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arXiv:quant-ph/0606026 · Journal of Modern Optics

Non-Gaussian ancilla states for continuous variable quantum computation via Gaussian maps

Shohini Ghose, Barry C. Sanders

Published Mar 12, 2007• 96 citations
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Abstract

We investigate non-Gaussian states of light as ancillary inputs for generating nonlinear transformations required for quantum computing with continuous variables. We consider a recent proposal for preparing a cubic phase state, find the exact form of the prepared state and perform a detailed comparison to the ideal cubic phase state. We thereby identify the main challenges to preparing an ideal cubic phase state and describe the gates implemented with the non-ideal prepared state. We also find the general form of operations that can be implemented with ancilla Fock states, together with Gaussian input states, linear optics, squeezing transformations, and homodyne detection with feed forward, and discuss the feasibility of continuous variable quantum computing using ancilla Fock states.

DOI
10.1080/09500340601101575

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•Oct 1, 2015•0 citations
We investigate non-Gaussian states of light as ancillary inputs for generating nonlinear transformations required for quantum computing with continuous variables. We consider a recent proposal for preparing a cubic phase state, find the exact form of the prepared state and perform a detailed comparison to the ideal cubic phase state. We thereby identify the main challenges to preparing an ideal cubic phase state and describe the gates implemented with the non-ideal prepared state. We also find the general form of operations that can be implemented with ancilla Fock states, together with Gaussian input states, linear optics, squeezing transformations, and homodyne detection with feed forward, and discuss the feasibility of continuous variable quantum computing using ancilla Fock states.
We prove that continuous variable quantum information processing via Gaussian preserving operations, with Gaussian input states plus a (highly nonclassical) Fock number state, and subject to homodyne measurements and feedforward, can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer. This result reinforces the importance of the cubic phase state as an offline resource for universal continuous variable quantum information processing. We study the practical realization of this state by determining the Wigner function for an approximate cubic phase state prepared via two-mode squeezing with postselection on the signal field by displacing and counting photons in the idler field.
We describe a generalization of the cluster-state model of quantum computation to continuous-variable systems, along with a proposal for an optical implementation using squeezed-light sources, linear optics, and homodyne detection. For universal quantum computation, a nonlinear element is required. This can be satisfied by adding to the toolbox any single-mode non-Gaussian measurement, while the initial cluster state itself remains Gaussian. Homodyne detection alone suffices to perform an arbitrary multimode Gaussian transformation via the cluster state. We also propose an experiment to demonstrate cluster-based error reduction when implementing Gaussian operations.
Non-Gaussian quantum states are key resources for quantum optics with continuous-variable oscillators. The non-Gaussian states can be deterministically prepared by a continuous evolution of the mechanical oscillator isolated in a nonlinear potential. We propose feasible and deterministic transfer of non-Gaussian quantum states of mechanical oscillators to a traveling light beam, using purely all-optical methods. The method relies on only basic feasible and high-quality elements of quantum optics: squeezed states of light, linear optics, homodyne detection, and electro-optical feedforward control of light. By this method, a wide range of novel non-Gaussian states of light can be produced in the future from the mechanical states of levitating particles in optical tweezers, including states necessary for the implementation of an important cubic phase gate.
The cubic phase gate is the only non-Gaussian element of universal continuous-variable quantum computation. Its Fock amplitudes are known in closed form only when the input is a Fock state. For a Gaussian input the usual route is to build the cubic quadrature in a truncated Fock space and exponentiate it, which alters the generator before the exponential is taken. A closed form is obtained here for every pure single-mode Gaussian input, with the squeezing along any quadrature axis and with arbitrary displacement and boost. It is a finite combination of the Airy function and its derivative, and the argument is shared by all Fock indices, so a whole Fock profile costs two Airy evaluations. A recurrence is also derived that builds each coefficient from the four preceding ones, together with the regime in which it is stable. Evaluating the closed form at the weak nonlinearities of current experiments requires care, since its terms grow large and alternate in sign. The precision this demands is quantified, and the truncated construction is benchmarked against the exact result, whose error at cutoffs in common use is found to be of the same size as the quantity being computed.
Quantum non-Gaussian gate is a missing piece to the realization of continuous-variable universal quantum operations in an optical system. In a measurement-based implementation of the cubic phase gate, a lowest-order non-Gaussian gate, non-Gaussian ancillary states that have a property we call nonlinear squeezing are required. This property, however, has never been experimentally verified. In this paper, we generate a superposition between a vacuum state and a single-photon state whose nonlinear squeezing is maximized by the optimization of the superposition coefficients. The nonlinear squeezing is observed via real-time quadrature measurements, meaning that the generated states are compatible with real-time feedforward and are suitable as ancillary states for the cubic phase gate in the time domain. Moreover, by increasing the number of photons, it is expected that nonlinear squeezing can be further improved. The idea presented here can be readily extended to higher-order phase gates [P. Marek et al., Phys. Rev. A 97, 022329 (2018)]. As such, this work presents an important step to extend continuous-variable quantum information processing from Gaussian regime to non-Gaussian regime.
This thesis presents an investigation into the generation and characterisation of non-Gaussian states in continuous variable quantum optics. Beginning by placing the study of continuous variables within the context of quantum information processing more generally, we then motivate the need for non-Gaussianity within quantum computing protocols. The focus then narrows to the consideration of two particular sets of non-Gaussian states: orthogonal superposition states and the cubic resource state. The superposition of two orthogonal states has been shown to enhance certain continuous variable quantum information processing protocols that rely on entanglement, and within this section two distinct methods for generating such states are considered. While one of these methods provides a specific example, the other introduces a general orthogonaliser that relies solely on knowledge of the expectation value for the chosen orthogonalising operator in order to produce the superposition. The second case for non-Gaussian state generation employs current results demonstrating the production of a weak approximation of the cubic resource state in order to illustrate the use of such single-mode states to generate multimode states with similar features. These states are implemented as ancillas for a deterministic non-Gaussian gate operation on a system of choice. We show that generating multimode states through this distribution scheme allows an enhancement of the output state to better approximate the nonlinear features. Finally, we consider methods of characterising non-Gaussian states. In particular, we introduce a witness for pure states existing outside of the Gaussian convex hull. Such states exclude Gaussian pure states as well as non-Gaussian states generated from mixtures of squeezed and coherent states, and therefore consist of non-Gaussian states generated from non-Gaussian operations. We present a detection-independent bound for such states based on the generalised quasiprobability distribution.