An Optimized Construction of Lie Algebra Generator Pools for Variational Quantum Eigensolvers in Chemistry
quant-ph
Submitted: 2025-11-27
Updated: 2026-07-29
Journal ref: Communications Physics, 2026
DOI: 10.1038/s42005-026-02879-y
Code: https://github.com/sbadred/MCP_GAMMA
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: Lie algebras are essential mathematical structures used in physics to describe sets of quantum operators.
Terminology
Abstract
Lie algebras are essential mathematical structures used in physics to describe sets of quantum operators. Identifying a minimal set of generators to construct these algebras is a central challenge. The traditional search for such generators relies on greedy construction steps applied to an exponentially growing number of candidate operators, making it computationally intractable. Here we show a general, polynomial-scaling strategy, based on fundamental Lie-algebraic properties, to overcome this bottleneck. We apply this framework to quantum chemistry, specifically to adaptive variational algorithms that simulate molecular ground states. By integrating our mathematically verified generator pools into a batched algorithmic framework, we reduce the required quantum resources and improve convergence for strongly correlated systems. Furthermore, this approach eliminates computational bottlenecks that previously restricted fixed-ansatz non-iterative coupled-cluster methods to small molecules, enabling simulations of complex systems well beyond previous limits. This foundational framework also presents broad applications across quantum computing, including quantum error correction, machine learning, and hardware control.
Sources
- Full classification of Pauli Lie algebras
- How to really measure operator gradients in ADAPT-VQE
- Quantum Gambling: Best-Arm Strategies for Generator Selection in Adaptive Variational Algorithms
- Stabilizer Codes and Quantum Error Correction
Related papers
- Reconquering Bell sampling on qudits: stabilizer learning and testing, quantum pseudorandomness bounds, and more
- Encrypted clones can leak: Classification of informative subsets in Quantum Encrypted Cloning
- Polynomial-time classical and quantum simulation of quantum impurity models
- Theory of quantum-enhanced interferometry with general Markovian light sources
- A convergent hierarchy of spectral gap certificates for qubit Hamiltonians
- Universal Bound and Phase Transition in Many-Body Fermionic Non-Gaussianity