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The rodeo algorithm is an efficient algorithm for eigenstate preparation and eigenvalue estimation for any observable on a quantum computer. This makes it a promising tool for studying the spectrum and structure of atomic nuclei as well as other fields of quantum many-body physics. The only requirement is that the initial state has sufficient overlap probability with the desired eigenstate. While it is exponentially faster than well-known algorithms such as phase estimation and adiabatic evolution for eigenstate preparation, it has yet to be implemented on an actual quantum device. In this work, we apply the rodeo algorithm to determine the energy levels of a random one-qubit Hamiltonian, resulting in a relative error of 0.08% using mid-circuit measurements on the IBM Q device Casablanca. This surpasses the accuracy of directly-prepared eigenvector expectation values using the same quantum device. We take advantage of the high-accuracy energy determination and use the Hellmann-Feynman theorem to compute eigenvector expectation values for a different random one-qubit observable. For the Hellmann-Feynman calculations, we find a relative error of 0.7%. We conclude by discussing possible future applications of the rodeo algorithm for multi-qubit Hamiltonians.
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This content will become publicly available on December 19, 2025
Eigenstate Preparation on Quantum Computers
This thesis investigates quantum algorithms for eigenstate preparation, with a primary focus on solving eigenvalue problems such as the Schrodinger equation by utilizing near-term quantum computing devices. These problems are ubiquitous in several scientific fields, but more accurate solutions are specifically needed as a prerequisite for many quantum simulation tasks. To address this, we establish three methods in detail: quantum adiabatic evolution with optimal control, the Rodeo Algorithm, and the Variational Rodeo Algorithm.The first method explored is adiabatic evolution, a technique that prepares quantum states by simulating a quantum system that evolves slowly over time. The adiabatic theorem can be used to ensure that the system remains in an eigenstate throughout the process, but its implementation can often be infeasible on current quantum computing hardware. We employ a unique approach using optimal control to create custom gate operations for superconducting qubits and demonstrate the algorithm on a two-qubit IBM cloud quantum computing device. We then explore an alternative to adiabatic evolution, the Rodeo Algorithm, which offers a different approach to eigenstate preparation by using a controlled quantum evolution that selectively filters out undesired components in the wave function stored on a quantum register. We show results suggesting that this method can be effective in preparing eigenstates, but its practicality is predicated on the preparation of an initial state that has significant overlap with the desired eigenstate. To address this, we introduce the novel Variational Rodeo Algorithm, which replaces the initialization step with dynamic optimization of quantum circuit parameters to increase the success probability of the Rodeo Algorithm. The added flexibility compensates for instances in which the original algorithm can be unsuccessful, allowing for better scalability. This research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how quantum algorithms can be employed to attain efficient and accurate solutions to eigenvalue problems. The overarching goal is to present ideas that can be used to improve understanding of nuclear physics by providing potential quantum and classical techniques that can aid in tasks such as the theoretical description of nuclear structures and the simulation of nuclear reactions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2310620
- PAR ID:
- 10599338
- Publisher / Repository:
- Michigan State University
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 9798342764391
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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