Scalable Quantum Computation Research Articles

Scalable Fault-Tolerant Quantum Technologies with Silicon Color Centers

The scaling barriers currently faced by both quantum networking and quantum computing technologies ultimately amount to the same core challenge of distributing high-quality entanglement at scale. In this Perspective, a novel quantum information-processing architecture based on optically active spins in silicon is proposed that offers a combined single technological platform for scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing and networking. The architecture is optimized for overall entanglement distribution and leverages color-center spins in silicon (T centers) for their manufacturability, photonic interface, and high-fidelity information-processing properties. Silicon nanophotonic optical circuits allow for photonic links between T centers, which are networked via telecom-band optical photons in a highly connected graph. This high connectivity unlocks the use of low-overhead quantum error-correcting codes, significantly accelerating the time line for modular scalable fault-tolerant quantum repeaters and quantum processors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Ion trap with in-vacuum high numerical aperture imaging for a dual-species modular quantum computer.

Photonic interconnects between quantum systems will play a central role in both scalable quantum computing and quantum networking. Entanglement of remote qubits via photons has been demonstrated in many platforms; however, improving the rate of entanglement generation will be instrumental for integrating photonic links into modular quantum computers. We present an ion trap system that has the highest reported free-space photon collection efficiency for quantum networking. We use a pair of in-vacuum aspheric lenses, each with a numerical aperture of 0.8, to couple 10(1)% of the 493nm photons emitted from a 138Ba+ ion into single-mode fibers. We also demonstrate that proximal effects of the lenses on the ion position and motion can be mitigated.

Markovian noise modelling and parameter extraction framework for quantum devices.

In recent years, Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers have been widely used as a test bed for quantum dynamics. This work provides a new hardware-agnostic framework for modelling the Markovian noise and dynamics of quantum systems in benchmark procedures used to evaluate device performance. As an accessible example, the application and performance of this framework is demonstrated on IBM Quantum computers. This framework serves to extract multiple calibration parameters simultaneously through a simplified process which is more reliable than previously studied calibration experiments and tomographic procedures. Additionally, this method allows for real-time calibration of several hardware parameters of a quantum computer within a comprehensive procedure, providing quantitative insight into the performance of each device to be accounted for in future quantum circuits. The framework proposed here has the additional benefit of highlighting the consistency among qubit pairs when extracting parameters, which leads to a less computationally expensive calibration process than evaluating the entire device at once.

Enhancing detection of topological order by local error correction

The exploration of topologically-ordered states of matter is a long-standing goal at the interface of several subfields of the physical sciences. Such states feature intriguing physical properties such as long-range entanglement, emergent gauge fields and non-local correlations, and can aid in realization of scalable fault-tolerant quantum computation. However, these same features also make creation, detection, and characterization of topologically-ordered states particularly challenging. Motivated by recent experimental demonstrations, we introduce a paradigm for quantifying topological states—locally error-corrected decoration (LED)—by combining methods of error correction with ideas of renormalization-group flow. Our approach allows for efficient and robust identification of topological order, and is applicable in the presence of incoherent noise sources, making it particularly suitable for realistic experiments. We demonstrate the power of LED using numerical simulations of the toric code under a variety of perturbations. We subsequently apply it to an experimental realization, providing new insights into a quantum spin liquid created on a Rydberg-atom simulator. Finally, we extend LED to generic topological phases, including those with non-abelian order.

Quantum radio astronomy: Quantum linear solvers for redundant baseline calibration

The computational requirements of future large scale radio telescopes are expected to scale well beyond the capabilities of conventional digital resources. Current and planned telescopes are generally limited in their scientific potential by their ability to efficiently process the vast volumes of generated data. To mitigate this problem, we investigate the viability of emerging quantum computers for radio astronomy applications. In this a paper we demonstrate the potential use of variational quantum linear solvers in Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers and combinatorial solvers in quantum annealers for a radio astronomy calibration pipeline. While we demonstrate that these approaches can lead to satisfying results when integrated in calibration pipelines, we show that current restrictions of quantum hardware limit their applicability and performance.

Rapid single-shot parity spin readout in a silicon double quantum dot with fidelity exceeding 99%

Silicon-based spin qubits offer a potential pathway toward realizing a scalable quantum computer owing to their compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing technologies. Recent experiments in this system have demonstrated crucial technologies, including high-fidelity quantum gates and multiqubit operation. However, the realization of a fault-tolerant quantum computer requires a high-fidelity spin measurement faster than decoherence. To address this challenge, we characterize and optimize the initialization and measurement procedures using the parity-mode Pauli spin blockade technique. Here, we demonstrate a rapid (with a duration of a few μs) and accurate (with >99% fidelity) parity spin measurement in a silicon double quantum dot. These results represent a significant step forward toward implementing measurement-based quantum error correction in silicon.

Quantum Hardware Development: A New Era of Computing in the Quantum Fields

Quantum computing represents a revolution in the ability to process information, and quantum hardware technology underpins its implementation. This work examines the current landscape of quantum hardware development, focusing specifically on three main technologies: superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and topological qubits. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of each technology, taking into account its strengths, challenges and opportunities. Research is aimed at identifying current limitations and inefficiencies in this quantum hardware. Additionally, this study aims to present new developments and new methods to solve the identified problems. By combining theoretical knowledge and empirical tests, this research aims to handle to the ongoing debate on the development of quantum hardware that pushes the limits of quantum computing capabilities. The results of this work have important implications for the broader quantum computing community and provide insight into the complexity of superconducting qubits, trapped ions and topological qubits. The improvements and new techniques presented lead to the continued development of quantum hardware and help move the field closer to the realization of practical, scalable quantum computers.

Perfect state transfer by means of discrete-time quantum walk on the complete bipartite graph

Perfect state transfer has attracted a great deal of attention recently due to its crucial role in quantum communication and scalable quantum computation. In this paper, we propose the perfect state transfer algorithms with a pair of sender-receiver and two pairs of sender-receiver on the complete bipartite graph respectively. The algorithm with a pair of sender-receiver is implemented through discrete-time quantum walk, flexibly setting the coin operators based on the positions of the sender and receiver. The algorithm with two pairs of sender-receiver ensures that the two quantum states are distributed on both sides of the complete bipartite graph during the process, thereby achieving perfect state transfer. In addition, the quantum circuits corresponding to the algorithms are provided. The algorithms can transfer an arbitrary quantum state and can simultaneously transfer two arbitrary quantum states from the senders to the receivers in any case. Moreover, the algorithms are not only applicable to complete bipartite graphs but also to more graph structures with complete bipartite subgraphs, which will provide potential applications for quantum information processing.

A universal variational quantum eigensolver for non-Hermitian systems

Many quantum algorithms are developed to evaluate eigenvalues for Hermitian matrices. However, few practical approach exists for the eigenanalysis of non-Hermintian ones, such as arising from modern power systems. The main difficulty lies in the fact that, as the eigenvector matrix of a general matrix can be non-unitary, solving a general eigenvalue problem is inherently incompatible with existing unitary-gate-based quantum methods. To fill this gap, this paper introduces a Variational Quantum Universal Eigensolver (VQUE), which is deployable on noisy intermediate scale quantum computers. Our new contributions include: (1) The first universal variational quantum algorithm capable of evaluating the eigenvalues of non-Hermitian matrices—Inspired by Schur’s triangularization theory, VQUE unitarizes the eigenvalue problem to a procedure of searching unitary transformation matrices via quantum devices; (2) A Quantum Process Snapshot technique is devised to make VQUE maintain the potential quantum advantage inherited from the original variational quantum eigensolver—With additional O(log2N)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(log_{2}{N})$$\\end{document} quantum gates, this method efficiently identifies whether a unitary operator is triangular with respect to a given basis; (3) Successful deployment and validation of VQUE on a real noisy quantum computer, which demonstrates the algorithm’s feasibility. We also undertake a comprehensive parametric study to validate VQUE’s scalability, generality, and performance in realistic applications.

Single-Electron Occupation in Quantum Dot Arrays at Selectable Plunger Gate Voltage.

The small footprint of semiconductor qubits is favorable for scalable quantum computing. However, their size also makes them sensitive to their local environment and variations in the gate structure. Currently, each device requires tailored gate voltages to confine a single charge per quantum dot, clearly challenging scalability. Here, we tune these gate voltages and equalize them solely through the temporary application of stress voltages. In a double quantum dot, we reach a stable (1,1) charge state at identical and predetermined plunger gate voltage and for various interdot couplings. Applying our findings, we tune a 2 × 2 quadruple quantum dot such that the (1,1,1,1) charge state is reached when all plunger gates are set to 1 V. The ability to define required gate voltages may relax requirements on control electronics and operations for spin qubit devices, providing means to advance quantum hardware.

Rydberg-Rydberg interaction strengths and dipole blockade radii in the presence of Förster resonances.

Achieving a substantial blockade radius is crucial for developing scalable and efficient quantum communication and computation. In this theoretical study, we present the enhancement of the Rydberg blockade radius by utilizing Förster resonance. This phenomenon occurs when the energy difference between two initial Rydberg states closely matches that between the corresponding final Rydberg states, giving rise to a resonant energy transfer process. We employ quantum defect theory to numerically calculate the 87Rb-87Rb Rydberg atomic pair, enabling us to accurately estimate the van der Waals interaction. Our investigation reveals that when the principal quantum numbers of two Rydberg states differ only slightly, the Förster transition is rarely able to achieve a large blockade radius. However, in cases where the principal quantum numbers differ significantly, we substantially improve the Rydberg blockade radius. Most notably, we identify transition channels exhibiting an extensive blockade radius, surpassing 50 μm. This significant increase in the blockade radius enables larger-scale quantum operations and advances quantum technologies, with broad implications for achieving long-range quantum entanglement and robust quantum processes.

An information-theoretically secure quantum multiparty private set intersection

In the current age of increasing data, Private Set Intersection (PSI) is one of the most prominent and important cryptographic building block. It enables two organizations to determine the intersection of their input sets in such a way that no other information is leaked. In real life, there are situations where more than two parties desire to compute the intersection of their private sets. Herein, we propose a generalized version of PSI, called Multi-party private set intersection (MPSI), where number of involved parties is not restricted to two. Nearly all of the existing MPSI protocols are relying on the hardness problems like integer factorization and discrete logarithm. However, these hard problems are unable to withstand the threat possessed by large scale quantum computers. Thus, there is a need of MPSI protocols which are secure from the quantum attacks and also provide long-term security. Quantum cryptography (QC) is one such tool that addresses this issue. In this work, we develop the first MPSI based on QC. The scheme put-forwarded by us attains long-term security and remains secure against quantum attacks.

Quantum generative adversarial networks based on a readout error mitigation method with fault tolerant mechanism

Readout errors caused by measurement noise are a significant source of errors in quantum circuits, which severely affect the output results and are an urgent problem to be solved in noisy-intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) computing. In this paper, we use the bit-flip averaging (BFA) method to mitigate frequent readout errors in quantum generative adversarial networks (QGAN) for image generation, which simplifies the response matrix structure by averaging the qubits for each random bit-flip in advance, successfully solving problems with high cost of measurement for traditional error mitigation methods. Our experiments were simulated in Qiskit using the handwritten digit image recognition dataset under the BFA-based method, the Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence of the generated images converges to 0.04, 0.05, and 0.1 for readout error probabilities of p = 0.01, p = 0.05, and p = 0.1, respectively. Additionally, by evaluating the fidelity of the quantum states representing the images, we observe average fidelity values of 0.97, 0.96, and 0.95 for the three readout error probabilities, respectively. These results demonstrate the robustness of the model in mitigating readout errors and provide a highly fault tolerant mechanism for image generation models.

An integrated microwave-to-optics interface for scalable quantum computing.

Microwave-to-optics transduction is emerging as a vital technology for scaling quantum computers and quantum networks. To establish useful entanglement links between qubit processing units, several key conditions must be simultaneously met: the transducer must add less than a single quantum of input-referred noise and operate with high efficiency, as well as large bandwidth and high repetition rate. Here we present a design for an integrated transducer based on a planar superconducting resonator coupled to a silicon photonic cavity through a mechanical oscillator made of lithium niobate on silicon. We experimentally demonstrate its performance with a transduction efficiency of 0.9% with 1 μW of continuous optical power and a spectral bandwidth of 14.8 MHz. With short optical pulses, we measure the added noise that is limited to a few photons, with a repetition rate of up to 100 kHz. Our device directly couples to a 50 Ω transmission line and can be scaled to a large number of transducers on a single chip, laying the foundations for distributed quantum computing.

Experimental Simulation of Topological Quantum Computing with Classical Circuits

The key obstacle to the realization of a scalable quantum computer is overcoming environmental and control errors. Topological quantum computation attracts great attention because it emerges as one of the most promising approaches to solving these problems. Various theoretical schemes for building topological quantum computation have been proposed. However, experimental implementation has always been a great challenge because it has proved to be extremely difficult to create and manipulate topological qubits in real systems. Therefore, topological quantum computation has not been realized in experiments yet. Herein, the first experimental simulation of topological quantum computation with classical circuits is reported. Based on the proposed new scheme with circuits, not only Majorana‐like edge states are simulated experimentally, but also T junctions are constructed for simulating the braiding process. Furthermore, the feasibility of simulated topological quantum computing through a set of one‐ and two‐qubit unitary operations is demonstrated. Finally, the simulation of Grover's search algorithm demonstrates that simulated topological quantum computation is ideally suited for such tasks. The developed circuit‐based topological quantum‐computing simulator can provide important references for developing future topological quantum circuits.

Cryo-CMOS modeling and a 600 MHz cryogenic clock generator for quantum computing applications

The development of large-scale quantum computing has boosted an urgent desire for the advancement of cryogenic CMOS (cryo-CMOS), which is a promising scalable solution for the control and read-out interface of quantum bits. In the current work, 180 nm CMOS transistors were characterized and modeled down to 4 K, and the impact of low-temperature transistor performance variations on circuit design was also analyzed. Based on the proposed cryogenic model, a 180 nm CMOS-based 450 to 850 MHz clock generator operating at 4 K for quantum computing applications was presented. At the output frequency of 600 MHz, it achieved < 4.8 ps RMS jitter with 30 mW power consumption (with test buffer), corresponding to a −211.6 dB jitter-power FOM, which is suitable for providing a stable clock signal for the control and readout electronics of scalable quantum computers.

Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Based on the Mermin-Peres Magic Square Game.

Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) is information-theoretically secure against adversaries who possess a scalable quantum computer and who have supplied malicious key-establishment systems; however, the DIQKD key rate is currently too low. Consequently, we devise a DIQKD scheme based on the quantum nonlocal Mermin-Peres magic square game: our scheme asymptotically delivers DIQKD against collective attacks, even with noise. Our scheme outperforms DIQKD using the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt game with respect to the number of game rounds, albeit not number of entangled pairs, provided that both state visibility and detection efficiency are high enough.

Scalable Multipartite Entanglement Created by Spin Exchange in an Optical Lattice.

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices form a competitive candidate for quantum computation owing to the excellent coherence properties, the highly parallel operations over spins, and the ultralow entropy achieved in qubit arrays. For this, a massive number of parallel entangled atom pairs have been realized in superlattices. However, the more formidable challenge is to scale up and detect multipartite entanglement, the basic resource for quantum computation, due to the lack of manipulations over local atomic spins in retroreflected bichromatic superlattices. In this Letter, we realize the functional building blocks in quantum-gate-based architecture by developing a cross-angle spin-dependent optical superlattice for implementing layers of quantum gates over moderately separated atoms incorporated with a quantum gas microscope for single-atom manipulation and detection. Bell states with a fidelity of 95.6(5)% and a lifetime of 2.20±0.13 s are prepared in parallel, and then connected to multipartite entangled states of one-dimensional ten-atom chains and two-dimensional plaquettes of 2×4 atoms. The multipartite entanglement is further verified with full bipartite nonseparability criteria. This offers a new platform toward scalable quantum computation and simulation.

The SWITCH test for discriminating quantum evolutions

We study different quantum circuits that can discriminate between two arbitrary quantum evolution operators. These circuits can be used to check whether two quantum operators are equal or not and to estimate a fidelity measure telling how close the operators are. This operator comparison is related to the SWAP test for discriminating two quantum states. In terms of their practical realization, we comment possible laboratory implementations with light along the same lines of recent experimental realizations of quantum superpositions of causal orders exploiting the different degrees of freedom of photons. We also discuss hardware efficient realizations for noisy intermediate scale quantum computers. Finally, we comment potential applications to the discrimination of quantum communication channels and to the search for simpler quantum circuits in quantum compilers.

Refined Fredkin gate assisted by cross-Kerr nonlinearity

Resource-efficient quantum information processing is equal to the minimal cost of the quantum resources required by quantum logic gates to a certain extent. In this paper, we propose a refined scheme for setting up a polarized Fredkin gate assisted by weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity, X-homodyne detectors, and some linear optical elements. The realization of the Fredkin gate is definite and has a highly successful probability of being close to the unit, which is feasible with the current technology. Moreover, in contrast to the Fredkin gates that have been proposed, the scheme has the advantages of requiring less quantum resource without auxiliary photons, comparatively simplified circuits, lower requirements on the interaction strength, and robustness against photon loss, thus it can be used for scalable quantum computation.