We show that braidings of the metaplectic anyons $X_epsilon$ in $SO(3)_2=SU(2)_4$ with their total charge equal to the metaplectic mode $Y$ supplemented with measurements of the total charge of two metaplectic anyons are universal for quantum computation. We conjecture that similar universal computing models can be constructed for all metaplectic anyon systems $SO(p)_2$ for any odd prime $pgeq 5$. In order to prove universality, we find new conceptually appealing universal gate sets for qutrits and qupits.
Harnessing non-abelian statistics of anyons to perform quantum computational tasks is getting closer to reality. While the existence of universal anyons by braiding alone such as the Fibonacci anyon is theoretically a possibility, accessible anyons with current technology all belong to a class that is called weakly integral---anyons whose squared quantum dimensions are integers. We analyze the computational power of the first non-abelian anyon system with only integral quantum dimensions---$D(S_3)$, the quantum double of $S_3$. Since all anyons in $D(S_3)$ have finite images of braid group representations, they cannot be universal for quantum computation by braiding alone. Based on our knowledge of the images of the braid group representations, we set up three qutrit computational models. Supplementing braidings with some measurements and ancillary states, we find a universal gate set for each model.
One of the most challenging problems for the realization of a scalable quantum computer is to design a physical device that keeps the error rate for each quantum processing operation low. These errors can originate from the accuracy of quantum manipulation, such as the sweeping of a gate voltage in solid state qubits or the duration of a laser pulse in optical schemes. Errors also result from decoherence, which is often regarded as more crucial in the sense that it is inherent to the quantum system, being fundamentally a consequence of the coupling to the external environment. Grouping small collections of qubits into clusters with symmetries may serve to protect parts of the calculation from decoherence. In this work, we use 4-level cores with a straightforward generalization of discrete rotational symmetry, called $omega$-rotation invariance, to encode pairs of coupled qubits and universal 2-qubit logical gates. We propose a scalable scheme for universal quantum computation where cores play the role of quantum-computational transistors, or textit{quansistors} for short. Embedding in the environment, initialization and readout are achieved by tunnel-coupling the quansistor to leads. The external leads are explicitly considered and are assumed to be the main source of decoherence. We show that quansistors can be dynamically decoupled from the leads by tuning their internal parameters, giving them the versatility required to act as controllable quantum memory units. With this dynamical decoupling, logical operations within quansistors are also symmetry-protected from unbiased noise in their parameters. We identify technologies that could implement $omega$-rotation invariance. Many of our results can be generalized to higher-level $omega$-rotation-invariant systems, or adapted to clusters with other symmetries.
It has recently been shown that a parametrically driven oscillator with Kerr nonlinearity yields a Schrodinger cat state via quantum adiabatic evolution through its bifurcation point and a network of such nonlinear oscillators can be used for solving combinatorial optimization problems by bifurcation-based adiabatic quantum computation [H. Goto, Sci. Rep. textbf{6}, 21686 (2016)]. Here we theoretically show that such a nonlinear oscillator network with controllable parameters can also be used for universal quantum computation. The initialization is achieved by a quantum-mechanical bifurcation based on quantum adiabatic evolution, which yields a Schrodinger cat state. All the elementary quantum gates are also achieved by quantum adiabatic evolution, in which dynamical phases accompanying the adiabatic evolutions are controlled by the system parameters. Numerical simulation results indicate that high gate fidelities can be achieved, where no dissipation is assumed.
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 multi-mode Gaussian transformation via the cluster state. We also propose an experiment to demonstrate cluster-based error reduction when implementing Gaussian operations.
In some of the earliest work on quantum mechanical computers, Feynman showed how to implement universal quantum computation by the dynamics of a time-independent Hamiltonian. I show that this remains possible even if the Hamiltonian is restricted to be a sparse matrix with all entries equal to 0 or 1, i.e., the adjacency matrix of a low-degree graph. Thus quantum walk can be regarded as a universal computational primitive, with any desired quantum computation encoded entirely in some underlying graph. The main idea of the construction is to implement quantum gates by scattering processes.