No Arabic abstract
We experimentally implement a machine-learning method for accurately identifying unknown pure quantum states. The method, called single-shot measurement learning, achieves the theoretical optimal accuracy for $epsilon = O(N^{-1})$ in state learning and reproduction, where $epsilon$ and $N$ denote the infidelity and number of state copies, without employing computationally demanding tomographic methods. This merit results from the inclusion of weighted randomness in the learning rule governing the exploration of diverse learning routes. We experimentally verify the advantages of our scheme by using a linear-optics setup to prepare and measure single-photon polarization qubits. The experimental results show highly accurate state learning and reproduction exhibiting infidelity of $O(N^{-0.983})$ down to $10^{-5}$, without estimation of the experimental parameters.
We propose a learning method for estimating unknown pure quantum states. The basic idea of our method is to learn a unitary operation $hat{U}$ that transforms a given unknown state $|psi_taurangle$ to a known fiducial state $|frangle$. Then, after completion of the learning process, we can estimate and reproduce $|psi_taurangle$ based on the learned $hat{U}$ and $|frangle$. To realize this idea, we cast a random-based learning algorithm, called `single-shot measurement learning, in which the learning rule is based on an intuitive and reasonable criterion: the greater the number of success (or failure), the less (or more) changes are imposed. Remarkably, the learning process occurs by means of a single-shot measurement outcome. We demonstrate that our method works effectively, i.e., the learning is completed with a {em finite} number, say $N$, of unknown-state copies. Most surprisingly, our method allows the maximum statistical accuracy to be achieved for large $N$, namely $simeq O(N^{-1})$ scales of average infidelity. This result is comparable to those yielded from the standard quantum tomographic method in the case where additional information is available. It highlights a non-trivial message, that is, a random-based adaptive strategy can potentially be as accurate as other standard statistical approaches.
We consider a family of quantum channels characterized by the fact that certain (in general nonorthogonal) Pure states at the channel entrance are mapped to (tensor) Products of Pure states (PPP, hence pcubed) at the complementary outputs (the main output and the environment) of the channel. The pcubed construction, a reformulation of the twisted-diagonal procedure by M. M Wolf and D. Perez-Garcia, [Phys. Rev. A 75, 012303 (2007)], can be used to produce a large class of degradable quantum channels; degradable channels are of interest because their quantum capacities are easy to calculate. Several known types of degradable channels are either pcubed channels, or subchannels (employing a subspace of the channel entrance), or continuous limits of pcubed channels. The pcubed construction also yields channels which are neither degradable nor antidegradable (i.e., the complement of a degradable channel); a particular example of a qutrit channel of this type is studied in some detail. Determining whether a pcubed channel is degradable or antidegradable or neither is quite straightforward given the pure input and output states that characterize the channel. Conjugate degradable pcubed channels are always degradable.
We present filtering equations for single shot parameter estimation using continuous quantum measurement. By embedding parameter estimation in the standard quantum filtering formalism, we derive the optimal Bayesian filter for cases when the parameter takes on a finite range of values. Leveraging recent convergence results [van Handel, arXiv:0709.2216 (2008)], we give a condition which determines the asymptotic convergence of the estimator. For cases when the parameter is continuous valued, we develop quantum particle filters as a practical computational method for quantum parameter estimation.
A long standing problem in quantum mechanics is the minimum number of observables required for the characterisation of unknown pure quantum states. The solution to this problem is specially important for the developing field of high-dimensional quantum information processing. In this work we demonstrate that any pure d-dimensional state is unambiguously reconstructed by measuring 5 observables, that is, via projective measurements onto the states of 5 orthonormal bases. Thus, in our method the total number of different measurement outcomes (5d) scales linearly with d. The state reconstruction is robust against experimental errors and requires simple post-processing, regardless of d. We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of our scheme through the reconstruction of 8-dimensional quantum states, encoded in the momentum of single photons.
Harnessing the unique properties of quantum mechanics offers the possibility to deliver new technologies that can fundamentally outperform their classical counterparts. These technologies only deliver advantages when components operate with performance beyond specific thresholds. For optical quantum metrology, the biggest challenge that impacts on performance thresholds is optical loss. Here we demonstrate how including an optical delay and an optical switch in a feed-forward configuration with a stable and efficient correlated photon pair source reduces the detector efficiency required to enable quantum enhanced sensing down to the detection level of single photons. When the switch is active, we observe a factor of improvement in precision of 1.27 for transmission measurement on a per input photon basis, compared to the performance of a laser emitting an ideal coherent state and measured with the same detection efficiency as our setup. When the switch is inoperative, we observe no quantum advantage.