English

Implementing the Koopman-von Neumann approach on continuous-variable photonic quantum computers

Quantum Physics 2025-12-17 v1

Abstract

The Koopman-von Neumann (KvN) formalism recasts classical mechanics in a Hilbert space framework using complex wavefunctions and linear operators, akin to quantum mechanics. Instead of evolving probability densities in phase space (as in Liouville's equation), KvN uses a Schr\"odinger-like equation for a classical wavefunction, with commuting position and momentum operators. Mapped to quantum computing, KvN offers a promising route to simulate classical dynamical systems using quantum algorithms by leveraging unitary evolution and quantum linear algebra tools, potentially enabling efficient classical-to-quantum mappings without invoking full quantum uncertainty. In this work, we specifically explore the implementation of the KvN approach on continuous-variable photonic quantum computing architectures, with the goals of leveraging quantum simulation for both sampling and computing intractable nonlinear dynamics. We will demonstrate its implementation and feasibility with two problems: the harmonic oscillator and a 1D partial differential equation governing nonlinear dynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2512.13887,
  title  = {Implementing the Koopman-von Neumann approach on continuous-variable photonic quantum computers},
  author = {Xinfeng Gao and Olivier Pfister and Stefan Bekiranov},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.13887},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

9 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publication

R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:26:13.497Z