Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-28-2026

Abstract

Quantum field theories are an essential framework in modeling fundamental interactions in nature, yet reliable simulations consume large portions of the world's most powerful supercomputers. In this Dissertation, we explore an alternative simulation paradigm on fault-tolerant quantum hardware, discussing both algorithmic and model advancements. In the former, we construct state-of-the-art algorithmic subroutines that take advantage of useful properties of the Hamiltonian describing the theory to achieve an exponential improvement in resources over prior quantum algorithms. In the latter, we simplify the structure of the Hamiltonian, making it more amenable to quantum simulation. First, we present an improved regularization of the gauge group using braided fusion categories, which evokes a convenient anyon description of the Hamiltonian. Second, we represent the Hamiltonian in Dirac's light-front formalism, which maps simulation to an eigenvalue estimation problem. These improvements motivate the use of quantum computers for simulation with significantly fewer resources than their conventional counterparts.

Degree Name

Physics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Physics & Astronomy

First Committee Member (Chair)

Andrew Baczewski

Second Committee Member

Andrew J. Landahl

Third Committee Member

Akimasa Miyake

Fourth Committee Member

Milad Marvian

Language

English

Keywords

Quantum computation, Quantum algorithms, Quantum simulation, Quantum field theories, Lattice gauge theories

Document Type

Dissertation

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