Quantum Channel Capacities Per Unit Cost

Communication over a noisy channel is often conducted in a setting in which different input symbols to the channel incur a certain cost. For example, for bosonic quantum channels, the cost associated with an input state is the number of photons, which is proportional to the energy consumed. In such a setting, it is often useful to know the maximum amount of information that can be reliably transmitted per cost incurred. This is known as the capacity per unit cost. In this paper, we generalize the capacity per unit cost to various communication tasks involving a quantum channel such as classical communication, entanglement-assisted classical communication, private communication, and quantum communication. For each task, we define the corresponding capacity per unit cost and derive a formula for it analogous to that of the usual capacity. Furthermore, for the special and natural case in which there is a zero-cost state, we obtain expressions in terms of an optimized relative entropy involving the zero-cost state. For each communication task, we construct an explicit pulse-position-modulation coding scheme that achieves the capacity per unit cost. Finally, we compute capacities per unit cost for various bosonic Gaussian channels and introduce the notion of a blocklength constraint as a proposed solution to the long-standing issue of infinite capacities per unit cost. This motivates the idea of a blocklength-cost duality, on which we elaborate in depth.Comment: v3: 18 pages, 2 figure

Experimental detection of quantum channel capacities

We present an effcient experimental procedure that certifies non vanishing quantum capacities for qubit noisy channels. Our method is based on the use of a fixed bipartite entangled state, where the system qubit is sent to the channel input. A particular set of local measurements is performed at the channel output and the ancilla qubit mode, obtaining lower bounds to the quantum capacities for any unknown channel with no need of a quantum process tomography. The entangled qubits have a Bell state configuration and are encoded in photon polarization. The lower bounds are found by estimating the Shannon and von Neumann entropies at the output using an optimized basis, whose statistics is obtained by measuring only the three observables $\sigma_{x}\otimes\sigma_{x}$, $\sigma_{y}\otimes\sigma_{y}$ and $\sigma_{z}\otimes\sigma_{z}$.Comment: 5 pages and 3 figures in the principal article, and 4 pages in the supplementary materia

Efficient Approximation of Quantum Channel Capacities

We propose an iterative method for approximating the capacity of classical-quantum channels with a discrete input alphabet and a finite dimensional output, possibly under additional constraints on the input distribution. Based on duality of convex programming, we derive explicit upper and lower bounds for the capacity. To provide an $\varepsilon$-close estimate to the capacity, the presented algorithm requires $O(\tfrac{(N \vee M) M^3 \log(N)^{1/2}}{\varepsilon})$, where $N$ denotes the input alphabet size and $M$ the output dimension. We then generalize the method for the task of approximating the capacity of classical-quantum channels with a bounded continuous input alphabet and a finite dimensional output. For channels with a finite dimensional quantum mechanical input and output, the idea of a universal encoder allows us to approximate the Holevo capacity using the same method. In particular, we show that the problem of approximating the Holevo capacity can be reduced to a multidimensional integration problem. For families of quantum channels fulfilling a certain assumption we show that the complexity to derive an $\varepsilon$-close solution to the Holevo capacity is subexponential or even polynomial in the problem size. We provide several examples to illustrate the performance of the approximation scheme in practice.Comment: 36 pages, 1 figur

Quantum Channel Capacities with Passive Environment Assistance

We initiate the study of passive environment-assisted communication via a quantum channel, modeled as a unitary interaction between the information carrying system and an environment. In this model, the environment is controlled by a benevolent helper who can set its initial state such as to assist sender and receiver of the communication link. (The case of a malicious environment, also known as jammer, or arbitrarily varying channel, is essentially well-understood and comprehensively reviewed.) Here, after setting out precise definitions, focussing on the problem of quantum communication, we show that entanglement plays a crucial role in this problem: indeed, the assisted capacity where the helper is restricted to product states between channel uses is different from the one with unrestricted helper. Furthermore, prior shared entanglement between the helper and the receiver makes a difference, too.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, IEEE format, Theorem 9 (statement and proof) changed, updated References and Example 11 added. Comments are welcome

Additivity of Entangled Channel Capacity for Quantum Input States

An elementary introduction into algebraic approach to unified quantum information theory and operational approach to quantum entanglement as generalized encoding is given. After introducing compound quantum state and two types of informational divergences, namely, Araki-Umegaki (a-type) and of Belavkin-Staszewski (b-type) quantum relative entropic information, this paper treats two types of quantum mutual information via entanglement and defines two types of corresponding quantum channel capacities as the supremum via the generalized encodings. It proves the additivity property of quantum channel capacities via entanglement, which extends the earlier results of V. P. Belavkin to products of arbitrary quantum channels for quantum relative entropy of any type.Comment: 17 pages. See the related papers at http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/personal/vpb/research/ent_com.htm

Continuity of quantum channel capacities

We prove that a broad array of capacities of a quantum channel are continuous. That is, two channels that are close with respect to the diamond norm have correspondingly similar communication capabilities. We first show that the classical capacity, quantum capacity, and private classical capacity are continuous, with the variation on arguments epsilon apart bounded by a simple function of epsilon and the channel's output dimension. Our main tool is an upper bound of the variation of output entropies of many copies of two nearby channels given the same initial state; the bound is linear in the number of copies. Our second proof is concerned with the quantum capacities in the presence of free backward or two-way public classical communication. These capacities are proved continuous on the interior of the set of non-zero capacity channels by considering mutual simulation between similar channels.Comment: 12 pages, Revised according to referee's suggestion

A Survey on Quantum Channel Capacities

Quantum information processing exploits the quantum nature of information. It offers fundamentally new solutions in the field of computer science and extends the possibilities to a level that cannot be imagined in classical communication systems. For quantum communication channels, many new capacity definitions were developed in comparison to classical counterparts. A quantum channel can be used to realize classical information transmission or to deliver quantum information, such as quantum entanglement. Here we review the properties of the quantum communication channel, the various capacity measures and the fundamental differences between the classical and quantum channels.Comment: 58 pages, Journal-ref: IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials (2018) (updated & improved version of arXiv:1208.1270