Here are some scientific papers that caught our eye this month:
Performing quantum simulation using neutral-atom arrays is arguably one of the key strengths of this platform for quantum processing. In particular, the relevance of neutral-atom technology for simulating lattice gauge theories and processes of relevance for high-energy physics has been developing as a key application direction within physical sciences. In this paper, the authors extend this analysis of confined-deconfined phases to neutral-atom systems with varying Rydberg radius, including a new description in terms of a lattice gauge theory for phases blocked up to next-nearest-neighbors. This paper uncovers a new connection between correlated phases of matter, neutral-atom physics, and the structure of quantum gauge theories.
Still on the topic of quantum simulations, it is well-accepted that there is an advantage to being able to continuously evolve quantum states, as opposed to discretizing time or performing Trotterization. A relevant question is: can a good quantum simulator impact our capacity to solve differential equations? While many attempts at this topic have been put forward, the authors of this paper propose a method that answers this question in a general way.
Benchmarking algorithms and quantum computers is never easy. In this work, the authors compare quantum annealing (QA) and quantum approximate optimization algorithms (QAOA) on a class of Ising-type problems using two different types of superconducting qubit technologies. Interesting conclusions are drawn, particularly on QA outperforming QAOA, a phenomenon also observed in MIS problem instances with neutral atoms.
In this paper, the authors propose a curious approach to perturbation theory, leveraging quantum processors to overcome the need to initially solve an easy unperturbed Hamiltonian. Among the applications of the method are quantum simulation and the benchmarking of large quantum computers with smaller ones. The paper thus catches our eyes, as it follows one of our inspirational tenets that quantum resources can’t be wasted in the NISQ era if we are to find relevant applications of quantum computers.
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