Recent results on the non-universality of fault-tolerant gate sets underline the critical role of resource states, such as magic states, to power scalable, universal quantum computation. Here we develop a resource theory, analogous to the theory of entanglement, that is relevant for fault-tolerant stabilizer computation. We introduce two quantitative measures—monotones—for the amount of non-stabilizer resource. As an application we give absolute bounds on the efficiency of magic state distillation. One of these monotones is the sum of the negative entries of the discrete Wigner representation of a quantum state, thereby resolving a long-standing open question of whether the degree of negativity in a quasi-probability representation is an operationally meaningful indicator of quantum behavior.
Recent results on the non-universality of fault-tolerant gate sets underline the critical role of resource states, such as magic states, to power scalable, universal quantum computation. Here we develop a resource theory, analogous to the theory of entanglement, that is relevant for fault-tolerant stabilizer computation. We introduce two quantitative measures—monotones—for the amount of non-stabilizer resource. As an application we give absolute bounds on the efficiency of magic state distillation. One of these monotones is the sum of the negative entries of the discrete Wigner representation of a quantum state, thereby resolving a long-standing open question of whether the degree of negativity in a quasi-probability representation is an operationally meaningful indicator of quantum behavior.
This thesis deals with the question of what resources are necessary and sufficient for quantum computational speedup. In particular, we study what resources are required to promote fault tolerant stabilizer computation to universal quantum computation. In this context we discover a remarkable connection between the possibility of quantum computational speedup and negativity in the discrete Wigner function, which is a particular distinguished quasi-probability representation for quantum theory. This connection allows us to establish a number of important results related to magic state computation, an important model for fault tolerant quantum computation using stabilizer operations supplemented by the ability to prepare noisy non-stabilizer ancilla states. In particular, we resolve in the negative the open problem of whether every non-stabilizer resource suffices to promote computation with stabilizer operations to universal quantum computation. \n \nMoreover, by casting magic state computation as resource theory we are able to quantify how useful ancilla resource states are for quantum computation, which allows us to give bounds on the required resources. In this context we discover that the sum of the negative entries of the discrete Wigner representation of a state is a measure of its usefulness for quantum computation. This gives a precise, quantitative meaning to the negativity of a quasi-probability representation, thereby resolving the 80 year debate as to whether this quantity is a meaningful indicator of quantum behaviour. \n \nWe believe that the techniques we develop here will be widely applicable in quantum theory, particularly in the context of resource theories.
A central problem in quantum information is to determine the minimal physical resources that are required for quantum computational speedup and, in particular, for fault-tolerant quantum computation.We establish a remarkable connection between the potential for quantum speed-up and the onset of negative values in a distinguished quasi-probability representation, a discrete analogue of the Wigner function for quantum systems of odd dimension.This connection allows us to resolve an open question on the existence of bound states for magic state distillation: we prove that there exist mixed states outside the convex hull of stabilizer states that cannot be distilled to non-stabilizer target states using stabilizer operations.We also provide an efficient simulation protocol for Clifford circuits that extends to a large class of mixed states, including bound universal states.
Abstract To achieve universal quantum computation via general fault-tolerant schemes, stabilizer operations must be supplemented with other non-stabilizer quantum resources. Motivated by this necessity, we develop a resource theory for magic quantum channels to characterize and quantify the quantum ‘magic’ or non-stabilizerness of noisy quantum circuits. For qudit quantum computing with odd dimension d , it is known that quantum states with non-negative Wigner function can be efficiently simulated classically. First, inspired by this observation, we introduce a resource theory based on completely positive-Wigner-preserving quantum operations as free operations, and we show that they can be efficiently simulated via a classical algorithm. Second, we introduce two efficiently computable magic measures for quantum channels, called the mana and thauma of a quantum channel. As applications, we show that these measures not only provide fundamental limits on the distillable magic of quantum channels, but they also lead to lower bounds for the task of synthesizing non-Clifford gates. Third, we propose a classical algorithm for simulating noisy quantum circuits, whose sample complexity can be quantified by the mana of a quantum channel. We further show that this algorithm can outperform another approach for simulating noisy quantum circuits, based on channel robustness. Finally, we explore the threshold of non-stabilizerness for basic quantum circuits under depolarizing noise.
To achieve universal quantum computation via general fault-tolerant schemes, stabilizer operations must be supplemented with other non-stabilizer quantum resources. Motivated by this necessity, we develop a resource theory for magic quantum channels to characterize and quantify the quantum 'magic' or non-stabilizerness of noisy quantum circuits. For qudit quantum computing with odd dimension d, it is known that quantum states with non-negative Wigner function can be efficiently simulated classically. First, inspired by this observation, we introduce a resource theory based on completely positive-Wigner-preserving quantum operations as free operations, and we show that they can be efficiently simulated via a classical algorithm. Second, we introduce two efficiently computable magic measures for quantum channels, called the mana and thauma of a quantum channel. As applications, we show that these measures not only provide fundamental limits on the distillable magic of quantum channels, but they also lead to lower bounds for the task of synthesizing non-Clifford gates. Third, we propose a classical algorithm for simulating noisy quantum circuits, whose sample complexity can be quantified by the mana of a quantum channel. We further show that this algorithm can outperform another approach for simulating noisy quantum circuits, based on channel robustness. Finally, we explore the threshold of non-stabilizerness for basic quantum circuits under depolarizing noise.
A central problem in quantum information is to determine the minimal physical resources that are required for quantum computational speedup and, in particular, for fault-tolerant quantum computation. We establish a remarkable connection between the potential for quantum speed-up and the onset of negative values in a distinguished quasi-probability representation, a discrete analog of the Wigner function for quantum systems of odd dimension. This connection allows us to resolve an open question on the existence of bound states for magic-state distillation: we prove that there exist mixed states outside the convex hull of stabilizer states that cannot be distilled to non-stabilizer target states using stabilizer operations. We also provide an efficient simulation protocol for Clifford circuits that extends to a large class of mixed states, including bound universal states.
The stabilizer formalism plays a central role in quantum information processing and quantum computing. Since stabilizer states and operations can be efficiently simulated classically and fault-tolerantly implemented in quantum error-correcting codes, quantum states and operations beyond the stabilizer framework, characterized by nonstabilizerness or magic, naturally emerge as resources for quantum computation. Here, we demonstrate that a quantum-information task involving only stabilizer states can reveal a fundamental limitation of stabilizer operations. Specifically, we construct a set of mutually orthogonal stabilizer states that cannot be perfectly distinguished using stabilizer operations and extend this construction to an arbitrary number of qubits. Our results provide an efficient test of nonstabilizerness without requiring the direct use of resourceful states or operations nor relying on computational-hardness assumptions. This nonstabilizerness test could serve as a resource-efficient benchmark for fault-tolerant quantum computers powered by magic-state injection, by providing quantitative bounds on the robustness of magic. More fundamentally, the resulting asymmetry between the preparation and discrimination of free states parallels "nonlocality without entanglement" in entanglement theory, revealing an unexpected connection between these two distinct quantum resource theories.