The scaling of decoherence rates with qubit number N is studied for a simple model of a quantum computer in the situation where N is large. The two state qubits are localized around well-separated positions via trapping potentials and vibrational centre of mass motion of the qubits occurs. Coherent one and two qubit gating processes are controlled by external classical fields and facilitated by a cavity mode ancilla. Decoherence due to qubit coupling to a bath of spontaneous modes, cavity decay modes and to the vibrational modes is treated. A non-Markovian treatment of the short time behaviour of the fidelity is presented, and expressions for the characteristic decoherence time scales obtained for the case where the qubit/cavity mode ancilla is in a pure state and the baths are in thermal states. Specific results are given for the case where the cavity mode is in the vacuum state and gating processes are absent and the qubits are in (a) the Hadamard state (b) the GHZ state.
The scaling of decoherence rates with qubit number N is studied for a simple model of a quantum computer in the situation where N is large. The two state qubits are localized around well-separated positions via trapping potentials and vibrational centre of mass motion of the qubits occurs. Coherent one and two qubit gating processes are controlled by external classical fields and facilitated by a cavity mode ancilla. Decoherence due to qubit coupling to a bath of spontaneous modes, cavity decay modes and to the vibrational modes is treated. A non-Markovian treatment of the short time behaviour of the fidelity is presented, and expressions for the characteristic decoherence time scales obtained for the case where the qubit/cavity mode ancilla is in a pure state and the baths are in thermal states. Specific results are given for the case where the cavity mode is in the vacuum state and gating processes are absent and the qubits are in (a) the Hadamard state (b) the GHZ state.
Markovian regime decoherence effects in quantum computers are studied in terms of the fidelity for the situation where the number of qubits N becomes large. A general expression giving the decoherence time scale in terms of Markovian relaxation elements and expectation values of products of system fluctuation operators is obtained, which could also be applied to study decoherence in other macroscopic systems such as Bose condensates and superconductors. A standard circuit model quantum computer involving three-state lambda system ionic qubits is considered, with qubits localized around well-separated positions via trapping potentials. The centre of mass vibrations of the qubits act as a reservoir. Coherent one and two qubit gating processes are controlled by time-dependent localized classical electromagnetic fields that address specific qubits, the two qubit gating processes being facilitated by a cavity mode ancilla, which permits state interchange between qubits. With a suitable choice of parameters, it is found that the decoherence time can be made essentially independent of N.
Markovian regime decoherence effects in quantum computers are studied in terms of the fidelity for the situation where the number of qubits N becomes large. A standard model involving three‐state lambda system ionic qubits is considered, with qubits localised around well‐separated positions via trapping potentials. The centre of mass vibrations of the qubits act as a reservoir. Coherent one and two qubit gating processes are controlled by time dependent localised classical EM fields that address specific qubits, the two qubit gating processes being facilitated by a cavity mode ancilla, which permits state interchange between qubits. With suitably chosen parameters, the decoherence time can be made essentially independent of N.
This thesis is concerned with various aspects of ion traps and their use as a quantum simulation and computation device. In its first part we investigate various sources of noise and decoherence in ion traps. As quantum information is very fragile, a detailed knowledge of noise and decoherence sources in a quantum computation device is essential. In the special case of an ion trap quantum computer we investigate the effects of intensity and phase noise in the laser, which is used to perform the gate operations. We then look at other sources of noise which are present without a laser being switched on. These are fluctuations in the trapping frequency caused by noise in the electric potentials applied to the trap and fluctuating electrical fields which will cause heating of the centre-of-mass vibrational state of the ions in the trap. For the case of fluctuating electrical fields we estimate the effect on a quantum gate operation. We then propose a scheme for performing quantum gates without having the ions cooled down to their motional ground state. The second part deals with various aspects of the use of ion traps as a device for quantum computation. We start with the use of ionic qubits as a measurement device for the centre-of-mass vibrational mode and investigate in detail the effect these measurements will have on the vibrational mode. If one wants to use quantum computation devices as systems to simulate quantum mechanics, it is of interest to know how to simulate say a k-level system with N qubits. We investigate the easiest case of this wider problem and look at how to simulate a three-level system (a so called trit) with two qubits in an ion trap quantum computer. We show how to get and measure a SU (3) geometric phase with this toy model. Finally we investigate how to simulate collective angular momentum models with a string of qubits in an ion trap. We assume that the ionic qubits are coupled to a thermal reservoir and derive a master equation for this case. We investigate the semiclassical limit of this master equation and, in the case for two qubits in the trap, determine the entanglement of the steady state. We also outline a way to find the steady state for the master equation using coherence vectors.
The evolution of a Raman coupled three-level A atom with two quantized cavity modes is studied in the large detuning case; i.e. when the upper atomic level can be adiabatically eliminated. Particularly the situation when the two modes are prepared in initial coherent or squeezed states, with a large average number of photons, is investigated. It is found that the atom, after specific interaction times, disentangles from the two modes, leaving them, in certain cases, in entangled Schrödinger cat states. These disentanglement times can be controlled by adjusting the ratio between average numbers of photons in the two modes. It is also shown how this effective model may be used for implementing quantum information processing. Especially it is demonstrated how to generate various entangled states, such as EPR and GHZ states, and quantum logic operations, such as the control-not and the phase gate.
The interaction of a quantum system with its environment limits its coherence time. This, in particular, restricts the utility of qubits in quantum information processing applications. In this paper, we show that the decoherence of a coupled qubit system can be minimized, or even eliminated, by exploiting the quantum coherence of the bath itself. We investigate the dephasing in a system of two spatially separated, electronically decoupled qubits, with direct or mediated coupling, interacting with a shared bath. For illustration, we treat Förster or cavity-mediated coupling between semiconductor quantum dots interacting with acoustic phonons. Using the rigorous method of Trotter's decomposition with cumulant expansion, we demonstrate a reduction in the dephasing rates at specific distances between the dots. The control of dephasing with distance is a coherent effect of the shared bath and is absent for independent baths. It can be understood in terms of phonon-assisted transitions between the entangled qubit states of the coupled system.
The two-atom correlation scheme originally proposed by Davidovich, Brune, Raimond, and Haroche for measuring the decoherence of a mesoscopic superposition of coherent states of a QED cavity field is shown to be equivalent to a quantum computer solving Deutsch's problem. Using the existing analysis of decoherence in the Master equation formalism, and other important losses in this system, the final probability for obtaining the correct result for the computation is found in terms of the time period between atom traversals, the number of photons in the cavity, and the precision of the atomic velocity. The error due to decoherence in this system amounts to a phase error, and in the Master equation approach is a linear effect at small time scales. By explicitly considering the dynamics of the decoherence process when the system is coupled to a bath of oscillators with finite mode cutoff the error due to decoherence is found to decrease significantly and becomes a quadratic effect at short-time scales.