Efficient hyperentanglement purification for three-photon systems with the fidelity-robust quantum gates and hyperentanglement link

Qudit-based high-dimensional controlled-not gate

High-dimensional quantum systems expand quantum channel capacity and information storage space. By implementing high-dimensional quantum logic gates, the speed of quantum computing can be practically enhanced. We propose a deterministic 4 × 4-dimensional controlled-not (CNOT) gate for a hybrid system without ancillary qudits required, where the spatial and polarization states of a single photon serve as a control qudit of four dimensions, whereas two electron-spin states in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers act as a four-dimensional target qudit. As the control qudits are easily operated employing simple optical elements and the target qudits are available for storage, the CNOT gate works in a deterministic way, and it can be flexibly extended to n × n-dimensional (n > 4) quantum gates for other hybrid systems or different photonic degrees of freedoms. The efficiency and fidelity of the CNOT gate are analyzed aligning with current technological capabilities, finding that they have satisfactory performances.

Decoherence-free-subspace-based deterministic conversions for entangled states with heralded robust-fidelity quantum gates

The decoherence-free subspace (DFS) serves as a protective shield against certain types of environmental noise, allowing the system to remain coherent for extended periods of time. In this paper, we propose two protocols, i.e., one converts two-logic-qubit Knill-Laflamme-Milburn (KLM) state to two-logic-qubit Bell states, and the other converts three-logic-qubit KLM state to three-logic-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, through cavity-assisted interaction in DFS. Especially, our innovative protocols achieve their objectives in a heralded way, thus enhancing experimental accessibility. Moreover, single photon detectors are incorporated into the setup, which can predict potential failures and ensure seamless interaction between the nitrogen-vacancy center and photons. Rigorous analyses and evaluations of two schemes demonstrate their abilities to achieve near-unit fidelities in principle and exceptional efficiencies. Further, our protocols offer progressive solutions to the challenges posed by decoherence, providing a pathway towards practical quantum technologies.

Imperfect-interaction-free entanglement purification on stationary systems for solid quantum repeaters

Solid quantum repeater is a core part in a large-scale quantum network. Entanglement purification, the key technique in a quantum repeater, is used to distill high-quality nonlocal entanglement from an ensemble in a mixed entangled state and to depress the vicious influence on quantum information carriers caused by noise. Here, we present an imperfect-interaction-free entanglement purification on nonlocal electron spins in quantum dots for solid quantum repeaters, using faithful parity check on electron spins. The faithful parity check can make correct judgement on the parity mode without destructing the nonlocal solid entanglement even with the imperfect interaction between a QD embedded inside a microcavity and a circularly polarized photon in the nearly realistic condition. Therefore, the imperfect-interaction-free entanglement purification can prevent the maximally entangled states from being changed into partially entangled ones and guarantee the fidelity of the nonlocal mixed state to a desired one after purification. As this scheme is feasible in the nearly realistic condition with imperfect interaction, the requirements for experimental implementation will be relaxed. These distinctive features make this imperfect-interaction-free entanglement purification have more practical applications in solid quantum repeaters for a large-scale quantum network.

Complete and faithful hyperentangled-Bell-state analysis of photon systems using a failure-heralded and fidelity-robust quantum gate

Hyperentangled-Bell-state analysis (HBSA) represents a key step in many quantum information processing schemes that utilize hyperentangled states. In this paper, we present a complete and faithful HBSA scheme for two-photon quantum systems hyperentangled in both the polarization and spatial-mode degrees of freedom, using a failure-heralded and fidelity-robust quantum swap gate for the polarization states of two photons (P-SWAP gate), constructed with a singly charged semiconductor quantum dot (QD) in a double-sided optical microcavity (double-sided QD-cavity system) and some linear-optical elements. Compared with the previously proposed complete HBSA schemes using different auxiliary tools such as parity-check quantum nondemonlition detectors or additional entangled states, our scheme significantly simplifies the analysis process and saves the quantum resource. Unlike the previous schemes based on the ideal optical giant circular birefringence induced by a single-electron spin in a double-sided QD-cavity system, our scheme guarantees the robust fidelity and relaxes the requirement on the QD-cavity parameters. These features indicate that our scheme may be more feasible and useful in practical applications based on the photonic hyperentanglement.

Purification of the residual entanglement

Entanglement purification is an indispensable ingredient in extended quantum communication networks and usually determines the efficiency and communication rate of quantum communication protocols. Different from all existing entanglement purification protocols (EPPs) where two or more copies of low quality mixed entangled states are selected from the same ensemble, here we describe a general and optimal EPP for arbitrary initial mixed states from different ensembles. We show that the successful operation of EPP may not obtain a higher fidelity mixed state, while the discarded source pair, which is usually regarded as a failure in existing EPPs, may have residual entanglement and can be reused to increase the yield of entanglement purification. We give the criterions of both the successful purification to obtain a higher fidelity mixed state and the existence of residual entanglement. Moreover, we reveal that entanglement purification procedure causes some entanglement loss. Finally, we provide an optimal approach to reduce the entanglement loss. This approach can also be used to increase the yield of entanglement purification. Our EPP may have potential application in long-distance quantum communications.

Photonic scheme of quantum phase estimation for quantum algorithms via cross-Kerr nonlinearities under decoherence effect

Quantum phase estimation (QPE) is the key procedure in various quantum algorithms. The main aim of the QPE scheme is to estimate the phase of an unknown eigenvalue, corresponding to an eigenstate of an arbitrary unitary operation. The QPE scheme can be applied as a subroutine to design many quantum algorithms. In this paper, we propose the basic structure of a QPE scheme that could be applied in quantum algorithms, with feasibility by utilizing cross-Kerr nonlinearities (controlled-unitary gates) and linearly optical devices. Subsequently, we analyze the efficiency and the performance of the controlled-unitary gate. This gate consists of a controlled-path gate and a merging-path gate via cross-Kerr nonlinearities under the decoherence effect. Also shown in this paper is a method by which to enhance robustness against the decoherence effect to provide a reliable QPE scheme based on controlled-unitary gates.