A Bloch-Sphere-Type Model for Two Qubits in the Geometric Algebra of a 6-D Euclidean Vector Space

Geometric algebra is a mathematical structure that is inherent in any metric vector space, and defined by the requirement that the metric tensor is given by the scalar part of the product of vectors. It provides a natural framework in which to represent the classical groups as subgroups of rotation groups, and similarly their Lie algebras. In this article we show how the geometric algebra of a six-dimensional real Euclidean vector space naturally allows one to construct the special unitary group on a two-qubit (quantum bit) Hilbert space, in a fashion similar to that used in the well-established Bloch sphere model for a single qubit. This is then used to illustrate the Cartan decompositions and subalgebras of the four-dimensional special unitary group, which have recently been used by J. Zhang, J. Vala, S. Sastry and K. B. Whaley [Phys. Rev. A 67, 042313, 2003] to study the entangling capabilities of two-qubit unitaries.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, in press (Proceedings of SPIE Conference on Defense & Security

Regulated buildups of 3-configurations

summary:We deal with two types of buildups of 3-configurations: a generating buildup over a given edge set and a regulated one (according to maximal relative degrees of vertices over a penetrable set of vertices). Then we take account to minimal generating edge sets, i.e., to edge bases. We also deduce the fundamental relation between the numbers of all vertices, of all edges from edge basis and of all terminal elements. The topic is parallel to a certain part of Belousov' “Configurations in algebraic nets” edited in 1979. We attempt to find an apparatus, which, beside others, will decode some less readible chapters of the monograph [1], and which can be useful by further study of 3-configurations with simple edge bases and of corresponding quasigroup identities

Reflection Symmetries for Multiqubit Density Operators

For multiqubit density operators in a suitable tensorial basis, we show that a number of nonunitary operations used in the detection and synthesis of entanglement are classifiable as reflection symmetries, i.e., orientation changing rotations. While one-qubit reflections correspond to antiunitary symmetries, as is known for example from the partial transposition criterion, reflections on the joint density of two or more qubits are not accounted for by the Wigner Theorem and are well-posed only for sufficiently mixed states. One example of such nonlocal reflections is the unconditional NOT operation on a multiparty density, i.e., an operation yelding another density and such that the sum of the two is the identity operator. This nonphysical operation is admissible only for sufficiently mixed states.Comment: 9 page

Incoherent Noise and Quantum Information Processing

Incoherence in the controlled Hamiltonian is an important limitation on the precision of coherent control in quantum information processing. Incoherence can typically be modelled as a distribution of unitary processes arising from slowly varying experimental parameters. We show how it introduces artifacts in quantum process tomography and we explain how the resulting estimate of the superoperator may not be completely positive. We then go on to attack the inverse problem of extracting an effective distribution of unitaries that characterizes the incoherence via a perturbation theory analysis of the superoperator eigenvalue spectra.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, replaced with future JCP published versio

Principles of Control for Decoherence-Free Subsystems

Decoherence-Free Subsystems (DFS) are a powerful means of protecting quantum information against noise with known symmetry properties. Although Hamiltonians theoretically exist that can implement a universal set of logic gates on DFS encoded qubits without ever leaving the protected subsystem, the natural Hamiltonians that are available in specific implementations do not necessarily have this property. Here we describe some of the principles that can be used in such cases to operate on encoded qubits without losing the protection offered by the DFS. In particular, we show how dynamical decoupling can be used to control decoherence during the unavoidable excursions outside of the DFS. By means of cumulant expansions, we show how the fidelity of quantum gates implemented by this method on a simple two-physical-qubit DFS depends on the correlation time of the noise responsible for decoherence. We further show by means of numerical simulations how our previously introduced "strongly modulating pulses" for NMR quantum information processing can permit high-fidelity operations on multiple DFS encoded qubits in practice, provided that the rate at which the system can be modulated is fast compared to the correlation time of the noise. The principles thereby illustrated are expected to be broadly applicable to many implementations of quantum information processors based on DFS encoded qubits.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Subsystem Pseudo-pure States

A critical step in experimental quantum information processing (QIP) is to implement control of quantum systems protected against decoherence via informational encodings, such as quantum error correcting codes, noiseless subsystems and decoherence free subspaces. These encodings lead to the promise of fault tolerant QIP, but they come at the expense of resource overheads. Part of the challenge in studying control over multiple logical qubits, is that QIP test-beds have not had sufficient resources to analyze encodings beyond the simplest ones. The most relevant resources are the number of available qubits and the cost to initialize and control them. Here we demonstrate an encoding of logical information that permits the control over multiple logical qubits without full initialization, an issue that is particularly challenging in liquid state NMR. The method of subsystem pseudo-pure state will allow the study of decoherence control schemes on up to 6 logical qubits using liquid state NMR implementations.Comment: 9 pages, 1 Figur

A Note on the correspondence between Qubit Quantum Operations and Special Relativity

We exploit a well-known isomorphism between complex hermitian $2\times 2$ matrices and $\mathbb{R}^4$, which yields a convenient real vector representation of qubit states. Because these do not need to be normalized we find that they map onto a Minkowskian future cone in $\mathbb{E}^{1,3}$, whose vertical cross-sections are nothing but Bloch spheres. Pure states are represented by light-like vectors, unitary operations correspond to special orthogonal transforms about the axis of the cone, positive operations correspond to pure Lorentz boosts. We formalize the equivalence between the generalized measurement formalism on qubit states and the Lorentz transformations of special relativity, or more precisely elements of the restricted Lorentz group together with future-directed null boosts. The note ends with a discussion of the equivalence and some of its possible consequences.Comment: 6 pages, revtex, v3: revised discussio

Quantum Process Tomography of the Quantum Fourier Transform

The results of quantum process tomography on a three-qubit nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processor are presented, and shown to be consistent with a detailed model of the system-plus-apparatus used for the experiments. The quantum operation studied was the quantum Fourier transform, which is important in several quantum algorithms and poses a rigorous test for the precision of our recently-developed strongly modulating control fields. The results were analyzed in an attempt to decompose the implementation errors into coherent (overall systematic), incoherent (microscopically deterministic), and decoherent (microscopically random) components. This analysis yielded a superoperator consisting of a unitary part that was strongly correlated with the theoretically expected unitary superoperator of the quantum Fourier transform, an overall attenuation consistent with decoherence, and a residual portion that was not completely positive - although complete positivity is required for any quantum operation. By comparison with the results of computer simulations, the lack of complete positivity was shown to be largely a consequence of the incoherent errors during the quantum process tomography procedure. These simulations further showed that coherent, incoherent, and decoherent errors can often be identified by their distinctive effects on the spectrum of the overall superoperator. The gate fidelity of the experimentally determined superoperator was 0.64, while the correlation coefficient between experimentally determined superoperator and the simulated superoperator was 0.79; most of the discrepancies with the simulations could be explained by the cummulative effect of small errors in the single qubit gates.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, four tables; in press, Journal of Chemical Physic