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arXiv:1903.07404 · Physical Review A

Modified belief propagation decoders for quantum low-density parity-check codes

Alex Rigby, Jan Corne Olivier, Peter Jarvis

Published Jul 19, 2019• 42 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum low-density parity-check codes can be decoded using a syndrome based GF(4) belief propagation decoder (where GF denotes Galois field). However, the performance of this decoder is limited both by unavoidable 4-cycles in the code's factor graph and the degenerate nature of quantum errors. For the subclass of CSS codes, the number of 4-cycles can be reduced by breaking an error into an $X$ and $Z$ component and decoding each with an individual $\mathrm{GF}(2)$ based decoder. However, this comes at the expense of ignoring potential correlations between these two error components. We present a number of modified belief propagation decoders that address these issues. We propose a $\mathrm{GF}(2)$ based decoder for CSS codes that reintroduces error correlations by reattempting decoding with adjusted error probabilities. We also propose the use of an augmented decoder, which has previously been suggested for classical binary low-density parity-check codes. This decoder iteratively reattempts decoding on factor graphs that have a subset of their check nodes duplicated. The augmented decoder can be based on a $\mathrm{GF}(4)$ decoder for any code, a $\mathrm{GF}(2)$ decoder for CSS code, or even a supernode decoder for a dual-containing CSS code. For CSS codes, we further propose a $\mathrm{GF}(2)$ based decoder that combines the augmented decoder with error probability adjustment. We demonstrate the performance of these new decoders on a range of different codes, showing that they perform favorably compared to other decoders presented in literature.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.100.012330

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Quantum low-density parity-check codes can be decoded using a syndrome based GF(4) belief propagation decoder (where GF denotes Galois field). However, the performance of this decoder is limited both by unavoidable 4-cycles in the code's factor graph and the degenerate nature of quantum errors. For the subclass of CSS codes, the number of 4-cycles can be reduced by breaking an error into an XXX and ZZZ component and decoding each with an individual GF(2)\mathrm{GF}(2)GF(2) based decoder. However, this comes at the expense of ignoring potential correlations between these two error components. We present a number of modified belief propagation decoders that address these issues. We propose a GF(2)\mathrm{GF}(2)GF(2) based decoder for CSS codes that reintroduces error correlations by reattempting decoding with adjusted error probabilities. We also propose the use of an augmented decoder, which has previously been suggested for classical binary low-density parity-check codes. This decoder iteratively reattempts decoding on factor graphs that have a subset of their check nodes duplicated. The augmented decoder can be based on a GF(4)\mathrm{GF}(4)GF(4) decoder for any code, a GF(2)\mathrm{GF}(2)GF(2) decoder for CSS code, or even a supernode decoder for a dual-containing CSS code. For CSS codes, we further propose a GF(2)\mathrm{GF}(2)GF(2) based decoder that combines the augmented decoder with error probability adjustment. We demonstrate the performance of these new decoders on a range of different codes, showing that they perform favorably compared to other decoders presented in literature.
Abstract Quantum error-correction codes are immeasurable resources for quantum computing and quantum communication. However, the existing decoders are generally incapable of checking node duplication of belief propagation (BP) on quantum low-density parity check (QLDPC) codes. Based on the probability theory in the machine learning, mathematical statistics and topological structure, a GF(4) (the Galois field is abbreviated as GF) augmented model BP decoder with Tanner graph is designed. The problem of repeated check nodes can be solved by this decoder. In simulation, when the random perturbation strength p=0.0115–0.0116 and number of attempts N = 60–70, the highest decoding efficiency of the augmented model BP decoder is obtained, and the low-loss frame error rate (FER) decreases to 7.1975 ×10−5. Hence, we design a novel augmented model decoder to compare the relationship between GF(2) and GF(4) for quantum code [[450,200]] on the depolarization channel. It can be verified that the proposed decoder provides the widely application range, and the decoding performance is better in QLDPC codes.
The performance of a belief propagation decoder for low-density parity-check codes is limited by the presence of trapping sets in the code’s graph. This leads to an error floor at higher signal-to-noise ratios. We propose the use of an augmented decoder which operates by iteratively decoding on a set of graphs which have a subset of repeated check nodes. We compare the augmented decoder to other modified belief propagation decoders that have been presented in the literature. We show that for all the codes considered, the augmented decoder yields the best frame error rate in the error floor region.
Quantum low-density parity-check (QLDPC) codes provide a practical balance between error-correction capability and implementation complexity in quantum error correction (QEC). In this paper, we propose an algebraic construction based on dyadic matrices for designing both classical and quantum LDPC codes. The method first generates classical binary quasi-dyadic LDPC codes whose Tanner graphs have girth 6. It is then extended to the Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) framework, where the two component parity-check matrices are built to satisfy the compatibility condition required by the recently introduced CAMEL-ensemble quaternary belief propagation decoder. This compatibility condition ensures that all unavoidable cycles of length 4 are assembled in a single variable node, allowing the mitigation of their detrimental effects by decimating that variable node.
Many recently proposed Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) quantum low-density parity-check (QLDPC) codes have sparse decoding graphs, enabling syndrome-based belief propagation (BP) decoding at low complexity. Their construction, however, often results in properties that impair BP performance, such as short cycles and degeneracy. In this work, we propose a general framework for introducing auxiliary variable nodes (AVNs) and auxiliary check nodes (ACNs) into the decoding graph of CSS codes, compatible with the standard stabilizer measurement framework. This provides an additional degree of freedom in the design of the decoding graph itself and can be used to tackle the aforementioned shortcomings. We show that recently proposed techniques, 4-cycle removal and subcode ensemble decoding, can be interpreted as instances of this framework. For 4-cycle removal, we find that the gains depend strongly on the BP iteration count and check-node message scaling. Building on this framework, we further propose a graph-derived subcode ensemble decoder and demonstrate under circuit-level noise that it substantially reduces the per-round logical error rate compared with BP on the corresponding 4-cycle-free decoding graph.
We propose a new method called decoupling representation to represent Pauli operators as vectors over GF(2)GF(2)GF(2), based on which we propose partially decoupled belief propagation and fully decoupled belief propagation decoding algorithm for quantum low density parity-check codes. These two algorithms have the capability to deal with the correlations between the XXX part and the ZZZ part of the vectors in symplectic representation, which are introduced by Pauli YYY errors. Hence, they can not only apply to CSS codes, but also to non-CSS codes. Under the assumption that there is no measurement error, compared with traditional belief propagation algorithm in symplectic representation over GF(2)GF(2)GF(2), within the same number of iterations, the decoding accuracy of partially decoupled belief propagation and fully decoupled belief propagation algorithm is significantly improved in pure YYY noise and depolarizing noise, which supports that decoding algorithms of quantum error correcting codes might have better performance in decoupling representation than in symplectic representation. The impressive performance of fully decoupled belief propagation algorithm might promote the realization of quantum error correcting codes in engineering.
Quantum low-density parity check (QLDPC) codes are promising in realization of scalable, fault tolerant quantum memory for computation. Many of the QLDPC codes constructions suffer from unavoidable short cycles in their Tanner graph which degrade the decoding performance of the belief propagation (BP) algorithm. In this paper, we propose a syndrome based generalized belief propagation (GBP) algorithm for decoding of quantum LDPC codes and analyze how the proposed algorithm escapes from short cycle trapping sets effectively compared to the BP algorithm. Simulation results show improved decoding performance of the GBP algorithm over BP for the dual containing Calderbank, Shor and Steane (CSS) codes when cycles of length 4 are considered in the region based approach.