Multi-qubit entanglement and algorithms on a neutral-atom quantum computer.

Gate-model quantum computers promise to solve currently intractable computational problems if they can be operated at scale with long coherence times and high-fidelity logic. Neutral-atom hyperfine qubits provide inherent scalability owing to their identical characteristics, long coherence times and ability to be trapped in dense, multidimensional arrays1. Combined with the strong entangling interactions provided by Rydberg states2-4, all the necessary characteristics for quantum computation are available. Here we demonstrate several quantum algorithms on a programmable gate-model neutral-atom quantum computer in an architecture based on individual addressing of single atoms with tightly focused optical beams scanned across a two-dimensional array of qubits. Preparation of entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states5 with up to six qubits, quantum phase estimation for a chemistry problem6 and the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA)7 for the maximum cut (MaxCut) graph problem are demonstrated. These results highlight the emergent capability of neutral-atom qubit arrays for universal, programmable quantum computation, as well as preparation of non-classical states of use for quantum-enhanced sensing.

Charge-transfer excited states: Seeking a balanced and efficient wave function ansatz in variational Monte Carlo.

We present a simple and efficient wave function ansatz for the treatment of excited charge-transfer states in real-space quantum Monte Carlo methods. Using the recently introduced variation-after-response method [E. Neuscamman, J. Chem. Phys. 145, 081103 (2016)], this ansatz allows a crucial orbital optimization step to be performed beyond a configuration interaction singles expansion, while only requiring calculation of two Slater determinant objects. We demonstrate this ansatz for the illustrative example of the stretched LiF molecule, for a range of excited states of formaldehyde, and finally for the more challenging ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene molecule.

Density matrices in full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo: Excited states, transition dipole moments, and parallel distribution.

We present developments in the calculation of reduced density matrices (RDMs) in the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method. An efficient scheme is described to allow storage of RDMs across distributed memory, thereby allowing their calculation and storage in large basis sets. We demonstrate the calculation of RDMs for general states by using the recently introduced excited-state FCIQMC approach [N. S. Blunt et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 134117 (2015)] and further introduce calculation of transition density matrices in the method. These approaches are combined to calculate excited-state dipole and transition dipole moments for heteronuclear diatomic molecules, including LiH, BH, and MgO, and initiator error is investigated in these quantities.

Accurate Exchange-Correlation Energies for the Warm Dense Electron Gas.

The density matrix quantum Monte Carlo (DMQMC) method is used to sample exact-on-average N-body density matrices for uniform electron gas systems of up to 10^{124} matrix elements via a stochastic solution of the Bloch equation. The results of these calculations resolve a current debate over the accuracy of the data used to parametrize finite-temperature density functionals. Exchange-correlation energies calculated using the real-space restricted path-integral formalism and the k-space configuration path-integral formalism disagree by up to ∼10% at certain reduced temperatures T/T_{F}≤0.5 and densities r_{s}≤1. Our calculations confirm the accuracy of the configuration path-integral Monte Carlo results available at high density and bridge the gap to lower densities, providing trustworthy data in the regime typical of planetary interiors and solids subject to laser irradiation. We demonstrate that the DMQMC method can calculate free energies directly and present exact free energies for T/T_{F}≥1 and r_{s}≤2.

Krylov-Projected Quantum Monte Carlo Method.

We present an approach to the calculation of arbitrary spectral, thermal, and excited state properties within the full configuration interaction quzantum Monte Carlo framework. This is achieved via an unbiased projection of the Hamiltonian eigenvalue problem into a space of stochastically sampled Krylov vectors, thus, enabling the calculation of real-frequency spectral and thermal properties and avoiding explicit analytic continuation. We use this approach to calculate temperature-dependent properties and one- and two-body spectral functions for various Hubbard models, as well as isolated excited states in ab initio systems.

An excited-state approach within full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo.

We present a new approach to calculate excited states with the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method. The approach uses a Gram-Schmidt procedure, instantaneously applied to the stochastically evolving distributions of walkers, to orthogonalize higher energy states against lower energy ones. It can thus be used to study several of the lowest-energy states of a system within the same symmetry. This additional step is particularly simple and computationally inexpensive, requiring only a small change to the underlying FCIQMC algorithm. No trial wave functions or partitioning of the space is needed. The approach should allow excited states to be studied for systems similar to those accessible to the ground-state method due to a comparable computational cost. As a first application, we consider the carbon dimer in basis sets up to quadruple-zeta quality and compare to existing results where available.

Semi-stochastic full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo: Developments and application.

We expand upon the recent semi-stochastic adaptation to full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC). We present an alternate method for generating the deterministic space without a priori knowledge of the wave function and present stochastic efficiencies for a variety of both molecular and lattice systems. The algorithmic details of an efficient semi-stochastic implementation are presented, with particular consideration given to the effect that the adaptation has on parallel performance in FCIQMC. We further demonstrate the benefit for calculation of reduced density matrices in FCIQMC through replica sampling, where the semi-stochastic adaptation seems to have even larger efficiency gains. We then combine these ideas to produce explicitly correlated corrected FCIQMC energies for the beryllium dimer, for which stochastic errors on the order of wavenumber accuracy are achievable.

Interaction picture density matrix quantum Monte Carlo.

The recently developed density matrix quantum Monte Carlo (DMQMC) algorithm stochastically samples the N-body thermal density matrix and hence provides access to exact properties of many-particle quantum systems at arbitrary temperatures. We demonstrate that moving to the interaction picture provides substantial benefits when applying DMQMC to interacting fermions. In this first study, we focus on a system of much recent interest: the uniform electron gas in the warm dense regime. The basis set incompleteness error at finite temperature is investigated and extrapolated via a simple Monte Carlo sampling procedure. Finally, we provide benchmark calculations for a four-electron system, comparing our results to previous work where possible.

Unbiased reduced density matrices and electronic properties from full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo.

Properties that are necessarily formulated within pure (symmetric) expectation values are difficult to calculate for projector quantum Monte Carlo approaches, but are critical in order to compute many of the important observable properties of electronic systems. Here, we investigate an approach for the sampling of unbiased reduced density matrices within the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo dynamic, which requires only small computational overheads. This is achieved via an independent replica population of walkers in the dynamic, sampled alongside the original population. The resulting reduced density matrices are free from systematic error (beyond those present via constraints on the dynamic itself) and can be used to compute a variety of expectation values and properties, with rapid convergence to an exact limit. A quasi-variational energy estimate derived from these density matrices is proposed as an accurate alternative to the projected estimator for multiconfigurational wavefunctions, while its variational property could potentially lend itself to accurate extrapolation approaches in larger systems.

The sign problem and population dynamics in the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method.

The recently proposed full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method allows access to essentially exact ground-state energies of systems of interacting fermions substantially larger than previously tractable without knowledge of the nodal structure of the ground-state wave function. We investigate the nature of the sign problem in this method and how its severity depends on the system studied. We explain how cancellation of the positive and negative particles sampling the wave function ensures convergence to a stochastic representation of the many-fermion ground state and accounts for the characteristic population dynamics observed in simulations.