Towards a NMR implementation of a quantum lattice gas algorithm

Recent theoretical results suggest that an array of quantum information processors communicating via classical channels can be used to solve fluid dynamics problems. Quantum lattice-gas algorithms (QLGA) running on such architectures have been shown to solve the diffusion equation and the nonlinear Burgers equations. In this report, we describe progress towards an ensemble nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) implementation of a QLGA that solves the diffusion equation. The methods rely on NMR techniques to encode an initial mass density into an ensemble of two-qubit quantum information processors. Using standard pulse techniques, the mass density can then manipulated and evolved through the steps of the algorithm. We provide the experimental results of our first attempt to realize the NMR implementation. The results qualitatively follow the ideal simulation, but the observed implementation errors highlight the need for improved control. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.