Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review Applied

Circuit optimization of informationally complete positive operator–valued qubit measurements for shadow estimation

Zhou You, Qing Liu, You Zhou

Published Jan 9, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In quantum information processing, using positive operator--valued measurements (POVMs) enables the design of general measurement schemes and efficient estimation methods with fixed circuits, but the CNOT-gate count during compilation becomes a bottleneck. This study shows that any single-qubit minimal informationally complete POVM (IC POVM) can be realized with at most two CNOT gates---and a symmetric case (SIC POVM) requires only one. This is achieved by virtually inserting gates to adjust unrelated parameters in the compilation circuit. The authors also provide a concise compilation circuit for single-qubit SIC POVMs, paving the way for practical application.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.23.014021

Related papers

Circuit optimization of qubit IC-POVMs for shadow estimation

You Zhou, Qing Liu, You Zhou

Extracting information from quantum systems is crucial in quantum physics and information processing. Methods based on randomized measurements, like shadow estimation, show advantages in effectively achieving such tasks. However, randomized measurements require the application of random unitary evolution, which unavoidably necessitates frequent adjustments to the experimental setup or circuit parameters, posing challenges for practical implementations. To address these limitations, positive operator-valued measurements (POVMs) have been integrated to realize real-time single-setting shadow estimation. In this work, we advance the POVM-based shadow estimation by reducing the CNOT gate count for the implementation circuits of informationally complete POVMs (IC-POVMs), in particular, the symmetric IC-POVMs (SIC-POVMs), through the dimension dilation framework. We show that any single-qubit minimal IC-POVM can be implemented using at most 2 CNOT gates, while an SIC-POVM can be implemented with only 1 CNOT gate. In particular, we provide a concise form of the compilation circuit of any SIC-POVM along with an efficient algorithm for the determination of gate parameters. Moreover, we apply the optimized circuit compilation to shadow estimation, showcasing its noise-resilient performance and highlighting the flexibility in compiling various SIC-POVMs. Our work paves the way for the practical applications of qubit IC-POVMs on quantum platforms.

arXiv:2409.05676•Sep 9, 2024•0 citations

Experimental scheme for qubit and qutrit symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurements using multiport devices

Gelo Noel M. Tabia

It is crucial for various quantum information processing tasks that the state of a quantum system can be determined reliably and efficiently from general quantum measurements. One important class of measurements for this purpose is symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurements (SIC-POVMs). SIC-POVMs have the advantage of providing an unbiased estimator for the quantum state with the minimal number of outcomes needed for full tomography. By virtue of Naimark's dilation theorem, any POVM can always be realized with a suitable coupling between the system and an auxiliary system and by performing a projective measurement on the joint system. In practice, finding the appropriate coupling is rather nontrivial. Here we propose an experimental design for directly implementing SIC-POVMs using multiport devices and path-encoded qubits and qutrits, the utility of which has recently been demonstrated by several experimental groups around the world. Furthermore, we describe how these multiports can be attained in practice with an integrated photonic system composed of nested linear optical elements.

arXiv:1207.6035•Physical Review A•Dec 14, 2012•49 citations

Experimental realization of a single qubit SIC POVM on via a one-dimensional photonic quantum walk

Zhihao Bian, Jian Li, Qin, Hao +2 more

Symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurement (SIC-POVM) is one important class of quantum measurement which is crucial for various quantum information processing tasks. SIC-POVMs have the advantage of providing an unbiased estimator for quantum states with the minimal number of outcomes needed for full tomography. We present an experimental approach on a photonic quantum walk which can be used to implement SIC-POVMs on a single-qbubit. The projection measurements of single-photons' positions correspond to elements of SIC-POVM on the polarization of single-photons.

arXiv:1412.2355•Dec 7, 2014•1 citation

Experimental characterization of qutrits using symmetric, informationally complete positive operator-valued measures

Zachari Medendorp, Fabian A. Torres-Ruiz, Lynden K. Shalm +3 more

Generalized quantum measurements (also known as positive operator-valued measures or POVMs) are of great importance in quantum information and quantum foundations, but often difficult to perform. We present an experimental approach which can in principle be used to perform arbitrary POVMs in a linear-optical context. One of the most interesting POVMs, the symmetric, informationally complete-POVM (or SIC-POVM), is the most compact set of measurements that can be used to fully describe a quantum state. We use our technique to carry out the first experimental characterization of the state of a qutrit using SIC-POVMs. Because of the highly symmetric nature of this measurement, such a representation has the unique property that it permits all other measurement outcomes to be predicted by a simple extension of the classical Bayesian sum rule, making no use of complex amplitudes or Hilbert-space operators. We demonstrate this approach on several qutrit states encoded in single photons.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 21, 2011•1 citation

Experimental realization and self-testing of semisymmetric informationally complete measurements via a one-dimensional photonic quantum walk

Xu Xu, Han-Yu Cheng, Meng-Yun Ma +7 more

Generalized quantum measurements play a crucial role in quantum mechanics, and symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurements (SIC POVMs) provide a powerful and flexible framework for extracting information from quantum systems. However, the existence of SIC-POVMs in every finite dimension remains an open question, which has stimulated extensive research into alternative classes of POVMs. Recently, Geng $et$ $al$. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 100401 (2021)] proposed a broader class of SIC POVM, called semisymmetric informationally complete POVM (semi-SIC POVM), which extends beyond SIC POVM. In this work, we focus on the four-outcome POVMs and experimentally realize the semi-SIC POVMs using a one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk. Additionally, employing single photons and linear optics, we perform an experimental self-testing of semi-SIC POVMs in the semi-device-independent manner. Our results pave the way for exploring quantum certification with generalized quantum measurements.

quant-pharXiv:2603.01802•Mar 3, 2026•0 citations

What Are the Minimal Conditions Required to Define a Symmetric Informationally Complete Generalized Measurement?

Isabelle Jianing Geng, Kimberly Golubeva, Gilad Gour

Symmetric informationally complete (SIC) positive operator valued measures (POVMs) are a class of quantum measurements which, in addition to being informationally complete, satisfy three conditions: (1) every POVM element is rank one, (2) the Hilbert-Schmidt inner product between any two distinct elements is constant, and (3) the trace of each element is constant. The third condition is often overlooked, since it may give the impression that it follows trivially from the second. We show that this condition cannot be removed, as it leads to two distinct values for the trace of an element of the POVM. This observation has led us to define a broader class of measurements which we call semi-SIC POVMs. In dimension two, we show that semi-SIC POVMs exist, and we construct the entire family. In higher dimensions, we characterize key properties and applications of semi-SIC POVMs, and note that the proof of their existence remains open.

arXiv:2007.10483•Physical Review Letters•Mar 8, 2021•18 citations
In quantum information processing, using positive operator--valued measurements (POVMs) enables the design of general measurement schemes and efficient estimation methods with fixed circuits, but the CNOT-gate count during compilation becomes a bottleneck. This study shows that any single-qubit minimal informationally complete POVM (IC POVM) can be realized with at most two CNOT gates---and a symmetric case (SIC POVM) requires only one. This is achieved by virtually inserting gates to adjust unrelated parameters in the compilation circuit. The authors also provide a concise compilation circuit for single-qubit SIC POVMs, paving the way for practical application.
Extracting information from quantum systems is crucial in quantum physics and information processing. Methods based on randomized measurements, like shadow estimation, show advantages in effectively achieving such tasks. However, randomized measurements require the application of random unitary evolution, which unavoidably necessitates frequent adjustments to the experimental setup or circuit parameters, posing challenges for practical implementations. To address these limitations, positive operator-valued measurements (POVMs) have been integrated to realize real-time single-setting shadow estimation. In this work, we advance the POVM-based shadow estimation by reducing the CNOT gate count for the implementation circuits of informationally complete POVMs (IC-POVMs), in particular, the symmetric IC-POVMs (SIC-POVMs), through the dimension dilation framework. We show that any single-qubit minimal IC-POVM can be implemented using at most 2 CNOT gates, while an SIC-POVM can be implemented with only 1 CNOT gate. In particular, we provide a concise form of the compilation circuit of any SIC-POVM along with an efficient algorithm for the determination of gate parameters. Moreover, we apply the optimized circuit compilation to shadow estimation, showcasing its noise-resilient performance and highlighting the flexibility in compiling various SIC-POVMs. Our work paves the way for the practical applications of qubit IC-POVMs on quantum platforms.
It is crucial for various quantum information processing tasks that the state of a quantum system can be determined reliably and efficiently from general quantum measurements. One important class of measurements for this purpose is symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurements (SIC-POVMs). SIC-POVMs have the advantage of providing an unbiased estimator for the quantum state with the minimal number of outcomes needed for full tomography. By virtue of Naimark's dilation theorem, any POVM can always be realized with a suitable coupling between the system and an auxiliary system and by performing a projective measurement on the joint system. In practice, finding the appropriate coupling is rather nontrivial. Here we propose an experimental design for directly implementing SIC-POVMs using multiport devices and path-encoded qubits and qutrits, the utility of which has recently been demonstrated by several experimental groups around the world. Furthermore, we describe how these multiports can be attained in practice with an integrated photonic system composed of nested linear optical elements.
Symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurement (SIC-POVM) is one important class of quantum measurement which is crucial for various quantum information processing tasks. SIC-POVMs have the advantage of providing an unbiased estimator for quantum states with the minimal number of outcomes needed for full tomography. We present an experimental approach on a photonic quantum walk which can be used to implement SIC-POVMs on a single-qbubit. The projection measurements of single-photons' positions correspond to elements of SIC-POVM on the polarization of single-photons.
Generalized quantum measurements (also known as positive operator-valued measures or POVMs) are of great importance in quantum information and quantum foundations, but often difficult to perform. We present an experimental approach which can in principle be used to perform arbitrary POVMs in a linear-optical context. One of the most interesting POVMs, the symmetric, informationally complete-POVM (or SIC-POVM), is the most compact set of measurements that can be used to fully describe a quantum state. We use our technique to carry out the first experimental characterization of the state of a qutrit using SIC-POVMs. Because of the highly symmetric nature of this measurement, such a representation has the unique property that it permits all other measurement outcomes to be predicted by a simple extension of the classical Bayesian sum rule, making no use of complex amplitudes or Hilbert-space operators. We demonstrate this approach on several qutrit states encoded in single photons.
Generalized quantum measurements play a crucial role in quantum mechanics, and symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measurements (SIC POVMs) provide a powerful and flexible framework for extracting information from quantum systems. However, the existence of SIC-POVMs in every finite dimension remains an open question, which has stimulated extensive research into alternative classes of POVMs. Recently, Geng etetet alalal. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 100401 (2021)] proposed a broader class of SIC POVM, called semisymmetric informationally complete POVM (semi-SIC POVM), which extends beyond SIC POVM. In this work, we focus on the four-outcome POVMs and experimentally realize the semi-SIC POVMs using a one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk. Additionally, employing single photons and linear optics, we perform an experimental self-testing of semi-SIC POVMs in the semi-device-independent manner. Our results pave the way for exploring quantum certification with generalized quantum measurements.
Symmetric informationally complete (SIC) positive operator valued measures (POVMs) are a class of quantum measurements which, in addition to being informationally complete, satisfy three conditions: (1) every POVM element is rank one, (2) the Hilbert-Schmidt inner product between any two distinct elements is constant, and (3) the trace of each element is constant. The third condition is often overlooked, since it may give the impression that it follows trivially from the second. We show that this condition cannot be removed, as it leads to two distinct values for the trace of an element of the POVM. This observation has led us to define a broader class of measurements which we call semi-SIC POVMs. In dimension two, we show that semi-SIC POVMs exist, and we construct the entire family. In higher dimensions, we characterize key properties and applications of semi-SIC POVMs, and note that the proof of their existence remains open.