arXiv subjects

Alessandro Ferraro

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Ferraro.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Distributing entanglement with separable states: assessment of encoding and decoding imperfections

Entanglement can be distributed using a carrier which is always separable from the rest of the systems involved. Up to now, this effect has predominantly been analyzed in the case where the carrier-system interactions take the form of ideal unitary operations, thus leaving untested its robustness against either non-unitary or unitary errors. We address this issue by considering the effect of incoherent dynamics acting alongside imperfect unitary interactions. In particular, we determine the restrictions that need to be placed on the interaction time, as well as the strength of the incoherent dynamics. We find that with non-unitary errors, we can still successfully distribute entanglement, provided we measure the carrier in a suitable basis. Introducing imperfections in the unitary dynamics, we show that entanglement gain is possible even with substantial unitary errors. Moreover, certain variations in the strength of the unitary dynamics can allow for greater robustness against non-unitary errors. Therefore, even in experimental settings where unitary operations cannot be carried out without imperfections, it is still possible to generate entanglement between two systems using a separable carrier.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Efficient simulatability of continuous-variable circuits with large Wigner negativity

Discriminating between quantum computing architectures that can provide quantum advantage from those that cannot is of crucial importance. From the fundamental point of view, establishing such a boundary is akin to pinpointing the resources for quantum advantage; from the technological point of view, it is essential for the design of non-trivial quantum computing architectures. Wigner negativity is known to be a necessary resource for computational advantage in several quantum-computing architectures, including those based on continuous variables (CVs). However, it is not a sufficient resource, and it is an open question under which conditions CV circuits displaying Wigner negativity offer the potential for quantum advantage. In this work we identify vast families of circuits that display large, possibly unbounded, Wigner negativity, and yet are classically efficiently simulatable, although they are not recognized as such by previously available theorems. These families of circuits employ bosonic codes based on either translational or rotational symmetries (e.g., Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill or cat codes), and can include both Gaussian and non-Gaussian gates and measurements. Crucially, within these encodings, the computational basis states are described by intrinsically negative Wigner functions, even though they are stabilizer states if considered as codewords belonging to a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. We derive our results by establishing a link between the simulatability of high-dimensional discrete-variable quantum circuits and bosonic codes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Gaussian conversion protocols for cubic phase state generation

Universal quantum computing with continuous variables requires non-Gaussian resources, in addition to a Gaussian set of operations. A known resource enabling universal quantum computation is the cubic phase state, a non-Gaussian state whose experimental implementation has so far remained elusive. In this paper, we introduce two Gaussian conversion protocols that allow for the conversion of a non-Gaussian state that has been achieved experimentally, namely the trisqueezed state [Sandbo Changet al., Phys. Rev. X10, 011011 (2020)],to a cubic phase state. The first protocol is deterministic and it involves active (in-line) squeezing, achieving large fidelities that saturate the bound for deterministic Gaussian protocols. The second protocol is probabilistic and it involves an auxiliary squeezed state, thus removing the necessity of in-line squeezing but still maintaining significant success probabilities and fidelities even larger than for the deterministic case. The success of these protocols provides strong evidence for using trisqueezed states as resources for universal quantum computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Programmable linear quantum networks with a multimode fibre

Reconfigurable quantum circuits are fundamental building blocks for the implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Their implementation has been pursued in linear optics through the engineering of sophisticated interferometers. While such optical networks have been successful in demonstrating the control of small-scale quantum circuits, scaling up to larger dimensions poses significant challenges. Here, we demonstrate a potentially scalable route towards reconfigurable optical networks based on the use of a multimode fibre and advanced wavefront-shaping techniques. We program networks involving spatial and polarisation modes of the fibre and experimentally validate the accuracy and robustness of our approach using two-photon quantum states. In particular, we illustrate the reconfigurability of our platform by emulating a tunable coherent absorption experiment. By demonstrating reliable reprogrammable linear transformations, with the prospect to scale, our results highlight the potential of complex media driven by wavefront shaping for quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Universal Gate Set for Continuous-Variable Quantum Computation with Microwave Circuits

We provide an explicit construction of a universal gate set for continuous-variable quantum computation with microwave circuits. Such a universal set has been first proposed in quantum-optical setups, but its experimental implementation has remained elusive in that domain due to the difficulties in engineering strong nonlinearities. Here, we show that a realistic three-wave mixing microwave architecture based on the SNAIL [Frattini et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 110, 222603 (2017)] allows us to overcome this difficulty. As an application, we show that this architecture allows for the generation of a cubic phase state with an experimentally feasible procedure. This work highlights a practical advantage of microwave circuits with respect to optical systems for the purpose of engineering non-Gaussian states, and opens the quest for continuous-variable algorithms based on few repetitions of elementary gates from the continuous-variable universal set.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Entanglement transfer, accumulation and retrieval via quantum-walk-based qubit-qudit dynamics

The generation and control of quantum correlations in high-dimensional systems is a major challenge in the present landscape of quantum technologies. Achieving such non-classical high-dimensional resources will potentially unlock enhanced capabilities for quantum cryptography, communication and computation. We propose a protocol that is able to attain entangled states of $d$-dimensional systems through a quantum-walk-based {\it transfer \& accumulate} mechanism involving coin and walker degrees of freedom. The choice of investigating quantum walks is motivated by their generality and versatility, complemented by their successful implementation in several physical systems. Hence, given the cross-cutting role of quantum walks across quantum information, our protocol potentially represents a versatile general tool to control high-dimensional entanglement generation in various experimental platforms. In particular, we illustrate a possible photonic implementation where the information is encoded in the orbital angular momentum and polarization degrees of freedom of single photons.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Machine learning-based classification of vector vortex beams

Structured light is attracting significant attention for its diverse applications in both classical and quantum optics. The so-called vector vortex beams display peculiar properties in both contexts due to the non-trivial correlations between optical polarization and orbital angular momentum. Here we demonstrate a new, flexible experimental approach to the classification of vortex vector beams. We first describe a platform for generating arbitrary complex vector vortex beams inspired to photonic quantum walks. We then exploit recent machine learning methods -- namely convolutional neural networks and principal component analysis -- to recognize and classify specific polarization patterns. Our study demonstrates the significant advantages resulting from the use of machine learning-based protocols for the construction and characterization of high-dimensional resources for quantum protocols.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Three-qubit refrigerator with two-body interactions

We propose a three-qubit setup for the implementation of a variety of quantum thermal machines where all heat fluxes and work production can be controlled. An important configuration that can be designed is that of an absorption refrigerator, extracting heat from the coldest reservoir without the need of external work supply. Remarkably, we achieve this regime by using only two-body interactions instead of the widely employed three-body interactions. This configuration could be more easily realised in current experimental setups. We model the open-system dynamics with both a global and a local master equation thermodynamic-consistent approach. Finally, we show how this model can be employed as a heat valve, in which by varying the local field of one of the two qubits allows one to control and amplify the heat current between the other qubits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Entanglement Classification via Neural Network Quantum States

The task of classifying the entanglement properties of a multipartite quantum state poses a remarkable challenge due to the exponentially increasing number of ways in which quantum systems can share quantum correlations. Tackling such challenge requires a combination of sophisticated theoretical and computational techniques. In this paper we combine machine-learning tools and the theory of quantum entanglement to perform entanglement classification for multipartite qubit systems in pure states. We use a parameterisation of quantum systems using artificial neural networks in a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) architecture, known as Neural Network Quantum States (NNS), whose entanglement properties can be deduced via a constrained, reinforcement learning procedure. In this way, Separable Neural Network States (SNNS) can be used to build entanglement witnesses for any target state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Spectral Methods in Causal Dynamical Triangulations

We show recent results of the application of spectral analysis in the setting of the Monte Carlo approach to Quantum Gravity known as Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT), discussing the behavior of the lowest lying eigenvalues of the Laplace-Beltrami operator computed on spatial slices. This kind of analysis provides information about running scales of the theory and about the critical behaviour around a possible second order transition in the CDT phase diagram, discussing the implications for the continuum limit.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2019

Enabling entanglement distillation via optomechanics

Quantum networking based on optical Gaussian states, although promising in terms of scalability, is hindered by the fact that their entanglement cannot be distilled via Gaussian operations. We show that optomechanics, integrable (on-chip) availability, and particularly the scope to measure the mechanical degree of freedom, can address this problem. Here, one of the optical modes of a two-mode squeezed vacuum is injected into a single-sided Fabry-Pérot cavity and non-linearly coupled to a mechanical oscillator. Afterward, the position of the oscillator is measured using pulsed optomechanics and homodyne detection. We show that this measurement can supply non-Gaussian entangled states frequently enough to enable scalable entanglement distillation. Moreover, it can conditionally increase the initial entanglement under an optimal radiation-pressure interaction strength, which corresponds to an effective unsharp measurement of the photon number inside the cavity. We show how the resulting entanglement enhancement can be verified by using a standard teleportation procedure.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

High-dimensional quantum encoding via photon-subtracted squeezed states

We introduce a high-dimensional quantum encoding based on coherent mode-dependent single-photon subtraction from multimode squeezed states. This encoding can be seen as a generalization to the case of non-zero squeezing of the standard single-photon multi-rail encoding. The advantage is that the presence of squeezing enables the use of common tools in continuous-variable quantum processing, which in turn allows to show that arbitrary $d$-level quantum states can be generated and detected via simply tuning the classical fields that gates the photon-subtraction scheme. Therefore, the scheme is suitable for mapping arbitrary classical data in quantum mechanical form. Regardless the dimension of the data set alphabet, the mapping is conditioned on the subtraction of a single photon only, making it nearly unconditional. We prove that this encoding can be used to calculate vector distances, a pivotal primitive in various quantum machine learning algorithms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Spectral Methods and Running Scales in Causal Dynamical Triangulations

The spectrum of the Laplace-Beltrami operator, computed on the spatial slices of Causal Dynamical Triangulations, is a powerful probe of the geometrical properties of the configurations sampled in the various phases of the lattice theory. We study the behavior of the lowest eigenvalues of the spectrum and show that this can provide information about the running of length scales as a function of the bare parameters of the theory, hence about the critical behavior around possible second order transition points in the CDT phase diagram, where a continuum limit could be defined.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Spin chains for two-qubit teleportation

Generating high-quality multi-particle entanglement between communicating parties is the primary resource in quantum teleportation protocols. To this aim, we show that the natural dynamics of a single spin chain is able to sustain the generation of two pairs of Bell states - possibly shared between a sender and a distant receiver - which can in turn enable two-qubit teleportation. In particular, we address a spin-1/2 chain with XX interactions, connecting two pairs of spins located at its boundaries, playing the roles of sender and receiver. In the regime where both end pairs are weakly coupled to the spin chain, it is possible to generate at predefinite times a state that has vanishing infidelity with the product state of two Bell pairs, thereby providing nearly unit fidelity of teleportation. We also derive an effective Hamiltonian via a second-order perturbation approach that faithfully reproduces the dynamics of the full system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Unconditional preparation of nonclassical states via linear-and-quadratic optomechanics

Reservoir engineering enables the robust preparation of pure quantum states in noisy environments. We show how a new family of quantum states of a mechanical oscillator can be stabilized in a cavity that is parametrically coupled to both the mechanical displacement and the displacement squared. The cavity is driven with three tones, on the red sideband, on the cavity resonance and on the second blue sideband. The states so stabilized are (squeezed and displaced) superpositions of a finite number of phonons. They show the unique feature of encompassing two prototypes of nonclassicality for bosonic systems: by adjusting the strength of the drives, one can in fact move from a single-phonon- to a Schrodinger-cat-like state. The scheme is deterministic, supersedes the need for measurement-and-feedback loops and does not require initialization of the oscillator to the ground state. As such, it enables the unconditional preparation of nonclassical states of a macroscopic object.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Resource theory of quantum non-Gaussianity and Wigner negativity

We develop a resource theory for continuous-variable systems grounded on operations routinely available within current quantum technologies. In particular, the set of free operations is convex and includes quadratic transformations and conditional coarse-grained measurements. The present theory lends itself to quantify both quantum non-Gaussianity and Wigner negativity as resources, depending on the choice of the free-state set --- i.e., the convex hull of Gaussian states or the states with positive Wigner function, respectively. After showing that the theory admits no maximally resourceful state, we define a computable resource monotone --- the Wigner logarithmic negativity. We use the latter to assess the resource content of experimentally relevant states --- e.g., photon-added, photon-subtracted, cubic-phase, and cat states --- and to find optimal working points of some resource concentration protocols. We envisage applications of this framework to sub-universal and universal quantum information processing over continuous variables.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Quantum correlations and thermodynamic performances of two-qubit engines with local and collective baths

We investigate heat engines whose working substance is made of two coupled qubits performing a generalised Otto cycle by varying their applied magnetic field or their interaction strength during the compression and expansion strokes. During the heating and cooling strokes, the two qubits are coupled to local and common environments that are not necessarily at equilibrium. We find instances of quantum engines coupled to non equilibrium common environments exhibiting non-trivial connections to quantum correlations as witnessed by a monotonic dependence of the work produced on quantum discord and entanglement.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Experimental engineering of arbitrary qudit states with discrete-time quantum walks

The capability to generate and manipulate quantum states in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces is a crucial step for the development of quantum technologies, from quantum communication to quantum computation. One-dimensional quantum walk dynamics represents a valid tool in the task of engineering arbitrary quantum states. Here we affirm such potential in a linear-optics platform that realizes discrete-time quantum walks in the orbital angular momentum degree of freedom of photons. Different classes of relevant qudit states in a six-dimensional space are prepared and measured, confirming the feasibility of the protocol. Our results represent a further investigation of quantum walk dynamics in photonics platforms, paving the way for the use of such a quantum state-engineering toolbox for a large range of applications.

quant-ph↗