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Physical Review A

Variational estimation of capacity bounds for quantum channels

Junaid ur Rehman, Seongjin Hong, Yong‐Su Kim, Hyundong Shin

Published Mar 28, 2022• 5 citations

Abstract

We propose a framework to variationally obtain detectable capacity bounds for quantum channels. The proposal of this framework is motivated by the difficulty of estimating the von Neumann entropy of an unknown quantum state. Instead of estimating the von Neumann entropy at the channel output, we propose to estimate the state purity---which can be measured by a single measurement setting---followed by bounding the von Neumann entropy from above and below. This procedure leads to new upper and lower bounds on various communication rates of quantum channels for some fixed input states. Then, by utilizing the variational method to find optimal input states we obtain lower bounds on (i) the quantum capacity of arbitrary channels, (ii) the entanglement-assisted classical capacity of arbitrary channels, and (iii) the classical capacity of covariant channels. Corresponding to these lower bounds, we also obtain upper bounds on (i) $N$-shot coherent information, (ii) the entanglement-assisted classical capacity, and (iii) the $N$-shot Holevo capacity of arbitrary quantum channels. All these bounds can be estimated by a single measurement setting without needing a full process tomography or any further a priori knowledge, e.g., preferred basis of the channel.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.105.032616

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We propose a framework to variationally obtain detectable capacity bounds for quantum channels. The proposal of this framework is motivated by the difficulty of estimating the von Neumann entropy of an unknown quantum state. Instead of estimating the von Neumann entropy at the channel output, we propose to estimate the state purity---which can be measured by a single measurement setting---followed by bounding the von Neumann entropy from above and below. This procedure leads to new upper and lower bounds on various communication rates of quantum channels for some fixed input states. Then, by utilizing the variational method to find optimal input states we obtain lower bounds on (i) the quantum capacity of arbitrary channels, (ii) the entanglement-assisted classical capacity of arbitrary channels, and (iii) the classical capacity of covariant channels. Corresponding to these lower bounds, we also obtain upper bounds on (i)

N

-shot coherent information, (ii) the entanglement-assisted classical capacity, and (iii) the

N

-shot Holevo capacity of arbitrary quantum channels. All these bounds can be estimated by a single measurement setting without needing a full process tomography or any further a priori knowledge, e.g., preferred basis of the channel.

We present an efficient experimental procedure that certifies nonvanishing quantum capacities for qubit noisy channels. Our method is based on the use of a fixed bipartite entangled state, where the system qubit is sent to the channel input. A particular set of local measurements is performed at the channel output and the ancilla qubit mode, obtaining lower bounds to the quantum capacities for any unknown channel with no need of quantum process tomography. The entangled qubits have a Bell state configuration and are encoded in photon polarization. The lower bounds are found by estimating the Shannon and von Neumann entropies at the output using an optimized basis, whose statistics is obtained by measuring only the three observables ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{x}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{x}$, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{y}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{y}$, and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{z}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{z}$.

We show an experimental procedure to certify the classical capacity for noisy qubit channels. The method makes use of a fixed bipartite entangled state, where the system qubit is sent to the channel input and the set of local measurements, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{x}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{x}, {\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{y}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{y}$, and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{z}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{z}$, is performed at the channel output and the ancilla qubit, thus without resorting to full quantum process tomography. The witness to the classical capacity is then achieved by reconstructing sets of conditional probabilities, noise deconvolution, and classical optimization of the pertaining mutual information. The performance of the method to provide lower bounds to the classical capacity is tested by a two-photon polarization entangled state in Pauli channels and amplitude damping channels. The measured lower bounds to the channels are in high agreement with the simulated data, which take into account both the experimental entanglement fidelity $F=0.979\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.011$ of the input state and the systematic experimental imperfections.

We discuss the capacity of quantum channels for information transmission and storage. Quantum channels have dual uses: they can be used to transmit known quantum states which code for classical information, and they can be used in a purely quantum manner, for transmitting or storing quantum entanglement. We propose here a definition of the von Neumann capacity of quantum channels, which is a quantum-mechanical extension of the Shannon capacity and reverts to it in the classical limit. As such, the von Neumann capacity assumes the role of a classical or quantum capacity depending on the usage of the channel. In analogy to the classical construction, this capacity is defined as the maximum von Neumann mutual entropy processed by the channel, a measure which reduces to the capacity for classical information transmission through quantum channels (the ``Kholevo capacity'') when known quantum states are sent. The quantum mutual entropy fulfills all basic requirements for a measure of information, and observes quantum data-processing inequalities. We also derive a quantum Fano inequality relating the quantum loss of the channel to the fidelity of the quantum code. The quantities introduced are calculated explicitly for the quantum depolarizing channel. The von Neumann capacity is interpreted within the context of superdense coding, and an extended Hamming bound is derived that is consistent with that capacity.