Thermodynamics of quantum trajectories on a quantum computer

TL;DR

This paper explores how to simulate and control open quantum system dynamics using quantum computers by measuring ancillas after interactions, demonstrating proof-of-principle results on IBM's quantum hardware.

Contribution

It introduces a method to implement biased, non-Markovian open-system dynamics on gate-based quantum computers, with experimental validation on a real device.

Findings

Controlled quantum trajectories can be biased towards desired properties.

Proof-of-principle experiments conducted on IBM's quantum hardware.

Highlights challenges in simulating complex open-system dynamics on digital quantum computers.

Abstract

Quantum computers have recently become available as noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. Already these machines yield a useful environment for research on quantum systems and dynamics. Building on this opportunity, we investigate open-system dynamics that are simulated on a quantum computer by coupling a system of interest to an ancilla. After each interaction the ancilla is measured and the sequence of measurements defines a quantum trajectory. Using a thermodynamic analogy, which identifies trajectories as microstates, we show how to control the dynamics of the open system in order to enhance the probability of quantum trajectories with desired properties, e.g., particular patterns or temporal correlations. We discuss how such biased -- generally non-Markovian -- dynamics can be implemented on a unitary, gate-based quantum computer and show proof-of-principle results on the publicly accessible \texttt{ibm\_jakarta} machine. While our study is solely conducted on small systems, it highlights the challenges in controlling complex aspects of open-system dynamics on digital quantum computers.