The Maximum Number of Mutually Unbiased Bases in Dimension 12 is Exactly Four
Pompetzki, Christopher
Abstract
AbstractWe prove that the maximum number of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) in C12 is exactlyfour: M(12) = 4. The proof proceeds by constructing four product MUBs using the tensorstructure C12 = C4 ⊗ C3, then showing via a finite exhaustive search over 12th roots of unitythat no vector exists unbiased to all four. The key insight is that the column orthogonalityconstraint from the qutrit marginal condition reduces the search space to exactly 96 candidatematrices, none of which satisfy the transform unimodularity requirements."Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale!"- Captain Ahab