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arXiv:quant-ph/0408011 · Physical Review A

General implementation of all possible positive-operator-value measurements of single-photon polarization states

Sebastian E. Ahnert, Mike C. Payne

Published Jan 20, 2005• 51 citations
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Abstract

Positive-operator-value measures (POVM's) are the most general class of quantum measurements. We propose a setup in which all possible POVM's of a single-photon polarization state (corresponding to all possible sets of two-dimensional Kraus operators) can be implemented easily using linear optics elements. This method makes it possible to experimentally realize any projective orthogonal, projective nonorthogonal or nonprojective sets of any number of POVM operators. Furthermore, our implementation only requires vacuum ancillas and is deterministic rather than probabilistic. Thus it realizes every POVM with the correct set of output states. We give the settings required to implement two different well-known nonorthogonal projective POVM's.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.71.012330

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Positive-operator-value measures (POVM's) are the most general class of quantum measurements. We propose a setup in which all possible POVM's of a single-photon polarization state (corresponding to all possible sets of two-dimensional Kraus operators) can be implemented easily using linear optics elements. This method makes it possible to experimentally realize any projective orthogonal, projective nonorthogonal or nonprojective sets of any number of POVM operators. Furthermore, our implementation only requires vacuum ancillas and is deterministic rather than probabilistic. Thus it realizes every POVM with the correct set of output states. We give the settings required to implement two different well-known nonorthogonal projective POVM's.
We propose here a single setup for the implementation of all possible positive operator value measurements (POVMs) of a single‐photon polarization state. This includes POVMs with orthogonal projective, non‐orthogonal projective, and non‐projective sets of Kraus operators. Our setup is deterministic as opposed to probabilistic, which means that the setup delivers one of the possible POVM output states in every measurement. Furthermore our method does not require any ancillas except for vacuum states. Finally we illustrate how our setup can be used to implement two well‐known POVMs, including one required for established quantum cryptography protocols [1, 2, 3, 4].
Here we propose an implementation of all possible positive-operator-value measures (POVMs) of two-photon polarization states. POVMs are the most general class of quantum measurements. Our setup requires linear optics, Bell state measurements, and an entangled three-photon ancilla state, which can be prepared separately and in advance (or ``off-line''). As an example we give the detailed settings for a simultaneous measurement of all four Bell states for an arbitrary two-photon polarization state, which is impossible with linear optics alone.
We discuss the problem of implementing generalized measurements [positive operator-valued measures (POVMs)] with linear optics, either based upon a static linear array or including conditional dynamics. In our approach, a given POVM shall be identified as a solution to an optimization problem for a chosen cost function. We formulate a general principle: the implementation is only possible if a linear-optics circuit exists for which the quantum mechanical optimum (minimum) is still attainable after dephasing the corresponding quantum states. The general principle enables us, for instance, to derive a set of necessary conditions for the linear-optics implementation of the POVM that realizes the quantum mechanically optimal unambiguous discrimination of two pure nonorthogonal states. This extends our previous results on projection measurements and the exact discrimination of orthogonal states.
In this paper we describe a scheme for performing a nonorthogonal projective positive-operator-value measurement of any arbitrary single-photon polarization input state with unit probability of success. While this probability is reached in the limit of infinite cycles of states through the apparatus, only one actual physical setup is required for a feasible implementation. Specifically, our setup implements a set of three nonorthogonal measurement operators at angles of 120\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to each other.
Positive-operator-value measurement (POVM) is the most general class of quantum measurement. We propose a scheme to deterministically implement arbitrary POVMs of single atomic qubit via cavity QED catalysed by only one ancilla atomic qubit. By appropriately entangling two atomic qubits and sequentially measuring the ancilla qubit, any POVM can be implemented step by step. As an application of our scheme, the realization of a specific POVM for optimal unambiguous discrimination (OUD) between two nonorthogonal states is given.
Determining the conditions under which positive operator-valued measures (POVMs), the most general class of quantum measurements, outperform projective measurements remains a challenging and largely unresolved problem. Of particular interest are projectively simulable POVMs, which can be realized through probabilistic mixtures of projective measurements, and therefore offer no advantage over projective schemes. Characterizing the boundary between simulable and non-simulable POVMs is, however, a difficult task, and existing tools either fail to scale efficiently, provide limited experimental feasibility or work only for specific POVMs. Here, we introduce and demonstrate a general method to certify non-simulability of a POVM by introducing a complete hierarchy of semidefinite programs. It provides upper bounds on the non-simulability measure of critical visibility of arbitrary POVMs which are tight in many cases and outperform previously known criteria. We experimentally certify the non-simulability of two- and three-dimensional POVMs using a trapped-ion qudit quantum processor by constructing non-simulability witnesses and introduce a modification of our framework that makes them robust against state preparation errors. Finally, we extend our results to the setting where an additional ancilla system is available.