Quantum circuit optimization using quantum Karnaugh map.

Every quantum algorithm is represented by set of quantum circuits. Any optimization scheme for a quantum algorithm and quantum computation is very important especially in the arena of quantum computation with limited number of qubit resources. Major obstacle to this goal is the large number of elemental quantum gates to build even small quantum circuits. Here, we propose and demonstrate a general technique that significantly reduces the number of elemental gates to build quantum circuits. This is impactful for the design of quantum circuits, and we show below this could reduce the number of gates by 60% and 46% for the four- and five-qubit Toffoli gates, two key quantum circuits, respectively, as compared with simplest known decomposition. Reduced circuit complexity often goes hand-in-hand with higher efficiency and bandwidth. The quantum circuit optimization technique proposed in this work would provide a significant step forward in the optimization of quantum circuits and quantum algorithms, and has the potential for wider application in quantum computation.

Quantum Reactivity: An Indicator of Quantum Correlation.

Geometry is often a valuable guide to complex problems in physics. In this paper, we introduce a novel geometric quantity called quantum reactivity (QR) to probe quantum correlations in higher-dimensional quantum systems. Much like quantum discord, QR is not a measure of quantum entanglement but can be useful in quantum information processes where a notion of quantum correlation in higher dimensions is needed. Both quantum discord and QR are extendable to an arbitrarily large number of qubits; however, unlike discord, QR satisfies the invariance under unitary operations. Our approach parallels Schumacher's singlet state triangle inequality, which used an information geometry-based entropic distance. We use a generalization of information distance to area, volume, and higher-dimensional volumes and then use these to define a quantity that we call QR, which is the familiar ratio of surface area to volume. We examine a spectrum of multipartite states (Werner, W, GHZ, randomly generated density matrices, etc.) and demonstrate that QR can provide an ordering of these quantum states as to their degree of quantum correlation.

Holographic generation of complex fields with spatial light modulators: application to quantum key distribution.

There has been considerable interest recently in the generation of azimuthal phase functions associated with photon orbital angular momentum (OAM) for high-dimensional quantum key distribution. The generation of secure quantum keys requires not only this pure phase basis but also additional bases comprised of orthonormal superposition states formed from the pure states. These bases are also known as mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) and include quantum states whose wave functions are modulated in both phase and amplitude. Although modulo 2pi optical path control with high-resolution spatial light modulators (SLMs) is well suited to creating the azimuthal phases associated with the pure states, it does not introduce the amplitude modulation associated with the MUB superposition states. Using computer-generated holography (CGH) with the Leith-Upatnieks approach to hologram recording, however, both phase and amplitude modulation can be achieved. We present a description of the OAM states of a three-dimensional MUB system and analyze the construction of these states via CGH with a phase-modulating SLM. The effects of phase holography artifacts on quantum-state generation are quantified and a prescription for avoiding these artifacts by preconditioning the hologram function is presented. Practical effects associated with spatially isolating the first-order diffracted field are also quantified, and a demonstration utilizing a liquid-crystal SLM is presented.