Simulating single-photon experiments with a quantum computer

Abstract

In this work, we simulate the behavior of photons in a laboratory experiment using a quantum computer and examine how the simulation results compare with the theoretical predictions. The experiment involves both protective and non-protective measurements. While the latter involves complete wavefunction collapse, the former combines weak interactions with a protective mechanism thereby preserving the photon wave function coherence until its final detection. The simulation gives insights as to how efficient quantum computers can be in simulating actual physical systems as the amount of computation increases.