Quantum computers would prove a ground-breaking effect in several re- search fields to the advantage of our society due to their proved capacity for solving some problems deemed as too complex for classical comput- ers. Consequently, there is a generalized academic effort for constructing a quantum computer. Nonetheless, a real quantum computer does not suffice for implementing quantum algorithms reliably, it must be fault-tolerant. Quantum computers undergo noise due to a phenomenon generally named quantum decoherence, a fault-tolerant quantum computer has the capabil- ity to suppress the effects of decoherence to an extent. For that to happen, a quantum computer should consider quantum error correction, a process in which decoherence is studied and attempted to be corrected. Within the context of quantum error correction, the information from quantum proces- sors is to be stored in a larger, more redundant system named a quantum error correcting code. Afterwards, one can obtain a vector named syndrome which provides partial information on the effect decoherence has had on a code. The process of recovering the decoherence or error that the code has undergone is named decoding. This thesis studies decoders for quan- tum error correcting codes, their performance, complexity and adaption to different types of quantum decoherence.
Quantum computers would prove a ground-breaking effect in several re- search fields to the advantage of our society due to their proved capacity for solving some problems deemed as too complex for classical comput- ers. Consequently, there is a generalized academic effort for constructing a quantum computer. Nonetheless, a real quantum computer does not suffice for implementing quantum algorithms reliably, it must be fault-tolerant. Quantum computers undergo noise due to a phenomenon generally named quantum decoherence, a fault-tolerant quantum computer has the capabil- ity to suppress the effects of decoherence to an extent. For that to happen, a quantum computer should consider quantum error correction, a process in which decoherence is studied and attempted to be corrected. Within the context of quantum error correction, the information from quantum proces- sors is to be stored in a larger, more redundant system named a quantum error correcting code. Afterwards, one can obtain a vector named syndrome which provides partial information on the effect decoherence has had on a code. The process of recovering the decoherence or error that the code has undergone is named decoding. This thesis studies decoders for quan- tum error correcting codes, their performance, complexity and adaption to different types of quantum decoherence.
Quantum computers have the potential to solve several interesting problems in polynomial \ntime for which no polynomial time classical algorithms have been found. However, \none of the major challenges in building quantum devices is that quantum systems are very \nsensitive to noise arising from undesired interactions with the environment. Noise can lead \nto errors which can corrupt the results of the computation. Quantum error correction is \none way to mitigate the effects of noise arising in quantum devices. \nWith a plethora of quantum error correcting codes that can be used in various settings, \none of the main challenges of quantum error correction is understanding how well various \ncodes perform under more realistic noise models that can be observed in experiments. \nThis thesis proposes a new decoding algorithm which can optimize threshold values of \nerror correcting codes under different noise models. The algorithm can be applied to \nany Markovian noise model. Further, it is shown that for certain noise models, logical \nClifford corrections can further improve a code's threshold value if the code obeys certain \nsymmetries. \n \nSince gates and measurements cannot in general be performed with perfect precision, \nthe operations required to perform quantum error correction can introduce more errors \ninto the system thus negating the benefits of error correction. Fault-tolerant quantum \ncomputing is a way to perform quantum error correction with imperfect operations while \nretaining the ability to suppress errors as long as the noise is below a code's threshold. \nOne of the main challenges in performing fault-tolerant error correction is the high resource \nrequirements that are needed to obtain very low logical noise rates. With the use of \nflag qubits, this thesis develops new fault-tolerant error correction protocols that are applicable \nto arbitrary distance codes. Various code families are shown to satisfy the requirements \nof flag fault-tolerant error correction. We also provide circuits using a constant number of \nqubits for these codes. It is shown that the proposed flag fault-tolerant method uses fewer \nqubits than previous fault-tolerant error correction protocols. \n \nIt is often the case that the noise afflicting a quantum device cannot be fully characterized. \nFurther, even with some knowledge of the noise, it can be very challenging to use \nanalytic decoding methods to improve the performance of a fault-tolerant scheme. This \nthesis presents decoding schemes using several state of the art machine learning techniques \nwith a focus on fault-tolerant quantum error correction in regimes that are relevant to near \nterm experiments. It is shown that even in low noise rate regimes and with no knowledge \nof the noise, noise can be further suppressed for small distance codes. Limitations of machine \nlearning decoders as well as the classical resources required to perform active error \ncorrection are discussed. \n \nIn many cases, gate times can be much shorter than typical measurement times of \nquantum states. Further, classical decoding of the syndrome information used in quantum \nerror correction to compute recovery operators can also be much slower than gate times. \nFor these reasons, schemes where error correction can be implemented in a frame (known \nas the Pauli frame) have been developed to avoid active error correction. In this thesis, we \ngeneralize previous Pauli frame schemes and show how Clifford frame error correction can \nbe implemented with minimal overhead. Clifford frame error correction is necessary if the \nlogical component of recovery operators were chosen from the Clifford group, but could \nalso be used in randomized benchmarking schemes.
Quantum computation promises to revolutionize information processing by exploiting superposition and entanglement, enabling applications such as quantum simulation, combinatorial optimization, and secure quantum communication. Beyond individual processors, the quantum internet aims to connect quantum nodes through entanglement distribution, enabling distributed computation. However, quantum states are fragile: environmental interactions, imperfect gate operations, and measurement errors can quickly degrade encoded information. Reliable quantum computation therefore requires carefully designed quantum error-correcting codes and fault-tolerant protocols. Unlike classical redundancy schemes, quantum error correction must preserve delicate phase relationships and relies on indirect error detection through syndrome extraction with ancillary qubits, enabling error identification without collapsing encoded states. Topological codes, in particular, emerged early as the preferred choice for many architectures due to their planar structure, local interactions, and natural support for fault-tolerant logical operations. Color codes, for instance, allow transversal implementation of all Clifford gates, whereas non-Clifford operations require magic-state injection. More recent constructions, including quantum low-density parity-check codes, offer higher encoding rates and reduced resource overhead, but require long-range qubit connectivity and more complex protocols. Despite experimental progress, several challenges remain. Many platforms exhibit biased noise, motivating codes that exploit channel asymmetry. Real-time decoding remains a critical bottleneck, as fault-tolerant computation requires low-latency processing of rapidly generated syndrome data. Fault-tolerant logical state initialization also remains resource-intensive and scales poorly with code distance. Addressing these challenges, this thesis develops a unified framework spanning theory and experiment. It provides precise performance analysis of quantum error-correcting codes in the low physical error-rate regime, introduces codes tailored to biased noise, develops fast low-complexity decoding algorithms for real-time operation, and presents modular and efficient protocols for fault-tolerant state preparation of CSS codes. The latter is demonstrated experimentally through the preparation of a logical zero state of the Golay code on the Quantinuum H2 trapped-ion quantum computer.
The quantum computing must be the initial mark of the second technological revolution caused by the deepening knowledge of the humankind about the peculiar features of the quantum mechanics. If we want to unlock all the potential of this new technology, a development of a fault-tolerant quantum computing will be needed. In order to reach this stage, it is necessary an implementation of quantum error correcting codes that guarantee an exponential suppression of the errors at each step of the execution of an algorithm. Besides that, we need to learn how to isolate our qubits aiming a suppression of the decoherence effects. Quantum mechanics imposes various constraints to the process of construction of the error correction codes, one of them is the impossibility of using copies as redundancy mechanism, once no-cloning theorem does not allow the creation of an universal copy machine of quantum states. Another issue to be noted within this context, is that the measurement process causes a collapse in the quantum state, thus leading to a corruption of the information encoded in the state. Fortunately, there are some ways to bypass the problems pointed out through the entanglement and the stabilizer formalism, the first one allows us to recover the redundancy through the delocalization of the information in the Hilbert spaces of the parts that share quantum correlations, while the second one provides a process of gathering information about the errors that can occur in the quantum state without measuring it. The surface codes are one of the quantum codes that use the features highlighted to correct the errors, this type of code is one of the main candidates to be experimentally implemented on a large scale and it presents promising results in the preliminary studies.
Quantum computation has the promise to solve problems that are not efficiently solvable by classical means. Yet, due to the fragile nature of quantum states, it is unavoidable that quantum systems are subject to decoherence, gate imperfections, and measurement errors. These problems stand as a major roadblock to the construction of large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers. Conventional quantum error correction (QEC) codes, such as the surface code or Shor code, need to use an extensive amount of redundancy and classical control, which can be both computationally expensive and challenging to scale. In this context, we propose to investigate the use of machine learning (ML) techniques by realizing on-line identification, localization and correction of these quantum errors for fault-tolerant quantum computation by means of fault-tolerant quantum computing processes. Our model introduces a hybrids ML-QEC architecture that combines classical neural networks and decision-tree classifiers with quantum syndrome decoding. These models are trained on error syndromes produced using the approximation of common noise models (for example, depolarizing noise, dephasing and amplitude damping), simulated under different QEC schemes. The machine learning methods are trained with quantum error patterns and have a capability to rapidly infer where errors are likely to occur, as well as recommend correction operations with high confidence. As a result, the system reduces dramatically the delay and computational costs when compared to conventional decoding methods. There is also a self-adaptive learning module in the work, which recommences training on fresh quantum error distributions, meaning the system can adapt to changes in the environment (and also the decay of the hardware) as time progresses. The study further carries out ML predictions inside a real-time loop and cross-checks them with quantum state tomography and entanglement fidelity such as indicators. Experimental characterization on dedicated devices as well as noise models show that our ML-enhanced decoders reach higher fidelity and lower logical error rates compared to baseline decoders, especially in non-uniform or time-dependent noise. This work is a significant stride towards realizing practical fault-tolerant quantum computation by combining quantum error correction with the versatility and scalability of machine learning. With intelligent models to dictate learning, our proposed framework is able to eliminate a lot of trial-and-error manual processes in the conventional heuristic-based approach, and points to a potential path to achieve scalable quantum information processing platforms.
Quantum technologies have the potential to solve certain computationally hard problems with polynomial or super-polynomial speedups when compared to classical methods. Unfortunately, the unstable nature of quantum information makes it prone to errors. For this reason, quantum error correction is an invaluable tool to make quantum information reliable and enable the ultimate goal of fault-tolerant quantum computing. Surface codes currently stand as the most promising candidates to build near term error corrected qubits given their two-dimensional architecture, the requirement of only local operations, and high tolerance to quantum noise. Decoding algorithms are an integral component of any error correction scheme, as they are tasked with producing accurate estimates of the errors that affect quantum information, so that they can subsequently be corrected. A critical aspect of decoding algorithms is their speed, since the quantum state will suffer additional errors with the passage of time. This poses a connundrum, where decoding performance is improved at the expense of complexity and viceversa. In this review, a thorough discussion of state-of-the-art decoding algorithms for surface codes is provided. The target audience of this work are both readers with an introductory understanding of the field as well as those seeking to further their knowledge of the decoding paradigm of surface codes. We describe the core principles of these decoding methods as well as existing variants that show promise for improved results. In addition, both the decoding performance, in terms of error correction capability, and decoding complexity, are compared. A review of the existing software tools regarding surface codes decoding is also provided.
The construction of a large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer is an outstanding scientific and technological goal. It holds the promise to allow us to solve a variety of complex problems such as factoring large numbers, quick database search, and the quantum simulation of many-body quantum systems in fields as diverse as condensed matter, quantum chemistry, and even high-energy physics. Sophisticated theoretical protocols for reliable quantum information processing under imperfect conditions have been de-veloped, when errors affect and corrupt the fragile quantum states during storage and computations. Arguably, the most realistic and promising ap-proach towards practical fault-tolerant quantum computation are topologi-cal quantum error-correcting codes, where quantum information is stored in interacting, topologically ordered 2D or 3D many-body quantum systems. This approach offers the highest known error thresholds, which are already today within reach of the experimental accuracy in state-of-the-art setups. A combination of theoretical and experimental research is needed to store, protect and process fragile quantum information in logical qubits effectively so that they can outperform their constituting physical qubits. Whereas small-scale quantum error correction codes have been implemented, one of the main theoretical challenges remains to develop new and improve existing efficient strategies (so-called decoders) to derive (near-)optimal error cor-rection operations in the presence of experimentally accessible measurement information and realistic noise sources. One main focus of this project is the development and numerical implementation of scalable, efficient decoders to operate topological color codes. Additionally, we study the feasibility of im-plementing quantum error-correcting codes fault-tolerantly in near-term ion traps. To this end, we use realistic modeling of the different noise sources, computer simulations, and most modern quantum information approaches to quantum circuitry and noise suppression techniques.