Quantum simulation of wave optics in weakly inhomogeneous media using block-encoding

Abstract:We propose a quantum algorithm that simulates the propagation of a light field through a weakly inhomogeneous medium. In the paraxial approximation, the wave equation in an inhomogeneous material takes the form of the Schrödinger equation with a time-dependent Hamiltonian. This reduction is used to simulate wave optical dynamics on a quantum computer. Beam propagator operators for a short propagation distance are constructed using an efficient and flexible block-encoding that enables the simulation of various optical setups. The algorithm is showcased by simulating the propagation of a one-dimensional Gaussian beam through a lens of finite thickness, and the resulting spherical aberration is demonstrated.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Applied Physics (physics.app-ph); Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph)

arXiv:2409.11020 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2409.11020v3 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2409.11020 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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