Daniel Mark, MIT

Ancilla-Assisted Shadow Tomography: Measuring Arbitrary Physical Properties in Analog Quantum Simulation

I will introduce a protocol for measuring arbitrary observables that can be implemented in today’s analog quantum simulation platforms. A key challenge in analog quantum simulation is to measure desired physical properties. Conventional approaches necessitate a high level of control unavailable to most present-day quantum devices. Our protocol—inspired by “classical shadow tomography”—involves introducing ancillary degrees of freedom to the state of interest, evolving the joint system under native Hamiltonian dynamics, then measuring globally in a single, fixed basis. Information about all observables is contained in the measurement data, which can be extracted using classical data processing. I will numerically demonstrate our approach with examples relevant to neutral atom arrays and quantum gas microscopes, only assuming existing technology. Our protocol promises to overcome limited controllability in analog simulators and thus enhance the versatility and utility of near-term quantum technologies.