Abstract We present a tomographic protocol for the characterization of multiqubit quantum channels. We discuss a specific class of input states, for which the set of Pauli measurements at the output of the channel directly relates to its Pauli transfer matrix components. We compare our results to those of standard quantum process tomography, showing an exponential reduction in the number of different experimental configurations required by a single matrix element extraction, while keeping the same number of shots. This paves the way for more efficient experimental implementations, whenever a selective knowledge of the Pauli transfer matrix is needed. We provide several examples and simulations.
Abstract We present a tomographic protocol for the characterization of multiqubit quantum channels. We discuss a specific class of input states, for which the set of Pauli measurements at the output of the channel directly relates to its Pauli transfer matrix components. We compare our results to those of standard quantum process tomography, showing an exponential reduction in the number of different experimental configurations required by a single matrix element extraction, while keeping the same number of shots. This paves the way for more efficient experimental implementations, whenever a selective knowledge of the Pauli transfer matrix is needed. We provide several examples and simulations.
Quantum process tomography (QPT) is a crucial technique for characterizing unknown quantum channels. However, traditional QPT methods encounter scalability problems as the particle numbers increase, requiring exponentially more state preparations and measurement operators. The characteristics of sparse target channels (e.g., multiqubit phase-shift gates) can be obtained by measuring only a few specific matrix elements without requiring global QPT. Therefore, direct quantum channel characterization is vital. This paper proposes a direct protocol for both qubit and qudit systems that extracts specific process matrix elements without full reconstruction. The measurement operator requirements remain independent of system size and dimensionality. Notably, the proposed protocol uses nondestructive measurements and preserves qubits after evolution through unknown processes for potential reuse, making it uniquely promising for applications such as real-time monitoring of noise processes in quantum error correction and real-time feedback control requiring quantum state preservation. To validate the theoretical correctness of our approach, we conducted experimental demonstrations of both the unitary and non-unitary processes of single qubits using a nuclear magnetic resonance system on the SpinQ quantum cloud platform. The experimental results confirmed the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method.
In quantum information transformation and quantum computation, the most critical issues are security and accuracy. These features, therefore, stimulate research on quantum state characterization. A characterization tool, quantum state tomography, reconstructs the density matrix of an unknown quantum state. Theoretically, reconstructing an unknown state using this method can be arbitrarily accurate. However, this is not so practical owing to the huge burden of measurements and data processing for large numbers of qubits. Even comprising an efficient estimator and a precise algorithm, an optimal tomographic framework can also be overburdened owing to the exponential growth of the measurements. Moreover, the consequential postprocessing of huge amounts of data challenges the capacity of computers. Thus, it is crucial to build an efficient framework that requires fewer measurements but yields an expected accuracy. To this end, we built a tomography schema by which only a few Pauli measurements enable an accurate tomographic reconstruction. Subsequently, this schema was verified as efficient and accurate through numerical simulations on the tomography of multiqubit quantum states. Furthermore, it was proven to be robust through numerical simulations on a noisy superconducting qubit system. Therefore, the tomography schema paves an alternative effective way to reconstruct the density matrix of a quantum state owing to its efficiency and accuracy, which are essential for quantum state tomography.
The quantum properties of quantum measurements are indispensable resources in quantum information processing and have drawn extensive research interest. The conventional approach to revealing quantum properties relies on the reconstruction of entire measurement operators by quantum detector tomography. However, many specific properties can be determined by a part of the matrix components of the measurement operators, which makes it possible to simplify the characterization process. We propose a general framework to directly obtain individual matrix elements of the measurement operators by sequentially measuring two noncompatible observables. This method allows us to circumvent the complete tomography of the quantum measurement and extract the required information. We experimentally implement this scheme to monitor the coherent evolution of a general quantum measurement by determining the off-diagonal matrix elements. The investigation of the measurement precision indicates the good feasibility of our protocol for arbitrary quantum measurements. Our results pave the way for revealing the quantum properties of quantum measurements by selectively determining the matrix components of the measurement operators.
In quantum information transformation and quantum computation, the most critical issues are security and accuracy. These features, therefore, stimulate research on quantum state characterization. A characterization tool, Quantum state tomography, reconstructs the density matrix of an unknown quantum state. Theoretically, reconstructing an unknown state using this method can be arbitrarily accurate. However, this is less practical owing to the huge burden of measurements and data processing for large numbers of qubits. Even comprising an efficient estimator and a precise algorithm, an optimal tomographic framework can also be overburdened owing to the exponential growth of the measurements. Moreover, the consequential postprocessing of huge amounts of data challenges the capacity of computers. Thus, it is crucial to build an efficient framework that requires fewer measurements but yields an expected accuracy. To this end, we built a tomography schema by which only a few Pauli measurements enable an accurate tomographic reconstruction. Subsequently, this schema was verified as efficient and accurate through numerical simulations on the tomography of multi-qubit quantum states. Furthermore, this schema was proven to be robust through numerical simulations on a noisy superconducting qubit system. Therefore, the tomography schema paves an alternatively effective way to reconstruct the density matrix of a quantum state owing to its efficiency and accuracy, which are essential for quantum state tomography.
We present a noise deconvolution technique for obtaining noiseless expectation values of noisy observables at the output of multiqubit quantum channels. For any number of qubits or in the presence of correlations, our protocol applies to any mathematically invertible noise model, even when its inverse map is not physically implementable, i.e., when it is neither completely positive nor trace preserving. For a generic observable affected by Pauli noise it provides a quadratic speedup, always producing a rescaling of its Pauli basis components. We show that it is still possible to achieve the deconvolution while experimentally estimating the noise parameters, whenever these are unknown (bypassing resource-heavy techniques such as quantum process tomography). We provide a simulation, with examples for both Pauli and non-Pauli channels.
Abstract Quantum process tomography is an effective method for measuring the quantum channel parameters in the field of quantum information. However, standard quantum process tomography (SQPT) cannot obtain arbitrarily specific process–matrix elements because it requires a global reconstruction algorithm. Direct quantum tomography can be used to obtain specific matrix elements of interest without the need for a global reconstruction algorithm. Therefore, direct process quantum tomography (DQPT) has attracted widespread attention. DQPT based on weak measurements has been recently proposed. However, additional auxiliary states and post‐selection processes are necessary in these schemes, which increases the complexity of practical experiments and reduces the utilization of measurement resources. In this study, a DQPT protocol without the assistance of pointer states is proposed, which reduces the complexity of practical experiments. Subsequently, the scheme is generalized to arbitrary qubit systems and experimentally perform the protocol on a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system provided by a quantum cloud platform. Finally, considering that when the qubit resources are insufficient, a superimposed coherent state is used as the pointer state to complete the direct characterization of a quantum process. The measurement protocol is easily scalable and integrated, laying the foundation for direct tomography on a chip.