EAGER: QSA: Accelerating Lattice Quantum Field Theory Calculations Via Interpolator Optimization Using NISQ-Era Quantum Computing

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Simulations of physical quantum systems are one of the promising and natural potential applications of quantum computing. At the present time, significant effort is being devoted to developing quantum algorithms for quantum physics. Complementing exclusively quantum calculations, there is great potential for quantum advantages to be obtained by integrating near-term quantum devices into existing classical workflows, much as has been achieved by the integration of graphical processing units as accelerators into high-performance computing systems in the last decades. This project investigates one such pathway via the acceleration of numerical quantum field theory calculations on classical computers using quantum computing. The developed algorithms have the potential to enable first-principles studies of the structure of matter that are computationally intractable via classical means. The primary goal of this project is to implement a quantum algorithm to accelerate lattice field theory calculations via the efficient identification of representations of quantum states. The approach taken is demonstrably robust to errors in the calculations performed on quantum devices, and enables scaling to larger Hilbert spaces to be undertaken on classical rather than quantum devices. Strategies to realize the algorithm are pursued and implemented on superconducting qubit devices, as well as on realistic simulators. A key task is to quantify the scaling and implementation costs of the approach. Success in this development effort has the potential to address the exponential signal-to-noise challenge in numerical studies of the quantum field theories which describe nature. The broader impacts of this project are focused on training the next generation of scientists whose expertise will bridge the intersection of quantum computing and algorithms and physics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.