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arXiv:2412.01038

Using Reinforcement Learning to Guide Graph State Generation for Photonic Quantum Computers

Yingheng Li, Yue Dai, Aditya Pawar, Dong, Rongchao, Jun Yang, Youtao Zhang, Xulong Tang

Published Dec 2, 2024• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Photonic quantum computer (PQC) is an emerging and promising quantum computing paradigm that has gained momentum in recent years. In PQC, which leverages the measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC) model, computations are executed by performing measurements on photons in graph states (i.e., sets of entangled photons) that are generated before measurements. The graph state in PQC is generated deterministically by quantum emitters. The generation process is achieved by applying a sequence of quantum gates to quantum emitters. In this process, i) the time required to complete the process, ii) the number of quantum emitters used, and iii) the number of CZ gates performed between emitters greatly affect the fidelity of the generated graph state. However, prior work for determining the generation sequence only focuses on optimizing the number of quantum emitters. Moreover, identifying the optimal generation sequence has vast search space. To this end, we propose RLGS, a novel compilation framework to identify optimal generation sequences that optimize the three metrics. Experimental results show that RLGS achieves an average reduction in generation time of 31.1%, 49.6%, and 57.5% for small, medium, and large graph states compared to the baseline.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2412.01038

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Photonic quantum computer (PQC) is an emerging and promising quantum computing paradigm that has gained momentum in recent years. In PQC, which leverages the measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC) model, computations are executed by performing measurements on photons in graph states (i.e., sets of entangled photons) that are generated before measurements. The graph state in PQC is generated deterministically by quantum emitters. The generation process is achieved by applying a sequence of quantum gates to quantum emitters. In this process, i) the time required to complete the process, ii) the number of quantum emitters used, and iii) the number of CZ gates performed between emitters greatly affect the fidelity of the generated graph state. However, prior work for determining the generation sequence only focuses on optimizing the number of quantum emitters. Moreover, identifying the optimal generation sequence has vast search space. To this end, we propose RLGS, a novel compilation framework to identify optimal generation sequences that optimize the three metrics. Experimental results show that RLGS achieves an average reduction in generation time of 31.1%, 49.6%, and 57.5% for small, medium, and large graph states compared to the baseline.
The photonic quantum computer (PQC) is an emerging and promising quantum computing paradigm that has gained momentum in recent years.In PQC, computations are executed by performing measurements on photons in graph states (i.e., a collection of entangled photons).The graph state generation process is fulfilled by applying a sequence of quantum gates to quantum emitters, referred to as the "generation sequence".In a generation sequence, i) the time required to complete the generation sequence, ii) the number of quantum emitters used, and iii) the number of CZ gates performed between emitters greatly affect the fidelity of the generated graph state.In this paper, we propose RLGS (Reinforcement Learningguided Graph State generation), a novel compilation framework to identify optimal generation sequences that optimize the three fidelity metrics.Experimental results show that RLGS achieves an average reduction in generation time of 31.1%,49.6%, and 57.5% for small, medium, and large graph states compared to the baseline.Additionally, the reductions in the number of quantum emitters are 13.9%, 16.7%, and 17.5%, whereas the reductions in the number of CZ gates are 37.7%, 53.4%, and 57.8%, respectively.
Graph states are a fundamental resource for measurement and fusion-based quantum computing, quantum networks, and sensing. Preparing them in a photonic system deterministically is, in principle, possible, but finding efficient schemes to prepare them was a long-standing problem addressed recently. Additionally, heuristic optimization schemes for reducing the required number of two-qubit gates were developed. However, the problem of reducing the number of emitters by optimizing the emission ordering was not addressed, due to its computational complexity, as it is connected to a well-known NP-hard problem from graph theory, the linear rank width computation. In this work, we focus on developing heuristic polynomial algorithms to reduce the number of emitters required. In total, we propose four distinct algorithms, which demonstrate up to 30%30\%30% emitter reduction on random graphs. Furthermore, we provide numerical and statistical evidence that the combination of our optimization schemes with the preexisting algorithms for optimizing the two-qubit gates of the preparation protocol can further reduce them by around 20%20\%20%. Finally, we examine the developed algorithms for various useful graph state families, such as graphs useful for measurement-based quantum algorithms, and cluster states and graph codes used for quantum error correction, to determine the performance of each algorithm.
Photonic graph states are essential resources for quantum computation and communication. Deterministic emitter-based generation of graph states overcomes the scalability issues of probabilistic approaches; nonetheless, their experimental realization is constrained by technological demands, often expressed by the number of two-qubit gates and the depth and/or width of the quantum circuits used to model the generation process. Here, we introduce a cost-aware framework for the generation of photonic graph states of arbitrary size and shape, built on a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions and a universal set of elementary graph operations that govern the evolution of the state toward the target. Within this framework, we develop Graph Builder, a deterministic generation algorithm that achieves substantial reductions (up to an order of magnitude) in two-qubit gate usage for both random and structured graphs, compared with alternative approaches. Furthermore, we show that this framework enables the identification of elementary building blocks in specific cases, such as encoded 6-ring states. The algorithm uses the minimum number of emitters possible for a fixed emission sequence, while also supporting the use of extra emitters for controlled trade-offs between emitter count and other cost metrics. Moreover, by systematically identifying the degrees of freedom at each stage of the generation process, this framework fully characterizes the optimization landscape, enabling analytic, heuristic, or exhaustive strategies for further cost reductions. Our approach provides a general and versatile tool for designing and optimizing emitter-based photonic graph state generation protocols, essential for scalable and resource-efficient photonic quantum information processing.
Abstract Photonic graph states are important for measurement- and fusion-based quantum computing, quantum networks, and sensing. They can in principle be generated deterministically by using emitters to create the requisite entanglement. Finding ways to minimize the number of entangling gates between emitters and understanding the overall optimization complexity of such protocols is crucial for practical implementations. Here, we address these issues using graph theory concepts. We develop optimizers that minimize the number of entangling gates, reducing them by up to 75% compared to naive schemes for moderately sized random graphs. While the complexity of optimizing emitter-emitter CNOT counts is likely NP-hard, we are able to develop heuristics based on strong connections between graph transformations and the optimization of stabilizer circuits. These patterns allow us to process large graphs and still achieve a reduction of up to 66% in emitter CNOTs, without relying on subtle metrics such as edge density. We find the optimal emission orderings and circuits to prepare unencoded and encoded repeater graph states of any size, achieving global minimization of emitter and CNOT resources despite the average NP-hardness of both optimization problems. We further study the locally equivalent orbit of graphs. Although enumerating orbits is #P complete for arbitrary graphs, we analytically calculate the size of the orbit of repeater graphs and find a procedure to generate the orbit for any repeater size. Finally, we inspect the entangling gate cost of preparing any graph from a given orbit and show that we can achieve the same optimal CNOT count across the orbit.
Abstract Multi-photon entangled graph states are a fundamental resource in quantum communication networks, distributed quantum computing, and sensing. These states can in principle be created deterministically from quantum emitters such as optically active quantum dots or defects, atomic systems, or superconducting qubits. However, finding efficient schemes to produce such states has been a long-standing challenge. Here, we present an algorithm that, given a desired multi-photon graph state, determines the minimum number of quantum emitters and precise operation sequences that can produce it. The algorithm itself and the resulting operation sequence both scale polynomially in the size of the photonic graph state, allowing one to obtain efficient schemes to generate graph states containing hundreds or thousands of photons.
Photonic cluster states are fundamental resource for measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC), which is a promising approach for scalable quantum computing. These highly entangled states enable computation with applying local measurements rather than gate operations, which makes them essential for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Generation of the photonic cluster states requires high-quality entanglement and stability, which can be done by making use of cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED), which is embedding quantum dots (QDs) into photonic microcavities. This method enables controlled single-photon emission and the entanglement of them, helping with key challenges in generating photonic cluster states. Enhancing the generation of the photonic cluster state requires improvement in the quality factor (Q-factor) and therefore, cooperativity of cavity and QD systems. A high Q-factor helps with reduction in photon loss and decoherence, ensuring more stable and high-fidelity quantum states. It also enables better light-matter interactions, improving cluster state quality. Cooperativity, which is a measure for the light-matter coupling strength relative to dissipation, directly impacts photon emission efficiency. Optimization of these parameters improves entanglement generation, which is essential for producing high-quality photonic cluster states. Therefore, optimized cavities are essential for improving the generation of the photonic cluster states. Scalability is also an important parameter for the generation of the large-scale cluster states used in quantum computing. In this paper, after reviewing MBQC, cluster states, and the generation of the photonic cluster states, we investigate the deterministic generation of the photonic cluster state resource for the purpose of MBQC, and highlights the importance of the inverse design techniques for this goal.