arXiv subjects

Simon Burton

Publications and source records attributed to Simon Burton.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Optimal local unitary encoding circuits for the surface code

The surface code is a leading candidate quantum error correcting code, owing to its high threshold, and compatibility with existing experimental architectures. Bravyi et al. (2006) showed that encoding a state in the surface code using local unitary operations requires time at least linear in the lattice size $L$, however the most efficient known method for encoding an unknown state, introduced by Dennis et al. (2002), has $O(L^2)$ time complexity. Here, we present an optimal local unitary encoding circuit for the planar surface code that uses exactly $2L$ time steps to encode an unknown state in a distance $L$ planar code. We further show how an $O(L)$ complexity local unitary encoder for the toric code can be found by enforcing locality in the $O(\log L)$-depth non-local renormalisation encoder. We relate these techniques by providing an $O(L)$ local unitary circuit to convert between a toric code and a planar code, and also provide optimal encoders for the rectangular, rotated and 3D surface codes. Furthermore, we show how our encoding circuit for the planar code can be used to prepare fermionic states in the compact mapping, a recently introduced fermion to qubit mapping that has a stabiliser structure similar to that of the surface code and is particularly efficient for simulating the Fermi-Hubbard model.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Entropy, Derivation Operators and Huffman Trees

We build a theory of binary trees on finite multisets that categorifies, or operationalizes, the entropy of a finite probability distribution. Multisets operationalize probabilities as the event outcomes of an experiment. Huffman trees operationalize the entropy of the distribution of these events. We show how the derivation property of the entropy of a joint distribution lifts to Huffman trees.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2020

Decoding Across the Quantum LDPC Code Landscape

We show that belief propagation combined with ordered statistics post-processing is a general decoder for quantum low density parity check codes constructed from the hypergraph product. To this end, we run numerical simulations of the decoder applied to three families of hypergraph product code: topological codes, fixed-rate random codes and a new class of codes that we call semi-topological codes. Our new code families share properties of both topological and random hypergraph product codes, with a construction that allows for a finely-controlled trade-off between code threshold and stabilizer locality. Our results indicate thresholds across all three families of hypergraph product code, and provide evidence of exponential suppression in the low error regime. For the Toric code, we observe a threshold in the range $9.9\pm0.2\%$. This result improves upon previous quantum decoders based on belief propagation, and approaches the performance of the minimum weight perfect matching algorithm. We expect semi-topological codes to have the same threshold as Toric codes, as they are identical in the bulk, and we present numerical evidence supporting this observation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Limitations on transversal gates for hypergraph product codes

We analyze the structure of the logical operators from a class of quantum codes that generalizes the surface codes. These are the hypergraph product codes, restricted to the vertical sector. By generalizing an argument of Bravyi and König, we find that transversal gates for these codes must be restricted to the Clifford group.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Lift of fractional D-brane charge to equivariant Cohomotopy theory

The lift of K-theoretic D-brane charge to M-theory was recently hypothesized to land in Cohomotopy cohomology theory. To further check this "Hypothesis H", here we explicitly compute the constraints on fractional D-brane charges at ADE-orientifold singularities imposed by the existence of lifts from equivariant K-theory to equivariant Cohomotopy theory, through Boardman's comparison homomorphism. We check the relevant cases and find that this condition singles out precisely those fractional D-brane charges which do not take irrational values, in any twisted sector. Given that the possibility of irrational D-brane charge has been perceived as a paradox in string theory, we conclude that Hypothesis H serves to resolve this paradox. Concretely, we first explain that the Boardman homomorphism, in the present case, is the map from the Burnside ring to the representation ring of the singularity group given by forming virtual permutation representations. Then we describe an explicit algorithm that computes the image of this comparison map for any finite group. We run this algorithm for binary Platonic groups, hence for finite subgroups of SU(2); and we find explicitly that for the three exceptional subgroups and for the first few cyclic and binary dihedral subgroups the comparison morphism surjects precisely onto the sub-lattice of the real representation ring spanned by the non-irrational characters.

math.RT↗

arXiv2018

Spectra of Gauge Code Hamiltonians

We study the spectral gap of frustrated spin (qubit) Hamiltonians constructed from quantum subsystem (gauge) codes. Such a Hamiltonian can be block diagonalized, with blocks labelled by eigenvalues of extensively many integrals of motion (stabilizers of the code.) Of particular interest is the 3D gauge color code, whose Hamiltonian has been conjectured to act as a quantum memory at finite temperature. Using Perron-Frobenius theory we constrain the location of first and second eigenvalues among the blocks of the Hamiltonian. This allows us to numerically find the gap of some large instances of the 3D gauge color code, which is compared to other frustrated spin Hamiltonians. Finally, we suggest a relation between bounded stabilizers and gapped spectra.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Classical Simulation of Quantum Error Correction in a Fibonacci Anyon Code

Classically simulating the dynamics of anyonic excitations in two-dimensional quantum systems is likely intractable in general because such dynamics are sufficient to implement universal quantum computation. However, processes of interest for the study of quantum error correction in anyon systems are typically drawn from a restricted class that displays significant structure over a wide range of system parameters. We exploit this structure to classically simulate, and thereby demonstrate the success of, an error-correction protocol for a quantum memory based on the universal Fibonacci anyon model. We numerically simulate a phenomenological model of the system and noise processes on lattice sizes of up to 128x128 sites, and find a lower bound on the error-correction threshold of approximately 0.125 errors per edge, which is comparable to those previously known for abelian and (non-universal) nonabelian anyon models.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

A Short Guide to Anyons and Modular Functors

To the working physicist, anyon theory is meant to describe certain quasi-particle excitations occurring in two dimensional topologically ordered systems. A typical calculation using this theory will involve operations such as $\otimes$ to combine anyons, $F^{abc}_{d}$ to re-associate such combinations, and $R^{ab}_c$ to commute or braid these anyons. Although there is a powerful string-diagram notation that greatly assists these manipulations, we still appear to be operating on particles arranged on a one-dimensional line, algebraically ordered from left to right. The obvious question is, where is the other dimension? The topological framework for considering these anyons as truly living in a two dimensional space is known as a modular functor, or topological quantum field theory. In this work we show how the apparently one-dimensional algebraic anyon theory is secretly the theory of anyons living in a fully two-dimensional system. The mathematical literature covering this secret is vast, and we try to distill this down into something more manageable.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Thermalization, Error-Correction, and Memory Lifetime for Ising Anyon Systems

We consider two-dimensional lattice models that support Ising anyonic excitations and are coupled to a thermal bath. We propose a phenomenological model for the resulting short-time dynamics that includes pair-creation, hopping, braiding, and fusion of anyons. By explicitly constructing topological quantum error-correcting codes for this class of system, we use our thermalization model to estimate the lifetime of the quantum information stored in the encoded spaces. To decode and correct errors in these codes, we adapt several existing topological decoders to the non-Abelian setting. We perform large-scale numerical simulations of these two-dimensional Ising anyon systems and find that the thresholds of these models range between 13% to 25%. To our knowledge, these are the first numerical threshold estimates for quantum codes without explicit additive structure.

quant-ph↗