Thomas Vidick

Bio: Thomas Vidick is an academic researcher from California Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Quantum entanglement & Mathematical proof. The author has an hindex of 37, co-authored 154 publications receiving 4239 citations. Previous affiliations of Thomas Vidick include University of California & Centre for Quantum Technologies.

Fully device-independent quantum key distribution.

Abstract: To fend off potential hackers, researchers have taken a theoretical step closer to realizing a device-independent quantum cryptography protocol.

Sieve Algorithms for the Shortest Vector Problem are Practical

Abstract: The most famous lattice problem is the Shortest Vector Problem (SVP), which has many applications in cryptology. The best approximation algorithms known for SVP in high dimension rely on a subroutine for exact SVP in low dimension. In this paper, we assess the practicality of the best (theoretical) algorithm known for exact SVP in low dimension: the sieve algorithm proposed by Ajtai, Kumar and Sivakumar (AKS) in 2001. AKS is a randomized algorithm of time and space complexity 2 O(n) , which is theoretically much lower than the super-exponential complexity of all alternative SVP algorithms. Surprisingly, no implementation and no practical analysis of AKS has ever been reported. It was in fact widely believed that AKS was impractical: for instance, Schnorr claimed in 2003 that the constant hidden in the 2 O(n) complexity was at least 30. In this paper, we show that AKS can actually be made practical: we present a heuristic variant of AKS whose running time is (4/3+! ) n polynomial-time operations, and whose space requirement is(4/3+! ) n/2 polynomially many bits. Our implementation can experimentally find shortest lattice vectors up to dimension 50, but is slower than classical alternative SVP algorithms in these dimensions.

Practical device-independent quantum cryptography via entropy accumulation.

Abstract: Device-independent cryptography goes beyond conventional quantum cryptography by providing security that holds independently of the quality of the underlying physical devices. Device-independent protocols are based on the quantum phenomena of non-locality and the violation of Bell inequalities. This high level of security could so far only be established under conditions which are not achievable experimentally. Here we present a property of entropy, termed “entropy accumulation”, which asserts that the total amount of entropy of a large system is the sum of its parts. We use this property to prove the security of cryptographic protocols, including device-independent quantum key distribution, while achieving essentially optimal parameters. Recent experimental progress, which enabled loophole-free Bell tests, suggests that the achieved parameters are technologically accessible. Our work hence provides the theoretical groundwork for experimental demonstrations of device-independent cryptography.

Fully device independent quantum key distribution

Abstract: Quantum cryptography promises levels of security that are impossible to attain in a classical world. Can this security be guaranteed to classical users of a quantum protocol, who may not even trust the quantum devices used to implement the protocol?This central question dates back to the early 1990s when the challenge of achieving Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution (DIQKD) was first formulated. We answer the challenge by rigorously proving the device-independent security of an entanglement-based protocol building on Ekert's original proposal for quantum key distribution. The proof of security builds on techniques from the classical theory of pseudo-randomness to achieve a new quantitative understanding of the non-local nature of quantum correlations.

A polynomial time algorithm for the ground state of one-dimensional gapped local Hamiltonians

Abstract: The density matrix renormalization group method has been extensively used to study the ground state of 1D many-body systems since its introduction two decades ago. In spite of its wide use, this heuristic method is known to fail in certain cases and no certifiably correct implementation is known, leaving researchers faced with an ever-growing toolbox of heuristics, none of which is guaranteed to succeed. Here we develop a polynomial time algorithm that provably finds the ground state of any 1D quantum system described by a gapped local Hamiltonian with constant ground-state energy. The algorithm is based on a framework that combines recently discovered structural features of gapped 1D systems with an efficient construction of a class of operators called approximate ground-state projections (AGSPs). The combination of these tools yields a method that is guaranteed to succeed in all 1D gapped systems. An AGSP-centric approach may help guide the search for algorithms for more general quantum systems, including for the central challenge of 2D systems, where even heuristic methods have had more limited success.

Quantum Computing in the NISQ era and beyond

Abstract: Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) technology will be available in the near future. Quantum computers with 50-100 qubits may be able to perform tasks which surpass the capabilities of today's classical digital computers, but noise in quantum gates will limit the size of quantum circuits that can be executed reliably. NISQ devices will be useful tools for exploring many-body quantum physics, and may have other useful applications, but the 100-qubit quantum computer will not change the world right away --- we should regard it as a significant step toward the more powerful quantum technologies of the future. Quantum technologists should continue to strive for more accurate quantum gates and, eventually, fully fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Quantum Computing in the NISQ era and beyond

Abstract: Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) technology will be available in the near future. Quantum computers with 50-100 qubits may be able to perform tasks which surpass the capabilities of today's classical digital computers, but noise in quantum gates will limit the size of quantum circuits that can be executed reliably. NISQ devices will be useful tools for exploring many-body quantum physics, and may have other useful applications, but the 100-qubit quantum computer will not change the world right away --- we should regard it as a significant step toward the more powerful quantum technologies of the future. Quantum technologists should continue to strive for more accurate quantum gates and, eventually, fully fault-tolerant quantum computing.

The knowledge complexity of interactive proof-systems

Abstract: Usually, a proof of a theorem contains more knowledge than the mere fact that the theorem is true. For instance, to prove that a graph is Hamiltonian it suffices to exhibit a Hamiltonian tour in it; however, this seems to contain more knowledge than the single bit Hamiltonian/non-Hamiltonian.In this paper a computational complexity theory of the “knowledge” contained in a proof is developed. Zero-knowledge proofs are defined as those proofs that convey no additional knowledge other than the correctness of the proposition in question. Examples of zero-knowledge proof systems are given for the languages of quadratic residuosity and 'quadratic nonresiduosity. These are the first examples of zero-knowledge proofs for languages not known to be efficiently recognizable.

Trapdoors for hard lattices and new cryptographic constructions

Abstract: We show how to construct a variety of "trapdoor" cryptographic tools assuming the worst-case hardness of standard lattice problems (such as approximating the length of the shortest nonzero vector to within certain polynomial factors). Our contributions include a new notion of trapdoor function with preimage sampling, simple and efficient "hash-and-sign" digital signature schemes, and identity-based encryption. A core technical component of our constructions is an efficient algorithm that, given a basis of an arbitrary lattice, samples lattice points from a discrete Gaussian probability distribution whose standard deviation is essentially the length of the longest Gram-Schmidt vector of the basis. A crucial security property is that the output distribution of the algorithm is oblivious to the particular geometry of the given basis.