We present the generalization of the CNC formalism, based on closed and noncontextual sets of Pauli observables, to the setting of odd-prime-dimensional qudits. By introducing new CNC-type phase space point operators, we construct a quasiprobability representation for quantum computation which is covariant with respect to the Clifford group and positivity preserving under Pauli measurements, and whose nonnegative sector strictly contains the subtheory of quantum theory described by nonnegative Wigner functions. This allows for a broader class of magic state quantum circuits to be efficiently classically simulated than those covered by the stabilizer formalism and Wigner function methods.
We present the generalization of the CNC formalism, based on closed and noncontextual sets of Pauli observables, to the setting of odd-prime-dimensional qudits. By introducing new CNC-type phase space point operators, we construct a quasiprobability representation for quantum computation which is covariant with respect to the Clifford group and positivity preserving under Pauli measurements, and whose nonnegative sector strictly contains the subtheory of quantum theory described by nonnegative Wigner functions. This allows for a broader class of magic state quantum circuits to be efficiently classically simulated than those covered by the stabilizer formalism and Wigner function methods.
A web of cohomological facts relates quantum error correction, measurement-based quantum computation, symmetry protected topological order and contextuality. Here we extend this web to quantum computation with magic states. In this computational scheme, the negativity of certain quasiprobability functions is an indicator for quantumness. However, when constructing quasiprobability functions to which this statement applies, a marked difference arises between the cases of even and odd local Hilbert space dimension. At a technical level, establishing negativity as an indicator of quantumness in quantum computation with magic states relies on two properties of the Wigner function: their covariance with respect to the Clifford group and positive representation of Pauli measurements. In odd dimension, Gross' Wigner function – an adaptation of the original Wigner function to odd-finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces – possesses these properties. In even dimension, Gross' Wigner function doesn't exist. Here we discuss the broader class of Wigner functions that, like Gross', are obtained from operator bases. We find that such Clifford-covariant Wigner functions do not exist in any even dimension, and furthermore, Pauli measurements cannot be positively represented by them in any even dimension whenever the number of qudits is n ≥ 2. We establish that the obstructions to the existence of such Wigner functions are cohomological.
An important problem in quantum computation is to characterize the resources required for a computational speedup over classical computation. Veitch et al. showed that one necessary condition for a computational speedup in the model of quantum computation with magic states is that the discrete Wigner function representing the input state of the quantum circuit must take negative values. The amount of negativity in the discrete Wigner function quantifies the complexity of classical simulation of a quantum computation with simulation being efficient if the Wigner function is nonnegative everywhere. In this sense, negativity of the Wigner quasiprobability representation serves as an indicator of quantumness from a computational perspective. However, this result only holds for systems of qudits where the local Hilbert space dimension is odd. The first main result discussed in this thesis relates to a discrete Wigner function suitable for describing quantum computation with magic states defined for any local Hilbert space dimension. When the local Hilbert space dimension is odd it subsumes the standard discrete Wigner function. When the local Hilbert space dimension is even, as a result of state-independent proofs of contextuality among multiqubit (or multi-even-dimensional-qudit) Pauli observables, the phase space over which the Wigner function is defined becomes much larger. However, for systems of qubits, the properties required for simulation of quantum computation with magic states remain. This simulation method effectively extends the result described above for odd-dimensional qudits to qubits. Although in the even-dimensional case the phase space is much larger, points in multiqubit phase space can be characterized and classified and some structure can be imparted on the phase space. The second main result discussed here is a hidden variable model for quantum computation with magic states on qubits. This model is similar in structure to quasiprobability representations like the discrete Wigner function, but unlike those representations the model is capable of representing all elements of any quantum computation---states, operations, and measurements---using only classical probabilities. No negativity is required. This calls into question the role of negativity in quasiprobability representations as an indicator of quantumness for models of quantum computation.
We propose a method for classical simulation of finite-dimensional quantum systems, based on sampling from a quasiprobability distribution, i.e., a generalized Wigner function. Our construction applies to all finite dimensions, with the most interesting case being that of qubits. For multiple qubits, we find that quantum computation by Clifford gates and Pauli measurements on magic states can be efficiently classically simulated if the quasiprobability distribution of the magic states is non-negative. This provides the so far missing qubit counterpart of the corresponding result [V. Veitch et al., New J. Phys. 14, 113011 (2012)] applying only to odd dimension. Our approach is more general than previous ones based on mixtures of stabilizer states. Namely, all mixtures of stabilizer states can be efficiently simulated, but for any number of qubits there also exist efficiently simulable states outside the stabilizer polytope. Further, our simulation method extends to negative quasiprobability distributions, where it provides probability estimation. The simulation cost is then proportional to a robustness measure squared. For all quantum states, this robustness is smaller than or equal to robustness of magic.
We show that qubit stabilizer states can be represented by non-negative quasiprobability distributions associated with a Wigner-Weyl-Moyal formalism where Clifford gates are positive state-independent maps. This is accomplished by generalizing the Wigner-Weyl-Moyal formalism to three generators instead of two---producing an exterior, or Grassmann, algebra---which results in Clifford group gates for qubits that act as a permutation on the finite Weyl phase space points naturally associated with stabilizer states. As a result, a non-negative probability distribution can be associated with each stabilizer state's three-generator Wigner function, and these distributions evolve deterministically to one another under Clifford gates. This corresponds to a hidden variable theory that is noncontextual and local for qubit Clifford gates while Clifford (Pauli) measurements have a context-dependent representation. Equivalently, we show that qubit Clifford gates can be expressed as propagators within the three-generator Wigner-Weyl-Moyal formalism whose semiclassical expansion is truncated at order ${\ensuremath{\hbar}}^{0}$ with a finite number of terms. The T gate, which extends the Clifford gate set to one capable of universal quantum computation, requires a semiclassical expansion of the propagator to order ${\ensuremath{\hbar}}^{1}$. We compare this approach to previous quasiprobability descriptions of qubits that relied on the two-generator Wigner-Weyl-Moyal formalism and find that the two-generator Weyl symbols of stabilizer states result in a description of evolution under Clifford gates that is state-dependent, in contrast to the three-generator formalism. We have thus extended Wigner non-negative quasiprobability distributions from the odd d-dimensional case to d=2 qubits, which describe the noncontextuality of Clifford gates and contextuality of Pauli measurements on qubit stabilizer states.
Negativity in certain quasiprobability representations is a necessary condition for a quantum computational advantage. Here we define a quasiprobability representation exhibiting this property with respect to quantum computations in the magic state model. It is based on generalized Jordan-Wigner transformations, and it has a close connection to the probability representation of universal quantum computation based on the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ polytopes. For each number of qubits, it defines a polytope contained in the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ polytope with some shared vertices. It leads to an efficient classical simulation algorithm for magic state quantum circuits for which the input state is positively represented, and it outperforms previous representations in terms of the states that can be positively represented.
The scheme of quantum computation with magic states, and in particular the role of the Wigner function as an indicator of quantumness, motivate the question of when Clifford-covariant Wigner functions exist, and when Wigner functions exist that represent Pauli measurements positively. This question has been settled affirmatively for all odd dimensions. Here, we discuss the case of even dimension, for Wigner functions obtained from operator bases. We find that such Clifford-covariant Wigner functions do not exist in any even dimension, and furthermore, Pauli measurement cannot be positively represented by them in any even dimension whenever the number of qudits is n >= 2.