Quantum holonomies are investigated in different contexts. A geometric phase is proposed for decomposition dependent evolution, where each component of a given decomposition of a mixed state evolves independently. It is shown that this geometric phase only depends on the path traversed in the space of decompositions. A holonomy is associated to general paths of subspaces of a Hilbert space, both discrete and continuous. This opens up the possibility of constructing quantum holonomic gates in the open path setting. In the discrete case it is shown that it is possible to associate two distinct holonomies to a given path. Interferometric setups for measuring both holonomies are provided. It is further shown that there are cases when the holonomy is only partially defined. This has no counterpart in the Abelian setting. An operational interpretation of amplitudes of density operators is provided. This allows for a direct interferometric realization of Uhlmann's parallelity condition, and the possibility of measuring the Uhlmann holonomy for sequences of density operators. Off-diagonal geometric phases are generalized to the non-Abelian case. These off-diagonal holonomies are undefined for cyclic evolution, but must contain members of non-zero rank if all standard holonomies are undefined. Experimental setups for measuring the off-diagonal holonomies are proposed. The concept of nodal free geometric phases is introduced. These are constructed from gauge invariant quantities, but do not share the nodal point structure of geometric phases and off-diagonal geometric phases. An interferometric setup for measuring nodal free geometric phases is provided, and it is shown that these phases could be useful in geometric quantum computation. A holonomy associated to a sequence of quantum maps is introduced. It is shown that this holonomy is related to the Uhlmann holonomy. Explicit examples are provided to illustrate the general idea.
Abelian and non-Abelian geometric phases, known as quantum holonomies, have attracted considerable attention in the past. Here, we show that it is possible to associate nonequivalent holonomies to discrete sequences of subspaces in a Hilbert space. We consider two such holonomies that arise naturally in interferometer settings. For sequences approximating smooth paths in the base (Grassmann) manifold, these holonomies both approach the standard holonomy. In the one-dimensional case the two types of holonomies are Abelian and coincide with Pancharatnam's geometric phase factor. The theory is illustrated with a model example of projective measurements involving angular momentum coherent states.
Non-Abelian quantum holonomies, i.e., unitary state changes solely induced by geometric properties of a quantum system, have been much under focus in the physics community as generalizations of the Abelian Berry phase. Apart from being a general phenomenon displayed in various subfields of quantum physics, the use of holonomies has lately been suggested as a robust technique to obtain quantum gates; the building blocks of quantum computers. Non-Abelian holonomies are usually associated with cyclic changes of quantum systems, but here we consider a generalization to noncyclic evolutions. We argue that this open-path holonomy can be used to construct quantum gates. We also show that a structure of partially defined holonomies emerges from the open-path holonomy. This structure has no counterpart in the Abelian setting. We illustrate the general ideas using an example that may be accessible to tests in various physical systems.
A unifying framework for identifying distance and holonomy for decompositions of density operators is introduced. Parallelity between quantum ensembles is defined by minimizing this distance over allowed decompositions. The minimum is a property of a pair of states and coincides with the Bures distance. The parallelity condition imposes a connection (rule for parallel transport) that results in the Uhlmann holonomy for sequences of density operators. A distance and holonomy for spectral decompositions of density operators is identified as a sub-group restriction of the full decomposition freedom. These spectral concepts are gauge invariant (decomposition independent) properties of mixed quantum ensembles, as long as the corresponding density operators are non-degenerate. A gauge invariant spectral geometric phase for discrete sequences of mixed quantum states is obtained as the phase of the trace of the spectral holonomy. This geometric phase differs from the interferometric mixed state geometric phase in the continuous limit.
Implementing quantum gates as non-Abelian holonomies, a class of topologically protected unitary operators, is a particularly promising paradigm for the design of intrinsically stable quantum computers [1]. In contrast to dynamic phases, the geometric phase accumulated by a quantum system propagating through a Hilbert space
Hdepends exclusively on its path. In general, geometric phases can exhibit arbitrary dimensionality. Wilczek and Zee introduced the idea of multi-dimensional, non-Abelian geometric phases - so called holonomies [2]. Anandan later dropped the requirement of adiabaticity to create holonomies, that are truly time-independent [3]. Non-adiabatic holonomies rely on a subspace
Hgeoof the Hilbert-space that is spanned by states
{∣Φk⟩}kthat fulfill
(Φk∣H^∣Φj⟩=0, where
H^is the system's Hamiltonian. Restricting the propagation to
Hgeoensures parallel transport and, thus, a purely geometric phase (see Fig. 1a) [4], [5]. Quantum optics constitutes a particularly versatile platform for quantum information processing, and in particular for the construction of non-adiabatic holonomic quantum computers: In addition to integration and miniaturization provided by the platform, the bosonic nature of photons also conveniently allows for multiple excitations of the same mode, readily expanding
Hgeoand enabling the synthesis of holonomies from higher symmetry groups
U(N)as larger and more capable computational units [6], [7].
In this thesis we investigate geometric and topological structures in the context of entanglement and quantum computation. A parallel transport condition is introduced in the context of Franson interferometry based on the maximization of two-particle coincidence intensity. The dependence on correlations is investigated and it is found that the holonomy group is in general non-Abelian, but Abelian for uncorrelated systems. It is found that this framework contains a parallel transport condition developed by Levay in the case of two-qubit systems undergoing local SU(2) evolutions. Global phase factors of topological origin, resulting from cyclic local SU(2) evolution, called topological phases, are investigated in the context of multi-qubit systems. These phases originate from the topological structure of the local SU(2)-orbits and are an attribute of most entangled multi-qubit systems. The relation between topological phases and SLOCC-invariant polynomials is discussed. A general method to find the values of the topological phases in an n-qubit system is described. A non-adiabatic generalization of holonomic quantum computation is developed in which high-speed universal quantum gates can be realized by using non-Abelian geometric phases. It is shown how a set of non-adiabatic holonomic one- and two-qubit gates can be implemented by utilizing transitions in a generic three-level Λ configuration. The robustness of the proposed scheme to different sources of error is investigated through numerical simulation. It is found that the gates can be made robust to a variety of errors if the operation time of the gate can be made sufficiently short. This scheme opens up for universal holonomic quantum computation on qubits characterized by short coherence times.