Abstract:
Quantum computers are physical devices that process information using the principles of quantum mechanics, which in turn is underpinned by linear algebra. The talk will start with a review of Lie algebras and their role in quantum mechanics. The dynamical Lie algebra (DLA) of a quantum system is defined as the Lie algebra obtained by taking all real linear combinations and nested commutators of the terms of the Hamiltonian. The significance of the DLA is that the time evolution of the system is given by elements of the associated Lie group. The DLA determines the set of reachable states of the system and its controllability, so it is relevant for designing quantum circuits. In this talk, I will present a classification of DLAs generated by 2-local Pauli interactions on spin chains and on arbitrary interaction graphs. I will also discuss applications of DLAs to variational quantum computing, including the problem of barren plateaus in quantum machine learning. The talk will be accessible to mathematics and physics students; no prior knowledge of quantum computing is assumed.
Bio: Originally from Bulgaria, Bojko Bakalov received his PhD from MIT and was a Miller Research Fellow at Berkeley before joining the North Carolina State Math Department in 2003. Currently, he is the Director of Graduate Programs in Math and Applied Math and an Associate Director of the North Carolina Quantum Initiative. Bakalov’s research interests include quantum computing, mathematical physics, signal processing, representation theory, and integrable systems. In 2006, he was awarded the Hermann Weyl Prize of the International Colloquia on Group Theoretical Methods in Physics, for original work of significant scientific quality in the area of understanding physics through symmetries. Bakalov’s research is supported by the US Department of Energy, US Space Force, and the Simons Foundation.