Research preprint
The Chemistry Performance Envelope.
Circuit resources, energy prediction and conditional processor budgets.
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Research preprint · 18 September 2026 version · 16 pages · PDF
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What the study examines
We examine the resources and accuracy of variational quantum chemistry through compiled circuits, molecular energy references and noise models, using small active-space benchmarks, a reproducible six-qubit circuit and a hydrogen mitigation campaign.
Findings
- The supplied six-qubit circuit contains 1,433 controlled-Z gates. Its ideal energy is 3.954 mHa above the supplied operator’s global minimum.
- Across seven hydrogen geometries, mean absolute deviation falls from 9.734 mHa for raw estimates to 3.153 mHa with combined readout and zero-noise mitigation.
- A conditional budget translates an energy allowance into a gate-error requirement. The illustrative BeH₂ requirement is 8.110 × 10⁻⁶ under the paper’s specified model assumptions.
Methods
The study combines retrospective noise-model comparisons, offline circuit replay and model-based processor budgets. Numerical inputs and reproduction steps are included in the supporting materials.
Supporting materials
The downloads contain the 18 September 2026 version, with numerical inputs, methods and reproduction instructions.
- Supplementary information: View PDF ↗ · Download PDF
- Download data and reproduction code (ZIP)
- Read reproduction guide ↗
Discuss the research
We welcome technical feedback on the energy references, noise model, statistical interpretation and reproducibility. Contact team@atomiccubit.com.