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arXiv:1007.0725 · Physical Review A

Graphical calculus for Gaussian pure states

Nicolas C. Menicucci, Steven T. Flammia, Peter van Loock

Published Apr 28, 2011• 180 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We provide a unified graphical calculus for all Gaussian pure states, including graph transformation rules for all local and semilocal Gaussian unitary operations, as well as local quadrature measurements. We then use this graphical calculus to analyze continuous-variable (CV) cluster states, the essential resource for one-way quantum computing with CV systems. Current graphical approaches to CV cluster states are only valid in the unphysical limit of infinite squeezing, and the associated graph transformation rules only apply when the initial and final states are of this form. Our formalism applies to all Gaussian pure states and subsumes these rules in a natural way. In addition, the term ``CV graph state'' currently has several inequivalent definitions in use. Using this formalism we provide a single unifying definition that encompasses all of them. We provide many examples of how the formalism may be used in the context of CV cluster states: defining the ``closest'' CV cluster state to a given Gaussian pure state and quantifying the error in the approximation due to finite squeezing; analyzing the optimality of certain methods of generating CV cluster states; drawing connections between this graphical formalism and bosonic Hamiltonians with Gaussian ground states, including those useful for CV one-way quantum computing; and deriving a graphical measure of bipartite entanglement for certain classes of CV cluster states. We mention other possible applications of this formalism and conclude with a brief note on fault tolerance in CV one-way quantum computing.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.83.042335

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We provide a unified graphical calculus for all Gaussian pure states, including graph transformation rules for all local and semilocal Gaussian unitary operations, as well as local quadrature measurements. We then use this graphical calculus to analyze continuous-variable (CV) cluster states, the essential resource for one-way quantum computing with CV systems. Current graphical approaches to CV cluster states are only valid in the unphysical limit of infinite squeezing, and the associated graph transformation rules only apply when the initial and final states are of this form. Our formalism applies to all Gaussian pure states and subsumes these rules in a natural way. In addition, the term CV graph state'' currently has several inequivalent definitions in use. Using this formalism we provide a single unifying definition that encompasses all of them. We provide many examples of how the formalism may be used in the context of CV cluster states: defining the closest'' CV cluster state to a given Gaussian pure state and quantifying the error in the approximation due to finite squeezing; analyzing the optimality of certain methods of generating CV cluster states; drawing connections between this graphical formalism and bosonic Hamiltonians with Gaussian ground states, including those useful for CV one-way quantum computing; and deriving a graphical measure of bipartite entanglement for certain classes of CV cluster states. We mention other possible applications of this formalism and conclude with a brief note on fault tolerance in CV one-way quantum computing.
Continuous-variable (CV) cluster states are a universal quantum computing platform that has experimentally out-scaled qubit platforms by orders of magnitude. The implementation of CV cluster states uses multimode squeezed Gaussian states and fault tolerance thresholds for CV quantum computing have been predicted for realistic squeezing. An outstanding question has been whether any Gaussian state can be expressed as a cluster state. We show here that Gaussian states can present hidden entanglement, which is not captured by the corresponding cluster state graph and therefore invalidates this graph. Hidden entanglement vanishes in the infinite squeezing limit, which should therefore be used with extreme caution. We derive a general procedure to detect hidden entanglement in an arbitrary Gaussian state and validate it as a CV cluster state. These results are relevant to all experimental implementations of CV cluster states to date.
Continuous-variable (CV) cluster states are a universal quantum computing platform that has experimentally outscaled qubit platforms by orders of magnitude.Room-temperature implementation of CV cluster states has been achieved with quantum optics by using multimode squeezed Gaussian states.It has also been proven that fault tolerance thresholds for CV quantum computing can be reached at realistic squeezing levels.In this paper, we show that standard approaches to design and characterize CV cluster states can miss entanglement present in the system.Such hidden entanglement may be used to increase the power of a quantum computer but it can also, if undetected, hinder the successful implementation of a quantum algorithm.By a detailed analysis of the structure of Gaussian states, we derive an algorithm that reveals hidden entanglement in an arbitrary Gaussian state and optimizes its use for one-way quantum computing.
A study of the entanglement properties of Gaussian cluster states, proposed as a universal resource for continuous variable (CV) quantum computing is presented in this paper. The central aim is to compare mathematically idealized cluster states defined using quadrature eigenstates, which have infinite squeezing and cannot exist in nature, with Gaussian approximations that are experimentally accessible. Adopting widely used definitions, we first review the key concepts, by analysing a process of teleportation along a CV quantum wire in the language of matrix product states. Next we consider the bipartite entanglement properties of the wire, providing analytic results. We proceed to grid cluster states, which are universal for the qubit case. To extend our analysis of the bipartite entanglement, we adopt the entropic-entanglement width, a specialized entanglement measure introduced recently by Van den Nest et al (2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 150504), adapting their definition to the CV context. Finally, we consider the effects of photonic loss, extending our arguments to mixed states. Cumulatively our results point to key differences in the properties of idealized and Gaussian cluster states. Even modest loss rates are found to strongly limit the amount of entanglement. We discuss the implications for the potential of CV analogues for measurement-based quantum computation.
Multimode entangled pure Gaussian states are an essential resource for continuous variable (CV) quantum information processing. Menicucci et al. [2011] have shown how to describe them as graphs with complex adjacency matrices. Among such complex graph states (CGSs), quantum optics experimental setups straightforwardly display correlations described by purely imaginary graph states (iRGSs) whereas theoretical literature favors off-diagonal real graph state (RGS) descriptions, which actually reflect the entanglement structure in the infinite squeezing limit [Gonzalez-Arciniegas et al. 2021]. We study them beyond this ideal case, thus establishing in the finite squeezing regime an equivalence criterion for the generic case of CGSs through a graph propagating set of conditions which either finds a Gaussian Local Unitary (GLU) converting one state to another or gives a proof of impossibility if such a GLU does not exist. In the experimentally relevant case of the conversion between iRGSs and RGSs, the set of conditions results in simple relations between the topologies of the equivalent real and imaginary graphs. Finally, we show that the canonical forms of iRGSs and RGSs imply that the topology of the CV real and imaginary graph states are too rigid to admit any exact qumode local-addition analogue to the qubit complementation or qudit local-addition, thus demonstrating the non-existence of any exact qumode local-addition for these states. We however define an approximate one when the squeezing is strong enough.
We provide a graphical method to describe and analyze non-Gaussian quantum states using a hypergraph framework. These states are pivotal resources for quantum computing, communication, and metrology, but their characterization is hindered by their complex high-order correlations. The framework encapsulates transformation rules for a series of typical Gaussian unitary operation and local quadrature measurement, offering a visually intuitive tool for manipulating such states through experimentally feasible pathways. Notably, we develop methods for the generation of complex hypergraph states with more or higher-order hyperedges from simple structures through Gaussian operations only, facilitated by our graphical rules. We present illustrative examples on the preparation of non-Gaussian states rooted in these graph-based formalisms, revealing their potential to advance continuous-variable general quantum computing capabilities.
Continuous-variable (CV) cluster states offer a promising platform for large-scale measurement-based quantum computations (MBQC). However, finite squeezing inevitably introduces Gaussian noise during MBQC. While fault-tolerant MBQC schemes exist in principle, they require the scalable incorporation of non-Gaussian resources, such as GKP states, which remain experimentally challenging. Consequently, a central question at this stage is how finite squeezing fundamentally constrains the intrinsic computational power of CV cluster states themselves. In this work, we address this question by analyzing the classical complexity of measurement-based linear optics (MBLO) implemented with such states, motivated by its near-term feasibility and recent experimental progress. We develop an explicit MBLO framework and examine how the squeezing level governs the complexity of the classical simulation of the resulting output states. Specifically, we identify squeezing-level thresholds that delineate classically tractable and intractable regimes, thereby revealing a squeezing-driven complexity phase transition. These findings advance our understanding of the squeezing resources necessary for meaningful quantum computation in current experimental regimes. Furthermore, they underscore the critical need to either scale the squeezing level or integrate error-correction schemes to achieve reliable, large-scale quantum computation with CV cluster states.