Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2011.02994 · Journal of Mathematical Physics

Generating random quantum channels

Ryszard Kukulski, Ion Nechita, Łukasz Pawela, Zbigniew Puchała, Karol Życzkowski

Published Jun 1, 2021• 54 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Several techniques of generating random quantum channels, which act on the set of d-dimensional quantum states, are investigated. We present three approaches to the problem of sampling of quantum channels and show that they are mathematically equivalent. We discuss under which conditions they give the uniform Lebesgue measure on the convex set of quantum operations and compare their advantages and computational complexity and demonstrate which of them is particularly suitable for numerical investigations. Additional results focus on the spectral gap and other spectral properties of random quantum channels and their invariant states. We compute the mean values of several quantities characterizing a given quantum channel, including its unitarity, the average output purity, and the 2-norm coherence of a channel, averaged over the entire set of the quantum channels with respect to the uniform measure. An ensemble of classical stochastic matrices obtained due to super-decoherence of random quantum stochastic maps is analyzed, and their spectral properties are studied using the Bloch representation of a classical probability vector.

DOI
10.1063/5.0038838

Related papers

Volume of the space of qubit-qubit channels and state transformations under random quantum channels

Attila Lovas, Attila Andai

The simplest building blocks for quantum computations are the qubit-qubit quantum channels. In this paper, we analyze the structure of these channels via their Choi representation. The restriction of a quantum channel to the space of classical states (i.e. probability distributions) is called the underlying classical channel. The structure of quantum channels over a fixed classical channel is studied, the volume of the general and unital qubit channels with respect to the Lebesgue measure is computed and explicit formulas are presented for the distribution of the volume of quantum channels over given classical channels. We study the state transformation under uniformly random quantum channels. If one applies a uniformly random quantum channel (general or unital) to a given qubit state, the distribution of the resulted quantum states is presented.

arXiv:1708.07387•Reviews in Mathematical Physics•Aug 17, 2018•9 citations

Volume of the space of qubit-qubit channels and state transformations under random quantum channels

Attila Lovas, Attila Andai

The simplest building blocks for quantum computations are the qubit-qubit quantum channels. In this paper, we analyze the structure of these channels via their Choi representation. The restriction of a quantum channel to the space of classical states (i.e. probability distributions) is called the underlying classical channel. The structure of quantum channels over a fixed classical channel is studied, the volume of the general and unital qubit channels with respect to the Lebesgue measure is computed and explicit formulas are presented for the distribution of the volume of quantum channels over given classical channels. We study the state transformation under uniformly random quantum channels. If one applies a uniformly random quantum channel (general or unital) to a given qubit state, the distribution of the resulted quantum states is presented.

•Jan 1, 2018•7 citations

Representations of Quantum Channels

Tanner Crowder

The Bloch representation of an n-qubit channel provides a way to represent quantum channels as certain affine transformations on [special characters omitted]. In higher dimensions (n > 1), the correspondence between quantum channels and their Bloch representations is not well-understood. Partly motivated by the ability to simplify the calculation of information theoretic quantities of a qubit channel using the Bloch representation, in this thesis we investigate the correspondence between a channel and its Bloch representation with an emphasis on unital n-qubit channels, in which case the Bloch representation is linear. The thesis is divided into three main sections. First we focus our attention on qubit channels. For certain sets of quantum channels, we establish the surprising existence of a special isomorphism into the set of classical channels. We classify the sets of qubit channels with this property and show that information theoretic quantities are preserved by such classical representations. In a natural progression, we prove some well-known facts about SO(3), the proofs of which are either nonexistent or difficult to find in the literature. Some of this work is based on [12, 13]. In the next section, we consider the multi-qubit channels and show that every finite group can be realized as a subgroup of the quantum channels; this approach allows for the construction of a quantum representation for the free affine monoid over any finite group and gives a classical representation for it. We extend some fundamental results from [26, 28] to the multi-qubit case, including that the set of diagonal Bloch matrices is equal to the free affine monoid over the involution group [special characters omitted]. Some of this work appeared in [10]. Lastly, we study the extreme points for the set of n-qubit channels. There are two types of extreme points: invertible and non-invertible; invertible channels are non-singular maps for which the inverse is also a channel. We briefly study the non-invertible extreme points and then parameterize and analyze the invertiblen-qubit Bloch matrices, which form a compact connected Lie group. We calculate the Lie algebra and give an explicit generating set for the invertible Bloch matrices and a maximal torus.

•Jan 1, 2013•5 citations

Coherence-generating power of quantum unitary maps and beyond

Paolo Zanardi A, Georgios Styliaris, Lorenzo Campos Venuti

Given a preferred orthonormal basis $B$ in the Hilbert space of a quantum system, we define a measure of the coherence-generating power of a unitary operation with respect to $B$. This measure is the average coherence generated by the operation acting on a uniform ensemble of incoherent states. We give its explicit analytical form in any dimension and provide an operational protocol to directly detect it. We characterize the set of unitaries with maximal coherence-generating power and study the properties of our measure when the unitary is drawn at random from the Haar distribution. For a large state-space dimension a random unitary has, with overwhelming probability, nearly maximal coherence-generating power with respect to any basis. Finally, extensions to general unital quantum operations and the relation to the concept of asymmetry are discussed.

arXiv:1610.00217•Physical Review A•May 2, 2017•65 citations

Randomization theorems for quantum channels

Anna Jenčová

The classical randomization criterion is an important result of statistical decision theory. Recently, a quantum analogue has been proposed, giving equivalent conditions for two sets of quantum states, ensuring existence of a quantum channel mapping one set close to the other, in $L_1$-distance. In the present paper, we extend these concepts in several ways. First, sets of states are replaced by channels and randomization is performed by either post- or pre-composition with another channel. The $L_1$-distance is replaced by the diamond norm. Secondly, the maps are not required to be completely positive, but positivity is given by an admissible family of convex cones. It is shown that the randomization theorems, generalizing both quantum and classical randomization criteria, can be proved in the framework of base section norms, including the diamond norm and its dual. The theory of such norms is developed in the Appendix.

arXiv:1404.3900•Apr 15, 2014•7 citations

Distinguishability measures between ensembles of quantum states

Ognyan Oreshkov, John Calsamiglia

A quantum ensemble ${({p}_{x},{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{x})}$ is a set of quantum states each occurring randomly with a given probability. Quantum ensembles are necessary to describe situations with incomplete a priori information, such as the output of a stochastic quantum channel (generalized measurement), and play a central role in quantum communication. In this paper, we propose measures of distance and fidelity between two quantum ensembles. We consider two approaches: the first one is based on the ability to mimic one ensemble given the other one as a resource and is closely related to the Monge-Kantorovich optimal transportation problem, while the second one uses the idea of extended-Hilbert-space (EHS) representations which introduce auxiliary pointer (or flag) states. Both types of measures enjoy a number of desirable properties. The Kantorovich measures, albeit monotonic under deterministic quantum operations, are not monotonic under generalized measurements. In contrast, the EHS measures are. This property can be regarded as a generalization of the monotonicity under deterministic maps of the trace distance and the fidelity between states. The EHS measures are equivalent to convex optimization problems and are bounded by the Kantorovich measures which are equivalent to linear programs. We present operational interpretations for both types of measures. We also show that the EHS fidelity between ensembles provides an interpretation of the fidelity between mixed states as the fidelity between all pure-state ensembles whose averages are equal to the mixed states being compared. We finally use the measures to define distance and fidelity for stochastic quantum channels and positive operator-valued measures. These quantities may be useful in the context of tomography of stochastic quantum channels and quantum detectors.

arXiv:0812.3832•Physical Review A•Mar 27, 2009•29 citations
Several techniques of generating random quantum channels, which act on the set of d-dimensional quantum states, are investigated. We present three approaches to the problem of sampling of quantum channels and show that they are mathematically equivalent. We discuss under which conditions they give the uniform Lebesgue measure on the convex set of quantum operations and compare their advantages and computational complexity and demonstrate which of them is particularly suitable for numerical investigations. Additional results focus on the spectral gap and other spectral properties of random quantum channels and their invariant states. We compute the mean values of several quantities characterizing a given quantum channel, including its unitarity, the average output purity, and the 2-norm coherence of a channel, averaged over the entire set of the quantum channels with respect to the uniform measure. An ensemble of classical stochastic matrices obtained due to super-decoherence of random quantum stochastic maps is analyzed, and their spectral properties are studied using the Bloch representation of a classical probability vector.
The simplest building blocks for quantum computations are the qubit-qubit quantum channels. In this paper, we analyze the structure of these channels via their Choi representation. The restriction of a quantum channel to the space of classical states (i.e. probability distributions) is called the underlying classical channel. The structure of quantum channels over a fixed classical channel is studied, the volume of the general and unital qubit channels with respect to the Lebesgue measure is computed and explicit formulas are presented for the distribution of the volume of quantum channels over given classical channels. We study the state transformation under uniformly random quantum channels. If one applies a uniformly random quantum channel (general or unital) to a given qubit state, the distribution of the resulted quantum states is presented.
The simplest building blocks for quantum computations are the qubit-qubit quantum channels. In this paper, we analyze the structure of these channels via their Choi representation. The restriction of a quantum channel to the space of classical states (i.e. probability distributions) is called the underlying classical channel. The structure of quantum channels over a fixed classical channel is studied, the volume of the general and unital qubit channels with respect to the Lebesgue measure is computed and explicit formulas are presented for the distribution of the volume of quantum channels over given classical channels. We study the state transformation under uniformly random quantum channels. If one applies a uniformly random quantum channel (general or unital) to a given qubit state, the distribution of the resulted quantum states is presented.
The Bloch representation of an n-qubit channel provides a way to represent quantum channels as certain affine transformations on [special characters omitted]. In higher dimensions (n > 1), the correspondence between quantum channels and their Bloch representations is not well-understood. Partly motivated by the ability to simplify the calculation of information theoretic quantities of a qubit channel using the Bloch representation, in this thesis we investigate the correspondence between a channel and its Bloch representation with an emphasis on unital n-qubit channels, in which case the Bloch representation is linear. The thesis is divided into three main sections. First we focus our attention on qubit channels. For certain sets of quantum channels, we establish the surprising existence of a special isomorphism into the set of classical channels. We classify the sets of qubit channels with this property and show that information theoretic quantities are preserved by such classical representations. In a natural progression, we prove some well-known facts about SO(3), the proofs of which are either nonexistent or difficult to find in the literature. Some of this work is based on [12, 13]. In the next section, we consider the multi-qubit channels and show that every finite group can be realized as a subgroup of the quantum channels; this approach allows for the construction of a quantum representation for the free affine monoid over any finite group and gives a classical representation for it. We extend some fundamental results from [26, 28] to the multi-qubit case, including that the set of diagonal Bloch matrices is equal to the free affine monoid over the involution group [special characters omitted]. Some of this work appeared in [10]. Lastly, we study the extreme points for the set of n-qubit channels. There are two types of extreme points: invertible and non-invertible; invertible channels are non-singular maps for which the inverse is also a channel. We briefly study the non-invertible extreme points and then parameterize and analyze the invertiblen-qubit Bloch matrices, which form a compact connected Lie group. We calculate the Lie algebra and give an explicit generating set for the invertible Bloch matrices and a maximal torus.
Given a preferred orthonormal basis BBB in the Hilbert space of a quantum system, we define a measure of the coherence-generating power of a unitary operation with respect to BBB. This measure is the average coherence generated by the operation acting on a uniform ensemble of incoherent states. We give its explicit analytical form in any dimension and provide an operational protocol to directly detect it. We characterize the set of unitaries with maximal coherence-generating power and study the properties of our measure when the unitary is drawn at random from the Haar distribution. For a large state-space dimension a random unitary has, with overwhelming probability, nearly maximal coherence-generating power with respect to any basis. Finally, extensions to general unital quantum operations and the relation to the concept of asymmetry are discussed.
The classical randomization criterion is an important result of statistical decision theory. Recently, a quantum analogue has been proposed, giving equivalent conditions for two sets of quantum states, ensuring existence of a quantum channel mapping one set close to the other, in L1L_1L1​-distance. In the present paper, we extend these concepts in several ways. First, sets of states are replaced by channels and randomization is performed by either post- or pre-composition with another channel. The L1L_1L1​-distance is replaced by the diamond norm. Secondly, the maps are not required to be completely positive, but positivity is given by an admissible family of convex cones. It is shown that the randomization theorems, generalizing both quantum and classical randomization criteria, can be proved in the framework of base section norms, including the diamond norm and its dual. The theory of such norms is developed in the Appendix.
A quantum ensemble ${({p}_{x},{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{x})}$ is a set of quantum states each occurring randomly with a given probability. Quantum ensembles are necessary to describe situations with incomplete a priori information, such as the output of a stochastic quantum channel (generalized measurement), and play a central role in quantum communication. In this paper, we propose measures of distance and fidelity between two quantum ensembles. We consider two approaches: the first one is based on the ability to mimic one ensemble given the other one as a resource and is closely related to the Monge-Kantorovich optimal transportation problem, while the second one uses the idea of extended-Hilbert-space (EHS) representations which introduce auxiliary pointer (or flag) states. Both types of measures enjoy a number of desirable properties. The Kantorovich measures, albeit monotonic under deterministic quantum operations, are not monotonic under generalized measurements. In contrast, the EHS measures are. This property can be regarded as a generalization of the monotonicity under deterministic maps of the trace distance and the fidelity between states. The EHS measures are equivalent to convex optimization problems and are bounded by the Kantorovich measures which are equivalent to linear programs. We present operational interpretations for both types of measures. We also show that the EHS fidelity between ensembles provides an interpretation of the fidelity between mixed states as the fidelity between all pure-state ensembles whose averages are equal to the mixed states being compared. We finally use the measures to define distance and fidelity for stochastic quantum channels and positive operator-valued measures. These quantities may be useful in the context of tomography of stochastic quantum channels and quantum detectors.