Alessandro Bisio

Quantum field as a quantum cellular automaton: The Dirac free evolution in one dimension

Abstract We present a quantum cellular automaton model in one space-dimension which has the Dirac equation as emergent. This model, a discrete-time and causal unitary evolution of a lattice of quantum systems, is derived from the assumptions of homogeneity, parity and time-reversal invariance. The comparison between the automaton and the Dirac evolutions is rigorously set as a discrimination problem between unitary channels. We derive an exact lower bound for the probability of error in the discrimination as an explicit function of the mass, the number and the momentum of the particles, and the duration of the evolution. Computing this bound with experimentally achievable values, we see that in that regime the QCA model cannot be discriminated from the usual Dirac evolution. Finally, we show that the evolution of one-particle states with narrow-band in momentum can be efficiently simulated by a dispersive differential equation for any regime. This analysis allows for a comparison with the dynamics of wave-packets as it is described by the usual Dirac equation. This paper is a first step in exploring the idea that quantum field theory could be grounded on a more fundamental quantum cellular automaton model and that physical dynamics could emerge from quantum information processing. In this framework, the discretization is a central ingredient and not only a tool for performing non-perturbative calculation as in lattice gauge theory. The automaton model, endowed with a precise notion of local observables and a full probabilistic interpretation, could lead to a coherent unification of a hypothetical discrete Planck scale with the usual Fermi scale of high-energy physics.

Doubly-Special Relativity from Quantum Cellular Automata

It is shown how a doubly special relativity model can emerge from a quantum cellular automaton description of the evolution of countably many interacting quantum systems. We consider a one-dimensional automaton that spawns the Dirac evolution in the relativistic limit of small wave vectors and masses (in Planck units). The assumption of invariance of dispersion relations for boosted observers leads to a non-linear representation of the Lorentz group on the -space, with an additional invariant given by the wave vector . The space-time reconstructed from the -space is intrinsically quantum, and exhibits the phenomenon of relative locality.

The Dirac Quantum Cellular Automaton in one dimension: Zitterbewegung and scattering from potential

We study the dynamical behavior of a quantum cellular automaton which reproduces the Dirac dynamics in the limit of small wave vectors and masses. We present analytical evaluations along with computer simulations, showing that the automaton exhibits typical Dirac dynamical features, such as the Zitterbewegung and, considering the scattering from potential, the so-called Klein paradox. The motivation is to show concretely how pure processing of quantum information can lead to particle mechanics as an emergent feature, an issue that has been the focus of solid-state, optical, and atomic-physics quantum simulators.

Optimal Quantum Tomography of States, Measurements, and Transformations

We present the first complete optimization of quantum tomography, for states, positive operator value measures, and various classes of transformations, for arbitrary prior ensemble and arbitrary representation, giving corresponding feasible experimental schemes in terms of random Bell measurements.

Quantum Cellular Automaton Theory of Light

Abstract We present a quantum theory of light based on the recent derivation of Weyl and Dirac quantum fields from general principles ruling the interactions of a countable set of abstract quantum systems, without using space–time and mechanics (D’Ariano and Perinotti, 2014). In a Planckian interpretation of the discreteness, the usual quantum field theory corresponds to the so-called relativistic regime of small wave-vectors. Within the present framework the photon is a composite particle made of an entangled pair of free Weyl Fermions, and the usual Bosonic statistics is recovered in the low photon density limit, whereas the Maxwell equations describe the relativistic regime. We derive the main phenomenological features of the theory in the ultra-relativistic regime, consisting in a dispersive propagation in vacuum, and in the occurrence of a small longitudinal polarization, along with a saturation effect originated by the Fermionic nature of the photon. We then discuss whether all these effects can be experimentally tested, and observe that only the dispersive effects are accessible to the current technology via observations of gamma-ray bursts.

Quantum learning algorithms for quantum measurements

Abstract We study quantum learning algorithms for quantum measurements. The optimal learning algorithm is derived for arbitrary von Neumann measurements in the case of training with one or two examples. The analysis of the case of three examples reveals that, differently from the learning of unitary gates, the optimal algorithm for learning of quantum measurements cannot be parallelized, and requires quantum memories for the storage of information.

Quantum networks: General theory and applications

In this work we present a general mathematical framework to deal with Quantum Networks, i.e. networks resulting from the interconnection of elementary quantum circuits. The cornerstone of our approach is a generalization of the Choi isomorphism that allows one to efficiently represent any given Quantum Network in terms of a single positive operator. Our formalism allows one to face and solve many quantum information processing problems that would be hardly manageable otherwise, the most relevant of which are reviewed in this work: quantum process tomography, quantum cloning and learning of transformations, inversion of a unitary gate, information-disturbance tradeoff in estimating a unitary transformation, cloning and learning of a measurement device.

Free Quantum Field Theory from Quantum Cellular Automata

After leading to a new axiomatic derivation of quantum theory (see D’Ariano et al. in Found Phys, 2015), the new informational paradigm is entering the domain of quantum field theory, suggesting a quantum automata framework that can be regarded as an extension of quantum field theory to including an hypothetical Planck scale, and with the usual quantum field theory recovered in the relativistic limit of small wave-vectors. Being derived from simple principles (linearity, unitarity, locality, homogeneity, isotropy, and minimality of dimension), the automata theory is quantum ab-initio, and does not assume Lorentz covariance and mechanical notions. Being discrete it can describe localized states and measurements (unmanageable by quantum field theory), solving all the issues plaguing field theory originated from the continuum. These features make the theory an ideal framework for quantum gravity, with relativistic covariance and space-time emergent solely from the interactions, and not assumed a priori. The paper presents a synthetic derivation of the automata theory, showing how the principles lead to a description in terms of a quantum automaton over a Cayley graph of a group. Restricting to Abelian groups we show how the automata recover the Weyl, Dirac and Maxwell dynamics in the relativistic limit. We conclude with some new routes about the more general scenario of non-Abelian Cayley graphs. The phenomenology arising from the automata theory in the ultra-relativistic domain and the analysis of corresponding distorted Lorentz covariance is reviewed in Bisio et al. (Found Phys 2015, in this same issue).

Tradeoff between energy and error in the discrimination of quantum-optical devices

We address the problem of energy-error tradeoff in the discrimination between two linear passive quantum optical devices with a single use. We provide an analytical derivation of the optimal strategy for beamsplitters and an iterative algorithm converging to the optimum in the general case. We then compare the optimal strategy with a simpler strategy using coherent input states and homodyne detection. It turns out that the former requires much less energy in order to achieve the same performances.

Optimal Quantum Tomography

The present short review article illustrates the latest theoretical developments on quantum tomography, regarding general optimization methods for both data processing and setup. The basic theoretical tool is the informationally complete measurement. The optimization theory for the setup is based on the new theoretical approach of quantum combs.