Abstract High‐dimensional quantum states, or ‘qudits’, provide significant advantages over traditional qubits in quantum communication, such as increased information capacity, enhanced noise resilience, and reduced information loss. Despite these benefits, their implementation has been constrained by challenges in generation, transmission, and detection. This paper presents a novel theoretical framework for transmitting quantum information using qudit entanglement distribution over a superposition of causal orders in two quantum channels. Using this model, a quantum switch operation for 2‐qudit systems is introduced, which facilitates enhanced fidelity of entanglement distribution and quantum teleportation. The results demonstrate that the use of qudits in entanglement distribution achieves a fidelity improvement from 0.5 (for qubit‐based systems) to 0.94 for 20‐dimensional qudits, even under noisy channel conditions. This enhancement is achieved by exploiting the increased Hilbert space of high‐dimensional states and the inherent noise‐resilience properties of quantum switches operating in superpositions of causal orders. The findings underscore the potential of qudit‐based quantum systems in achieving robust and high‐fidelity communication in environments where traditional qubit‐based systems face limitations.
Abstract High‐dimensional quantum states, or ‘qudits’, provide significant advantages over traditional qubits in quantum communication, such as increased information capacity, enhanced noise resilience, and reduced information loss. Despite these benefits, their implementation has been constrained by challenges in generation, transmission, and detection. This paper presents a novel theoretical framework for transmitting quantum information using qudit entanglement distribution over a superposition of causal orders in two quantum channels. Using this model, a quantum switch operation for 2‐qudit systems is introduced, which facilitates enhanced fidelity of entanglement distribution and quantum teleportation. The results demonstrate that the use of qudits in entanglement distribution achieves a fidelity improvement from 0.5 (for qubit‐based systems) to 0.94 for 20‐dimensional qudits, even under noisy channel conditions. This enhancement is achieved by exploiting the increased Hilbert space of high‐dimensional states and the inherent noise‐resilience properties of quantum switches operating in superpositions of causal orders. The findings underscore the potential of qudit‐based quantum systems in achieving robust and high‐fidelity communication in environments where traditional qubit‐based systems face limitations.
Multiple photonic degrees of freedom can be explored to generate high-dimensional quantum states; commonly referred to as `qudits'. Qudits offer several advantages for quantum communications, including higher information capacity, noise resilience and data throughput, and lower information loss over different propagation mediums (free space, optical fibre, underwater) as compared to conventional qubits based communication system. However, qudits have been little exploited in literature, owing to their difficulty in transmission and detection. In this paper, for the first time, we develop and formulate the theoretical framework for transmission of classical information through entanglement distribution of qudits over two quantum channels in superposition of alternative causal order. For the first time we i) engineer quantum switch operation for 2-qudit systems and ii) formulate theoretical system model for entanglement distribution of qudits via quantum switch. Results show that entanglement distribution of a qudit provides a considerable gain in fidelity even with increase in noise.
Abstract In recent years, there has been a rising interest in high‐dimensional quantum states and their impact on quantum communication. Indeed, the availability of an enlarged Hilbert space offers multiple advantages, from larger information capacity and increased noise resilience, to novel fundamental research possibilities in quantum physics. Multiple photonic degrees of freedom have been explored to generate high‐dimensional quantum states, both with bulk optics and integrated photonics. Furthermore, these quantum states have been propagated through various channels, for example, free‐space links, single‐mode, multicore, and multimode fibers, and also aquatic channels, experimentally demonstrating the theoretical advantages over 2D systems. Here, the state‐of‐the‐art on the generation, propagation, and detection of high‐dimensional quantum states is reviewed. Quantum communication with states living in d ‐dimensional Hilbert spaces, qudits, yields great benefits. However, qudits generation, transmission, and detection is not a simple task to accomplish. This review presents the state‐of‐the‐art on the generation, propagation, and measurement of high‐dimensional quantum states, highlighting their advantages, issues, and future perspectives.
Abstract High-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) based on entangled qudits has emerged as a promising route for advancing the performance and practicality of quantum communication. By extending beyond the qubit framework, qudit entanglement enables the encoding of multiple bits per particle and offers greater robustness against noise, loss, and eavesdropping. In this review, we present qudit-based entanglement QKD protocols and their experimental demonstrations. We first introduce the basic concepts of qudits and provide an overview of foundational qubit-based entanglement QKD schemes, such as Ekert '91 (E91) and Bennett–Brassard–Mermin '92 (BBM92), which establish the core principles of entanglement-based secure key generation. Subsequently, we examine the generalization of these protocols to entangled qudits, highlighting how higher dimensionality enhances secure key rates and noise tolerance. Finally, we survey experimental demonstrations of qudit-based entanglement QKD across photonic platforms and outline prospects, showing that high-dimensional entanglement can be reliably generated, distributed, and measured for QKD with high stability and scalability. Remarkably, these achievements not only verify the feasibility of practical high-dimensional QKD, but also demonstrate clear advantages over qubit-based systems. Overall, theoretical frameworks and experimental realizations reviewed here position photonic qudit-based entanglement QKD as a promising resource for scalable, high-speed, and secure quantum communication networks, unveiling its potential as a central component in the future of quantum information technologies.
This paper explores a novel approach to quantum state teleportation leveraging hyperdimensional computing (HDC). Traditional quantum state teleportation protocols face limitations due to qubit fidelity requirements and the complexity associated with distributing entangled qubits over long distances. We propose utilizing HDC – high-dimensional vectors characterized by near-orthogonal components – to represent and transmit quantum states. Our method significantly reduces the need for direct qubit entanglement, offering a potentially scalable and robust alternative. The core mechanism involves encoding the quantum state information into the high-dimensional vector components and subsequently extracting the state at the destination. We detail the mathematical framework underpinning this approach, focusing on vector projections, inner products, and state reconstruction. The results demonstrate a viable path towards distributed quantum state teleportation, addressing the key challenges of fidelity and entanglement distribution. We provide a detailed analysis of the computational complexity and potential advantages of this HDC-based teleportation scheme.
Counter-intuitively, quantum mechanics enables quantum particles to propagate simultaneously among multiple space-time trajectories. Hence, a quantum information carrier can travel through different communication channels in a quantum superposition of different orders, so that the relative causal order of the communication channels becomes indefinite. This is realized by utilizing a quantum device known as quantum switch. In this paper, we investigate, from a communications engineering perspective, the use of the quantum switch within the quantum teleportation process, one of the key functionalities of the Quantum Internet. Specifically, a theoretical analysis is conducted to quantify the performance gain that can be achieved by employing a quantum switch for the entanglement distribution process within the quantum teleportation, with respect to the case of absence of the quantum switch. The analysis reveals that, by utilizing the quantum switch, the quantum teleportation is heralded as a noiseless communication process with a probability that, remarkably and counter-intuitively, increases with the noise levels affecting the communication channels considered in the indefinite-order combination.
Abstract We show that the fidelity offered by the standard teleportation protocol under noisy channels applied successively can be significantly improved, when used in conjunction with a quantum switch. In particular, we find that for two such teleportation channels conjugated with an indefinite causal order, teleportation fidelity beyond the classical threshold is achieved for significantly larger noise than would be possible conventionally. One can even make the effective teleportation channel perfectly faithful for very large noise. We also discuss the generalization of our scheme for more than two pathways, and define a figure of merit in that context.