Geometry of Quantum Computation with Qutrits

Abstract: Determining the quantum circuit complexity of a unitary operation is an important problem in quantum computation. By using the mathematical techniques of Riemannian geometry, we investigate the efficient quantum circuits in quantum computation with $n$ qutrits. We show that the optimal quantum circuits are essentially equivalent to the shortest path between two points in a certain curved geometry of $SU(3^n)$. As an example, three-qutrit systems are investigated in detail.