Exploring Light-Cone Distribution Amplitudes from Quantum Computing

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of quantum computing to calculate light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs), demonstrating a quantum algorithm applied to a simplified model that aligns with known QCD features.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum algorithm for calculating LCDAs and validates it through classical simulation on a simplified (1+1)-D NJL model.

Findings

Quantum algorithm produces LCDA results consistent with exact diagonalization.

The NJL model LCDA shares features with QCD LCDAs.

Classical simulation supports future quantum computing applications.

Abstract

Light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) are essential nonperturbative quantities for theoretical predictions of exclusive high-energy processes in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). We demonstrate the prospect of calculating LCDAs on a quantum computer by applying a recently proposed quantum algorithm, with staggered fermions, to the simulation of the LCDA in the (1+1)-dimensional Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model on classical hardware. The agreement between the result from the classical simulation of the quantum algorithm and that from exact diagonalization justifies the proposed quantum algorithm. We find that the resulting LCDA in the NJL model exhibits features shared with the LCDAs obtained from QCD.