Linear combination of Hamiltonian simulation for non-unitary dynamics with optimal state preparation cost

We propose a simple method for simulating a general class of non-unitary dynamics as a linear combination of Hamiltonian simulation (LCHS) problems. LCHS does not rely on converting the problem into a dilated linear system problem, or on the spectral mapping theorem. The latter is the mathematical foundation of many quantum algorithms for solving a wide variety of tasks involving non-unitary processes, such as the quantum singular value transformation (QSVT). The LCHS method can achieve optimal cost in terms of state preparation. We also demonstrate an application for open quantum dynamics simulation using the complex absorbing potential method with near-optimal dependence on all parameters.