A collider as a quantum computer
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Scattering processes in high-energy physics are inherently quantum mechanical, yet are typically analyzed at the level of final states, where entanglement appears as a property of the outcome rather than a consequence of the underlying dynamics. We reformulate scattering at the level of the process itself by representing helicity transition matrices as quantum circuits. Once a scattering channel and a kinematic outcome are selected, the corresponding helicity transition amplitude defines a finite-dimensional conditional map, making a circuit description natural. For the process e + e − → μ + μ − , the singular value decomposition expresses the selected map as norm-preserving input and output basis transformations surrounding a diagonal filter that contains all conditional, postselection-induced norm change. The complete S -matrix remains unitary, while the non-unitarity considered here belongs to the map conditioned on a selected channel and kinematic outcome. This representation reorganizes the amplitude into distinct operational elements and provides a circuit language for its constrained entanglement dynamics.
Source: Physics Letters B
Authors: Wei Xie, Ji-Chong Yang
Institutions: Liaoning Normal University, China Three Gorges University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7160837853