Universal initial state preparation for first quantized quantum simulations

Abstract

Preparing symmetry-adapted initial states is a principal bottleneck in first-quantized quantum simulation. We present a universal approach that efficiently maps any polynomial-size superposition of occupation-number configurations to the first-quantized representation on a digital quantum computer. The method exploits the Jordan--Schwinger Lie algebra homomorphism, which identifies number-conserving second-quantized operators with their first-quantized action and induces an equivariant bijection between Fock occupations and $\mathfrak{su}(d)$ weight states within the Schur--Weyl decomposition. Operationally, we deterministically prepare an superposition of target Schur labels and apply the inverse quantum Schur transform. For $L$ configurations of $N$ particles over $d$ modes prepared to accuracy $ε$, the most efficient variant of the algorithm runs with non-Clifford gate complexity $\mathrm{poly}(L, N, \log d, \log ε^{-1})$. The protocol applies universally to fermions, bosons, and Green's paraparticles in arbitrary single-particle bases. Resource estimates establish practicality within leading first-quantized pipelines, with statistics-aware specializations promising further reductions.