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Nicolas C. Menicucci

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas C. Menicucci.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Gaussian dynamics in the double Siegel disk

We show that deterministic multimode Gaussian channels admit a symmetric-space description. Passing from the n-mode Siegel disk to a doubled version of that space lets general Gaussian dynamics act by a linear-fractional (Mobius) transformation on a single matrix parameter. This doubled disk naturally parametrizes Gaussian kernels in the Fock-Bargmann representation, and contains an explicit physical subset corresponding to valid mixed Gaussian states. Starting from the standard X,Y parametrization of a deterministic Gaussian channel, we construct a normalized oscillator-semigroup element whose fractional action reproduces the channel update on that subset; Gaussian unitaries appear as the symplectic, isometric special case. This gives a bridge between covariance-matrix channel theory and the adjacency-matrix or symmetric-space picture, preserves a simple composition law given by matrix multiplication of the acting blocks, and suggests a direct route to graphical update rules beyond pure states.

quant-ph

Emergent metric from wavelet-transformed quantum field theory

We introduce a method of reverse holography by which a bulk metric is shown to arise from locally computable multiscale correlations of a boundary quantum field theory (QFT). The metric is obtained from the Petz-Rényi mutual information defined with input correlations computed from the continuous wavelet transform. The method is applicable to a variety of boundary QFTs that need not be conformal field theories (CFTs). For thermal free scalar and Dirac field theories the resulting bulk metric is that of (asymmetrically) warped anti-de Sitter (AdS) space. For massless, ground state CFTs the geometry simply reduces to AdS space. We show that certain parameters of the geometry can be tuned by changing the shape of the wavelet function.

hep-th

Grand Unification of All Discrete Wigner Functions on $d \times d$ Phase Space

Wigner functions help visualise quantum states and dynamics while supporting quantitative analysis in quantum information. In the discrete setting, many inequivalent constructions coexist for each Hilbert-space dimension. This fragmentation obscures which features are fundamental and which are artefacts of representation. We introduce a stencil-based framework that exhausts all possible $d\times d$ discrete Wigner functions for a single $d$-dimensional quantum system (including a novel one for even $d$), subsuming known forms. We also give explicit invertible linear maps between definitions within the same $d$, enabling direct comparison of operational properties and exposing representation dependence.

quant-ph

Logical channel for heralded and pure loss with the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code

Photon loss is the dominant source of noise in optical quantum systems. The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) bosonic code provides significant protection; however, even low levels of loss can generate uncorrectable errors that another concatenated code must handle. In this work, we characterize these errors by deriving analytic expressions for the logical channel that arises from pure loss acting on approximate GKP qubits. Unlike random displacement noise, we find that the loss-induced logical channel is not a stochastic Pauli channel. We also provide analytic expressions for the logical channel for "heralded loss," when the light scattered out of the signal mode is measured either by photon number counting -- i.e., photon subtraction -- or heterodyne detection. These offer a pathway to intentionally inducing non-Pauli channels for, e.g., magic-state production.

quant-ph

Quantum-Enhanced Multi-Parameter Sensing in a Single Mode

Precision metrology underpins scientific and technological advancements. Quantum metrology offers a pathway to surpass classical sensing limits by leveraging quantum states and measurement strategies. However, measuring multiple incompatible observables suffers from quantum backaction, where measurement of one observable pollutes a subsequent measurement of the other. This is a manifestation of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle for two non-commuting observables, such as position and momentum. Here, we demonstrate measurements of small changes in position and momentum where the uncertainties are simultaneously reduced below the standard quantum limit (SQL). We measure $\textit{modular observables}$ using tailored, highly non-classical states that ideally evade measurement backactions. The states are deterministically prepared in the single mode of the mechanical motion of a trapped ion using an optimal quantum control protocol. Our experiment uses grid states to measure small changes in position and momentum and shows a metrological gain of up to 5.1(5)~dB over the simultaneous SQL. Using an adaptive-phase estimation algorithm with Bayesian inference, we estimate these displacements with a combined variance of 2.6(1.1)~dB below the SQL. Furthermore, we examine simultaneously estimating $\textit{number}$ and $\textit{phase}$, which are the polar counterparts of position and momentum. This is performed by preparing a novel quantum resource -- number-phase states -- and we demonstrate a metrological gain over their SQL. The combination of quantum control and multi-parameter quantum metrology marks a significant step towards unprecedented precision with applications ranging from fundamental physics to advanced quantum technologies.

quant-ph

Linear-optical quantum computation with arbitrary error-correcting codes

High-rate quantum error correcting codes mitigate the imposing scale of fault-tolerant quantum computers but require efficient generation of non-local, many-body entanglement. We provide a linear-optical architecture with these properties, compatible with arbitrary codes and Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill qubits on generic lattices, and featuring a natural way to leverage physical noise bias. Simulations of hyperbolic surface codes and bivariate bicycle codes, promising families of quantum low-density parity-check codes, reveal a threshold comparable to the 2D surface code with substantially better encoding rates.

quant-ph

Continuous-Variable Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation under General Noise

The quantum error-correcting code in the continuous-variable (CV) system attracts much attention due to its flexibility and high resistance against specific noise. However, the theory of fault tolerance in CV systems is premature and lacks the general strategy to translate the noise in CV systems into the noise in logical qubits, leading to severe restrictions on the correctable noise models. In this paper, we show that the Markovian-type noise in CV systems is translated into the Markovian-type noise in the logical qubits through the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code with an explicit bound on the noise strength. Combined with the established threshold theorem of the concatenated code against Markovian-type noise, we show that CV quantum computation has a fault-tolerant threshold against general Markovian-type noise, closing the existing crucial gap in CV quantum computation. We also give a new insight into the fact that careful management of the energy of the state is required to achieve fault tolerance in the CV system.

quant-ph

Locality and entanglement harvesting in covariantly bandlimited scalar fields

Considerations of high energies in quantum field theories on smooth manifolds have led to generalized uncertainty principles and the possibility of a physical minimal length in quantum gravitational scenarios. In these models, the minimal length would be a physical limit, not just a mathematical tool, and should be Lorentz invariant. In this paper, we study two-qubit communication and entanglement harvesting in a field subject to a covariant bandlimit (minimum length) and present the changes induced by this bandlimit. We find the bandlimit introduces nonlocality and acausal communication in a manner unlike non-covariant bandlimits or other quantum optical approximations. We also observe that this covariant bandlimit introduces uncertainties in time and temporal ordering with the unusual behavior attributed to the behavior of virtual particles being modified by the covariant cutoff.

quant-ph

Limited quantum advantage for stellar interferometry via continuous-variable teleportation

We consider stellar interferometry in the continuous-variable (CV) quantum information formalism and use the quantum Fisher information (QFI) to characterize the performance of three key strategies: direct interferometry (DI), local heterodyne measurement, and a CV teleportation-based strategy. In the lossless regime, we show that a squeezing parameter of $r\approx 2$ (18 dB) is required to reach $\approx$ 95\% of the QFI achievable with DI; such a squeezing level is beyond what has been achieved experimentally. In the low-loss regime, the CV teleportation strategy becomes inferior to DI, and the performance gap widens as loss increases. Curiously, in the high-loss regime, a small region of loss exists where the CV teleportation strategy slightly outperforms both DI and local heterodyne, representing a transition in the optimal strategy. We describe this advantage as limited because it occurs for a small region of loss, and the magnitude of the advantage is also small. We argue that practical difficulties further impede achieving any quantum advantage, limiting the merits of a CV teleportation-based strategy for stellar interferometry.

quant-ph

ZX Graphical Calculus for Continuous-Variable Quantum Processes

Continuous-variable (CV) quantum information processing is a promising candidate for large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computation. However, analysis of CV quantum process relies mostly on direct computation of the evolution of operators in the Heisenberg picture, and the features of CV space has yet to be thoroughly investigated in an intuitive manner. One key ingredient for further exploration of CV quantum computing is the construction of a computational model that brings visual intuition and new tools for analysis. In this paper, we delve into a graphical computational model, inspired by a similar model for qubit-based systems called the ZX calculus, that enables the representation of arbitrary CV quantum process as a simple directed graph. We demonstrate the utility of our model as a graphical tool to comprehend CV processes intuitively by showing how equivalences between two distinct quantum processes can be proven as a sequence of diagrammatic transformations in certain cases. We also examine possible applications of our model, such as measurement-based quantum computing, characterization of Gaussian and non-Gaussian processes, and circuit optimization.

quant-ph

Biased Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill repetition code

Continuous-variable quantum computing architectures based upon the Gottesmann-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) encoding have emerged as a promising candidate because one can achieve fault-tolerance with a probabilistic supply of GKP states and Gaussian operations. Furthermore, by generalising to rectangular-lattice GKP states, a bias can be introduced and exploited through concatenation with qubit codes that show improved performance under biasing. However, these codes (such as the XZZX surface code) still require weight-four stabiliser measurements and have complex decoding requirements to overcome. In this work, we study the code-capacity behaviour of a rectangular-lattice GKP encoding concatenated with a repetition code under an isotropic Gaussian displacement channel. We find a numerical threshold of $σ= 0.599$ for the noise's standard deviation, which outperforms the biased GKP planar surface code with a trade-off of increased biasing at the GKP level. This is all achieved with only weight-two stabiliser operators and simple decoding at the qubit level. Furthermore, with moderate levels of bias (aspect ratio $\leq 2.4$) and nine or fewer data modes, significant reductions in logical error rates can still be achieved for $σ\leq 0.3$, opening the possibility of using GKP-biased repetition codes as a simple low-level qubit encoding for further concatenation.

quant-ph

Quantum lattice models that preserve continuous translation symmetry

Bandlimited approaches to quantum field theory offer the tantalizing possibility of working with fields that are simultaneously both continuous and discrete via the Shannon Sampling Theorem from signal processing. Conflicting assumptions in general relativity and quantum field theory motivate the use of such an appealing analytical tool that could thread the needle to meet both requirements. Bandlimited continuous quantum fields are isomorphic to lattice theories, yet without requiring a fixed lattice. Any lattice with a required minimum spacing can be used. This is an isomorphism that avoids taking the limit of the lattice spacing going to zero. In this work, we explore the consequences of this isomorphism, including the emergence of effectively continuous symmetries in quantum lattice theories. One obtains conserved lattice observables for these continuous symmetries, as well as a duality of locality from the two perspectives. We expect this work and its extensions to provide useful tools for considering numerical lattice models of continuous quantum fields arising from the availability of discreteness without a fixed lattice, as well as offering new insights into emergent continuous symmetries in lattice models and possible laboratory demonstrations of these phenomena.

quant-ph

Efficient Concatenated Bosonic Code for Additive Gaussian Noise

Bosonic codes offer noise resilience for quantum information processing. Good performance often comes at a price of complex decoding schemes, limiting their practicality. Here, we propose using a Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code to detect and discard error-prone qubits, concatenated with a quantum parity code to handle the residual errors. Our method employs a simple, linear-time decoder that nevertheless offers significant performance improvements over the standard decoder. Our work may have applications in a wide range of quantum computation and communication scenarios.

quant-ph

Tachyonic media in analogue models of special relativity

In sonic models of special relativity, the fact that the sonic medium violates (ordinary) Lorentz symmetry is apparent to observers external to the sonic medium but not to a class of observers existing within the medium itself. We show that the situation is symmetric: internal observers will judge physics in the external laboratory to violate their own sonic Lorentz symmetries. We therefore treat all observers on an equal footing such that each is able to retain a commitment to their own Lorentz symmetries. We then generalize beyond the case of subsystem-environment decompositions to situations in which there exist multiple phonon fields, all obeying Lorentz symmetries but with different invariant speeds. In such cases, we argue that all observers have freedom to choose which field is symmetry preserving, and so -- in a certain precise sense -- which other fields are perceived as having an 'ether.' This choice is influenced -- but not determined -- by a desire for simplicity in the description of physical laws. Sending information faster than sound serves as a model of tachyonic signalling to a distant receiver. Immutable causality of the laboratory setup when perceived externally to a sonic medium manifests internally through the confinement of the tachyons to an apparent ether (with a rest frame), which we call a 'tachyonic medium,' thereby preventing tachyonic exchange from emulating the scenario of a round-trip signal travelling into an observer's past causal cone. The assignment of sonic-Lorentz-violating effects to fields that obey 'photonic' Lorentz symmetries thus ensures that causality associated with the 'sonic' Lorentz symmetries is preserved.

gr-qc

Equivalent noise properties of scalable continuous-variable cluster states

Optical continuous-variable cluster states (CVCSs) in combination with Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill~(GKP) qubits enable fault-tolerant quantum computation so long as these resources are of high enough quality. Previous studies concluded that a particular CVCS, the quad rail lattice~(QRL), exhibits lower GKP gate-error rate than others do. We show in this work that many other experimentally accessible CVCSs also achieve this level of performance by identifying operational equivalences to the QRL. Under this equivalence, the GKP Clifford gate set for each CVCS maps straightforwardly from that of the QRL, inheriting its noise properties. Furthermore, each cluster state has at its heart a balanced four-splitter -- the four-mode extension to a balanced beam splitter. We classify all four-splitters, show they form a single equivalence class under SWAP and parity operators, and we give a construction of any four-splitter with linear optics, thus extending the toolbox for theoretical and experimental cluster-state design and analysis.

quant-ph

The Zak transform: a framework for quantum computation with the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code

The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code encodes a qubit into a bosonic mode using periodic wavefunctions. This periodicity makes the GKP code a natural setting for the Zak transform, which is tailor-made to provide a simple description for periodic functions. We review the Zak transform and its connection to a Zak basis of states in Hilbert space, decompose the shift operators that underpin the stabilizers and the correctable errors, and we find that Zak transforms of the position wavefunction appear naturally in GKP error correction. We construct a new bosonic subsystem decomposition (SSD) -- the modular variable SSD -- by dividing a mode's Hilbert space, expressed in the Zak basis, into that of a virtual qubit and a virtual gauge mode. Tracing over the gauge mode gives a logical-qubit state, and preceding the trace with a particular logical-gauge interaction gives a different logical state -- that associated to GKP error correction.

quant-ph

Measurement-based generation and preservation of cat and grid states within a continuous-variable cluster state

We present an algorithm to reliably generate various quantum states critical to quantum error correction and universal continuous-variable (CV) quantum computing, such as Schrödinger cat states and Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) grid states, out of Gaussian CV cluster states. Our algorithm is based on the Photon-counting-Assisted Node-Teleportation Method (PhANTM), which uses standard Gaussian information processing on the cluster state with the only addition of local photon-number-resolving measurements. We show that PhANTM can apply polynomial gates and embed cat states within the cluster. This method stabilizes cat states against Gaussian noise and perpetuates non-Gaussianity within the cluster. We show that existing protocols for breeding cat states can be embedded into cluster state processing using PhANTM.

quant-ph

Particle scattering in a sonic analogue of special relativity

We investigate a simple toy model of particle scattering in the flat spacetime limit of an analogue-gravity model. The analogue-gravity medium is treated as a scalar field of phonons that obeys the Klein-Gordon equation and thus admits a Lorentz symmetry with respect to $c_\mathrm{s}$, the speed of sound in the medium. The particle from which the phonons are scattered is external to the system and does not obey the sonic Lorentz symmetry that the phonon field obeys. In-universe observers who use the exchange of sound to operationally measure distance and duration find that the external particle appears to be a sonically Lorentz-violating particle. By performing a sonic analogue to Compton scattering, in-universe observers can determine if they are in motion with respect to their medium. If in-universe observers were then to correctly postulate the dispersion relation of the external particle, their velocity with respect to the medium could be found.

gr-qc