In this thesis for the degree of Master of Science from Stockholm University we explore the ideas of Symmetric Informationally Complete Positive Valued Measures (SIC-POVMs; commonly just SICs). This is an emerging concept in quantum information theory with ambitious claims, such as being a candidate for standard measurements [23] and perhaps being of importance to error correcting universal quantum computing [32]. While the definition of a SIC is exceedingly simple they have proven notoriously hard to find. This thesis explores new approaches to finding SICs. It is our ambition that this thesis shall provide the reader unfamiliar with SICs with a thorough introduction to the subject along with both the necessary quantum theory and group theory. We also hope to intrigue the reader already attuned to SICs by establishing a link between how close to a SIC a state is and how close to a MUS (Minimum Uncertainty State) it is. This is the main result of this thesis and we leave the reader with several open questions relating to this discovery to provoke further scrutiny of the matter. The thesis is divided into two parts: the first part provides the necessary background and theory; while the second part presents our results. There are also three appendices attached to this thesis where we delve into a discussion about computing power and also present some of the code used. Being appendices these are not essential to the thesis per se – they are rather supplied as a reference for the curious reader who might be interested in recreating some of our results.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T18:50:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Apresentacao.pdf: 96667 bytes, checksum: e7f1fe5d7d1c5dc220ec648e01fc9e42 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-10-10 / Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior / The Theory of Games is a mathematical formalism used to analyze conflicts between two or more parts. In those conflicts, each part has a group of actions (strategies) that aids them in the optimization of their objectives. The objectives of the players are the rewards (payoffs) given according to their chosen strategy. By quantizing a game, advantages in operational efficiency and in the stability of the game solutions are demonstrated. In a quantum game, the strategies are operators that act on an isolated system. A natural issue is to consider a game in an open system. In this case the strategies are changed by Kraus operators which represent a natural measurement of the environment. We want to find the necessary physical conditions to model a quantum open system as a game. To analyze this issue we applied the formalism of Quantum Operations on the Fröhlich system and we described it as a model of Quantum Game. The interpretation is a conflict among different configurations of the environment which, by inserting noise in the main system exhibits regimes of minimum loss of information. On the other hand, the model of Fröhlich has been used to describe the biophysical dynamics of the neuronal microtubules. By describing the model of Fröhlich in the Quantum Game formalism, we have shown that regimes of stability may exist even under physiological conditions. From the evolutionary point of view, the Theory of Games can be the key to describe the natural optimization at sub-neuronal levels. / A Teoria de Jogos (TJs) é um formalismo matemático usado para analisar situações de conflitos entre duas ou mais partes. Nesses conflitos, cada parte possui um conjunto de ações (estratégias) que auxilia na otimização de seus objetivos. Os objetivos dos jogadres são as recompensas (payoffs) que cada um recebe de acordo com a estratégia adotada. Ao se quantizar um jogo, mostra-se ganhos em eficiência operacional e ganhos na estabilidade das soluções. Em um jogo quântico (JQ), as estratégias são operadores que atuam num sistema isolado. Uma questão natural é considerar um jogo num sistema aberto. Nesta situação as estratégias são trocadas por operadores de Kraus que representam uma medida natural do ambiente. Nosso interesse é encontrar as condições físicas necessáriaas para modelarmos um sistema quântico aberto como um jogo. Para analisar essa questão aplicamos o formalismo de Operações Quânticas (OQs) sobre o sistema de Fröhlich e o apresentamos como um modelo de JQ. A interpretação é um conflito entre diferentes configurações do ambiente que, ao inserirem ruído no sistema principal, exibem regiões de mínima perda de informação. O modelo de Fröhlich vem sendo usado para descrever a dinâmica biofísica dos microtúbulos neuronais. Ao estruturamos o modelo de Fröhlich nos JQs, mostramos que as regiões de estabilidade podem existir sob condições fisiológicas. Usando o aspecto evolucionista, a TJs pode ser a chave para a descrição de processos de otimização da informação em nível sub-neuronal.

O papel das medidas de complexidade tem se tornado cada vez mais claro na extensão da compreensão que se tem sobre sistemas complexos. Todavia, apesar do grande número de medidas propostas para capturar tais características em sistemas clássicos, para sistemas quânticos somente vê-se extensões da complexidade algorítmica de Kolmogorov. Assim, propõe-se neste trabalho a extensão de três medidas de complexidade pelo uso do ferramental da teoria da informação quântica para torná-las capazes de compreender a quantificação da complexidade de estados quânticos. Resultados mostram que alguns fenômenos observados em sistemas complexos clássicos estão presentes em estados bipartite e tripartite de qubits e estão intimamente ligados com a presença de entrelaçamento nos mesmos. Tanto comprovação de conceitos já conhecidos como indícios de novos fenômenos foram observados, ambos com possíveis aplicações tecnológicas. / The role of complexity measures has become increasingly clear on the extent of understanding we have of complex systems. However, despite the large number of measures proposed to capture these characteristics in classical systems, to quantum systems there are only extensions of the Kolmogorov\'s algorithmic complexity. Thus, this work proposes the extension of three measures of complexity by using the tools of quantum information theory to make them able to understand the quantification of the complexity of quantum states. Results show that some phenomena observed in classical complex systems are present in bipartite and tripartite states of qubits and are closely linked with the presence of entanglement in them. Both proof of known concepts as signs of new phenomena were observed, with possible technological applications.

Apresentamos neste trabalho a primeira verificação experimental de emaranhamento entre os feixes, sinal, complementar e bombeio refletido, produzidos pelo Oscilador Paramétrico Ótico (OPO) acima do limiar. Utilizando o critério de soma de variâncias de van Loock e Furusawa, obtivemos resultados que apontam a existência de emaranhamento tripartite em nosso sistema, evidenciado através da aplicação do critério de Positividade sob Transposição Parcial de Peres-Simon (PPT). A observação desse efeito, previsto em 2006, encontrou dificuldades relacionadas a existência de um ruído clássico espúrio, inserido pelo cristal não-linear. Apresentamos, um modelo teórico para esse ruído que leva em consideração pequenas flutuações na permissividade dielétrica do cristal, associadas às vibrações da rede. Em seguida, mostramos como conseguimos controlar e reduzir o excesso de ruído de modo a obter condições que permitiram à observação do emaranhamento tripartite. / We present in this work the first experimental verification of entanglement between the, signal, idler and reflected pump beams, generated by an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) above the threshold. Using the criterion of sum of variances, proposed by van Loock and Furusawa, we obtained results that indicate the existence of tripartite entanglement in our system. That is confirmed by applying the criterion of positivity under partial transposition by Peres-Simon (PPT). The observation of this effect, predicted in 2006, faced difficulties related to the existence of a spurious classical noise, introduced by the nonlinear crystal. We have also presented a theoretical model for this that takes into account small fluctuations in the dielectric permittivity of the crystal, associated with vibrations of its lattice. We show how to control and reduce the excess noise in order to achieve conditions for the observation of tripartite entanglement.

L'information quantique repose sur un traitement de l'information, non plus de manière classique, mais de manière quantique, afin d'augmenter l'efficacité de certains algorithmes informatiques. Un tel objectif nécessite de construire des registres quantiques fondés, par exemple, sur l'assemblage cohérent d'un grand nombre de systèmes quantiques individuels qui jouent alors le rôle de bits d'information quantiques. Dans ce contexte, le centre coloré NV du diamant fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches car il est l’un des rares systèmes pouvant être utilisé comme bit quantique à l’état solide et à température ambiante. Cette thèse étudie les interactions du spin électronique du centre NV avec des spins nucléaires présents dans la matrice de diamant, dans le but de créer des registres quantiques hybrides dans le diamant. Dans un premier temps, nous expliquerons comment le spin électronique du centre NV peut être utilisé pour détecter des spins nucléaires disséminés dans le diamant. Puis, le centre NV sera exploité comme bit quantique auxiliaire pour initialiser l'état de ces spins nucléaires, soit en tirant profit d'un anti-croisement de niveaux, soit en implémentant une mesure projective. Enfin, nous analyserons les origines des limitations des temps de cohérence des centres NV dans les échantillons de diamant ultrapurs, provenant de l'interaction avec un bain de spins nucléaires environnant. Outre leur intérêt en information quantique, l’étude et le contrôle des spins dans le diamant ouvrent la voie à la réalisation de nano-capteurs ultrasensibles, dont les applications couvrent des domaines très variés de la physique moderne. / The principle of quantum information relies on processing information, not from a classical point of view but from a quantum one, in order to increase the efficiency of some computer algorithms. Fulfilling such a goal requires the construction of a quantum register, for instance by coherently putting together a large number of individual quantum systems which play the role of quantum information bits. In this respect, a lot of research has focused on the NV colored center of diamond as it constitutes one of the few systems which can be used as a solid-state quantum bit at room temperature. This doctoral thesis studies the interactions between the NV electronic spin and surrounding nuclear spins located in the diamond matrix, with the intention of creating diamond quantum hybrid systems. We first explain how the NV electronic spin can be used to detect nuclear spins dispersed inside the diamond. Then, we use the NV center as an ancillary quantum bit to initialize the state of these nuclear spins, either by benefitting from a level-anticrossing, or by implementing a projective measurement. Finally, we analyse the origins of the limitation of the coherence time of NV centers in ultrapure diamond samples caused by the interaction with a surrounding nuclear spin bath. Besides their interest for quantum information processing, the study and control of spins in diamond also open the path to making highly sensitive nano-sensors, for which applications can be found in numerous fields of modern physics.

The field of quantum mechanics has revolutionised physics as a subject. Areas such as information theory, computer science and physical sensing have all been affected by the tremendous successes of various quantum protocols. In this thesis I present my contribution to the development of such non-classical protocols. In classical communication theory a message is always carried by physical particles that interact with a transmitter, after which they travel to a receiver. In this thesis I outline a quantum protocol which allows a receiver to obtain a message without receiving any physical object or particles that have interacted with the transmitter-that is, counterfactually. I build my protocol for counterfactual communication on the principles of interaction-free measurements, ensuring that information always propagates in the opposite direction to the protocol particles. The protocol shows how quantum mechanics breaks the previous premise of communication theory. From the perspective of local observers, it is a beautiful manifestation of the non-locality of interaction-free measurements. Furthermore, it is highly robust against experimental errors and external disturbances. The majority of this part of the thesis is based on my published article 'Quantum counterfactual communication without a weak trace' [Phys. Rev. A 94, 062303 (2016)]. Previous to my work, Salih et al. attempted to design a counterfactual communication protocol [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 170502 (2013)]. This protocol has been highly controversial. As counterfactual phenomena impose restrictions on the inter-measurement paths of quantum particles, and the physical reality of such paths lacks description in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, an extension of current quantum theory is required to facilitate a discussion. In this thesis I present an operational and interpretation-independent methodology, enabling the discussion of inter-measurement paths of quantum particles. I start by considering the interferometers of counterfactual protocols, making the basic assumption that any quantum evolution naturally involves uncontrolled weak interactions. I then show how the Fisher information of these weak interactions, available at the output of counterfactual experiments, can be used to discuss the pre-measurement past of the particles. Based on this analysis, the protocol developed by Salih et al. is found to strongly violate counterfactuality. However, my protocol is more flexible in that it allows particles to propagate in the opposite direction to the message. This leads to counterfactuality being satisfied-even in the presence of large experimental errors. These results are observed both analytically and numerically. This part of the thesis is based on my article 'Evaluation of counterfactuality in counterfactual communication protocols' [Phys. Rev. A 96, 062316 (2017)]. The numerical methods are inspired by another of my publications: 'Protocol for fermionic positive-operator-valued measures' [Phys. Rev. A 96, 052305 (2017)]. Finally, as the Fisher information measure is found to be useful in evaluating counterfactual protocols, I extend my work by investigating the quantum Fisher information in experiments with general discrete quantum circuits. I prove that the quantum Fisher information of a two-level interaction in a quantum circuit can be expressed by a simple formula. Under certain phase-relations, the formula provides a straightforward connection between the abstract concept of the inter-measurement wavefunction and the quantum Fisher information at the output. With regard to how the information obtained from a certain volume of space influences our perception of classical objects, I argue that the quantum Fisher information measure is highly useful in describing quantum objects. If this measure is applied to observers with a limited set of the experimental measurement outcomes, a quantum object can appear to follow non-classical discontinuous paths. This supports the remarkable conclusion that our perception of the past of a quantum object is subjectively dependent on the measurement we conduct on it.

Neste trabalho estudamos as propriedades de emaranhamento dos estados de dois quasifótons de frequências diferentes, fazendo a aproximação de que o vácuo de quasifótons é igual ao vácuo de fótons, no caso em que não temos campo externo algum e no caso da presença de um campo magnético externo, constante e homogêneo. Estudamos também as propriedades de emaranhamento do próprio vácuo de quasifótons e dos estados de dois quasifótons no caso monocromático, sem campo externo e com o vácuo de quasifótons levado em conta exatamente. / In this work we study the properties of entanglement of the states of two quasi-photons of different frequencies, considering the approximation that the quasi-photon\'s vacuum is equal the photon\'s vacuum, in the case where we have no external field and in the case where we have an external, constant and homogeneous magnetic field. We study also the properties of entanglement of the quasi-photon\'s vacuum and of the states of two quasi-photons in the monochromatic case, without external field and with the quasi-photon\'s vacuum considered exactly.

acase@tulane.edu / In this dissertation we test our ability to implement linear entangling operations between small numbers of photons for application in quantum communication and computation. We begin by presenting a fast and highly parallelizable numerical algorithm for simulating linear optical circuits on classical hardware. Then, we apply this algorithm to three independent topics in quantum information: First, in Chapter 2, we determine the information capacity of an optical quantum channel and show that a linear encoding is generally sufficient to achieve this capacity. In Chapter 3 we introduce a computational encoding basis wherein qubits are stored in single-photon blocks and then test our ability to apply entangling operations between blocks. Finally, in Chapter 4, we use our algorithm to make progress in the long-standing problem of designing a near-perfect optical Bell state analyzer. We find a clear trend in state distinguishability as we incorporate unentangled pairs of ancilla photons. We also prove that if a measurement outcome in which all photons are bunched into only two output modes is possible, then perfect state discrimination is impossible. We then present a set of conditions that prevent this outcome. / 1 / Jake A Smith

In this thesis we investigate geometric and topological structures in the context of entanglement and quantum computation. A parallel transport condition is introduced in the context of Franson interferometry based on the maximization of two-particle coincidence intensity. The dependence on correlations is investigated and it is found that the holonomy group is in general non-Abelian, but Abelian for uncorrelated systems. It is found that this framework contains a parallel transport condition developed by Levay in the case of two-qubit systems undergoing local SU(2) evolutions. Global phase factors of topological origin, resulting from cyclic local SU(2) evolution, called topological phases, are investigated in the context of multi-qubit systems. These phases originate from the topological structure of the local SU(2)-orbits and are an attribute of most entangled multi-qubit systems. The relation between topological phases and SLOCC-invariant polynomials is discussed. A general method to find the values of the topological phases in an n-qubit system is described. A non-adiabatic generalization of holonomic quantum computation is developed in which high-speed universal quantum gates can be realized by using non-Abelian geometric phases. It is shown how a set of non-adiabatic holonomic one- and two-qubit gates can be implemented by utilizing transitions in a generic three-level Λ configuration. The robustness of the proposed scheme to different sources of error is investigated through numerical simulation. It is found that the gates can be made robust to a variety of errors if the operation time of the gate can be made sufficiently short. This scheme opens up for universal holonomic quantum computation on qubits characterized by short coherence times.

Quantum information and quantum computation are linked by a common mathematical and physical framework of quantum mechanics. The manipulation of the predicted dynamics and its optimization is known as quantum control. Many techniques, originating in the study of nuclear magnetic resonance, have found common usage in methods for processing quantum information and steering physical systems into desired states. This thesis expands on these techniques, with careful attention to the regime where competing effects in the dynamics are present, and no semi-classical picture exists where one effect dominates over the others. That is, the transition between the diabatic and adiabatic error regimes is examined, with the use of such techniques as time-dependent diagonalization, interaction frames, average-Hamiltonian expansion, and numerical optimization with multiple time-dependences. The results are applied specifically to superconducting systems, but are general and improve on existing methods with regard to selectivity and crosstalk problems, filtering of modulation of resonance between qubits, leakage to non-compuational states, multi-photon virtual transitions, and the strong driving limit.