19 research outputs found
Dilemma that cannot be resolved by biased quantum coin flipping
We show that a biased quantum coin flip (QCF) cannot provide the performance
of a black-boxed biased coin flip, if it satisfies some fidelity conditions.
Although such a QCF satisfies the security conditions of a biased coin flip, it
does not realize the ideal functionality, and therefore, does not fulfill the
demands for universally composable security. Moreover, through a comparison
within a small restricted bias range, we show that an arbitrary QCF is
distinguishable from a black-boxed coin flip unless it is unbiased on both
sides of parties against insensitive cheating. We also point out the difficulty
in developing cheat-sensitive quantum bit commitment in terms of the
uncomposability of a QCF.Comment: 5 pages and 1 figure. Accepted versio
Efficient one- and two-qubit pulsed gates for an oscillator stabilized Josephson qubit
We present theoretical schemes for performing high-fidelity one- and
two-qubit pulsed gates for a superconducting flux qubit. The "IBM qubit"
consists of three Josephson junctions, three loops, and a superconducting
transmission line. Assuming a fixed inductive qubit-qubit coupling, we show
that the effective qubit-qubit interaction is tunable by changing the applied
fluxes, and can be made negligible, allowing one to perform high fidelity
single qubit gates. Our schemes are tailored to alleviate errors due to 1/f
noise; we find gates with only 1% loss of fidelity due to this source, for
pulse times in the range of 20-30ns for one-qubit gates (Z rotations,
Hadamard), and 60ns for a two-qubit gate (controlled-Z). Our relaxation and
dephasing time estimates indicate a comparable loss of fidelity from this
source. The control of leakage plays an important role in the design of our
shaped pulses, preventing shorter pulse times. However, we have found that
imprecision in the control of the quantum phase plays the major role in the
limitation of the fidelity of our gates.Comment: Published version. Added references. Corrected minor typos. Added
discussion on how the influence of 1/f noise is modeled. 36 pages, 11 figure
Topological fault-tolerance in cluster state quantum computation
We describe a fault-tolerant version of the one-way quantum computer using a
cluster state in three spatial dimensions. Topologically protected quantum
gates are realized by choosing appropriate boundary conditions on the cluster.
We provide equivalence transformations for these boundary conditions that can
be used to simplify fault-tolerant circuits and to derive circuit identities in
a topological manner. The spatial dimensionality of the scheme can be reduced
to two by converting one spatial axis of the cluster into time. The error
threshold is 0.75% for each source in an error model with preparation, gate,
storage and measurement errors. The operational overhead is poly-logarithmic in
the circuit size.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figure
Scalable Noise Estimation with Random Unitary Operators
We describe a scalable stochastic method for the experimental measurement of
generalized fidelities characterizing the accuracy of the implementation of a
coherent quantum transformation. The method is based on the motion reversal of
random unitary operators. In the simplest case our method enables direct
estimation of the average gate fidelity. The more general fidelities are
characterized by a universal exponential rate of fidelity loss. In all cases
the measurable fidelity decrease is directly related to the strength of the
noise affecting the implementation -- quantified by the trace of the
superoperator describing the non--unitary dynamics. While the scalability of
our stochastic protocol makes it most relevant in large Hilbert spaces (when
quantum process tomography is infeasible), our method should be immediately
useful for evaluating the degree of control that is achievable in any prototype
quantum processing device. By varying over different experimental arrangements
and error-correction strategies additional information about the noise can be
determined.Comment: 8 pages; v2: published version (typos corrected; reference added
Tricolored Lattice Gauge Theory with Randomness: Fault-Tolerance in Topological Color Codes
We compute the error threshold of color codes, a class of topological quantum
codes that allow a direct implementation of quantum Clifford gates, when both
qubit and measurement errors are present. By mapping the problem onto a
statistical-mechanical three-dimensional disordered Ising lattice gauge theory,
we estimate via large-scale Monte Carlo simulations that color codes are stable
against 4.5(2)% errors. Furthermore, by evaluating the skewness of the Wilson
loop distributions, we introduce a very sensitive probe to locate first-order
phase transitions in lattice gauge theories.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Symmetry protection of measurement-based quantum computation in ground states
The two-dimensional cluster state, a universal resource for measurement-based
quantum computation, is also the gapped ground state of a short-ranged
Hamiltonian. Here, we examine the effect of perturbations to this Hamiltonian.
We prove that, provided the perturbation is sufficiently small and respects a
certain symmetry, the perturbed ground state remains a universal resource. We
do this by characterising the operation of an adaptive measurement protocol
throughout a suitable symmetry-protected quantum phase, relying on generic
properties of the phase rather than any analytic control over the ground state.Comment: 20 pages plus appendices, 11 figures, comments very welcome; v2 minor
corrections and additional references; v3 published version with minor
correction
Fault tolerant architectures for superconducting qubits
In this short review, I draw attention to new developments in the theory of
fault tolerance in quantum computation that may give concrete direction to
future work in the development of superconducting qubit systems. The basics of
quantum error correction codes, which I will briefly review, have not
significantly changed since their introduction fifteen years ago. But an
interesting picture has emerged of an efficient use of these codes that may put
fault tolerant operation within reach. It is now understood that two
dimensional surface codes, close relatives of the original toric code of
Kitaev, can be adapted to effectively perform logical gate operations in a very
simple planar architecture, with error thresholds for fault tolerant operation
simulated to be 0.75%. This architecture uses topological ideas in its
functioning, but it is not 'topological quantum computation' -- there are no
non-abelian anyons in sight. I offer some speculations on the crucial pieces of
superconducting hardware that could be demonstrated in the next couple of years
that would be clear stepping stones towards this surface-code architecture.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures. For the Nobel Symposium on Qubits for Quantum
Information, submitted to Physica Scripta. v. 2 Corrections and small changes
to reference
Can One Trust Quantum Simulators?
Various fundamental phenomena of strongly-correlated quantum systems such as
high- superconductivity, the fractional quantum-Hall effect, and quark
confinement are still awaiting a universally accepted explanation. The main
obstacle is the computational complexity of solving even the most simplified
theoretical models that are designed to capture the relevant quantum
correlations of the many-body system of interest. In his seminal 1982 paper
[Int. J. Theor. Phys. 21, 467], Richard Feynman suggested that such models
might be solved by "simulation" with a new type of computer whose constituent
parts are effectively governed by a desired quantum many-body dynamics.
Measurements on this engineered machine, now known as a "quantum simulator,"
would reveal some unknown or difficult to compute properties of a model of
interest. We argue that a useful quantum simulator must satisfy four
conditions: relevance, controllability, reliability, and efficiency. We review
the current state of the art of digital and analog quantum simulators. Whereas
so far the majority of the focus, both theoretically and experimentally, has
been on controllability of relevant models, we emphasize here the need for a
careful analysis of reliability and efficiency in the presence of
imperfections. We discuss how disorder and noise can impact these conditions,
and illustrate our concerns with novel numerical simulations of a paradigmatic
example: a disordered quantum spin chain governed by the Ising model in a
transverse magnetic field. We find that disorder can decrease the reliability
of an analog quantum simulator of this model, although large errors in local
observables are introduced only for strong levels of disorder. We conclude that
the answer to the question "Can we trust quantum simulators?" is... to some
extent.Comment: 20 pages. Minor changes with respect to version 2 (some additional
explanations, added references...