Observation of a non-Hermitian supersonic mode on a trapped-ion quantum computer
arXiv:2406.15557 · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-57930-3
Abstract
Quantum computers have long been anticipated to excel in simulating quantum many-body physics. While most previous work has focused on Hermitian physics, we demonstrate the power of variational quantum circuits for resource-efficient simulations of dynamical and equilibrium physics in non-Hermitian systems, revealing new phenomena beyond standard Hermitian quantum machines. Using a variational quantum compilation scheme for fermionic systems, we reduce gate count, save qubits, and eliminate the need for postselection, a major challenge in simulating non-Hermitian dynamics via standard Trotterization. Experimentally, we observed a supersonic mode in the connected density-density correlation function on an fermionic chain after a non-Hermitian, locally interacting quench, which would otherwise be forbidden by the Lieb-Robinson bound in a Hermitian system. Additionally, we investigate sequential quantum circuits generated by tensor networks for ground state preparation, here defined as the eigenstate with the lowest real part eigenvalue, using a variance minimization scheme. Through a trapped-ion implementation on the Quantinuum H1 quantum processor, we accurately capture correlation functions and energies across an exceptional point on a dissipative spin chain up to length using only 3 qubits. Motivated by these advancements, we provide an analytical example demonstrating that simulating single-qubit non-Hermitian dynamics for time from certain initial states is exponentially hard on a quantum computer, offering insights into the opportunities and limitations of using quantum computation for simulating non-Hermitian physics.
References in corpus (42)
- Supplementary information for "Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor"
- A variational eigenvalue solver on a quantum processor
- Variational Quantum Algorithms
- Edge states and topological invariants of non-Hermitian systems
- Advances in Quantum Cryptography
- Non-Hermitian Physics
- Localization transitions in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics
- Machine learning phases of matter
- An Area Law for One Dimensional Quantum Systems
- Non-local propagation of correlations in long-range interacting quantum systems
- Hartree-Fock on a superconducting qubit quantum computer
- Quantum Zeno Effect and the Many-body Entanglement Transition
- Vortex Pinning and Non-Hermitian Quantum Mechanics
- A short introduction to the Lindblad Master Equation
- Tensor networks for complex quantum systems
- Quantum singular value transformation and beyond: exponential improvements for quantum matrix arithmetics
- Topological Transition in a Non-Hermitian Quantum Walk
- Sequential generation of entangled multi-qubit states
- Efficient quantum algorithm for dissipative nonlinear differential equations
- Real- and imaginary-time evolution with compressed quantum circuits
- Breakdown of quasilocality in long-range quantum lattice models
- Entanglement and purification transitions in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics
- Measurement as a shortcut to long-range entangled quantum matter
- Sequential Generation of Matrix-Product States in Cavity QED
- Models of quantum complexity growth
- Preparation of matrix product states with log-depth quantum circuits
- Non-Hermitian fractional quantum Hall states
- Holographic quantum algorithms for simulating correlated spin systems
- Full-Counting Many-Particle Dynamics: Nonlocal and Chiral Propagation of Correlations
- Holographic quantum states
- Compression of Correlation Matrices and an Efficient Method for Forming Matrix Product States of Fermionic Gaussian States
- The Kibble-Zurek mechanism at exceptional points
- Finding purifications with minimal entanglement
- Isometric Tensor Network representation of string-net liquids
- Quantum quench in PT-symmetric Luttinger liquid
- Kibble-Zurek scaling in the Yang-Lee edge singularity
- Sequential Quantum Circuits as Maps between Gapped Phases
- Observation of the non-Hermitian skin effect and Fermi skin on a digital quantum computer
- Entanglement from tensor networks on a trapped-ion QCCD quantum computer
- Holographic simulation of correlated electrons on a trapped ion quantum processor
- Universal conductance of a PT-symmetric Luttinger liquid after a quantum quench
- Sequential quantum simulation of spin chains with a single circuit QED device