Dissipative quantum Church-Turing theorem

We show that the time evolution of an open quantum system, described by a possibly time dependent Liouvillian, can be simulated by a unitary quantum circuit of a size scaling polynomially in the simulation time and the size of the system. An immediate consequence is that dissipative quantum computing is no more powerful than the unitary circuit model. Our result can be seen as a dissipative Church-Turing theorem, since it implies that under natural assumptions, such as weak coupling to an environment, the dynamics of an open quantum system can be simulated efficiently on a quantum computer. Formally, we introduce a Trotter decomposition for Liouvillian dynamics and give explicit error bounds. This constitutes a practical tool for numerical simulations, e.g., using matrix-product operators. We also demonstrate that most quantum states cannot be prepared efficiently.     

Revisiting the hopes for scalable quantum computation

The hopes for scalable quantum computing rely on the “threshold theorem”: once the error per qubit per gate is below a certain value, the methods of quantum error correction allow indefinitely long quantum computations. The proof is based on a number of assumptions, which are supposed to be satisfied exactly, like axioms, e.g., zero undesired interactions between qubits, etc. However, in the physical world no continuous quantity can be exactly zero, it can only be more or less small. Thus the “error per qubit per gate” threshold must be complemented by the required precision with which each assumption should be fulfilled. In the absence of this crucial information, the prospects of scalable quantum computing remain uncertain.     

A fault-tolerant one-way quantum computer

We describe a fault-tolerant one-way quantum computer on cluster states in three dimensions. The presented scheme uses methods of topological error correction resulting from a link between cluster states and surface codes. The error threshold is 1.4% for local depolarizing error and 0.11% for each source in an error model with preparation-, gate-, storage-, and measurement errors.     

Fault-tolerant quantum computation with long-range correlated noise

We prove a new version of the quantum accuracy threshold theorem that applies to non-Markovian noise with algebraically decaying spatial correlations. We consider noise in a quantum computer arising from a perturbation that acts collectively on pairs of qubits and on the environment, and we show that an arbitrarily long quantum computation can be executed with high reliability in D spatial dimensions, if the perturbation is sufficiently weak and decays with the distance r between the qubits faster than 1/r(D).     

Preparing thermal states of quantum systems by dimension reduction

We present an algorithm that prepares thermal Gibbs states of one dimensional quantum systems on a quantum computer without any memory overhead, and in a time significantly shorter than other known alternatives. Specifically, the time complexity is dominated by the quantity N(‖h‖/T), where N is the size of the system, ‖h‖ is a bound on the operator norm of the local terms of the Hamiltonian (coupling energy), and T is the temperature. Given other results on the complexity of thermalization, this overall scaling is likely optimal. For higher dimensions, our algorithm lowers the known scaling of the time complexity with the dimension of the system by one.     

Efficient classical simulation of continuous variable quantum information processes

We obtain sufficient conditions for the efficient simulation of a continuous variable quantum algorithm or process on a classical computer. The resulting theorem is an extension of the Gottesman-Knill theorem to continuous variable quantum information. For a collection of harmonic oscillators, any quantum process that begins with unentangled Gaussian states, performs only transformations generated by Hamiltonians that are quadratic in the canonical operators, and involves only measurements of canonical operators (including finite losses) and suitable operations conditioned on these measurements can be simulated efficiently on a classical computer.     

Tomographic quantum cryptography: equivalence of quantum and classical key distillation

The security of a cryptographic key that is generated by communication through a noisy quantum channel relies on the ability to distill a shorter secure key sequence from a longer insecure one. For an important class of protocols, which exploit tomographically complete measurements on entangled pairs of any dimension, we show that the noise threshold for classical advantage distillation is identical with the threshold for quantum entanglement distillation. As a consequence, the two distillation procedures are equivalent: neither offers a security advantage over the other.     

Progress of quantum entanglement in a trapped-ion based quantum computer

In recent years, there have been significant progress toward building a practical quantum computer, demonstrating key ingredients such as single-qubit gates and a two-qubit entangling gate. Among various physical platforms for a potential quantum computing processor, a trapped-ion system has been one of the most promising platforms due to long coherence times, high-fidelity quantum gates, and qubit connectivity. However, scaling up the number of qubits for a practical quantum computing faces a core challenge in operating high-fidelity quantum gates under influence from neighboring qubits. In particular, for the trapped-ion system, unwanted quantum crosstalk between qubits and ions’ quantum motional states hinder performing high-fidelity entanglement as the number of ions increases. In this review, we introduce a trapped-ion system and explain how to perform single-qubit gates and a two-qubit entanglement. Moreover, we mainly address theoretical and experimental approaches to achieve high-fidelity and scalable entanglement toward a trapped-ion based quantum computer.     

Universally programmable quantum cellular automaton

We discuss the role of classical control in the context of reversible quantum cellular automata. Employing the structure theorem for quantum cellular automata, we give a general construction scheme to turn an arbitrary cellular automaton with external classical control into an autonomous one, thereby proving the computational equivalence of these two models. We use this technique to construct a universally programmable cellular automaton on a one-dimensional lattice with single cell dimension 12.     

Fault-tolerant quantum computation via exchange interactions

Quantum computation can be performed by encoding logical qubits into the states of two or more physical qubits, and control of effective exchange interactions and possibly a global magnetic field. This "encoded universality" paradigm offers potential simplifications in quantum computer design since it does away with the need to control physical qubits individually. Here we show how encoded universality schemes can be combined with fault-tolerant quantum error correction, thus establishing the scalability of such schemes.     

Decoherence by correlated noise and quantum error correction

We study the decoherence of a quantum computer in an environment which is inherently correlated in time and space. We first derive the nonunitary time evolution of the computer and environment in the presence of a stabilizer error correction code, providing a general way to quantify decoherence for a quantum computer. The general theory is then applied to the spin-boson model. Our results demonstrate that effects of long-range correlations can be systematically reduced by small changes in the error correction codes.     

Device-independent tests of classical and quantum dimensions

We address the problem of testing the dimensionality of classical and quantum systems in a "black-box" scenario. We develop a general formalism for tackling this problem. This allows us to derive lower bounds on the classical dimension necessary to reproduce given measurement data. Furthermore, we generalize the concept of quantum dimension witnesses to arbitrary quantum systems, allowing one to place a lower bound on the Hilbert space dimension necessary to reproduce certain data. Illustrating these ideas, we provide simple examples of classical and quantum dimension witnesses.     

Efficient quantum computation with probabilistic quantum gates

With a combination of the quantum repeater and the cluster state approaches, we show that efficient quantum computation can be constructed even if all the entangling quantum gates only succeed with an arbitrarily small probability p. The required computational overhead scales efficiently both with 1/p and n, where n is the number of qubits in the computation. This approach provides an efficient way to combat noise in a class of quantum computation implementation schemes, where the dominant noise leads to probabilistic signaled errors with an error probability 1-p far beyond any threshold requirement.     

Scaling in four-dimensional quantum gravity

We discuss scaling relations in four-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity. Using numerical results obtained with a new algorithm called “baby universe surgery” we study the critical region of the theory. The position of the phase transition is given with high accuracy and some critical exponents are measured. Their values prove that the transition is continuous. We discuss the properties of two distinct phases of the theory. For large values of the bare gravitational coupling constant the internal Hausdorff dimension is two (the elongated phase), and the continuum theory is that of so called branched polymers. For small values of the bare gravitational coupling constant the internal Hausdorff dimension seems to be infinite (the crumpled phase). We conjecture that this phase corresponds to a theory of topological gravity. At the transition point the Hausdorff dimension might be finite and larger than two. This transition point is a potential candidate for a non-perturbative theory of quantum gravity.     

远距离量子通信实验中的高维纠缠源

设计了适用于远距离量子通信实验的高维纠缠源.利用连续激光器抽运产生了极化-时间两体四维纠缠光子对,在抽运功率20 mW下测到每秒700对符合,保真度为89%±3%.相比已有的高维纠缠源,在本文中发展的源具有传输便利、相位稳定性好等优点,适用于未来远距离高维量子通信实验和量子力学基本问题实验检验,如远距离高维量子密码实验、两粒子Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger定理检验、两粒子量子赝"心灵感应"(quantum pseudo telepathy)实验演示等. 关键词： 高维纠缠 极化纠缠 时间箱纠缠 量子通信     

Tunneling exponents sensitive to impurity scattering in quantum wires

We show that the scaling exponent for tunneling into a quantum wire in the "Coulomb Tonks gas" regime of impenetrable, but otherwise free, electrons is affected by impurity scattering in the wire. The exponent for tunneling into such a wire thus depends on the conductance through the wire. This striking effect originates from a many-body scattering resonance reminiscent of the Kondo effect. The predicted anomalous scaling is stable against weak perturbations of the ideal Tonks gas limit at sufficiently high energies, similar to the phenomenology of a quantum critical point.     

Lipschitzian quantum stochastic differential inclusions

Quantum stochastic differential inclusions are introduced and studied within the framework of the Hudson-Parthasarathy formulation of quantum stochastic calculus. Results concerning the existence of solutions of a Lipschitzian quantum stochastic differential inclusion and the relationship between the solutions of such an inclusion and those of its convexification are presented. These generalize the Filippov existence theorem and the Filippov-Waewski relaxation theorem for classical differential inclusions to the present noncommutative setting.     

Fault-tolerant quantum computation with high threshold in two dimensions

We present a scheme of fault-tolerant quantum computation for a local architecture in two spatial dimensions. The error threshold is 0.75% for each source in an error model with preparation, gate, storage, and measurement errors.     

Thermalization in nature and on a quantum computer

In this work, we show how Gibbs or thermal states appear dynamically in closed quantum many-body systems, building on the program of dynamical typicality. We introduce a novel perturbation theorem for physically relevant weak system-bath couplings that is applicable even in the thermodynamic limit. We identify conditions under which thermalization happens and discuss the underlying physics. Based on these results, we also present a fully general quantum algorithm for preparing Gibbs states on a quantum computer with a certified runtime and error bound. This complements quantum Metropolis algorithms, which are expected to be efficient but have no known runtime estimates and only work for local Hamiltonians.     

Magnetic resonance realization of decoherence-free quantum computation

We report the realization, using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, of the first quantum computer that reliably executes a complete algorithm in the presence of strong decoherence. The computer is based on a quantum error avoidance code that protects against a class of multiple-qubit errors. The code stores two decoherence-free logical qubits in four noisy physical qubits. The computer successfully executes Grover's search algorithm in the presence of arbitrarily strong engineered decoherence. A control computer with no decoherence protection consistently fails under the same conditions.