Nested Uhrig dynamical decoupling (NUDD) is a highly efficient quantum error suppression scheme that builds on optimized single axis UDD sequences. We prove the universality of NUDD and analyze its suppression of different error types in the setting of generalized control pulses. We present an explicit lower bound for the decoupling order of each error type, which we relate to the sequence orders of the nested UDD layers. We find that the error suppression capabilities of NUDD are strongly dependent on the parities and relative magnitudes of all nested UDD sequence orders. This allows us to predict the optimal arrangement of sequence orders. We test and confirm our analysis using numerical simulations.
Future quantum technologies rely heavily on good protection of quantum entanglement against environment-induced decoherence. A recent study showed that an extension of Uhrig's dynamical decoupling (UDD) sequence can (in theory) lock an arbitrary but known two-qubit entangled state to the
Nth order using a sequence of
N control pulses [Mukhtar et al., Phys. Rev. A 81, 012331 (2010)]. By nesting three layers of explicitly constructed UDD sequences, here we first consider the protection of unknown two-qubit states as superposition of two known basis states, without making assumptions of the system-environment coupling. It is found that the obtained decoherence suppression can be highly sensitive to the ordering of the three UDD layers and can be remarkably effective with the correct ordering. The detailed theoretical results are useful for general understanding of the nature of controlled quantum dynamics under nested UDD. As an extension of our three-layer UDD, it is finally pointed out that a completely unknown two-qubit state can be protected by nesting four layers of UDD sequences. This work indicates that when UDD is applicable (e.g., when the environment has a sharp frequency cutoff and when control pulses can be taken as instantaneous pulses), dynamical decoupling using nested UDD sequences is a powerful approach for entanglement protection.