arXiv subjects

R. Laflamme

Publications and source records attributed to R. Laflamme.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Quantum information processing using nuclear and electron magnetic resonance: review and prospects

This paper describes recent progress using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a platform for implementing quantum information processing (QIP) tasks. The basic ideas of NMR QIP are detailed, examining the successes and limitations of liquid and solid state experiments. Finally, a future direction for implementing quantum processors is suggested,utilizing both nuclear and electron spin degrees of freedom.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Experimental Quantum Communication without a Shared Reference Frame

We present an experimental realization of a robust quantum communication scheme [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 220501 (2004)] using pairs of photons entangled in polarization and time. Our method overcomes errors due to collective rotation of the polarization modes (e.g., birefringence in optical fiber or misalignment), is insensitive to the phase's fluctuation of the interferometer, and does not require any shared reference frame including time reference, except the need to label different photons. The practical robustness of the scheme is further shown by implementing a variation of the Bennett-Brassard 1984 quantum key distribution protocol over 1 km optical fiber.

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arXiv2007

Using error correction to determine the noise model

Quantum error correcting codes have been shown to have the ability of making quantum information resilient against noise. Here we show that we can use quantum error correcting codes as diagnostics to characterise noise. The experiment is based on a three-bit quantum error correcting code carried out on a three-qubit nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum information processor. Utilizing both engineered and natural noise, the degree of correlations present in the noise affecting a two-qubit subsystem was determined. We measured a correlation factor of c=0.5+/-0.2 using the error correction protocol, and c=0.3+/-0.2 using a standard NMR technique based on coherence pathway selection. Although the error correction method demands precise control, the results demonstrate that the required precision is achievable in the liquid-state NMR setting.

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arXiv2006

Time-reversal formalism applied to maximal bipartite entanglement: Theoretical and experimental exploration

Within the context of quantum teleportation, a proposed intuitive model to explain bipartite entanglement describes the scheme as being the same qubit of information evolving along and against the flow of time of an external observer. We investigate the physicality of such a model by applying the time-reversal of the Schrodinger equation in the teleportation context. To do so, we first lay down the theory of time-reversal applied to the circuit model and then show that the outcome of a teleportation-like circuit is consistent with the usual tensor product treatment, thus independent of the physical quantum system used to encode the information. Finally, we demonstrate a proof of principle experiment on a liquid state NMR quantum information processor. The experimental results are consistent with the interpretation that information can be seen as flowing backward in time through entanglement.

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arXiv2006

Benchmarking quantum control methods on a 12-qubit system

In this letter, we present an experimental benchmark of operational control methods in quantum information processors extended up to 12 qubits. We implement universal control of this large Hilbert space using two complementary approaches and discuss their accuracy and scalability. Despite decoherence, we were able to reach a 12-coherence state (or 12-qubits pseudo-pure cat state), and decode it into an 11 qubit plus one qutrit labeled observable pseudo-pure state using liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processors.

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arXiv2006

Characterization of complex quantum dynamics with a scalable NMR information processor

We present experimental results on the measurement of fidelity decay under contrasting system dynamics using a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processor. The measurements were performed by implementing a scalable circuit in the model of deterministic quantum computation with only one quantum bit. The results show measurable differences between regular and complex behaviour and for complex dynamics are faithful to the expected theoretical decay rate. Moreover, we illustrate how the experimental method can be seen as an efficient way for either extracting coarse-grained information about the dynamics of a large system, or measuring the decoherence rate from engineered environments.

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arXiv2005

Linear Optics Quantum Computation: an Overview

We give an overview of linear optics quantum computing, focusing on the results from the original KLM paper. First we give a brief summary of the advances made with optics for quantum computation prior to KLM. We next discuss the KLM linear optics scheme, giving detailed examples. Finally we go through quantum error correction for the LOQC theory, showing how to obtain the threshold when dealing with Z-measurement errors.

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arXiv2005

Experimental Implementation of Discrete Time Quantum Random Walk on an NMR Quantum Information Processor

We present an experimental implementation of the coined discrete time quantum walk on a square using a three qubit liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum information processor (QIP). Contrary to its classical counterpart, we observe complete interference after certain steps and a periodicity in the evolution. Complete state tomography has been performed for each of the eight steps making a full period. The results have extremely high fidelity with the expected states and show clearly the effects of quantum interference in the walk. We also show and discuss the importance of choosing a molecule with a natural Hamiltonian well suited to NMR QIP by implementing the same algorithm on a second molecule. Finally, we show experimentally that decoherence after each step makes the statistics of the quantum walk tend to that of the classical random walk.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Higher Security Thresholds for Quantum Key Distribution by Improved Analysis of Dark Counts

We discuss the potential of quantum key distribution (QKD) for long distance communication by proposing a new analysis of the errors caused by dark counts. We give sufficient conditions for a considerable improvement of the key generation rates and the security thresholds of well-known QKD protocols such as Bennett-Brassard 1984, Phoenix-Barnett-Chefles 2000, and the six-state protocol. This analysis is applicable to other QKD protocols like Bennett 1992. We examine two scenarios: a sender using a perfect single-photon source and a sender using a Poissonian source.

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arXiv2005

Compiling gate networks on an Ising quantum computer

Here we describe a simple mechanical procedure for compiling a quantum gate network into the natural gates (pulses and delays) for an Ising quantum computer. The aim is not necessarily to generate the most efficient pulse sequence, but rather to develop an efficient compilation algorithm that can be easily implemented in large spin systems. The key observation is that it is not always necessary to refocus all the undesired couplings in a spin system. Instead the coupling evolution can simply be tracked and then corrected at some later time. Although described within the language of NMR the algorithm is applicable to any design of quantum computer based on Ising couplings.

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arXiv2005

Unconditional Security of Three State Quantum Key Distribution Protocols

Quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols are cryptographic techniques with security based only on the laws of quantum mechanics. Two prominent QKD schemes are the BB84 and B92 protocols that use four and two quantum states, respectively. In 2000, Phoenix et al. proposed a new family of three state protocols that offers advantages over the previous schemes. Until now, an error rate threshold for security of the symmetric trine spherical code QKD protocol has only been shown for the trivial intercept/resend eavesdropping strategy. In this paper, we prove the unconditional security of the trine spherical code QKD protocol, demonstrating its security up to a bit error rate of 9.81%. We also discuss on how this proof applies to a version of the trine spherical code QKD protocol where the error rate is evaluated from the number of inconclusive events.

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arXiv2004

Robust Quantum Communication Using A Polarization-Entangled Photon Pair

Noise and imperfection of realistic devices are major obstacles for implementing quantum cryptography. In particular birefringence in optical fibers leads to decoherence of qubits encoded in polarization of photon. We show how to overcome this problem by doing single qubit quantum communication without a shared spatial reference frame and precise timing. Quantum information will be encoded in pair of photons using ``tag'' operations which corresponds to the time delay of one of the polarization modes. This method is robust against the phase instability of the interferometers despite the use of time-bins. Moreover synchronized clocks are not required in the ideal situation no photon loss case as they are only necessary to label the different encoded qubits.

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arXiv2004

Liquid state NMR simulations of quantum many-body problems

Recently developed quantum algorithms suggest that in principle, quantum computers can solve problems such as simulation of physical systems more efficiently than classical computers. Much remains to be done to implement these conceptual ideas into actual quantum computers. As a small-scale demonstration of their capability, we simulate a simple many-fermion problem, the Fano-Anderson model, using liquid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). We carefully designed our experiment so that the resource requirement would scale up polynomially with the size of the quantum system to be simulated. The experimental results allow us to assess the limits of the degree of quantum control attained in these kinds of experiments. The simulation of other physical systems, with different particle statistics, is also discussed.

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arXiv2004

Noiseless subsystems for collective rotation channels in quantum information theory

Collective rotation channels are a fundamental class of channels in quantum computing and quantum information theory. The commutant of the noise operators for such a channel is a C*-algebra which is equal to the set of fixed points for the channel. Finding the precise spatial structure of the commutant algebra for a set of noise operators associated with a channel is a core problem in quantum error prevention. We draw on methods of operator algebras, quantum mechanics and combinatorics to explicitly determine the structure of the commutant for the class of collective rotation channels.

math.OA↗

arXiv2004

Noiseless subsystems and the structure of the commutant in quantum error correction

The effect of noise on a quantum system can be described by a set of operators obtained from the interaction Hamiltonian. Recently it has been shown that generalized quantum error correcting codes can be derived by studying the algebra of this set of operators. This led to the discovery of noiseless subsystems. They are described by a set of operators obtained from the commutant of the noise generators. In this paper we derive a general method to compute the structure of this commutant in the case of unital noise.

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arXiv2003

Robust polarization-based quantum key distribution over collective-noise channel

We present two polarization-based protocols for quantum key distribution. The protocols encode key bits in noiseless subspaces or subsystems, and so can function over a quantum channel subjected to an arbitrary degree of collective noise, as occurs, for instance, due to rotation of polarizations in an optical fiber. These protocols can be implemented using only entangled photon-pair sources, single-photon rotations, and single-photon detectors. Thus, our proposals offer practical and realistic alternatives to existing schemes for quantum key distribution over optical fibers without resorting to interferometry or two-way quantum communication, thereby circumventing, respectively, the need for high precision timing and the threat of Trojan horse attacks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2002

Introduction to Quantum Error Correction

In this introduction we motivate and explain the ``decoding'' and ``subsystems'' view of quantum error correction. We explain how quantum noise in QIP can be described and classified, and summarize the requirements that need to be satisfied for fault tolerance. Considering the capabilities of currently available quantum technology, the requirements appear daunting. But the idea of ``subsystems'' shows that these requirements can be met in many different, and often unexpected ways.

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arXiv2002

Introduction to Quantum Information Processing

As a result of the capabilities of quantum information, the science of quantum information processing is now a prospering, interdisciplinary field focused on better understanding the possibilities and limitations of the underlying theory, on developing new applications of quantum information and on physically realizing controllable quantum devices. The purpose of this primer is to provide an elementary introduction to quantum information processing, and then to briefly explain how we hope to exploit the advantages of quantum information. These two sections can be read independently. For reference, we have included a glossary of the main terms of quantum information.

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