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S. Blum

Publications and source records attributed to S. Blum.

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Highly resilient, error-protected quantum gates in a solid-state quantum network node

High-fidelity quantum gates are a cornerstone of any quantum computing and communications architecture. Realizing such control in the presence of realistic errors at the level required for beyond-threshold quantum error correction is a long-standing challenge for all quantum hardware platforms. Here we theoretically develop and experimentally demonstrate error-protected quantum gates in a solid-state quantum network node. Our work combines room-temperature randomized benchmarking with a new class of composite pulses that are simultaneously robust to frequency and amplitude, affecting random and systematic errors. We introduce Power-Unaffected, Doubly-Detuning-Insensitive Gates (PUDDINGs) -- a theoretical framework for constructing conditional gates with immunity to both amplitude and frequency errors. For single-qubit and two-qubit CNOT gate demonstrations in a solid-state nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, we systematically measure an improvement in the error per gate up to a factor of 9. By projecting the application of PUDDING to cryogenic temperatures we show a record two-qubit error per gate of $1.2 \times 10^{-5}$, corresponding to a fidelity of $99.9988\%$, far below the thresholds required by surface and color code error correction. These results present viable building blocks for a new class of fault-tolerant quantum networks and represent the first experimental realization of error-protected conditional gates in solid-state systems.

quant-ph

Analyzing X-Ray Pulsar Profiles: Geometry and Beam Pattern of Her X-1

We report on our analysis of a large sample of energy dependent pulse profiles of the X-ray binary pulsar Hercules X-1. We find that all data are compatible with the assumption of a slightly distorted magnetic dipole field as sole cause of the asymmetry of the observed pulse profiles. Further the analysis provides evidence that the emission from both poles is equal. We determine an angle of 20 deg between the rotation axis and the local magnetic axis. One pole has an offset of 5 deg from the antipodal position of the other pole. The beam pattern shows structures that can be interpreted as pencil- and fan-beam configurations. Since no assumptions on the polar emission are made, the results can be compared with various emission models. A comparison of results obtained from pulse profiles of different phases of the 35-day cycle indicates different attenuation of the radiation from the poles being responsible for the change of the pulse shape during the main-on state. These results also suggest the resolution of an ambiguity within a previous analysis of pulse profiles of Cen X-3, leading to a unique result for the beam pattern of this pulsar as well. The analysis of pulse profiles of the short-on state indicates that a large fraction of the radiation cannot be attributed to the direct emission from the poles. We give a consistent explanation of both the evolution of the pulse profile and the spectral changes with the 35-day cycle in terms of a warped precessing accretion disk.

astro-ph