Quantum diagonalization of Hermitean matrices

S. Weigert

doi:10.1088/0305-4470/34/27/312

Quantum diagonalization of Hermitean matrices

S. Weigert

Mathematics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

To measure an observable of a quantum mechanical system leaves it in one of its eigenstates and the result of the measurement is one of its eigenvalues. This process is shown to be a computational resource: Hermitean (N ×N) matrices can be diagonalized, in principle, by performing appropriate quantum mechanical measurements. To do so, one considers the given matrix as an observable of a single spin with appropriate length s which can be measured using a generalized Stern-Gerlach apparatus. Then, each run provides one eigenvalue of the observable. As the underlying working principle is the `collapse of the wavefunction' associated with a measurement, the procedure is neither a digital nor an analogue calculation - it defines thus a new example of a quantum mechanical method of computation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	5619-5624
Number of pages	5
Journal	Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General
Volume	34
Issue number	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470/34/27/312
Publication status	Published - 13 Jul 2001

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title = "Quantum diagonalization of Hermitean matrices",

abstract = "To measure an observable of a quantum mechanical system leaves it in one of its eigenstates and the result of the measurement is one of its eigenvalues. This process is shown to be a computational resource: Hermitean (N ×N) matrices can be diagonalized, in principle, by performing appropriate quantum mechanical measurements. To do so, one considers the given matrix as an observable of a single spin with appropriate length s which can be measured using a generalized Stern-Gerlach apparatus. Then, each run provides one eigenvalue of the observable. As the underlying working principle is the `collapse of the wavefunction' associated with a measurement, the procedure is neither a digital nor an analogue calculation - it defines thus a new example of a quantum mechanical method of computation.",

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AB - To measure an observable of a quantum mechanical system leaves it in one of its eigenstates and the result of the measurement is one of its eigenvalues. This process is shown to be a computational resource: Hermitean (N ×N) matrices can be diagonalized, in principle, by performing appropriate quantum mechanical measurements. To do so, one considers the given matrix as an observable of a single spin with appropriate length s which can be measured using a generalized Stern-Gerlach apparatus. Then, each run provides one eigenvalue of the observable. As the underlying working principle is the `collapse of the wavefunction' associated with a measurement, the procedure is neither a digital nor an analogue calculation - it defines thus a new example of a quantum mechanical method of computation.

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