Exponentially Decaying Quantum Simulation Error with Noisy Devices

Quantum simulation is a promising way toward practical quantum advantage, but noise in current quantum hardware poses a significant obstacle. We prove that not only the physical error but also the algorithmic error in a single Trotter step decreases exponentially with the circuit depth. This theoretical finding is validated by our numerical results over various Hamiltonians, initial states, and noise channels. Furthermore, we derive the optimal number of Trotter steps and the noise requirement to guarantee total simulation precision. To explicitly show the requirements for robust quantum simulation, we plot a phase diagram of the accumulated error in terms of circuit depth and noise rate. At last, we demonstrate that our improved error analysis leads to significant resourcesaving for fault-tolerant Trotter circuits. By addressing these aspects, this work provides fresh and systematic insight on the practical quantum advantage through quantum simulation.