Quantum computing of fluid dynamics using the hydrodynamic Schr\"odinger equation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum computing framework for fluid dynamics using the hydrodynamic Schrödinger equation, enabling simulation of turbulent flows with potential exponential speedup over classical methods.

Contribution

It proposes a novel quantum algorithm based on the HSE for simulating fluid flows, addressing nonlinear and non-Hamiltonian challenges of classical Navier-Stokes equations.

Findings

Demonstrated quantum simulation of simple flows on Qiskit

Achieved exponential speedup in simulation time

HSE-based approach captures turbulent flow features

Abstract

Simulating fluid dynamics on a quantum computer is intrinsically difficult due to the nonlinear and non-Hamiltonian nature of the Navier-Stokes equation (NSE). We propose a framework for quantum computing of fluid dynamics based on the hydrodynamic Schr\"odinger equation (HSE), which can be promising in simulating three-dimensional turbulent flows in various engineering applications. The HSE is derived by generalizing the Madelung transform to compressible/incompressible flows with finite vorticity and dissipation. Since the HSE is expressed as a unitary operator on a two-component wave function, it is more suitable than the NSE for quantum computing. The flow governed by the HSE can resemble a turbulent flow consisting of tangled vortex tubes with the five-thirds scaling of energy spectrum. We develop a prediction-correction quantum algorithm to solve the HSE. This algorithm is implemented for simple flows on the quantum simulator Qiskit with exponential speedup.