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Quantum Phase Estimation Algorithm - Notes.

The quantum phase estimation algorithm estimates the phase corresponding to an eigenvalue of a unitary operator. It involves initializing registers, applying controlled unitary operations to encode the phase information, applying an inverse quantum Fourier transform to convert the phase information to a binary representation, and measuring the register to estimate the phase. The accuracy depends on the number of qubits and controlled operations.

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18 views

Quantum Phase Estimation Algorithm - Notes.

The quantum phase estimation algorithm estimates the phase corresponding to an eigenvalue of a unitary operator. It involves initializing registers, applying controlled unitary operations to encode the phase information, applying an inverse quantum Fourier transform to convert the phase information to a binary representation, and measuring the register to estimate the phase. The accuracy depends on the number of qubits and controlled operations.

Uploaded by

inumpudi.sushanth
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Quantum Phase Estimation Algorithm

In quantum computing, the quantum phase estimation algorithm is a quantum algorithm to


estimate the phase corresponding to an eigenvalue of a given unitary operator. Because the
eigenvalues of a unitary operator always have unit modulus, they are characterized by their
phase, and therefore the algorithm can be equivalently described as retrieving either the phase
or the eigenvalue itself.

Decoding the Quantum Phase Estimation Algorithm

The QPE algorithm involves a complex process characterized by the following key steps:

1. Initialization: The algorithm starts with two registers. The first register is initialized to
a superposition of all possible states using Hadamard gates. The second register is
prepared in the eigenstate of a unitary operator U, whose eigenvalue λ is to be
estimated.
2. Controlled Unitary Operations: The heart of QPE is a series of controlled unitary
operations U^2k applied to the second register, conditioned on the state of the qubits
in the first register. Each of these operations applies the unitary operator a different
number of times, corresponding to powers of 2, effectively encoding the phase
information of U into the quantum state of the first register.
3. Inverse Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT): After applying the controlled operations,
the first register holds a quantum state that is the superposition of states with phases
related to the eigenvalue of U. The inverse Quantum Fourier Transform is then
applied to this register. The QFT is a quantum algorithm that transforms quantum
states in a way analogous to the discrete Fourier transform in classical computing. Its
inverse is used to convert the quantum phase information into a binary representation.
4. Measurement and Phase Estimation: The final step is to measure the first register. The
outcome of this measurement gives an estimate of the phase θ of the eigenvalue λ,
where λ= e2πiθ. The accuracy of the phase estimate depends on the number of qubits
used in the first register and the number of times the controlled unitary operations are
applied."

We are given a unitary operator U and one of its eigenstates |ψ⟩. The operator is unitary, so
we can write: ,

where ϕ is the phase of the eigenvalue (remember, unitaries have eigenvalues with an
absolute value of 1). The goal is to estimate ϕ, hence the name phase estimation.

Step 1: Put the counting qubits in to Superposition


The counting qubits are put in to superposition using Hadamard gates.
Step 2: Apply unitary operations to the second set
The main part of the circuit is to apply unitary operations on the second set.
These unitary operations are essentially just controlled phase rotations of a specific angle.
This angle is the phase that we wish to estimate. The first counting qubit will do 1 rotation
while the second will do 2 rotations and the third will do 4 rotations and so on.
For example lets say we have 4 qubits Q0 to Q3. The first 3 are the counting qubits and the
4th qubit is the qubit we wish to apply phase rotations to.
The phase we wish to encode is pi/2. The first 3 qubits are put in to superposition. Next Q0
will control 1 phase rotation on Q3. Then Q1 will do 2 phase rotations on Q3 and Q2 will do
4 phase rotations on Q3. Note that each rotation will rotate Q3’s phase by pi/2.
Step 3: Apply an Inverse QFT
After these rotations an inverse QFT is applied to the counting qubits and they are measured.
A QFT or Quantum Fourier Transform is a circuit that transforms the state of the qubit from
the computational basis to the Fourier basis. However in phase estimation we use the inverse
QFT which puts the state in the Fourier basis in to the computational basis so we can measure
it.

Step 4: Measure the counting qubits


After we have applied the inverse QFT we measure the qubits. If we have encoded a phase of
pi/2 in to Q3 then we should get the binary value ‘010’ which is 2.
To estimate the phase we use the following formula:

Where θ is the estimated phase, M is the measured value, and n is the number of counting
qubits. As such from the measurement above:

Which is correct since pi/2 corresponds to a quarter rotation or 0.25.

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