Concatenation of Error Avoiding with Error Correcting Quantum Codes for Correlated Noise Models

We study the performance of simple error correcting and error avoiding quantum codes together with their concatenation for correlated noise models. Specifically, we consider two error models: i) a bit-flip (phase-flip) noisy Markovian memory channel (model I); ii) a memory channel defined as a memory degree dependent linear combination of memoryless channels with Kraus decompositions expressed solely in terms of tensor products of X-Pauli (Z-Pauli) operators (model II). The performance of both the three-qubit bit flip (phase flip) and the error avoiding codes suitable for the considered error models is quantified in terms of the entanglement fidelity. We explicitly show that while none of the two codes is effective in the extreme limit when the other is, the three-qubit bit flip (phase flip) code still works for high enough correlations in the errors, whereas the error avoiding code does not work for small correlations. Finally, we consider the concatenation of such codes for both error models and show that it is particularly advantageous for model II in the regime of partial correlations.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Characterizing the Depolarizing Quantum Channel in Terms of Riemannian Geometry

We explore the conceptual usefulness of Riemannian geometric tools induced by the statistical concept of distinguishability in quantifying the effect of a depolarizing channel on quantum states. Specifically, we compare the geometries of the interior of undeformed and deformed Bloch spheres related to density operators on a two-dimensional Hilbert space. We show that randomization emerges geometrically through a smaller infinitesimal quantum line element on the deformed Bloch sphere while the uniform contraction manifests itself via a deformed set of geodesics where the spacial components of the deformed four-Bloch vector are simply the contracted versions of the undeformed Bloch vector components.Comment: 7 pages, 0 figures; Accepted contribution to "Folding and Unfolding: Interactions from Geometry", Workshop in honour of Giuseppe Marmo's 65th birthday; 8-12 June 2011, Ischia (ITALY

A simple comparative analysis of exact and approximate quantum error correction

We present a comparative analysis of exact and approximate quantum error correction by means of simple unabridged analytical computations. For the sake of clarity, using primitive quantum codes, we study the exact and approximate error correction of the two simplest unital (Pauli errors) and nonunital (non-Pauli errors) noise models, respectively. The similarities and differences between the two scenarios are stressed. In addition, the performances of quantum codes quantified by means of the entanglement fidelity for different recovery schemes are taken into consideration in the approximate case. Finally, the role of self-complementarity in approximate quantum error correction is briefly addressed.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure, improved v2; accepted for publication in Open Systems and Information Dynamics (2014

Approximate quantum error correction for generalized amplitude damping errors

We present analytic estimates of the performances of various approximate quantum error correction schemes for the generalized amplitude damping (GAD) qubit channel. Specifically, we consider both stabilizer and nonadditive quantum codes. The performance of such error-correcting schemes is quantified by means of the entanglement fidelity as a function of the damping probability and the non-zero environmental temperature. The recovery scheme employed throughout our work applies, in principle, to arbitrary quantum codes and is the analogue of the perfect Knill-Laflamme recovery scheme adapted to the approximate quantum error correction framework for the GAD error model. We also analytically recover and/or clarify some previously known numerical results in the limiting case of vanishing temperature of the environment, the well-known traditional amplitude damping channel. In addition, our study suggests that degenerate stabilizer codes and self-complementary nonadditive codes are especially suitable for the error correction of the GAD noise model. Finally, comparing the properly normalized entanglement fidelities of the best performant stabilizer and nonadditive codes characterized by the same length, we show that nonadditive codes outperform stabilizer codes not only in terms of encoded dimension but also in terms of entanglement fidelity.Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, improved v