Monte Carlo particle transport on quantum computers

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum computing approach for Monte Carlo particle transport using discrete-time quantum walks and amplitude amplification to achieve potential quadratic speedups over classical methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum algorithm for particle transport, combining quantum walks with amplitude amplification, filling a gap in quantum Monte Carlo applications.

Findings

Proposes a numerical scheme based on quantum walks.

Combines quantum walks with amplitude amplification.

Aims to achieve quadratic complexity speedup.

Abstract

Monte Carlo particle transport codes are well established on classical hardware and are considered as the reference tool for nuclear applications. In a growing number of domains, the design of algorithms is progressively shifting towards the field of quantum computing, where theoretical speedups over their classical counterparts are expected. In some of these domains, Monte Carlo methods have already been converted to a quantum computing friendly setup where the expected and observed gain in complexity is quadratic. Surprisingly, particle transport has been left aside along the path and lacks an implementation on these new architectures. In this work, a numerical scheme for particle transport based on discrete-time quantum walks and its combination with the amplitude amplification routine are proposed to catch up with the promised speedups.