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arXiv:quant-ph/9705046 · Physical Review Letters

Optimal Quantum Cloning Machines

Nicolas Gisin, Serge Massar

Published Sep 15, 1997• 722 citations
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Abstract

We present quantum cloning machines that transform $N$ identical qubits into $M>N$ identical copies and we prove that the fidelity (quality) of these copies is optimal. The connection between cloning and measurement is discussed in detail. When the number of clones $M$ tends towards infinity, the fidelity of each clone tends towards the optimal fidelity that can be obtained by a measurement on the input qubits. More generally, quantum cloning machines are universal devices to translate quantum information into classical information.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.79.2153

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We present quantum cloning machines that transform NNN identical qubits into M>NM>NM>N identical copies and we prove that the fidelity (quality) of these copies is optimal. The connection between cloning and measurement is discussed in detail. When the number of clones MMM tends towards infinity, the fidelity of each clone tends towards the optimal fidelity that can be obtained by a measurement on the input qubits. More generally, quantum cloning machines are universal devices to translate quantum information into classical information.
We review our recent work on the universal (i.e. input state independent) optimal quantum copying (cloning) of qubits. We present unitary transformations which describe the optimal cloning of a qubit and we present the corresponding quantum logical network. We also present network for an optimal quantum copying ``machine'' (transformation) which produces N+1 identical copies from the original qubit. Here again the quality (fidelity) of the copies does not depend on the state of the original and is only a function of the number of copies, N. In addition, we present the machine which universaly and optimally clones states of quantum objects in arbitrary-dimensional Hilbert spaces. In particular, we discuss universal cloning of quantum registers.
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We analyze how information encoded in quantum systems can be optimally processed. In particular, we investigate copying (cloning) of quantum information (represented as states of 2-level quantum systems--qubits). We present unitary transformations which describe the optimal universal cloning of a qubit. Universality of the transformation guarantees that the fidelity of the cloning does not depend on the input state of the qubit, i.e. all states are cloned equally well. We present network for the optimal universal quantum cloning `machine' (transformation) which produces N + 1 copies from the original qubit. Here again the quality (fidelity) of the copies does not depend on the state of the original and is only a function of the number of copes, N. We also present the `machine' which universally and optimally clones states of quantum objects in arbitrary- dimensional Hilbert spaces. In particular, we discuss universal cloning of quantum registers. In addition to cloning of qubits we analyzed another universal operation-- the Universal NOT. We present the optimal transformation and the corresponding logical network which optimally complements an arbitrary input state of a qubit. We show that the fidelity of the performance of the Universal NOT operation increases as a function of the number of input qubits prepared in the same state.
We present the universal cloning transformation of states in arbitrary-dimensional Hilbert spaces. This unitary transformation attains the optimal fidelity of cloning as specified by Werner [Phys. Rev. A 58, 1827 (1998)]. With this cloning transformation, pure as well as impure states can be optimally copied, and the quality of the copies does not depend on the state being copied. We discuss the properties of quantum clones. In particular, we show that in the limit of high dimension the fidelity of clones does not converge to zero but attains the limit 1/21/21/2. We also show that our cloning transformation is most suitable for cloning of entanglement.