Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) describe quantum measurements for which certainty in one basis gives uniform outcomes in the others. Their maximum number remains unknown in dimensions that are not powers of a prime. We introduce an ansatz that, in many dimensions, allows us to construct more MUBs than have previously been found. Each basis in the ansatz consists of a diagonal phase matrix applied to a fixed unitary, which is a tensor product of Fourier matrices and, optionally, any real Hadamard matrix. This construction yields five MUBs in dimension 12, six in dimensions 48, 96, and 192, seven in dimensions 36 and 108, and ten in dimension 648. These bases can then be extended to exceed the tensor product bound, asymptotically, in every eighteenth dimension. Moreover, we show that Paley's real Hadamard matrix can be used to construct $q+1$ bases in dimension $d = q(q+1)$ for every prime power $q\equiv3\pmod4$. This count grows as $\sqrt d$ and cannot be exceeded by tensor products of smaller sets.
Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) describe quantum measurements for which certainty in one basis gives uniform outcomes in the others. Their maximum number remains unknown in dimensions that are not powers of a prime. We introduce an ansatz that, in many dimensions, allows us to construct more MUBs than have previously been found. Each basis in the ansatz consists of a diagonal phase matrix applied to a fixed unitary, which is a tensor product of Fourier matrices and, optionally, any real Hadamard matrix. This construction yields five MUBs in dimension 12, six in dimensions 48, 96, and 192, seven in dimensions 36 and 108, and ten in dimension 648. These bases can then be extended to exceed the tensor product bound, asymptotically, in every eighteenth dimension. Moreover, we show that Paley's real Hadamard matrix can be used to construct q+1 bases in dimension d=q(q+1) for every prime power q≡3(mod4). This count grows as d and cannot be exceeded by tensor products of smaller sets.
We present a detailed computational and algebraic study of Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs) in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, with a particular focus on dimensions 2, 3, 4, and the challenging case of 6. Starting from the Hadamard-phase parametrization, we derive explicit analytical conditions for mutual unbiasedness in dimension 4, providing a tractable system of trigonometric constraints on the phase parameters. We then explore a tensor-product construction via Pauli operators, highlighting the algebraic and group-theoretical origin of MUBs in two-qubit systems, and demonstrating how these constructions yield a complete set of 5 MUBs in dimension 4. Extending our approach, we investigate the Fourier-family method in dimension 6, where the absence of a prime-power structure imposes strong rigidity constraints and limits the known constructions to sets of 3 MUBs. We provide a systematic computational framework for testing candidate phase vectors, bridging the gap between analytical insight and numerical exploration. Finally, we generalize the discussion to arbitrary prime-power dimensions, emphasizing the role of finite-field structures, Heisenberg-Weyl operators, and discrete symmetries in generating complete sets of MUBs. Our work offers a transparent, line-by-line verification methodology, highlighting both the geometric and algebraic richness of MUBs, and clarifying why certain dimensions resist full analytical constructions. This study serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers seeking both theoretical understanding and practical construction of MUBs in quantum information science.
A pair of orthonormal bases are mutually unbiased (MU) if the inner products across all their elements have equal magnitude. In quantum mechanics, these bases represent observables that are complementary, i.e. a measurement of one observable implies maximal uncertainty about the possible outcome of a subsequent measurement of a second observable. MU bases have attracted interest in recent years because their properties seem to depend dramatically on the dimension d of the quantum system in hand. If the dimension is given by a prime or prime-power, the state space is known to accommodate a complete set of d+1 MU bases. However, for composite dimensions, such as d = 6, 10, 12, ..., complete sets seem to be absent and it is not understood why. In this thesis we carry out a comprehensive study of MU product bases in dimension six. In particular, we construct all MU bases in dimension six consisting of product states only. The exhaustive classification leads to several non-existence results. We also present a new construction of complex Hadamard matrices of composite order, which is a consequence of our work on MU product bases. Based on this construction we obtain several new isolated Hadamard matrices of Butson-type. \n
On Construction of Approximate Real Mutually Unbiased Bases for an infinite class of dimensions d≡0mod4
It is known that real Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs) do not exist for any dimension d>2 which is not divisible by 4. Thus, the next combinatorial question is how one can construct Approximate Real MUBs (ARMUBs) in this direction with encouraging parameters. In this paper, for the first time, we show that it is possible to construct >⌈d⌉ many ARMUBs for certain odd dimensions d of the form d=(4n−t)s, t=1,2,3, where n is a natural number and s is an odd prime power. Our method exploits any available 4n×4n real Hadamard matrix H4n (conjectured to be true) and uses this to construct an orthogonal matrix Y4n−t of size (4n−t)×(4n−t), such that the absolute value of each entry varies a little from 4n−t1. In our construction, the absolute value of the inner product between any pair of basis vectors from two different ARMUBs will be ≤d1(1+O(d−41))<2, for proper choices of parameters, the class of dimensions d being infinitely large.
Two orthonormal bases in the complex space of dimension d, are said to be mutually unbiased if the square of the magnitude of the inner product of any vector from one basis with any vector in other basis is equal to the reciprocal of the dimension d. Mutually unbiased bases are used for optimal state determination of mixed quantum states. It is known that in any dimension d, the number of mutually unbiased bases is at most d+1. Ivanovic found a complete set of mutually unbiased bases for prime dimensions. His construction was generalized by Wootters and Fields for prime power dimensions. There is a strong connection between maximally commuting bases of orthogonal unitary matrices and mutually unbiased bases. Based on this connection, there exits a constructive proof of the existence of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases for prime power dimensions. This thesis is an exploration on construction of mutually unbiased bases.
Construction of a large class of Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs) for non-prime power composite dimensions (d=k×s) is a long standing open problem, which leads to different construction methods for the class Approximate MUBs (AMUBs) by relaxing the criterion that the absolute value of the dot product between two vectors chosen from different bases should be ≤dβ. In this chapter, we consider a more general class of AMUBs (ARMUBs, considering the real ones too), compared to our earlier work in [Cryptography and Communications, 14(3): 527--549, 2022]. We note that the quality of AMUBs (ARMUBs) constructed using RBD(X,A) with ∣X∣=d, critically depends on the parameters, ∣s−k∣, μ (maximum number of elements common between any pair of blocks), and the set of block sizes. We present the construction of O(d) many β-AMUBs for composite d when ∣s−k∣<d, using RBDs having block sizes approximately d, such that ∣⟨ψil∣ψjm⟩∣≤dβ where β=1+2d∣s−k∣+O(d−1)≤2. Moreover, if real Hadamard matrix of order k or s exists, then one can construct at least N(k)+1 (or N(s)+1) many β-ARMUBs for dimension d, with β≤2−2d∣s−k∣+O(d−1)<2, where N(w) is the number of MOLS(w). This improves and generalizes some of our previous results for ARMUBs from two points, viz., the real cases are now extended to complex ones too. The earlier efforts use some existing RBDs, whereas here we consider new instances of RBDs that provide better results. Similar to the earlier cases, the AMUBs (ARMUBs) constructed using RBDs are in general very sparse, where the sparsity (ε) is 1−O(d−21).
We investigate the number of real entries of an n×n complex Hadamard matrix. We analytically derive the numbers when n = 2, 3, 4, 6. In particular, the number can be any one of 0–22, 24, 25, 26, 30 for n = 6. We apply our result to the existence of four mutually unbiased bases in dimension six, which is a long-standing open problem in quantum physics and information. We show that if four MUBs containing the identity matrix exist then the real entries in any one of the remaining three matrices do not exceed 22.