arXiv subjects

Michael Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Murphy.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Colloquium: Trapped ions as quantum bits -- essential numerical tools

Trapped, laser-cooled atoms and ions are quantum systems which can be experimentally controlled with an as yet unmatched degree of precision. Due to the control of the motion and the internal degrees of freedom, these quantum systems can be adequately described by a well known Hamiltonian. In this colloquium, we present powerful numerical tools for the optimization of the external control of the motional and internal states of trapped neutral atoms, explicitly applied to the case of trapped laser-cooled ions in a segmented ion-trap. We then delve into solving inverse problems, when optimizing trapping potentials for ions. Our presentation is complemented by a quantum mechanical treatment of the wavepacket dynamics of a trapped ion. Efficient numerical solvers for both time-independent and time-dependent problems are provided. Shaping the motional wavefunctions and optimizing a quantum gate is realized by the application of quantum optimal control techniques. The numerical methods presented can also be used to gain an intuitive understanding of quantum experiments with trapped ions by performing virtual simulated experiments on a personal computer. Code and executables are supplied as supplementary online material (http://kilian-singer.de/ent).

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arXiv2010

Communication at the quantum speed limit along a spin chain

Spin chains have long been considered as candidates for quantum channels to facilitate quantum communication. We consider the transfer of a single excitation along a spin-1/2 chain governed by Heisenberg-type interactions. We build on the work of Balachandran and Gong [1], and show that by applying optimal control to an external parabolic magnetic field, one can drastically increase the propagation rate by two orders of magnitude. In particular, we show that the theoretical maximum propagation rate can be reached, where the propagation of the excitation takes the form of a dispersed wave. We conclude that optimal control is not only a useful tool for experimental application, but also for theoretical enquiry into the physical limits and dynamics of many-body quantum systems.

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arXiv2009

Optimal Control at the Quantum Speed Limit

Optimal control theory is a promising candidate for a drastic improvement of the performance of quantum information tasks. We explore its ultimate limit in paradigmatic cases, and demonstrate that it coincides with the maximum speed limit allowed by quantum evolution (the quantum speed limit).

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arXiv2009

Scalable quantum computation via local control of only two qubits

We apply quantum control techniques to control a large spin chain by only acting on two qubits at one of its ends, thereby implementing universal quantum computation by a combination of quantum gates on the latter and swap operations across the chain. It is shown that the control sequences can be computed and implemented efficiently. We discuss the application of these ideas to physical systems such as superconducting qubits in which full control of long chains is challenging.

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arXiv2009

High error-rate quantum key distribution for long-distance communication

In the original BB84 protocol by Bennett and Brassard, an eavesdropper is detected because his attempts to intercept information result in a quantum bit error rate (QBER) of at least 25%. Here we design an alternative quantum key distribution protocol, where Alice and Bob use two mutually unbiased bases with one of them encoding a "0" and the other one encoding a "1." The security of the scheme is due to a minimum index transmission error rate (ITER) introduced by an eavesdropper which increases significantly for higher-dimensional photon states. This allows for more noise in the transmission line, thereby increasing the possible distance between Alice and Bob without the need for intermediate nodes.

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arXiv2009

High-fidelity fast quantum transport with imperfect controls

Effective transport of quantum information is an essential element of quantum computation. We consider the problem of transporting a quantum state by using a moving potential well, while maintaining the encoded quantum information. In particular, we look at a set of cases where the input control defining the position of the potential well is subject to different types of distortion, each of which is motivated by experimental considerations. We show that even under these conditions, we are able to perfectly transfer the quantum information non-adiabatically over any given distance.

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