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arXiv:1310.4684 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Orbits of mutually unbiased bases

Kate Blanchfield

Published Mar 14, 2014• 12 citations
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Abstract

We express Alltop's construction of mutually unbiased bases as orbits under the Weyl-Heisenberg group in prime dimensions and find a related construction in dimensions 2 and 4. We reproduce Alltop's mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Clifford group in prime dimensions, in direct analogy to the well-known construction of mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Weyl-Heisenberg group. Finally, we prove three theorems relating to the distances and linear dependencies among different sets of mutually unbiased bases.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/47/13/135303

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We express Alltop's construction of mutually unbiased bases as orbits under the Weyl-Heisenberg group in prime dimensions and find a related construction in dimensions 2 and 4. We reproduce Alltop's mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Clifford group in prime dimensions, in direct analogy to the well-known construction of mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Weyl-Heisenberg group. Finally, we prove three theorems relating to the distances and linear dependencies among different sets of mutually unbiased bases.
We express Alltop's construction of mutually unbiased bases as orbits under the Weyl-Heisenberg group in prime dimensions and find a related construction in dimensions 2 and 4. We reproduce Alltop's mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Clifford group in prime dimensions, in direct analogy to the well-known construction of mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Weyl-Heisenberg group.Finally, we prove three theorems relating to the distances and linear dependencies among different sets of mutually unbiased bases.
Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs) constitute a fundamental geometric structure in quantum theory, known for providing an optimal measurement scheme for quantum state tomography. In prime and prime-power dimensions, analytical constructions of maximal sets of MUBs are well-known and standard construction relies on the Weyl-Heisenberg (WH) group and finite fields. In non-prime-power dimensions, on the other hand, the existence of such maximal sets remains an open question. We present a generalized numerical method of constructing MUBs without any reliance on \textit{a priori} group structure or specific algebraic frameworks. Formulating the problem at the level of Gram matrix, we reduce the search for complete sets of d+1 MUBs to a phase space optimisation problem. We use the fact that the MUB Gram matrix is a projection matrix, and the third- and fourth-order trace constraints are necessary and sufficient conditions for a projection matrix. We further develop a classification framework based on third-order Bargmann invariants and automorphism groups, allowing us to probe the underlying algebraic and geometric structure of the resulting configurations. Numerical applications of this method in dimensions 333, 444, and 555 demonstrate that all numerically constructed solutions are mutually isomorphic, are isolated points in phase space, and possess automorphism groups that coincide exactly with the Clifford group, the normalizer of the WH group. In the lowest non-prime-power dimension 666 where the existence of a complete set remains open, our numerical search yields no solution. However, for incomplete sets of solutions, our search finds no set of four MUBs, but it yields several inequivalent triples, which we classify and whose neighbourhood we then investigate.
We present a detailed computational and algebraic study of Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs) in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, with a particular focus on dimensions 2, 3, 4, and the challenging case of 6. Starting from the Hadamard-phase parametrization, we derive explicit analytical conditions for mutual unbiasedness in dimension 4, providing a tractable system of trigonometric constraints on the phase parameters. We then explore a tensor-product construction via Pauli operators, highlighting the algebraic and group-theoretical origin of MUBs in two-qubit systems, and demonstrating how these constructions yield a complete set of 5 MUBs in dimension 4. Extending our approach, we investigate the Fourier-family method in dimension 6, where the absence of a prime-power structure imposes strong rigidity constraints and limits the known constructions to sets of 3 MUBs. We provide a systematic computational framework for testing candidate phase vectors, bridging the gap between analytical insight and numerical exploration. Finally, we generalize the discussion to arbitrary prime-power dimensions, emphasizing the role of finite-field structures, Heisenberg-Weyl operators, and discrete symmetries in generating complete sets of MUBs. Our work offers a transparent, line-by-line verification methodology, highlighting both the geometric and algebraic richness of MUBs, and clarifying why certain dimensions resist full analytical constructions. This study serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers seeking both theoretical understanding and practical construction of MUBs in quantum information science.
We investigate the action of the first three levels of the Clifford hierarchy on sets of mutually unbiased bases comprising the Ivanovic mutually unbiased base (MUB) and the Alltop MUBs. Vectors in the Alltop MUBs exhibit additional symmetries when the dimension is a prime number equal to 1 modulo 3 and thus the set of all Alltop vectors splits into three Clifford orbits. These vectors form configurations with so-called Zauner subspaces, eigenspaces of order 3 elements of the Clifford group highly relevant to the SIC problem. We identify Alltop vectors as the magic states that appear in the context of fault-tolerant universal quantum computing, wherein the appearance of distinct Clifford orbits implies a surprising inequivalence between some magic states.
Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) are interesting for various reasons. The most attractive example of (a complete set of) MUBs is the one constructed by Ivanovi\ifmmode \acute{c}\else \'{c}\fi{} as well as Wootters and Fields, which is referred to as the canonical MUB. Nevertheless, little is known about anything that is unique to this MUB. We show that the canonical MUB in any prime power dimension is uniquely determined by an extremal orbit of the (restricted) Clifford group except in dimension 3, in which case the orbit defines a special symmetric informationally complete measurement (SIC), known as the Hesse SIC. Here the extremal orbit is the orbit with the smallest number of pure states. Quite surprisingly, this characterization does not rely on any concept that is related to bases or unbiasedness. As a corollary, the canonical MUB is the unique minimal 2-design covariant with respect to the Clifford group except in dimension 3. In addition, these MUBs provide an infinite family of highly symmetric frames and positive-operator-valued measures (POVMs), which are of independent interest.