arXiv subjects

Daniel A. Lidar

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel A. Lidar.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Optimized Dynamical Decoupling via Genetic Algorithms

We utilize genetic algorithms to find optimal dynamical decoupling (DD) sequences for a single-qubit system subjected to a general decoherence model under a variety of control pulse conditions. We focus on the case of sequences with equal pulse-intervals and perform the optimization with respect to pulse type and order. In this manner we obtain robust DD sequences, first in the limit of ideal pulses, then when including pulse imperfections such as finite pulse duration and qubit rotation (flip-angle) errors. Although our optimization is numerical, we identify a deterministic structure underlies the top-performing sequences. We use this structure to devise DD sequences which outperform previously designed concatenated DD (CDD) and quadratic DD (QDD) sequences in the presence of pulse errors. We explain our findings using time-dependent perturbation theory and provide a detailed scaling analysis of the optimal sequences.

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arXiv2013

Error corrected quantum annealing with hundreds of qubits

Quantum information processing offers dramatic speedups, yet is famously susceptible to decoherence, the process whereby quantum superpositions decay into mutually exclusive classical alternatives, thus robbing quantum computers of their power. This has made the development of quantum error correction an essential and inescapable aspect of both theoretical and experimental quantum computing. So far little is known about protection against decoherence in the context of quantum annealing, a computational paradigm which aims to exploit ground state quantum dynamics to solve optimization problems more rapidly than is possible classically. Here we develop error correction for quantum annealing and provide an experimental demonstration using up to 344 superconducting flux qubits in processors which have recently been shown to physically implement programmable quantum annealing. We demonstrate a substantial improvement over the performance of the processors in the absence of error correction. These results pave a path toward large scale noise-protected adiabatic quantum optimization devices.

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arXiv2013

Quantum annealing with more than one hundred qubits

Quantum technology is maturing to the point where quantum devices, such as quantum communication systems, quantum random number generators and quantum simulators, may be built with capabilities exceeding classical computers. A quantum annealer, in particular, solves hard optimisation problems by evolving a known initial configuration at non-zero temperature towards the ground state of a Hamiltonian encoding a given problem. Here, we present results from experiments on a 108 qubit D-Wave One device based on superconducting flux qubits. The strong correlations between the device and a simulated quantum annealer, in contrast with weak correlations between the device and classical annealing or classical spin dynamics, demonstrate that the device performs quantum annealing. We find additional evidence for quantum annealing in the form of small-gap avoided level crossings characterizing the hard problems. To assess the computational power of the device we compare it to optimised classical algorithms.

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arXiv2013

Comment on: "Classical signature of quantum annealing"

In a recent preprint (arXiv:1305.4904) entitled "Classical signature of quantum annealing" Smolin and Smith point out that a bimodal distribution presented in (arXiv:1304.4595) for the success probability in the D-Wave device does not in itself provide sufficient evidence for quantum annealing, by presenting a classical model that also exhibits bimodality. Here we analyze their model and in addition present a similar model derived from the semi-classical limit of quantum spin dynamics, which also exhibits a bimodal distribution. We find that in both cases the correlations between the success probabilities of these classical models and the D-Wave device are weak compared to the correlations between a simulated quantum annealer and the D-Wave device. Indeed, the evidence for quantum annealing presented in arXiv:1304.4595 is not limited to the bimodality, but relies in addition on the success probability correlations between the D-Wave device and the simulated quantum annealer. The Smolin-Smith model and our semi-classical spin model both fail this correlation test.

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arXiv2013

Coarse-Graining Can Beat the Rotating Wave Approximation in Quantum Markovian Master Equations

We present a first-principles derivation of the Markovian semi-group master equation without invoking the rotating wave approximation (RWA). Instead we use a time coarse-graining approach which leaves us with a free timescale parameter, which we can optimize. Comparing this approach to the standard RWA-based Markovian master equation, we find that significantly better agreement is possible using the coarse-graining approach, for a three-level model coupled to a bath of oscillators, whose exact dynamics we can solve for at zero temperature. The model has the important feature that the RWA has a non-trivial effect on the dynamics of the populations. We show that the two different master equations can exhibit strong qualitative differences for the population of the energy eigenstates even for such a simple model. The RWA-based master equation misses an important feature which the coarse-graining based scheme does not. By optimizing the coarse-graining timescale the latter scheme can be made to approach the exact solution much more closely than the RWA-based master equation.

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arXiv2013

No-go theorem for passive single-rail linear optical quantum computing

Photonic quantum systems are among the most promising architectures for quantum computers. It is well known that for dual-rail photons effective non-linearities and near-deterministic non-trivial two-qubit gates can be achieved via the measurement process and by introducing ancillary photons. While in principle this opens a legitimate path to scalable linear optical quantum computing, the technical requirements are still very challenging and thus other optical encodings are being actively investigated. One of the alternatives is to use single-rail encoded photons, where entangled states can be deterministically generated. Here we prove that even for such systems universal optical quantum computing using only passive optical elements such as beam splitters and phase shifters is not possible. This no-go theorem proves that photon bunching cannot be passively suppressed even when extra ancilla modes and arbitrary number of photons are used. Our result provides useful guidance for the design of optical quantum computers.

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arXiv2012

Experimental signature of programmable quantum annealing

Quantum annealing is a general strategy for solving difficult optimization problems with the aid of quantum adiabatic evolution. Both analytical and numerical evidence suggests that under idealized, closed system conditions, quantum annealing can outperform classical thermalization-based algorithms such as simulated annealing. Do engineered quantum annealing devices effectively perform classical thermalization when coupled to a decohering thermal environment? To address this we establish, using superconducting flux qubits with programmable spin-spin couplings, an experimental signature which is consistent with quantum annealing, and at the same time inconsistent with classical thermalization, in spite of a decoherence timescale which is orders of magnitude shorter than the adiabatic evolution time. This suggests that programmable quantum devices, scalable with current superconducting technology, implement quantum annealing with a surprising robustness against noise and imperfections.

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arXiv2012

Adiabatic quantum algorithm for search engine ranking

We propose an adiabatic quantum algorithm for generating a quantum pure state encoding of the PageRank vector, the most widely used tool in ranking the relative importance of internet pages. We present extensive numerical simulations which provide evidence that this algorithm can prepare the quantum PageRank state in a time which, on average, scales polylogarithmically in the number of webpages. We argue that the main topological feature of the underlying web graph allowing for such a scaling is the out-degree distribution. The top ranked $\log(n)$ entries of the quantum PageRank state can then be estimated with a polynomial quantum speedup. Moreover, the quantum PageRank state can be used in "q-sampling" protocols for testing properties of distributions, which require exponentially fewer measurements than all classical schemes designed for the same task. This can be used to decide whether to run a classical update of the PageRank.

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arXiv2012

High Fidelity Adiabatic Quantum Computation via Dynamical Decoupling

We introduce high-order dynamical decoupling strategies for open system adiabatic quantum computation. Our numerical results demonstrate that a judicious choice of high-order dynamical decoupling method, in conjunction with an encoding which allows computation to proceed alongside decoupling, can dramatically enhance the fidelity of adiabatic quantum computation in spite of decoherence.

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arXiv2011

Rigorous Performance Bounds for Quadratic and Nested Dynamical Decoupling

We present rigorous performance bounds for the quadratic dynamical decoupling (QDD) pulse sequence which protects a qubit from general decoherence, and for its nested generalization to an arbitrary number of qubits. Our bounds apply under the assumption of instantaneous pulses and of bounded perturbing environment and qubit-environment Hamiltonians such as those realized by baths of nuclear spins in quantum dots. We prove that if the total sequence time is fixed then the trace-norm distance between the unperturbed and protected system states can be made arbitrarily small by increasing the number of applied pulses.

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arXiv2011

Quantum adiabatic machine learning

We develop an approach to machine learning and anomaly detection via quantum adiabatic evolution. In the training phase we identify an optimal set of weak classifiers, to form a single strong classifier. In the testing phase we adiabatically evolve one or more strong classifiers on a superposition of inputs in order to find certain anomalous elements in the classification space. Both the training and testing phases are executed via quantum adiabatic evolution. We apply and illustrate this approach in detail to the problem of software verification and validation.

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arXiv2011

High fidelity quantum memory via dynamical decoupling: theory and experiment

Quantum information processing requires overcoming decoherence---the loss of "quantumness" due to the inevitable interaction between the quantum system and its environment. One approach towards a solution is quantum dynamical decoupling---a method employing strong and frequent pulses applied to the qubits. Here we report on the first experimental test of the concatenated dynamical decoupling (CDD) scheme, which invokes recursively constructed pulse sequences. Using nuclear magnetic resonance, we demonstrate a near order of magnitude improvement in the decay time of stored quantum states. In conjunction with recent results on high fidelity quantum gates using CDD, our results suggest that quantum dynamical decoupling should be used as a first layer of defense against decoherence in quantum information processing implementations, and can be a stand-alone solution in the right parameter regime.

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arXiv2011

Combining dynamical decoupling with fault-tolerant quantum computation

We study how dynamical decoupling (DD) pulse sequences can improve the reliability of quantum computers. We prove upper bounds on the accuracy of DD-protected quantum gates and derive sufficient conditions for DD-protected gates to outperform unprotected gates. Under suitable conditions, fault-tolerant quantum circuits constructed from DD-protected gates can tolerate stronger noise, and have a lower overhead cost, than fault-tolerant circuits constructed from unprotected gates. Our accuracy estimates depend on the dynamics of the bath that couples to the quantum computer, and can be expressed either in terms of the operator norm of the bath's Hamiltonian or in terms of the power spectrum of bath correlations; we explain in particular how the performance of recursively generated concatenated pulse sequences can be analyzed from either viewpoint. Our results apply to Hamiltonian noise models with limited spatial correlations.

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arXiv2011

Quadratic Dynamical Decoupling: Universality Proof and Error Analysis

We prove the universality of the generalized QDD_{N1,N2} (quadratic dynamical decoupling) pulse sequence for near-optimal suppression of general single-qubit decoherence. Earlier work showed numerically that this dynamical decoupling sequence, which consists of an inner Uhrig DD (UDD) and outer UDD sequence using N1 and N2 pulses respectively, can eliminate decoherence to O(T^N) using O(N^2) unequally spaced "ideal" (zero-width) pulses, where T is the total evolution time and N=N1=N2. A proof of the universality of QDD has been given for even N1. Here we give a general universality proof of QDD for arbitrary N1 and N2. As in earlier proofs, our result holds for arbitrary bounded environments. Furthermore, we explore the single-axis (polarization) error suppression abilities of the inner and outer UDD sequences. We analyze both the single-axis QDD performance and how the overall performance of QDD depends on the single-axis errors. We identify various performance effects related to the parities and relative magnitudes of N1 and N2. We prove that using QDD_{N1,N2} decoherence can always be eliminated to O(T^min[N1,N2]).

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arXiv2010

High fidelity quantum gates via dynamical decoupling

Realizing the theoretical promise of quantum computers will require overcoming decoherence. Here we demonstrate numerically that high fidelity quantum gates are possible within a framework of quantum dynamical decoupling. Orders of magnitude improvement in the fidelities of a universal set of quantum gates, relative to unprotected evolution, is achieved over a broad range of system-environment coupling strengths, using recursively constructed (concatenated) dynamical decoupling pulse sequences.

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arXiv2010

Optimized Entanglement-Assisted Quantum Error Correction

Using convex optimization, we propose entanglement-assisted quantum error correction procedures that are optimized for given noise channels. We demonstrate through numerical examples that such an optimized error correction method achieves higher channel fidelities than existing methods. This improved performance, which leads to perfect error correction for a larger class of error channels, is interpreted in at least some cases by quantum teleportation, but for general channels this interpretation does not hold.

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arXiv2010

Intrinsic geometry of quantum adiabatic evolution and quantum phase transitions

We elucidate the geometry of quantum adiabatic evolution. By minimizing the deviation from adiabaticity we find a Riemannian metric tensor underlying adiabatic evolution. Equipped with this tensor, we identify a unified geometric description of quantum adiabatic evolution and quantum phase transitions, which generalizes previous treatments to allow for degeneracy. The same structure is relevant for applications in quantum information processing, including adiabatic and holonomic quantum computing, where geodesics over the manifold of control parameters correspond to paths which minimize errors. We illustrate this geometric structure with examples, for which we explicitly find adiabatic geodesics. By solving the geodesic equations in the vicinity of a quantum critical point, we identify universal characteristics of optimal adiabatic passage through a quantum phase transition. In particular, we show that in the vicinity of a critical point describing a second order quantum phase transition, the geodesic exhibits power-law scaling with an exponent given by twice the inverse of the product of the spatial and scaling dimensions.

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arXiv2010

Arbitrarily Accurate Dynamical Control in Open Quantum Systems

We show that open-loop dynamical control techniques may be used to synthesize unitary transformations in open quantum systems in such a way that decoherence is perturbatively compensated for to a desired (in principle arbitrarily high) level of accuracy, which depends only on the strength of the relevant errors and the achievable rate of control modulation. Our constructive and fully analytical solution employs concatenated dynamically corrected gates, and is applicable independently of detailed knowledge of the system-environment interactions and environment dynamics. Explicit implications for boosting quantum gate fidelities in realistic scenarios are addressed.

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