An HHL-based algorithm for computing hitting probabilities of quantum walks

We present a novel application of the HHL (Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd) algorithm --- a quantum algorithm solving systems of linear equations --- in solving an open problem about quantum walks, namely computing hitting (or absorption) probabilities of a general (not only Hadamard) one-dimensional quantum walks with two absorbing boundaries. This is achieved by a simple observation that the problem of computing hitting probabilities of quantum walks can be reduced to inverting a matrix. Then a quantum algorithm with the HHL algorithm as a subroutine is developed for solving the problem, which is faster than the known classical algorithms by numerical experiments.