arXiv subjects

Randy Lewis

Publications and source records attributed to Randy Lewis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

SU(2) gauge theory with fermions on a semi-simple cubic lattice

A practical Hamiltonian approach to lattice gauge theories would provide access to several important areas of phenomenology that have been beyond the reach of conventional lattice methods. Quantum computers seem to be a natural platform for this approach. With near-term quantum computers in mind, our work considers a three-dimensional spatial lattice that can host fermions and non-Abelian gauge fields while needing fewer qubits than a simple cubic lattice. Specifically, the semi-simple cubic (ssc) lattice is obtained by removing half of the gauge links from a standard cubic lattice in such a way that every vertex becomes trivalent, which streamlines the handling of Gauss's law. The ssc lattice is topologically equivalent to the triamond lattice but, because the gauge links at each vertex span all three directions, the ssc lattice can accommodate a local fermion derivative. The case of staggered fermions with SU(2) gauge fields is presented here.

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arXiv2025

The charge-singlet measurement toolbox

Symmetry is fundamental to physical laws across different scales$\unicode{x2014}$from spacetime structure in general relativity to particle interactions in quantum field theory. Local symmetries, described by gauge theories, are central to phenomena such as superconductivity, topological phases, and the Standard Model of particle physics. Emerging simulation techniques using tensor network states or quantum computers offer exciting new possibilities of exploring the physics of these gauge theories, but require careful implementation of gauge symmetry and charge-neutrality constraints. This is especially challenging for non-Abelian gauge theories such as quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which governs the strong interaction between quarks and gluons. In a recent article (arXiv:2501.00579), we introduced "charge-singlet measurements" for quantum simulations, consisting of a projection based technique from group representation theory that allowed us to probe for the first time the phase diagram of (1+1)-dimensional QCD on a quantum computer. In this article, we show more broadly how to apply charge-singlet measurements as a flexible tool for both classical and quantum simulations of discrete and continuous gauge theories. Our approach extends the use of charge-singlet measurements beyond state preparation in the charge neutral (charge-singlet) sector to include noise mitigation in symmetry-preserving time-evolution circuits. We further demonstrate how this method enables the computation of thermodynamic observables$\unicode{x2014}$such as entropy$\unicode{x2014}$within the charge-singlet subspace, providing a new tool for exploring the connection between quantum thermodynamics and gauge symmetry.

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arXiv2025

False vacuum decay in triamond lattice gauge theory

The transition from a false vacuum to the true vacuum is a real-time phenomenon of interest in many contexts. It represents a special challenge for strongly interacting non-Abelian gauge theories because standard spacetime lattices incorporate imaginary time from the outset. To attain real-time phenomena, Hamiltonian lattice methods are being developed for quantum computers. The present work considers SU(2) gauge theory on a minimal lattice in three spatial dimensions, where round-the-world strings called torelons can travel and interact. This minimal 3D lattice has a triamond structure whose properties are elucidated by calculating the spectrum of torelon states. Then, by introducing a twisted boundary condition, real-time evolution is used to demonstrate the decay of a false vacuum. Calculations in the present work are done on classical computers except for one benchmark study of imaginary time evolution that ran on the ibm_brisbane quantum computer.

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arXiv2024

The phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics in one dimension on a quantum computer

The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram, which reveals the state of strongly interacting matter at different temperatures and densities, is key to answering open questions in physics, ranging from the behavior of particles in neutron stars to the conditions of the early universe. However, classical simulations of QCD face significant computational barriers, such as the sign problem at finite matter densities. Quantum computing offers a promising solution to overcome these challenges. Here, we take an important step toward exploring the QCD phase diagram with quantum devices by preparing thermal states in one-dimensional non-Abelian gauge theories. We experimentally simulate the thermal states of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories at finite densities on a trapped-ion quantum computer using a variational method. This is achieved by introducing two features: Firstly, we add motional ancillae to the existing qubit register to efficiently prepare thermal probability distributions. Secondly, we introduce charge-singlet measurements to enforce color-neutrality constraints. This work marks the first lattice gauge theory quantum simulation of QCD at finite density and temperature for two and three colors, laying the foundation to explore QCD phenomena on quantum platforms.

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arXiv2024

From square plaquettes to triamond lattices for SU(2) gauge theory

Lattice gauge theory should be able to address significant new scientific questions when implemented on quantum computers. In practice, error-mitigation techniques have already allowed encouraging progress on small lattices. In this work we focus on a truncated version of SU(2) gauge theory, which is a familiar non-Abelian step toward quantum chromodynamics. First, we demonstrate effective error mitigation for imaginary time evolution on a lattice having two square plaquettes, obtaining the ground state using an IBM quantum computer and observing that this would have been impossible without error mitigation. Then we propose the triamond lattice as an expedient approach to lattice gauge theories in three spatial dimensions and we derive the Hamiltonian. Finally, error-mitigated imaginary time evolution is applied to the three-dimensional triamond unit cell, and its ground state is obtained from an IBM quantum computer. Future work will want to relax the truncation on the gauge fields, and the triamond lattice is increasingly valuable for such studies.

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arXiv2023

Quantum Computing for High-Energy Physics: State of the Art and Challenges. Summary of the QC4HEP Working Group

Quantum computers offer an intriguing path for a paradigmatic change of computing in the natural sciences and beyond, with the potential for achieving a so-called quantum advantage, namely a significant (in some cases exponential) speed-up of numerical simulations. The rapid development of hardware devices with various realizations of qubits enables the execution of small scale but representative applications on quantum computers. In particular, the high-energy physics community plays a pivotal role in accessing the power of quantum computing, since the field is a driving source for challenging computational problems. This concerns, on the theoretical side, the exploration of models which are very hard or even impossible to address with classical techniques and, on the experimental side, the enormous data challenge of newly emerging experiments, such as the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider. In this roadmap paper, led by CERN, DESY and IBM, we provide the status of high-energy physics quantum computations and give examples for theoretical and experimental target benchmark applications, which can be addressed in the near future. Having the IBM 100 x 100 challenge in mind, where possible, we also provide resource estimates for the examples given using error mitigated quantum computing.

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arXiv2022

Real time evolution and a traveling excitation in SU(2) pure gauge theory on a quantum computer

The Hamiltonian approach can be used successfully to study the real-time evolution of a non-Abelian lattice gauge theory on the available noisy quantum computers. In this work, results from the real-time evolution of SU(2) pure gauge theory on IBM hardware are presented. The long real-time evolution spanning dozens of Trotter steps with hundreds of CNOT gates and the observation of a traveling excitation on the lattice were made possible by using a collection of error mitigation techniques. Self-mitigation is our novel tool, which consists of using the same physics circuit as a noise-mitigation circuit.

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arXiv2022

Simulating one-dimensional quantum chromodynamics on a quantum computer: Real-time evolutions of tetra- and pentaquarks

Quantum chromodynamics - the theory of quarks and gluons - has been known for decades, but it is yet to be fully understood. A recent example is the prediction and experimental discovery of tetraquarks, that opened a new research field. Crucially, numerous unsolved questions of the standard model can exclusively be addressed by nonperturbative calculations. Quantum computers can solve problems for which well established QCD methods are inapplicable, such as real-time evolution. We take a key step in exploring this possibility by performing a real-time evolution of tetraquark and pentaquark physics in one-dimensional SU(3) gauge theory on a superconducting quantum computer. Our experiment represents a first quantum computation involving quarks with three colour degrees of freedom, i.e. with the gauge group of QCD.

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arXiv2022

Self-mitigating Trotter circuits for SU(2) lattice gauge theory on a quantum computer

Quantum computers offer the possibility to implement lattice gauge theory in Minkowski rather than Euclidean spacetime, thus allowing calculations of processes that evolve in real time. In this work, calculations within SU(2) pure gauge theory are able to show the motion of an excitation traveling across a spatial lattice in real time. This is accomplished by using a simple yet powerful method for error mitigation, where the original circuit is used both forward and backward in time. For a two-plaquette lattice, meaningful results are obtained from a circuit containing hundreds of CNOT gates. The same method is used for a five-plaquette lattice, where calculations show that residual systematic effects can be reduced through follow-up mitigation.

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arXiv2022

Substructure of Multiquark Hadrons (Snowmass 2021 White Paper)

In recent years there has been a rapidly growing body of experimental evidence for existence of exotic, multiquark hadrons, i.e. mesons which contain additional quarks, beyond the usual quark-antiquark pair and baryons which consist of more than three quarks. In all cases with robust evidence they contain at least one heavy quark Q=c or b, the majority including two heavy quarks. Two key theoretical questions have been triggered by these discoveries: (a) how are quarks organized inside these multiquark states -- as compact objects with all quarks within one confinement volume, interacting via color forces, perhaps with an important role played by diquarks, or as deuteron-like hadronic molecules, bound by light-meson exchange? (b) what other multiquark states should we expect? The two questions are tightly intertwined. Each of the interpretations provides a natural explanation of parts of the data, but neither explains all of the data. It is quite possible that both kinds of structures appear in Nature. It may also be the case that certain states are superpositions of the compact and molecular configurations. This Whitepaper brings together contributions from many leading practitioners in the field, representing a wide spectrum of theoretical interpretations. We discuss the importance of future experimental and phenomenological work, which will lead to better understandingof multiquark phenomena in QCD.

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arXiv2022

Hadron Spectroscopy with Lattice QCD

The status and prospects for investigations of exotic and conventional hadrons with lattice QCD are discussed. The majority of hadrons decay strongly via one or multiple decay-channels, including most of the experimentally discovered exotic hadrons. Despite this difficult challenge, the properties of several hadronic resonances have been determined within lattice QCD. To further discern the spectroscopic properties of various hadrons and to help resolve their nature we present our suggestions for future analytic and lattice studies.

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arXiv2022

Good and bad diquark properties and spatial correlations in lattice QCD

We study good, bad and not-even-bad diquarks on the lattice in a gauge-invariant formalism in full QCD. We establish their spectral masses with short extrapolations to the physical point, observing agreement with phenomenological expectations. We find that only the good diquark has attractive quark-quark spatial correlations, with spherical shape and size $\sim0.6$ fm. Our results provide quantitative support for modelling the low-lying baryon spectrum using good light diquark effective degrees of freedom.

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arXiv2021

A ChPT estimate of the strong-isospin-breaking contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon

First-principles lattice determinations of the Standard Model expectation for the leading order hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon have become sufficiently precise that further improvement requires including strong and electromagnetic isospin-breaking effects. We provide a continuum estimate of the strong isospin-breaking contribution, $a_\mu^{SIB}$, using $SU(3)$ chiral perturbation theory. The result is shown to be dominated by resonance-region contributions encoded in a single low-energy constant whose value is known from flavor-breaking hadronic $\tau$ decay sum rules. Implications of the form of the result for lattice determinations of $a_\mu^{SIB}$ are also discussed.

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arXiv2021

Diquark properties from full QCD lattice simulations

We study diquarks on the lattice in the background of a static quark, in a gauge-invariant formalism with quark masses down to almost physical $m_\pi$. We determine mass differences between diquark channels as well as diquark-quark mass differences. The lightest and next-to-lightest diquarks have "good" scalar, $\bar{3}_F$, $\bar{3}_c$, $J^P=0^+$, and "bad" axial vector, $6_F$, $\bar{3}_c$, $J^P=1^+$, quantum numbers, and a bad-good mass difference for $ud$ flavors, $198(4)~\rm{MeV}$, in excellent agreement with phenomenological determinations. Quark-quark attraction is found only in the "good" diquark channel. We extract a corresponding diquark size of $\sim 0.6~\rm{fm}$ and perform a first exploration of the "good" diquark shape, which is shown to be spherical. Our results provide quantitative support for modeling the low-lying baryon spectrum using good light diquark effective degrees of freedom.

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arXiv2021

SU(2) lattice gauge theory on a quantum annealer

Lattice gauge theory is an essential tool for strongly interacting non-Abelian fields, such as those in quantum chromodynamics where lattice results have been of central importance for several decades. Recent studies suggest that quantum computers could extend the reach of lattice gauge theory in dramatic ways, but the usefulness of quantum annealing hardware for lattice gauge theory has not yet been explored. In this work, we implement SU(2) pure gauge theory on a quantum annealer for lattices comprising a few plaquettes in a row with a periodic boundary condition. These plaquettes are in two spatial dimensions and calculations use the Hamiltonian formulation where time is not discretized. Numerical results are obtained from calculations on D-Wave Advantage hardware for eigenvalues, eigenvectors, vacuum expectation values, and time evolution. The success of this initial exploration indicates that the quantum annealer might become a useful hardware platform for some aspects of lattice gauge theories.

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arXiv2021

SU(2) hadrons on a quantum computer

We realize, for the first time, a non-Abelian gauge theory with both gauge and matter fields on a quantum computer. This enables the observation of hadrons and the calculation of their associated masses. The SU(2) gauge group considered here represents an important first step towards ultimately studying quantum chromodynamics, the theory that describes the properties of protons, neutrons and other hadrons. Quantum computers are able to create important new opportunities for ongoing essential research on gauge theories by providing simulations that are unattainable on classical computers. Our calculations on an IBM superconducting platform utilize a variational quantum eigensolver to study both meson and baryon states, hadrons which have never been seen in a non-Abelian simulation on a quantum computer. We develop a resource-efficient approach that not only allows the implementation of a full SU(2) gauge theory on present-day quantum hardware, but further lays out the premises for future quantum simulations that will address currently unanswered questions in particle and nuclear physics.

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arXiv2019

A qubit model for U(1) lattice gauge theory

A conceptually simple model for strongly interacting compact U(1) lattice gauge theory is expressed as operators acting on qubits. The number of independent gauge links is reduced to its minimum through the use of Gauss's law. The model can be implemented with any number of qubits per gauge link, and a choice as small as two is shown to be useful. Real-time propagation and real-time collisions are observed on lattices in two spatial dimensions. The extension to three spatial dimensions is also developed, and a first look at 3-dimensional real-time dynamics is presented.

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arXiv2018

Evidence for charm-bottom tetraquarks and the mass dependence of heavy-light tetraquark states from lattice QCD

We continue our study of heavy-light four-quark states and find evidence from lattice QCD for the existence of a strong-interaction-stable $I(J^P)=0(1^+)$ $ud\bar{c}\bar{b}$ tetraquark with mass in the range of 15 to 61 MeV below $\bar{D}B^*$ threshold. Since this range includes the electromagnetic $\bar{D}B\gamma$ decay threshold, current uncertainties do not allow us to determine whether such a state would decay electromagnetically, or only weakly. We also perform a study at fixed pion mass, with NRQCD for the heavy quarks, simulating $qq^\prime \bar{b}^\prime \bar{b}$ and $q q^\prime \bar{b}^\prime\bar{b}^\prime$ tetraquarks with $q,\, q^\prime =ud$ or $\ell s$ and variable, unphysical $m_{b^\prime}$ in order to investigate the heavy mass-dependence of such tetraquark states. We find that the dependence of the binding energy follows a phenomenologically-expected form and that, though NRQCD breaks down before $m_{b^\prime}=m_c$ is reached, the results at higher $m_{b^\prime}$ clearly identify the $ud\bar{b}^\prime \bar{b}$ channel as the most likely to support a strong-interaction-stable tetraquark state at $m_{b^\prime}=m_c$. This observation serves to motivate the direct $ud\bar{c}\bar{b}$ simulation. Throughout we use dynamical $n_f=2+1$ ensembles with pion masses $m_\pi=$415, 299, and 164 MeV reaching down almost to the physical point, a relativistic heavy quark prescription for the charm quark, and NRQCD for the bottom quark(s).

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