of the class of real classical Markov processes without a birth process that will generate the Dirac equation in 1+1 dimensions. The Markov process is assumed to evolve in an extra (ordinal) time dimension. The derivation requires that occupation by the Dirac particle of a space-time lattice site is encoded in a 4 state classical probability vector. Disregarding the state occupancy, the resulting Markov process is a homogeneous and almost isotropic binary random walk in Dirac space and Dirac time (including Dirac time reversals). It then emerges that the Dirac wavefunction can be identified with a polarization induced by the walk on the Dirac space-time lattice. The model predicts that QM observation must happen in ordinal time, and that wavefunction collapse is due not to a dynamical discontinuity, but to selection of a particular ordinal time. Consequently, the model is more relativistically equitable in its treatment of space and time in that the observer is attributed no special ability to specify the Dirac time of observation.
In this paper, we present a detailed study on discrete-time Dirac quantum walks (DQWs) on triangular and honeycomb lattices. At the continuous limit, these DQWs coincide with the Dirac equation. Their differences in the discrete regime are analyzed through the dispersion relations, with special emphasis on Zitterbewegung. An extension which couples these walks to arbitrary discrete electromagnetic field is also proposed and the resulting Bloch oscillations are discussed.
Any positive-energy state of a free Dirac particle that is initially highly-localized, evolves in time by spreading at speeds close to the speed of light. This general phenomenon is explained by the fact that the Dirac evolution can be approximated arbitrarily closely by a quantum random walk, where the roles of coin and walker systems are naturally attributed to the spin and position degrees of freedom of the particle. Initially entangled and spatially localized spin-position states evolve with asymptotic two-horned distributions of the position probability, familiar from earlier studies of q…
The quantum walk formalism is a widely used and highly successful framework for modeling quantum systems, such as simulations of the Dirac equation, different dynamics in both the low and high energy regime, and for developing a wide range of quantum algorithms. Here we present the circuit-based implementation of a discrete-time quantum walk in position space on a five-qubit trapped-ion quantum processor. We encode the space of walker positions in particular multi-qubit states and program the system to operate with different quantum walk parameters, experimentally realizing a Dirac cellular au…
The problem of simulating through quantum walks Dirac fermions in arbitrary curved space-times and coordinates is revisited, taking (1 + 1)D space-times as an example. A new shift or translation operator on the grid is introduced, to take into account arbitrary geometries. The new, generalised quantum walks built with this operator can simulate Dirac fermions in arbitrary curved space-times and coordinates, and their wave functions have exactly the same number of components as standard Dirac spinors, and not twice that number, as previously believed. In particular, in $(1 + 1)$D space-times, o…
A quantum walk whose continuous limit coincides with Dirac equation is usually called a Dirac Quantum Walk (DQW). A new systematic method to build DQWs coupled to electromagnetic (EM) fields is introduced and put to test on several examples of increasing difficulty. It is first used to derive the EM coupling of a well-known $3D$ walk on the cubic lattice. Recently introduced DQWs on the triangular and honeycomb lattice are then re-derived, showing for the first time that these are the only DQWs that can be defined with spinors living on the vertices of these lattices. As a third example of the…
A Quantum Walk (QW) simulating the flat $(1 + 2)$D Dirac Eq.\ on a spatial polar grid is constructed. Because fermions are represented by spinors, which do not constitute a representation of the rotation group, but rather of its double cover, the QW can only be defined globally on an extended spacetime where the polar angle extends from $0$ to $4 π$. The coupling of the QW with arbitrary electromagnetic fields is also presented. Finally, the cylindrical relativistic Landau levels of the Dirac Eq.\ are computed explicitly and simulated by the QW.
In this paper we consider quantum walks whose evolution converges to the Dirac equation one in the limit of small wave-vectors. We show exact Fast Fourier implementation of the Dirac quantum walks in one, two and three space dimensions. The behaviour of particle states, defined as states smoothly peaked in some wave-vector eigenstate of the walk, is described by an approximated dispersive differential equation that for small wave-vectors gives the usual Dirac particle and antiparticle kinematics. The accuracy of the approximation is provided in terms of a lower bound on the fidelity between th…
From the unitary operator used for implementing two-state discrete-time quantum walk on one-, two- and three- dimensional lattice we obtain a two-component Dirac-like Hamiltonian. In particular, using different pairs of Pauli basis as position translation states we obtain three different form of Hamiltonians for evolution on one-dimensional lattice. We extend this to two- and three-dimensional lattices using different Pauli basis states as position translation states for each dimension and show that the external coin operation, which is necessary for one-dimensional walk is not a necessary req…
Numerical methods for the 1-D Dirac equation based on operator splitting and on the quantum lattice Boltzmann (QLB) schemes are reviewed. It is shown that these discretizations fall within the class of quantum walks, i.e. discrete maps for complex fields, whose continuum limit delivers Dirac-like relativistic quantum wave equations. The correspondence between the quantum walk dynamics and these numerical schemes is given explicitly, allowing a connection between quantum computations, numerical analysis and lattice Boltzmann methods. The QLB method is then extended to the Dirac equation in curv…
A quantum walk describes the discrete unitary evolution of a quantum particle on a discrete graph. Some quantum walks, referred to as the Weyl and Dirac quantum walks, provide a description of the free evolution of relativistic quantum fields in a regime where the wave-vectors involved in the particle state are small. The clash between the intrinsic discreteness of quantum walks and the symmetries of special relativity can be resolved by rethinking the notion of a change of inertial reference frame. We give here a definition of the latter that avoids a pre-defined space-time geometry, in terms…
We study the dynamics of discrete-time quantum walk using quantum coin operations, $\hat{C}(θ_1)$ and $\hat{C}(θ_2)$ in time-dependent periodic sequence. For the two-period quantum walk with the parameters $θ_1$ and $θ_2$ in the coin operations we show that the standard deviation [$σ_{θ_1, θ_2} (t)$] is the same as the minimum of standard deviation obtained from one of the one-period quantum walks with coin operations $θ_1$ or $θ_2$, $σ_{θ_1, θ_2}(t) = \min \{σ_{θ_1}(t), σ_{θ_2}(t) \}$. Our numerical result is analytically corroborated using the dispersion relation obtained from the continuum …
Quantum walks are not only algorithmic tools for quantum computation but also not trivial models which describe various physical processes. The paper compares one-dimensional version of the free particle Dirac equation with discrete time quantum walk (DTQW). We show that the discretized Dirac equation when compared with DTQW results in interesting relations. It is also shown that two relativistic effects associated with the Dirac equation, namely Zitterbewegung (quivering motion) and Klein's paradox, are present in DTQW, which can be implemented within non-relativistic quantum mechanics.
Quantum walk (QW) provides a versatile tool to study fundamental physics and also to make a variety of practical applications. We here start with the recent idea of {\it nonlinear} QW and show that introducing {\it nonlinearity} to QW can lead to a wealth of remarkable possibilities, e.g., simulating nonlinear quantum dynamics thus enhancing the applicability of QW above the existing level for a universal quantum simulator. As an illustration, we show that the dynamics of a nonlinear Dirac particle can be simulated on an optical nonlinear QW platform implemented with a measurement-based-feedfo…
We show that the Dirac quantum cellular automaton [Ann. Phys. 354 (2015) 244] shares many properties in common with the discrete-time quantum walk. These similarities can be exploited to study the automaton as a unitary process that takes place at regular time steps on a one-dimensional lattice, in the spirit of general quantum cellular automata. In this way, it becomes an alternative to the quantum walk, with a dispersion relation that can be controlled by a parameter, which plays a similar role to the coin angle in the quantum walk. The Dirac Hamiltonian is recovered under a suitable limit. …
A discrete-time Quantum Walk (QW) is essentially an operator driving the evolution of a single particle on the lattice, through local unitaries. Some QWs admit a continuum limit, leading to familiar PDEs (e.g. the Dirac equation). Recently it was discovered that prior grouping and encoding allows for more general continuum limit equations (e.g. the Dirac equation in $(1+1)$ curved spacetime). In this paper, we extend these results to arbitrary space dimension and internal degree of freedom. We recover an entire class of PDEs encompassing the massive Dirac equation in $(3+1)$ curved spacetime. …
Dirac particle represents a fundamental constituent of our nature. Simulation of Dirac particle dynamics by a controllable quantum system using quantum walks will allow us to investigate the non-classical nature of dynamics in its discrete form. In this work, starting from a modified version of one-spatial dimensional general inhomogeneous split-step discrete quantum walk we derive an effective Hamiltonian which mimics a single massive Dirac particle dynamics in curved $(1+1)$ space-time dimension coupled to $U(1)$ gauge potential---which is a forward step towards the simulation of the unifica…
A particular family of time- and space-dependent discrete-time quantum walks (QWs) is considered in one dimensional physical space. The continuous limit of these walks is defined through a new procedure and computed in full detail. In this limit, the walks coincide with the propagation of a massless Dirac fermion in an arbitrary gravitational field. A QW mimicking the radial propagation of a fermion outside and inside the event horizon of a Schwarzschild black hole is explicitly constructed and simulated numerically. Finally, the limiting procedure and the main result itself are carefully disc…
Discrete-time quantum walks can be regarded as quantum dynamical simulators since they can simulate spatially discretized Schrödinger, massive Dirac, and Klein-Gordon equations. Here, two different types of Fibonacci discrete-time quantum walks are studied analytically. The first is the Fibonacci coin sequence with a generalized Hadamard coin and demonstrates six-step periodic dynamics. The other model is assumed to have three- or six-step periodic dynamics with the Fibonacci sequence. We analytically show that these models have ballistic transportation properties and continuous limits identic…
We consider the problem of searching a general $d$-dimensional lattice of $N$ vertices for a single marked item using a continuous-time quantum walk. We demand locality, but allow the walk to vary periodically on a small scale. By constructing lattice Hamiltonians exhibiting Dirac points in their dispersion relations and exploiting the linear behaviour near a Dirac point, we develop algorithms that solve the problem in a time of $O(\sqrt N)$ for $d>2$ and $O(\sqrt N \log N)$ in $d=2$. In particular, we show that such algorithms exist even for hypercubic lattices in any dimension. Unlike previo…
A massless Dirac particle is considered, moving along the x-axis while Pauli-coupled by its anomalous magnetic moment to a piecewise constant magnetic field along the same axis, with stochastically varying sign. The motion is approximated as a quantum walk with unitary noise, for which the evolution can be found exactly. Initially ballistic, the motion approaches a classical diffusion on a time-scale determined by the speed of light, the size of the magnetic moment, the strength of the field and the time interval between changes in its direction. It is suggested that a process of this type cou…
We consider the problem of searching a d-dimensional lattice of N sites for a single marked location. We present a Hamiltonian that solves this problem in time of order sqrt(N) for d>2 and of order sqrt(N) log(N) in the critical dimension d=2. This improves upon the performance of our previous quantum walk search algorithm (which has a critical dimension of d=4), and matches the performance of a corresponding discrete-time quantum walk algorithm. The improvement uses a lattice version of the Dirac Hamiltonian, and thus requires the introduction of spin (or coin) degrees of freedom.
The weak convergence theorems of the one- and two-dimensional simple quantum walks, SQW$^{(d)}, d=1,2$, show a striking contrast to the classical counterparts, the simple random walks, SRW$^{(d)}$. The limit distributions have novel structures such that they are inverted-bell shaped and the supports of them are bounded. In the present paper we claim that these properties of the SQW$^{(d)}$ can be explained by the theory of relativistic quantum mechanics. We show that the Dirac equation with a proper ultraviolet cutoff can provide a quantum walk model in three dimensions, where the walker has a…
A discrete-time Quantum Walk (QW) is essentially an operator driving the evolution of a single particle on the lattice, through local unitaries. Some QWs admit a continuum limit, leading to well-known physics partial differential equations, such as the Dirac equation. We show that these simulation results need not rely on the grid: the Dirac equation in $(2+1)$--dimensions can also be simulated, through local unitaries, on the honeycomb or the triangular lattice. The former is of interest in the study of graphene-like materials. The latter, we argue, opens the door for a generalization of the …
The Dirac equation can be modelled as a quantum walk, with the quantum walk being: discrete in time and space (i.e. a unitary evolution of the wave-function of a particle on a lattice); homogeneous (i.e. translation-invariant and time-independent), and causal (i.e. information propagates at a bounded speed, in a strict sense). This quantum walk model was proposed independently by Succi and Benzi, Bialynicki-Birula and Meyer: we rederive it in a simple way in all dimensions and for hyperbolic symmetric systems in general. We then prove that for any time t, the model converges to the continuous …
The spatial search problem on regular lattice structures in integer number of dimensions $d\geq2$ has been studied extensively, using both coined and coinless quantum walks. The relativistic Dirac operator has been a crucial ingredient in these studies. Here we investigate the spatial search problem on fractals of non-integer dimensions. Although the Dirac operator cannot be defined on a fractal, we construct the quantum walk on a fractal using the flip-flop operator that incorporates a Klein-Gordon mode. We find that the scaling behavior of the spatial search is determined by the spectral (an…
A new model that maps a quantum random walk described by a Hadamard operator to a particular case of a random walk is presented. The model is represented by a Markov chain with a stochastic matrix, i.e., all the transition rates are positive, although the Hadamard operator contains negative entries. Using a proper transformation that is applied to the random walk distribution after n steps, the probability distributions in space of the two quantum states |1>, |0> are revealed. These show that a quantum walk can be entirely mapped to a particular case of a higher dimension of a random walk mode…
This work deals with both instantaneous uniform mixing property and temporal standard deviation for continuous-time quantum random walks on circles in order to study their fluctuations comparing with discrete-time quantum random walks, and continuous- and discrete-time classical random walks.
An atom-cavity system consists of an atom or group of atoms inside a cavity. When an atom in cavity is stimulated by a laser pump, it is affected by the atom-field interaction shows the quasi-random walk behavior. This can change the entanglement and trace distance of system. In this work, the change entanglement and trace distance of system in two different cases namely the random walk and non-random walk is considered. The descriptive system is a two-level atom in the electrodynamics cavity based on the Jaynes-Cummings model, which is stimulated by two longitudinal and transverse laser pumps…
By pursuing the deep relation between the one-dimensional Dirac equation and quantum walks, the physical role of quantum interference in the latter is explained. It is shown that the time evolution of the probability density of a quantum walker, initially localized on a lattice, is directly analogous to relativistic wave-packet spreading. Analytic wave-packet solutions reveal a striking connection between the discrete and continuous time quantum walks.
We propose an experimental realization of discrete quantum random walks using neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices. The random walk is taking place in position space and experimental implementation with present day technology --even using existing set-ups-- seems feasible. We analyze the influence of possible imperfections in the experiment and investigate the transition from a quantum random walk to the classical random walk for increasing errors and decoherence.
Simulations of one quantum system by an other has an implication in realization of quantum machine that can imitate any quantum system and solve problems that are not accessible to classical computers. One of the approach to engineer quantum simulations is to discretize the space-time degree of freedom in quantum dynamics and define the quantum cellular automata (QCA), a local unitary update rule on a lattice. Different models of QCA are constructed using set of conditions which are not unique and are not always in implementable configuration on any other system. Dirac Cellular Automata (DCA) …
A Quantum Walk Inspired Qubit Lattice Algorithm for Simulating Electromagnetic Wave Propagation and Scattering in Conservative and Dissipative Magnetized Plasmas
We propose a scheme for the realization of a quantum walker and a quantum simulator for the Dirac equation with ultracold spinor atoms in driven optical lattices. A precise control of the dynamics of the atomic matter wave can be realized using time-dependent external forces. If the force depends on the spin state of the atoms, the dynamics will entangle the inner and outer degrees of freedom which offers unique opportunities for quantum information and quantum simulation. Here, we introduce a method to realize a quantum walker based on the state-dependent transport of spinor atoms and a coher…
We analyze the simulation of Dirac neutrino oscillations using quantum walks, both in vacuum and in matter. We show that this simulation, in the continuum limit, reproduces a set of coupled Dirac equations that describe neutrino flavor oscillations, and we make use of this to establish a connection with neutrino phenomenology, thus allowing to fix the parameters of the simulation for a given neutrino experiment. We also analyze how matter effects for neutrino propagation can be simulated in the quantum walk. In this way, important features, such as the MSW effect, can be incorporated. Thus, th…
We use simple deterministic dynamical systems as coins in studying quantum walks. These dynamical systems can be chosen to display, in the classical limit, a range of behaviors from the integrable to chaotic, or deterministically random. As an example of an integrable coin we study the Fourier walk that generalizes the Hadamard walk and show that the walker slows down with coin dimensionality, which controls the effective Planck constant. Introducing multi-Harper maps as deterministic models of random walks we study the effect of coin chaos on the quantum walk. We also demonstrate that breakin…
In this paper, we consider the quantum walk on $\mathbb{Z}$ with attachment of one-length path periodically. This small modification to $\mathbb{Z}$ provides localization of the quantum walk. The eigenspace causing this localization is generated by finite length round trip paths. We find that the localization is due to the eigenvalues of an underlying random walk. Moreover we find that the transience of the underlying random walk provides a slow down of the pseudo velocity of the induced quantum walk and a different limit distribution from the Konno distribution.
There has recently been considerable interest in quantum walks in connection with quantum computing. The walk can be considered as a quantum version of the so-called correlated random walk. We clarify a strong structural similarity between both walks and study limit theorems and absorption problems for correlated random walks by our PQRS method, which was used in our analysis of quantum walks.
