Rendering Coherent Scattering via Quantum Collision Models
2026-06-29 • Graphics
Graphics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors created a new method for computer graphics that simulates how light interacts with materials more realistically by using ideas from quantum physics. Instead of assuming material properties stay the same, their method models light and material energy as tiny, discrete units that can 'collide' and change. This approach captures complex effects like light scattering beneath surfaces and interference patterns that are hard to represent with traditional techniques. They also show that small quantum computers can help compute these effects, making it possible to render materials with new and unique optical features.
ray-tracingquantum collision modelcoherent light-matter interactionssub-surface scatteringunitary collisionssymmetry constraintsmulti-layer interferenceBSDFquantized modesquantum computing
Authors
João S. Ferreira, Spencer S. Topel, Pierre Fromholz, James R. Wootton
Abstract
Traditional light rendering techniques treat the optical properties of materials as static, yet this assumption breaks down in cases where these properties dynamically evolve in response to incident illumination. We present a novel shading framework that combines classical ray-tracing with a quantum collision model to explore the effect of coherent light-matter interactions in rendering. By treating incident light and material excitations as quantized modes, we model sub-surface scattering as a sequence of symmetry-constrained unitary collisions. This formulation allows for the incorporation of non-integrable dynamics and chaotic optical responses due to multi-layer interference effects. We demonstrate how these collision operators can be pre-computed using near-term quantum computers to generate standard BSDFs, enabling the rendering of new physics-inspired materials with distinct optical signatures.