Entanglement dynamics in one-dimensional quantum cellular automata

Several proposed schemes for the physical realization of a quantum computer consist of qubits arranged in a cellular array. In the quantum circuit model of quantum computation, an often complex series of two-qubit gate operations is required between arbitrarily distant pairs of lattice qubits. An alternative model of quantum computation based on quantum cellular automata (QCA) requires only homogeneous local interactions that can be implemented in parallel. This would be a huge simplification in an actual experiment. We find some minimal physical requirements for the construction of unitary QCA in a one-dimensional Ising spin chain and demonstrate optimal pulse sequences for information transport and entanglement distribution. We also introduce the theory of nonunitary QCA and show by example that nonunitary rules can generate environment assisted entanglement.