No Arabic abstract
We analyze circuits for a number of kernels from popular quantum computing applications, characterizing the hardware resources necessary to take ancilla preparation off the critical path. The result is a chip entirely dominated by ancilla generation circuits. To address this issue, we introduce optimized ancilla factories and analyze their structure and physical layout for ion trap technology. We introduce a new quantum computing architecture with highly concentrated data-only regions surrounded by shared ancilla factories. The results are a reduced dependence on costly teleportation, more efficient distribution of generated ancillae and more than five times speedup over previous proposals.
Spin chains have long been considered as candidates for quantum channels to facilitate quantum communication. We consider the transfer of a single excitation along a spin-1/2 chain governed by Heisenberg-type interactions. We build on the work of Balachandran and Gong [1], and show that by applying optimal control to an external parabolic magnetic field, one can drastically increase the propagation rate by two orders of magnitude. In particular, we show that the theoretical maximum propagation rate can be reached, where the propagation of the excitation takes the form of a dispersed wave. We conclude that optimal control is not only a useful tool for experimental application, but also for theoretical enquiry into the physical limits and dynamics of many-body quantum systems.
A remarkably simple result is derived for the minimal time $T_{rm min}$ required to drive a general initial state to a final target state by a Landau-Zener type Hamiltonian or, equivalently, by time-dependent laser driving. The associated protocol is also derived. A surprise arises for some states when the interaction strength is assumed to be bounded by a constant $c$. Then, for large $c$, the optimal driving is of type bang-off-bang and for increasing $c$ one recovers the unconstrained result. However, for smaller $c$ the optimal driving can suddenly switch to bang-bang type. We discuss the notion of quantum speed limit time.
The results of EPR experiments performed in Geneva are analyzed in the frame of the cosmic microwave background radiation, generally considered as a good candidate for playing the role of preferred frame. We set a lower bound for the speed of quantum information in this frame at 1.5 x 10^4 c.
The quantum speed limit is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, which aims at finding the minimum time scale or the maximum dynamical speed for some fixed targets. In a large number of studies in this field, the construction of valid bounds for the evolution time is always the core mission, yet the physics behind it and some fundamental questions like which states can really fulfill the target, are ignored. Understanding the physics behind the bounds is at least as important as constructing attainable bounds. Here we provide an operational approach for the definition of the quantum speed limit, which utilizes the set of states that can fulfill the target to define the speed limit. Its performances in various scenarios have been investigated. For time-independent Hamiltonians, it is inverse-proportional to the difference between the highest and lowest energies. The fact that its attainability does not require a zero ground-state energy suggests it can be used as an indicator of quantum phase transitions. For time-dependent Hamiltonians, it is shown that contrary to the results given by existing bounds, the true speed limit should be independent of the time. Moreover, in the case of spontaneous emission, we find a counterintuitive phenomenon that a lousy purity can benefit the reduction of the quantum speed limit.
Quantum mechanical effects at the macroscopic level were first explored in Josephson junction-based superconducting circuits in the 1980s. In the last twenty years, the emergence of quantum information science has intensified research toward using these circuits as qubits in quantum information processors. The realization that superconducting qubits can be made to strongly and controllably interact with microwave photons, the quantized electromagnetic fields stored in superconducting circuits, led to the creation of the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED), the topic of this review. While atomic cavity QED inspired many of the early developments of circuit QED, the latter has now become an independent and thriving field of research in its own right. Circuit QED allows the study and control of light-matter interaction at the quantum level in unprecedented detail. It also plays an essential role in all current approaches to quantum information processing with superconducting circuits. In addition, circuit QED enables the study of hybrid quantum systems interacting with microwave photons. Here, we review the coherent coupling of superconducting qubits to microwave photons in high-quality oscillators focussing on the physics of the Jaynes-Cummings model, its dispersive limit, and the different regimes of light-matter interaction in this system. We discuss coupling of superconducting circuits to their environment, which is necessary for coherent control and measurements in circuit QED, but which also invariably leads to decoherence. Dispersive qubit readout, a central ingredient in almost all circuit QED experiments, is also described. Following an introduction to these fundamental concepts that are at the heart of circuit QED, we discuss important use cases of these ideas in quantum information processing and in quantum optics.