All complex Hadamard matrices in dimensions two to five are known. We use this fact toderive all inequivalent sets of mutually unbiased (MU) bases in low dimensions. We finda three-parameter family...
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.
The density matrix of a qudit may be reconstructed with optimal efficiency if the expectation values of a specific set of observables are known. The required observables only exist if it is possible to identify d mutually unbiased (MU) complex (d×d) Hadamard matrices, defining a complete set of d+1 MU bases. This thesis is an exploration of sets of r≤d+1 MU bases in low dimensions. We derive all inequivalent sets of MU bases in dimensions two to five confirming that in these dimensions, the complete sets of (d+1) MU bases are unique. In dimension six, we prescribe a first Hadamard matrix and construct all others mutually unbiased to it, using algebraic computations performed by a computer program. We repeat this calculation many times, sampling all known complex Hadamard matrices, and never find more than two that are mutually unbiased. We also study subsets of a complete set of MU bases by considering sets of pure states which satisfy the desired properties. We use this concept to provide the strongest numerical evidence so far that no seven MU bases exist in dimension six. In the final part of the thesis, we introduce a new quantum key distribution protocol that uses d-level quantum systems to encode an alphabet with c letters. It has the property that the error rate introduced by an intercept-and-resend attack is higher than the BB84 or six-state protocols when the legitimate parties use a complete set of MU bases.