Combinatorial aspects of F-sets

We discuss F filters and show that the minimum size of a filter base generating an undiagonalizable filter included in some F filter is the better known bounded evasion number . An application to -sets from trigonometric series is given by showing that if is an -set and has size less than , then is again an -set.

     

Experimental quantum simulation of entanglement in many-body systems

We employ a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum information processor to simulate the ground state of an XXZ spin chain and measure its NMR analog of entanglement, or pseudoentanglement. The observed pseudoentanglement for a small-size system already displays a singularity, a signature which is qualitatively similar to that in the thermodynamical limit across quantum phase transitions, including an infinite-order critical point. The experimental results illustrate a successful approach to investigate quantum correlations in many-body systems using quantum simulators.     

Coherent control of two nuclear spins using the anisotropic hyperfine interaction

We demonstrate coherent control of two nuclear spins mediated by the magnetic resonance of a hyperfine-coupled electron spin. This control is used to create a double-nuclear coherence in one of the two electron spin manifolds, starting from an initial thermal state, in direct analogy to the creation of an entangled (Bell) state from an initially pure unentangled state. We identify challenges and potential solutions to obtaining experimental gate fidelities useful for quantum information processing in this type of system.     

Robust polarization-based quantum key distribution over a 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.     

Exponential speedup with a single bit of quantum information: measuring the average fidelity decay

We present an efficient quantum algorithm to measure the average fidelity decay of a quantum map under perturbation using a single bit of quantum information. Our algorithm scales only as the complexity of the map under investigation. Thus for those maps admitting an efficient gate decomposition, it provides an exponential speedup over known classical procedures. Fidelity decay is important in the study of complex dynamical systems, where it is conjectured to be a signature of eigenvector statistics. Our result also illustrates the role of chaos in the process of decoherence.     

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.     

Partitions and indivisibility properties of countable dimensional vector spaces

We investigate infinite versions of vector and affine space partition results, and thus obtain examples and a counterexample for a partition problem for relational structures. In particular we provide two (related) examples of an age indivisible relational structure which is not weakly indivisible.     

Geometric phase with nonunitary evolution in the presence of a quantum critical bath

Geometric phases, arising from cyclic evolutions in a curved parameter space, appear in a wealth of physical settings. Recently, and largely motivated by the need of an experimentally realistic definition for quantum computing applications, the quantum geometric phase was generalized to open systems. The definition takes a kinematical approach, with an initial state that is evolved cyclically but coupled to an environment--leading to a correction of the geometric phase with respect to the uncoupled case. We obtain this correction by measuring the nonunitary evolution of the reduced density matrix of a spin one-half coupled to an environment. In particular we are interested in baths near a quantum phase transition, which are known to induce strong decoherence. The experiments are done with a NMR quantum simulator, where we emulate qualitatively the influence of a critical environment using a simple one-qubit model.     

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 a 12-qubit pseudopure cat state) and decode it into an 11 qubit plus one qutrit pseudopure state using liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processors.