Papers

Preprints

Robust projective measurements through measuring code-inspired observables

Yingkai Ouyang


Quantum measurements are ubiquitous in quantum information processing tasks, but errors can render their outputs unreliable. Here, we present a scheme that implements a robust projective measurement through measuring code-inspired observables. Namely, given a projective POVM, a classical code and a constraint on the number of measurement outcomes each observable can have, we construct commuting observables whose measurement is equivalent to the projective measurement in the noiseless setting. Moreover, we can correct t errors on the classical outcomes of the observables' measurement if the classical code corrects t errors. Since our scheme does not require the encoding of quantum data onto a quantum error correction code, it can help construct robust measurements for near-term quantum algorithms that do not use quantum error correction. Moreover, our scheme works for any projective POVM, and hence can allow robust syndrome extraction procedures in non-stabilizer quantum error correction codes. 

Finding the optimal probe state for multiparameter quantum metrology using conic programming

Masahito Hayashi and Yingkai Ouyang


The aim of the channel estimation is to estimate the parameters encoded in a quantum channel. For this aim, it is allowed to choose the input state as well as the measurement to get the outcome. Various precision bounds are known for the state estimation. For the channel estimation, the respective bounds are determined depending on the choice of the input state. However, determining the optimal input probe state and the corresponding precision bounds in estimation is a non-trivial problem, particularly in the multi-parameter setting, where parameters are often incompatible. In this paper, we present a conic programming framework that allows us to determine the optimal probe state for the corresponding multi-parameter precision bounds. The precision bounds we consider include the Holevo-Nagaoka bound and the tight precision bound that give the optimal performances of correlated and uncorrelated measurement strategies, respectively. Using our conic programming framework, we discuss the optimality of a maximally entangled probe state in various settings. We also apply our theory to analyze the canonical field sensing problem using entangled quantum probe states.

Approximate reconstructability of quantum states and noisy quantum secret sharing schemes

Yingkai Ouyang, Kaumudibikash Goswami, Jacquiline Romero, Barry C. Sanders, Min-Hsiu Hsieh, Marco Tomamichel


We introduce and analyse approximate quantum secret sharing in a formal cryptographic setting, wherein a dealer encodes and distributes a quantum secret to players such that authorized structures (sets of subsets of players) can approximately reconstruct the quantum secret and omnipotent adversarial agents controlling non-authorized subsets of players are approximately denied the quantum secret. In particular, viewing the map encoding the quantum secret to shares for players in an authorized structure as a quantum channel, we show that approximate reconstructability of the quantum secret by these players is possible if and only if the information leakage, given in terms of a certain entanglement-assisted capacity of the complementary quantum channel to the players outside the structure and the environment, is small.

Quantum error correction on symmetric quantum sensors

Yingkai Ouyang, Gavin K. Brennen

Symmetric states of collective angular momentum are good candidates for multi-qubit probe states in quantum sensors because they are easy to prepare and can be controlled without requiring individual addressability. Here, we give quantum error correction protocols for estimating the magnitude of classical fields using symmetric probe states. To achieve this, we first develop a general theory for quantum error correction on the symmetric subspace. This theory, based on the representation theory of the symmetric group, allows us to construct efficient algorithms that can correct any correctible error on any permutation-invariant code. These algorithms involve measurements of total angular momentum, quantum Schur transforms or logical state teleportations, and geometric pulse gates. For deletion errors, we give a simpler quantum error correction algorithm based on primarily on geometric pulse gates. Second, we devise a simple quantum sensing scheme on symmetric probe states that works in spite of a linear rate of deletion errors, and analyze its asymptotic performance. In our scheme, we repeatedly project the probe state onto the codespace while the signal accumulates. When the time spent to accumulate the signal is constant, our scheme can do phase estimation with precision that approaches the best possible in the noiseless setting. Third, we give near-term implementations of our algorithms. 

Tight Cramér-Rao type bounds for multiparameter quantum metrology through conic programming

Masahito Hayashi, Yingkai Ouyang

In the quest to unlock the maximum potential of quantum sensors, it is of paramount importance to have practical measurement strategies that can estimate incompatible parameters with best precisions possible. However, it is still not known how to find practical measurements with optimal precisions, even for uncorrelated measurements over probe states. Here, we give a concrete way to find uncorrelated measurement strategies with optimal precisions. We solve this fundamental problem by introducing a framework of conic programming that unifies the theory of precision bounds for multiparameter estimates for uncorrelated and correlated measurement strategies under a common umbrella. Namely, we give precision bounds that arise from linear programs on various cones defined on a tensor product space of matrices, including a particular cone of separable matrices. Subsequently, our theory allows us to develop an efficient algorithm that calculates both upper and lower bounds for the ultimate precision bound for uncorrelated measurement strategies, where these bounds can be tight. In particular, the uncorrelated measurement strategy that arises from our theory saturates the upper bound to the ultimate precision bound. Also, we show numerically that there is a strict gap between the previous efficiently computable bounds and the ultimate precision bound. 

Privacy and correctness trade-offs for information-theoretically secure quantum homomorphic encryption

arXiv:2205.12127 (presented in QCrypt)

Yanglin Hu, Yingkai Ouyang, Marco Tomamichel

Quantum homomorphic encryption, which allows computation by a server directly on encrypted data, is a fundamental primitive out of which more complex quantum cryptography protocols can be built. For such constructions to be possible, quantum homomorphic encryption must satisfy two privacy properties: data privacy which ensures that the input data is private from the server, and circuit privacy which ensures that the ciphertext after the computation does not reveal any additional information about the circuit used to perform it, beyond the output of the computation itself. While circuit privacy is well-studied in classical cryptography and many homomorphic encryption schemes can be equipped with it, its quantum analogue has received little attention. Here we establish a definition of circuit privacy for quantum homomorphic encryption with information-theoretic security. Furthermore, we reduce quantum oblivious transfer to quantum homomorphic encryption. Using this reduction, our work unravels fundamental trade-offs between circuit privacy, data privacy and correctness for a broad family of quantum homomorphic encryption protocols, including schemes that allow only computation of Clifford circuits. 

A general framework for the composition of quantum homomorphic encryption & quantum error correction

Yingkai Ouyang, Peter P. Rohde

Two essential primitives for universal, cloud-based quantum computation with security based on the laws of quantum mechanics, are quantum homomorphic encryption with information-theoretic security and quantum error correction. The former enables information-theoretic security of outsourced quantum computation, while the latter allows reliable and scalable quantum computations in the presence of errors. Previously these ingredients have been considered in isolation from one another. By establishing group-theoretic requirements that these two ingredients must satisfy, we provide a general framework for composing them. Namely, a quantum homomorphic encryption scheme enhanced with quantum error correction can directly inherit its properties from its constituent quantum homomorphic encryption and quantum error correction schemes. We apply our framework to both discrete- and continuous-variable models for quantum computation, such as Pauli-key and permutation-key encryptions in the qubit model, and displacement-key encryptions in a continuous-variable model based on Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill codes. 

Constructing quantum codes from any classical code and their embedding in ground space of local Hamiltonians 

Ramis Movassagh, Yingkai Ouyang

 We introduce a framework for constructing a quantum error correcting code from any classical error correcting code. This includes CSS codes and goes beyond the stabilizer formalism to allow quantum codes to be constructed from classical codes that are not necessarily linear or self-orthogonal (Fig. 1). We give an algorithm that explicitly constructs quantum codes with linear distance and constant rate from classical codes with a linear distance and rate. As illustrations for small size codes, we obtain Steane's 7−qubit code uniquely from Hamming's [7,4,3] code, and obtain other error detecting quantum codes from other explicit classical codes of length 4 and 6. Motivated by quantum LDPC codes and the use of physics to protect quantum information, we introduce a new 2-local frustration free quantum spin chain Hamiltonian whose ground space we analytically characterize completely. By mapping classical codewords to basis states of the ground space, we utilize our framework to demonstrate that the ground space contains explicit quantum codes with linear distance. This side-steps the Bravyi-Terhal no-go theorem because our work allows for more general quantum codes beyond the stabilizer and/or linear codes. We hesitate to call this an example of subspace quantum LDPC code with linear distance.


Publications

32. Weight Distribution of Classical Codes Influences Robust Quantum Metrology, accepted in Physical Review A 

Yingkai Ouyang, Narayanan Rengaswamy


Quantum sensors are expected to be a prominent use-case of quantum technologies, but in practice, noise easily degrades their performance. Quantum sensors can for instance be afflicted with erasure errors. Here, we consider using quantum probe states with a structure that corresponds to classical [n,k,d] binary block codes of minimum distance d >= t+1. We obtain bounds on the ultimate precision that these probe states can give for estimating the unknown magnitude of a classical field after at most t qubits of the quantum probe state are erased. We show that the quantum Fisher information is proportional to the variances of the weight distributions of the corresponding 2^t shortened codes. If the shortened codes of a fixed code with d >= t+1 have a non-trivial weight distribution, then the probe states obtained by concatenating this code with repetition codes of increasing length enable asymptotically optimal field-sensing that passively tolerates up to t erasure errors.

31. Learning quantum graph states with product measurements

Yingkai Ouyang, Marco Tomamichel

We consider the problem of learning $N$ identical copies of an unknown $n$-qubit quantum graph state with product measurements. These graph states have corresponding graphs where every vertex has exactly $d$ neighboring vertices.

Here, we detail an explicit algorithm that uses product measurements on multiple identical copies of such graph states to learn them. When $n \gg d$ and $N = O(d \log(1/\epsilon) + d^2 \log n ),$ this algorithm correctly learns the graph state with probability at least $1- \epsilon$. From channel coding theory, we find that for arbitrary joint measurements on graph states, any learning algorithm achieving this accuracy requires at least $\Omega(\log (1/\epsilon) + d \log n)$ copies when $d=o(\sqrt n)$. We also supply bounds on $N$ when every graph state encounters identical and independent depolarizing errors on each qubit.

30. Imaging stars with quantum error correction

Zixin Huang, Gavin K. Brennen, Yingkai Ouyang

The development of high-resolution, large-baseline optical interferometers would revolutionize astronomical imaging. However, classical techniques are hindered by physical limitations including loss, noise, and the fact that the received light is generally quantum in nature. We show how to overcome these issues using quantum communication techniques. We present a general framework for using quantum error correction codes for protecting and imaging starlight received at distant telescope sites. In our scheme, the quantum state of light is coherently captured into a non-radiative atomic state via Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage, which is then imprinted into a quantum error correction code. The code protects the signal during subsequent potentially noisy operations necessary to extract the image parameters. We show that even a small quantum error correction code can offer significant protection against noise. For large codes, we find noise thresholds below which the information can be preserved. Our scheme represents an application for near-term quantum devices that can increase imaging resolution beyond what is feasible using classical techniques. 

29. Linear programming bounds for approximate quantum error correction over arbitrary quantum channels

Yingkai Ouyang, Ching-Yi Lai

While quantum weight enumerators establish some of the best upper bounds on the minimum distance of quantum error-correcting codes, these bounds are not optimized to quantify the performance of quantum codes under the effect of arbitrary quantum channels that describe bespoke noise models. Herein, for any Kraus decomposition of any given quantum channel, we introduce corresponding quantum weight enumerators that naturally generalize the Shor-Laflamme quantum weight enumerators. We establish an indirect linear relationship between these generalized quantum weight enumerators by introducing an auxiliary exact weight enumerator that completely quantifies the quantum code's projector, and is independent of the underlying noise process. By additionally working within the framework of approximate quantum error correction, we establish a general framework for constructing a linear program that is infeasible whenever approximate quantum error correcting codes with corresponding parameters do not exist. Our linear programming framework allows us to establish the non-existence of certain quantum codes that approximately correct amplitude damping errors, and obtain non-trivial upper bounds on the maximum dimension of a broad family of permutation-invariant quantum codes. 

28. Quantum key distribution with non-ideal heterodyne detection: composable security of discrete-modulation continuous-variable protocols

Cosmo Lupo, Yingkai Ouyang

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution exploits coherent measurements of the electromagnetic field, i.e., homodyne or heterodyne detection. The most advanced security proofs developed so far have relied on idealized mathematical models for such measurements, which assume that the measurement outcomes are continuous and unbounded variables. As physical-measurement devices have a finite range and precision, these mathematical models only serve as an approximation. It is expected that, under suitable conditions, the predictions obtained using these simplified models will be in good agreement with the actual experimental implementations. However, a quantitative analysis of the error introduced by this approximation, and of its impact on composable security, have been lacking so far. Here, we present a theory to rigorously account for the experimental limitations of realistic heterodyne detection. We focus on collective attacks and present security proofs for the asymptotic and finite-size regimes, the latter being within the framework of composable security. In doing this, we establish for the first time the composable security of discrete-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution in the finite-size regime. Tight bounds on the key rates are obtained through semidefinite programming and do not rely on a truncation of the Hilbert space. 

27. Robust quantum metrology with explicit symmetric states, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory 68 (3), 1809-1821

Yingkai Ouyang, N. Shettell, D. Markham

Quantum metrology is a promising practical use case for quantum technologies, where physical quantities can be measured with unprecedented precision. In lieu of quantum error correction procedures, near term quantum devices are expected to be noisy, and we have to make do with noisy probe states. With carefully chosen symmetric probe states inspired by the quantum error correction capabilities of certain symmetric codes, we prove that quantum metrology can exhibit an advantage over classical metrology, even after the probe states are corrupted by a constant number of erasure and dephasing errors. These probe states prove useful for robust metrology not only in the NISQ regime, but also in the asymptotic setting where they achieve Heisenberg scaling. This brings us closer towards making robust quantum metrology a technological reality.

26. The equivalence between correctability of deletions and insertions of separable states in quantum codes

Taro Shibayama, Yingkai Ouyang

In this paper, we prove the equivalence of inserting separable quantum states and deletions. Hence any quantum code that corrects deletions automatically corrects separable insertions. First, we describe the quantum insertion/deletion error using the Kraus operators. Next, we develop an algebra for commuting Kraus operators corresponding to insertions and deletions. Using this algebra, we prove the equivalence between quantum insertion codes and quantum deletion codes using the Knill-Laflamme conditions. 

25. Permutation-invariant quantum coding for quantum deletion channels 

Yingkai Ouyang

Quantum deletions, which are harder to correct than erasure errors, occur in many realistic settings. It is therefore pertinent to develop quantum coding schemes for quantum deletion channels. To date, not much is known about which explicit quantum error correction codes can combat quantum deletions. We note that any permutation-invariant quantum code that has a distance of t+1 can correct t quantum deletions for any positive integer t in both the qubit and the qudit setting. Leveraging on coding properties of permutation-invariant quantum codes under erasure errors, we derive corresponding coding bounds for permutation-invariant quantum codes under quantum deletions. We focus our attention on a specific family of N-qubit permutation-invariant quantum codes, which we call shifted gnu codes, and show that their encoding and decoding algorithms can be performed in O(N) and O(N^2).

24. Trade-offs on number and phase shift resilience in bosonic quantum codes IEEE Transactions on Information Theory 67 (10), 6644-6652 

Yingkai Ouyang and Earl Campbell

Minimizing the number of particles used by a quantum code is helpful, because every particle incurs a cost. One quantum error correction solution is to encode quantum information into one or more bosonic modes. We revisit rotation-invariant bosonic codes, which are supported on Fock states that are gapped by an integer g apart, and the gap  imparts number shift resilience to these codes. Intuitively, since phase operators and number shift operators do not commute, one expects a trade-off between resilience to number-shift and rotation errors. Here, we obtain results pertaining to the non-existence of approximate quantum error correcting g-gapped single-mode bosonic codes with respect to Gaussian dephasing errors. We show that by using arbitrarily many modes, g-gapped multi-mode codes can yield good approximate quantum error correction codes for any finite magnitude of Gaussian dephasing errors. 

23. Avoiding coherent errors with rotated concatenated stabilizer codes npj Quantum Information 7 (87)

Yingkai Ouyang

Coherent errors, which arise from collective couplings, are a dominant form of noise in many realistic quantum systems, and are more damaging than oft considered stochastic errors. Here, we propose integrating stabilizer codes with coherent-error-avoiding codes by code concatenation. Namely, by concatenating an [[n,k,d]] stabilizer outer code with dual-rail inner codes, we obtain a [[2n,k,d]] non-stabilizer constant-excitation code immune from coherent phase errors and also equivalent to a Pauli-rotated stabilizer code. When the stabilizer outer code is fault-tolerant, the constant-excitation code has a positive fault-tolerant threshold against stochastic errors. Setting the outer code as a four-qubit amplitude damping code yields an eight-qubit constant-excitation code that corrects a single amplitude damping error, and we analyze this code's potential as a quantum memory. 


22. Quantum storage in quantum ferromagnets, Physical Review B 103, 14417

Yingkai Ouyang

Quantum data is inherently fragile and must be protected to unlock the potential of quantum technologies. A pertinent concern in schemes for quantum storage is their potential to be implemented in the near future. While Heisenberg ferromagnets are readily available and can be potentially implemented, quantum storage in them has never before been addressed. We address this issue by considering the storage of quantum data within a special quantum ferromagnet, where every pair of spins interacts with equal strength. We analyze the storage error for a unital and local noise model, and optimize the memory lifetime with respect to system size. Our analysis relies on Taylor decompositions of unitary evolutions in terms of Fréchet matrix derivatives, and uses Davis' divided difference representation for these Fréchet derivatives, and the recursive structure of these divided differences. We thereby obtain upper bounds on the error for passive quantum storage. With our bounds, we numerically study the potential to enhance memory lifetimes. Our approach lays the foundation for optimization of the memory lifetime based on the spectral structure of any physical system.

21. Quantifying quantum speedups: improved classical simulation from tighter magic monotones, PRX Quantum 2 (1), 010345

James R. Seddon, Bartosz Regula, Hakop Pashayan, Yingkai Ouyang, Earl T. Campbell

In the stabilizer circuit model of quantum computation, universality requires a resource known as magic. Here, we propose three new ways to quantify the magic of a quantum state using magic monotones, apply the monotones in the characterization of state conversions under stabilizer operations, and connect them with the classical simulation of quantum circuits. We first present a complete theory of these quantifiers for tensor products of single-qubit states, for which the monotones are all equal and all act multiplicatively, constituting the first qubit magic monotones to have this property. We use the monotones to establish several asymptotic and non-asymptotic bounds on state interconversion and distillation rates. We then relate our quantifiers directly to the runtime of classical simulation algorithms, showing that a large amount of magic is a necessary requirement for any quantum speedup. One of our classical simulation algorithms is a quasi-probability simulator with its runtime connected to a generalized notion of negativity, which is exponentially faster than all prior qubit quasi-probability simulation algorithms. We also introduce a new variant of the stabilizer rank simulation algorithm suitable for mixed states, while improving the runtime bounds for this class of simulations. Our work reveals interesting connections between quasi-probability and stabilizer rank simulators, which previously appeared to be unrelated. Generalizing the approach beyond the theory of magic states, we establish methods for the quantitative characterization of classical simulability for more general quantum resources, and use them in the resource theory of quantum coherence to connect the ℓ1-norm of coherence with the simulation of free operations.

20. Tight bounds on the simultaneous estimation of incompatible parameters, Physical Review X 11, 011028

Jasminder S. Sidhu, Yingkai Ouyang, Earl T. Campbell, Pieter Kok

The estimation of multiple parameters in quantum metrology is important for a vast array of applications in quantum information processing. However, the unattainability of fundamental precision bounds for incompatible observables has greatly diminished the applicability of estimation theory in many practical implementations. The Holevo Cramer-Rao bound (HCRB) provides the most fundamental, simultaneously attainable bound for multi-parameter estimation problems. A general closed form for the HCRB is not known given that it requires a complex optimisation over multiple variables. In this work, we show that the HCRB can be solved analytically for two parameters. For more parameters, we generate a lower bound to the HCRB. Our work greatly reduces the complexity of determining the HCRB to solving a set of linear equations. We apply our formalism to magnetic field sensing. Our results provide fundamental insight and make significant progress towards the estimation of multiple incompatible observables.

19. Linear programming bounds for quantum amplitude damping codes, 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, arXiv:2001.03976

Yingkai Ouyang, Ching-Yi Lai

Given that approximate quantum error-correcting (AQEC) codes have a potentially better performance than perfect quantum error correction codes, it is pertinent to quantify their performance. While quantum weight enumerators establish some of the best upper bounds on the minimum distance of quantum error-correcting codes, these bounds do not directly apply to AQEC codes. Herein, we introduce quantum weight enumerators for amplitude damping (AD) errors and work within the framework of approximate quantum error correction. In particular, we introduce an auxiliary exact weight enumerator that is intrinsic to a code space and moreover, we establish a linear relationship between the quantum weight enumerators for AD errors and this auxiliary exact weight enumerator. This allows us to establish a linear program that is infeasible only when AQEC AD codes with corresponding parameters do not exist. To illustrate our linear program, we numerically rule out the existence of three-qubit AD codes that are capable of correcting an arbitrary AD error.

18. Homomorphic encryption of linear optics quantum computation on almost arbitrary states of light with asymptotically perfect security, Physical Review Research

Yingkai Ouyang, Si-Hui Tan, Joesph F. Fitzsimons, Peter Rohde

Future quantum computers are likely to be expensive and affordable outright by few, motivating client/server models for outsourced computation. However, the applications for quantum computing will often involve sensitive data, and the client would like to keep her data secret, both from eavesdroppers and the server itself. Homomorphic encryption is an approach for encrypted, outsourced quantum computation, where the client's data remains secret, even during execution of the computation. We present a scheme for the homomorphic encryption of arbitrary quantum states of light with no more than a fixed number of photons, under the evolution of both passive and adaptive linear optics, the latter of which is universal for quantum computation. The scheme uses random coherent displacements in phase-space to obfuscate client data. In the limit of large coherent displacements, the protocol exhibits asymptotically perfect information-theoretic secrecy. The experimental requirements are modest, and easily implementable using present-day technology.

17. Compilation by stochastic Hamiltonian sparsification, Quantum 

Yingkai Ouyang, D.R White, E. Campbell

Simulation of quantum chemistry is expected to be a principal application of quantum computing. In quantum simulation, a complicated Hamiltonian describing the dynamics of a quantum system is decomposed into its constituent terms, where the effect of each term during time-evolution is individually computed. For many physical systems, the Hamiltonian has a large number of terms, constraining the scalability of established simulation methods. To address this limitation we introduce a new scheme that approximates the actual Hamiltonian with a sparser Hamiltonian containing fewer terms. By stochastically sparsifying weaker Hamiltonian terms, we benefit from a quadratic suppression of errors relative to deterministic approaches. Relying on optimality conditions from convex optimisation theory, we derive an appropriate probability distribution for the weaker Hamiltonian terms, and compare its error bounds with other probability ansatzes for some electronic structure Hamiltonians. Tuning the sparsity of our approximate Hamiltonians allows our scheme to interpolate between two recent random compilers: qDRIFT and randomized first order Trotter. Our scheme is thus an algorithm that combines the strengths of randomised Trotterisation with the efficiency of qDRIFT, and for intermediate gate budgets, outperforms both of these prior methods.

16. Faster quantum computation with permutations and resonant couplings, Linear Algebra and Applications 

Yingkai Ouyang, Y. Shen, L. Chen

Recently, there has been increasing interest in designing schemes for quantum computations that are robust against errors. Although considerable research has been devoted to developing quantum error correction schemes, much less attention has been paid to optimizing the speed it takes to perform a quantum computation and developing computation models that act on decoherence-free subspaces. Speeding up a quantum computation is important, because fewer errors are likely to result. Encoding quantum information in a decoherence-free subspace is also important, because errors would be inherently suppressed. In this paper, we consider quantum computation in a decoherence-free subspace and also optimize its speed. To achieve this, we perform certain single-qubit quantum computations by simply permuting the underlying qubits. Together with exchange-interactions or Ising-interactions and other resonant couplings, we present a new scheme for quantum computation that potentially improves the speed in which a quantum computation can be done.

15. Permutation-invariant constant-excitation quantum codes for amplitude damping, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory 

Yingkai Ouyang, Rui Chao

The increasing interest in using quantum error correcting codes in practical devices has heightened the need for designing quantum error correcting codes that can correct against specialized errors, such as that of amplitude damping errors which model photon loss. Although considerable research has been devoted to quantum error correcting codes for amplitude damping, not so much attention has been paid to having these codes simultaneously lie within the decoherence free subspace of their underlying physical system. One common physical system comprises of quantum harmonic oscillators, and constant-excitation quantum codes can be naturally stabilized within them. The purpose of this paper is to give constant-excitation quantum codes that not only correct amplitude damping errors, but are also immune against permutations of their underlying modes. To construct such quantum codes, we use the nullspace of a specially constructed matrix based on integer partitions.

14. Causal limit on quantum communication, Physical Review Letters

R. Pisarczyk, Z. Zhao, Yingkai Ouyang, J. F. Fitzsimons, V.  Vedral 

The capacity of a channel is known to be equivalent to the highest rate at which it can generate entanglement. Analogous to entanglement, the notion of quantum causality characterises the temporal aspect of quantum correlations. Despite holding an equally fundamental role in physics, temporal quantum correlations have yet to find their operational significance in quantum communication. Here we uncover a connection between quantum causality and channel capacity. We show the amount of temporal correlations between two ends of the noisy quantum channel, as quantified by a causality measure, implies a general upper bound on its channel capacity. The expression of this new bound is simpler to evaluate than most previously known bounds. We demonstrate the utility of this bound by applying it to a class of shifted depolarizing channels, which results in improvement over previously known bounds for this class of channels.

13. Computing spectral bounds of the Heisenberg ferromagnet from geometric considerations, Journal of Mathematical Physics

Yingkai Ouyang

We give a polynomial-time algorithm for computing upper bounds on some of the smaller energy eigenvalues in a spin-1/2 ferromagnetic Heisenberg model with any graph G for the underlying interactions. An important ingredient is the connection between Heisenberg models and the symmetric products of G. Our algorithms for computing upper bounds are based on generalized diameters of graphs. Computing the upper bounds amounts to solving the minimum assignment problem on G, which has well-known polynomial-time algorithms from the field of combinatorial optimization. We also study the possibility of computing the lower bounds on some of the smaller energy eigenvalues of Heisenberg models. This amounts to estimating the isoperimetric inequalities of the symmetric product of graphs. By using connections with discrete Sobolev inequalities, we show that this can be performed by considering just the vertex-induced subgraphs of G. If our conjecture for a polynomial time approximation algorithm to solve the edge-isoperimetric problem holds, then our proposed method of estimating the energy eigenvalues via approximating the edge-isoperimetric properties of vertex-induced subgraphs will yield a polynomial time algorithm for estimating the smaller energy eigenvalues of the Heisenberg ferromagnet.

12. Initializing a permutation-invariant quantum error correction code, Physical Review A

C. Wu, Y. Wang, C. Guo, Yingkai Ouyang, G. Wang, XL Feng

Recently, there has been growing interest in using quantum error correction in practical devices. A central issue in quantum error correction is the initialization of quantum data into a quantum error-correction code. Most studies have concentrated on generating quantum codes based on their encoding quantum circuits. However, this often leads to a large number of steps required in the initialization, and hence this process can be prone to errors. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that permutation-invariant quantum error-correction codes can be created with high fidelity by exploiting their underlying symmetry. The code is initialized on multiple qubits that mutually interact or are themselves coupled to a quantum harmonic oscillator. We show that the so-called selective resonant interaction is derivable on such physical systems. By utilizing the selective resonant interaction, these highly symmetric codes may be rapidly generated with excellent fidelity. We also discuss the potential of initializing permutation-invariant quantum error-correction codes based on the state-of-art experimental techniques.

11. Quantum homomorphic encryption from quantum codes, Physical Review A

Yingkai Ouyang, S.H.  Tan, J.F.Fitzsimons

The recent discovery of fully-homomorphic classical encryption schemes has had a dramatic effect on the direction of modern cryptography. Such schemes, however, implicitly rely on the assumptions that solving certain computation problems are intractable. Here we present a quantum encryption scheme which is homomorphic for arbitrary classical and quantum circuits which have at most some constant number of non-Clifford gates. Unlike classical schemes, the security of the scheme we present is information theoretic and hence independent of the computational power of an adversary.

10. Classical verification of quantum circuits containing few basis changes, Physical Review A

T.F. Demarie, Yingkai Ouyang, J.F. Fitzsimons

We consider the task of verifying the correctness of quantum computation for a restricted class of circuits which contain at most two basis changes. This contains circuits giving rise to the second level of the Fourier Hierarchy, the lowest level for which there is an established quantum advantage. We show that, when the circuit has an outcome with probability at least the inverse of some polynomial in the circuit size, the outcome can be checked in polynomial time with bounded error by a completely classical verifier. This verification procedure is based on random sampling of computational paths and is only possible given knowledge of the likely outcome.

9. Practical quantum somewhat-homomorphic encryption with coherent states, Physical Review A

S.H.  Tan, Yingkai Ouyang, P.  Rohde

We present a scheme for implementing homomorphic encryption on coherent states encoded using phase-shift keys. The encryption operations require only rotations in phase space, which commute with computations in the codespace performed via passive linear optics, and with generalized non-linear phase operations that are polynomials of the photon-number operator in the codespace. This encoding scheme can thus be applied to any computation with coherent state inputs, and the computation proceeds via a combination of passive linear optics and generalized non-linear phase operations. An example of such a computation is matrix multiplication, whereby a vector representing coherent state amplitudes is multiplied by a matrix representing a linear optics network, yielding a new vector of coherent state amplitudes. By finding an orthogonal partitioning of the support of our encoded states, we quantify the security of our scheme via the indistinguishability of the encrypted codewords. Whilst we focus on coherent state encodings, we expect that this phase-key encoding technique could apply to any continuous-variable computation scheme where the phase-shift operator commutes with the computation.

8. Computing on quantum shared secrets, Physical Review A

Yingkai Ouyang, S.H.  Tan, L. Zhao, J.  Fitzsimons

A (k,n)-threshold secret-sharing scheme allows for a string to be split into n shares in such a way that any subset of at least k shares suffices to recover the secret string, but such that any subset of at most k-1 shares contains no information about the secret. Quantum secret-sharing schemes extend this idea to the sharing of quantum states. Here we propose a method of performing computation on quantum shared secrets. We introduce a (n,n)-quantum secret sharing scheme together with a set of protocols that allow quantum circuits to be evaluated on the shared secret without the need to decode the secret. We consider a multipartite setting, with each participant holding a share of the secret. We show that if there exists at least one honest participant, no group of dishonest participants can recover any information about the shared secret, independent of their deviations from the protocol.

7. Permutation-invariant qudit codes from polynomials, Linear Algebra and its Applications

Yingkai Ouyang 

A permutation-invariant quantum code on N qudits is any subspace stabilized by the matrix representation of the symmetric group SN as permutation matrices that permute the underlying N subsystems. When each subsystem is a complex Euclidean space of dimension q >= 2, any permutation-invariant code is a subspace of the symmetric subspace N qudits of dimension q. We give an algebraic construction of new families of of d-dimensional permutation-invariant codes on at least (2t+1)2(d−1) qudits that can also correct t errors for d>=2. The construction of our codes relies on a real polynomial with multiple roots at the roots of unity, and a sequence of q−1 real polynomials that satisfy some combinatorial constraints. When N>(2t+1)2(d−1), we prove constructively that an uncountable number of such codes exist.

6. A quantum approach to homomorphic encryption, Scientific Reports

S.H.  Tan, J. Kettlewell, Yingkai Ouyang, L. Chen, J.  Fitzsimons 

Encryption schemes often derive their power from the properties of the underlying algebra on the symbols used. Inspired by group theoretic tools, we use the centralizer of a subgroup of operations to present a private-key quantum homomorphic encryption scheme that enables a broad class of quantum computation on encrypted data. A particular instance of our encoding hides up to a constant fraction of the information encrypted. This fraction can be made arbitrarily close to unity with overhead scaling only polynomially in the message length. This highlights the potential of our protocol to hide a non-trivial amount of information, and is suggestive of a large class of encodings that might yield better security.

5. Permutation-invariant codes encoding more than one qubit, Physical Review A

Yingkai Ouyang, J. F. Fitzsimons 

 permutation-invariant code on m qubits is a subspace of the symmetric subspace of the m qubits. We derive permutation-invariant codes that can encode an increasing amount of quantum information while suppressing leading order spontaneous decay errors. To prove the result, we use elementary number theory with prior theory on permutation invariant codes and quantum error correction.

4. Permutation-invariant quantum codes, Physical Review A

Yingkai Ouyang

A quantum code is a subspace of a Hilbert space of a physical system chosen to be correctable against a given class of errors, where information can be encoded. Ideally, the quantum code lies within the ground space of the physical system. When the physical model is the Heisenberg ferromagnet in the absence of an external magnetic field, the corresponding ground-space contains all permutation-invariant states. We use techniques from combinatorics and operator theory to construct families of permutation-invariant quantum codes. These codes have length proportional to t2; one family of codes perfectly corrects arbitrary weight t errors, while the other family of codes approximately correct t spontaneous decay errors. The analysis of our codes' performance with respect to spontaneous decay errors utilizes elementary matrix analysis, where we revisit and extend the quantum error correction criterion of Knill and Laflamme, and Leung, Chuang, Nielsen and Yamamoto.

3. Channel covariance, twirling, contraction, and some upper bounds on the quantum capacity,  Quantum Information and Computation

Yingkai Ouyang

Evaluating the quantum capacity of quantum channels is an important but difficult problem, even for channels of low input and output dimension. Smith and Smolin showed that the quantum capacity of the Clifford-twirl of a qubit amplitude damping channel (a qubit depolarizing channel) has a quantum capacity that is at most the coherent information of the qubit amplitude damping channel evaluated on the maximally mixed input state. We restrict our attention to obtaining upper bounds on the quantum capacity using a generalization of Smith and Smolin's degradable extension technique. Given a degradable channel N and a finite projective group of unitaries V, we show that the V-twirl of N has a quantum capacity at most the coherent information of N maximized over a V-contracted space of input states. As a consequence, degradable channels that are covariant with respect to diagonal Pauli matrices have quantum capacities that are their coherent information maximized over just the diagonal input states. As an application of our main result, we supply new upper bounds on the quantum capacity of some unital and non-unital channels -- d-dimensional depolarizing channels, two-qubit locally symmetric Pauli channels, and shifted qubit depolarizing channels.

2. Concatenated codes can attain the Quantum Gilbert-Varshamov bound, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

Yingkai Ouyang

A family of quantum codes of increasing block length with positive rate is asymptotically good if the ratio of its distance to its block length approaches a positive constant. The asymptotic quantum Gilbert-Varshamov (GV) bound states that there exist q-ary quantum codes of sufficiently long block length N having fixed rate R with distance at least NH_{q^2}^{-1}((1−R)/2), where H_{q^2} is the {q^2}-ary entropy function. For q<7, only random quantum codes are known to asymptotically attain the quantum GV bound. However, random codes have little structure. In this paper, we generalize the classical result of Thommesen to the quantum case, thereby demonstrating the existence of concatenated quantum codes that can asymptotically attain the quantum GV bound. The outer codes are quantum generalized Reed-Solomon codes, and the inner codes are random independently chosen stabilizer codes, where the rates of the inner and outer codes lie in a specified feasible region.

1. Truncated channel representations for coupled harmonic oscillators, Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical

Yingkai Ouyang, W.H. Ng  

Coupled quantum harmonic oscillators, studied by many authors using many different techniques over the decades, are frequently used toy-models to study open quantum systems. In this manuscript, we explicitly study the simplest oscillator model -- a pair of initially decoupled quantum harmonic oscillators interacting with a spring-like coupling, where the bath oscillator is initially in a thermal-like state. In particular, we treat the completely positive and trace preserving map on the system as a quantum channel, and study the truncation of the channel by truncating its Kraus set and its output dimension. We thereby derive the truncated transition amplitudes of the corresponding truncated channel. Finally, we give a computable approximation for these truncated transition amplitudes with explicit error bounds, and perform a case study of the oscillators in the off-resonant and weakly-coupled regime numerically. We demonstrate explicitly that the substantial leakage error can be mitigated via quantum error correction.