Quantum computational resources for lattice QCD in the strong-coupling limit

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the quantum resource requirements for simulating lattice QCD in the strong-coupling limit, exploring qubit, qudit, and photonic implementations to inform future quantum simulation efforts.

Contribution

It provides a comparative study of quantum resources needed for lattice QCD simulation across different quantum hardware platforms.

Findings

Resource estimates for qubits, qudits, and qumodes in lattice QCD simulation

Analysis of Hilbert space growth with quark flavor number

Assessment of suitability of various quantum hardware platforms for lattice QCD

Abstract

We consider the strong coupling limit of lattice QCD with massless staggered quarks and study the resource requirements for quantum simulating the theory in its Hamiltonian formulation. The bosonic Hilbert space of the color-singlet degrees of freedom grows quickly with the number of quark flavors, making it a suitable testing ground for resource considerations across different platforms. In particular, in addition to the standard model of computation with qubits, we consider mapping the theory to qudits $(d>2)$ and qumodes, as used on trapped-ion systems and photonic devices, respectively.