Linear optics underpins fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and quantum technologies. We demonstrate a single reprogrammable optical circuit that is sufficient to implement all possible linear optical protocols up to the size of that circuit. Our six-mode universal system consists of a cascade of 15 Mach-Zehnder interferometers with 30 thermo-optic phase shifters integrated into a single photonic chip that is electrically and optically interfaced for arbitrary setting of all phase shifters, input of up to six photons, and their measurement with a 12-single-photon detector system. We programmed this system to implement heralded quantum logic and entangling gates, boson sampling with verification tests, and six-dimensional complex Hadamards. We implemented 100 Haar random unitaries with an average fidelity of 0.999 ± 0.001. Our system can be rapidly reprogrammed to implement these and any other linear optical protocol, pointing the way to applications across fundamental science and quantum technologies.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/349/6249/711.full.pdf

Universal linear optics

a ) p. 131 The discussion between eqs. (5.14) and (5.15) is incorrect (dA should be made as large as possible!). b ) p. 256 In the figure, the numbers 6) and 7) occur twice. c ) p. 292 At the end of section 12.5, it should be the space of isospectral 0Hermitian matrices. d ) p. 306 A ”Tr” is missing in eq. (13.43). e ) p. 327, Eq. (14.64b) is 〈Trρ〉B = N(14N+10) (5N+1)(N+3) should be 〈Trρ〉B = 8N+7 (N+2)(N+4)

https://chaos.if.uj.edu.pl/~karol/erratum10.pdf

Geometry of Quantum States

Mutually unbiased bases for quantum degrees of freedom are central to all theoretical investigations and practical exploitations of complementary properties. Much is known about mutually unbiased bases, but there are also a fair number of important questions that have not been answered in full as yet. In particular, one can find maximal sets of N + 1 mutually unbiased bases in Hilbert spaces of prime-power dimension N = pM, with p prime and M a positive integer, and there is a continuum of mutually unbiased bases for a continuous degree of freedom, such as motion along a line. But not a single example of a maximal set is known if the dimension is another composite number (N = 6, 10, 12,…). In this review, we present a unified approach in which the basis states are labeled by numbers 0, 1, 2, …, N - 1 that are both elements of a Galois field and ordinary integers. This dual nature permits a compact systematic construction of maximal sets of mutually unbiased bases when they are known to exist but throws no light on the open existence problem in other cases. We show how to use the thus constructed mutually unbiased bases in quantum-informatics applications, including dense coding, teleportation, entanglement swapping, covariant cloning, and state tomography, all of which rely on an explicit set of maximally entangled states (generalizations of the familiar two–q-bit Bell states) that are related to the mutually unbiased bases. There is a link to the mathematics of finite affine planes. We also exploit the one-to-one correspondence between unbiased bases and the complex Hadamard matrices that turn the bases into each other. The ultimate hope, not yet fulfilled, is that open questions about mutually unbiased bases can be related to open questions about Hadamard matrices or affine planes, in particular the notorious existence problem for dimensions that are not a power of a prime. The Hadamard-matrix approach is instrumental in the very recent advance, surveyed here, of our understanding of the N = 6 situation. All evidence indicates that a maximal set of seven mutually unbiased bases does not exist — one can find no more than three pairwise unbiased bases — although there is currently no clear-cut demonstration of the case.

https://chaos.if.uj.edu.pl/~karol/pdf/DEBZ10.pdf

On mutually unbiased bases

Geometry of quantum states: an introduction to quantum entanglement by Ingemar Bengtsson and Karol Zyczkowski

During the last few years quantum graphs have become a paradigm of quantum chaos with applications from spectral statistics to chaotic scattering and wavefunction statistics. In the first part of this review we give a detailed introduction to the spectral theory of quantum graphs and discuss exact trace formulae for the spectrum and the quantum-to-classical correspondence. The second part of this review is devoted to the spectral statistics of quantum graphs as an application to quantum chaos. In particular, we summarize recent developments on the spectral statistics of generic large quantum graphs based on two approaches: the periodic-orbit approach and the supersymmetry approach. The latter provides a condition and a proof for universal spectral statistics as predicted by random-matrix theory.

https://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/en/einrichtungen/ag/ag-von-oppen/papers/nlin_CD_0605028.pdf

Quantum graphs: Applications to quantum chaos and universal spectral statistics

Complex Hadamard matrices, consisting of unimodular entries with arbitrary phases, play an important role in the theory of quantum information. We review basic properties of complex Hadamard matrices and present a catalogue of inequivalent cases known for the dimensions N = 2,..., 16. In particular, we explicitly write down some families of complex Hadamard matrices for N = 12,14 and 16, which we could not find in the existing literature.

http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~mperkows/CAPSTONES/Quantum_Transforms/fuwwwlltext.pdf

A Concise Guide to Complex Hadamard Matrices

We report on a search for mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) in six dimensions. We find only triplets of MUBs, and thus do not come close to the theoretical upper bound 7. However, we point out that the natural habitat for sets of MUBs is the set of all complex Hadamard matrices of the given order, and we introduce a natural notion of distance between bases in Hilbert space. This allows us to draw a detailed map of where in the landscape the MUB triplets are situated. We use available tools, such as the theory of the discrete Fourier transform, to organize our results. Finally, we present some evidence for the conjecture that there exists a four dimensional family of complex Hadamard matrices of order 6. If this conjecture is true the landscape in which one may search for MUBs is much larger than previously thought.

https://chaos.if.uj.edu.pl/~karol/pdf/BBELTZ07.pdf

Mutually unbiased bases and Hadamard matrices of order six

The set of bistochastic or doubly stochastic N×N matrices is a convex set called Birkhoff’s polytope, which we describe in some detail. Our problem is to characterize the set of unistochastic matrices as a subset of Birkhoff’s polytope. For N=3 we present fairly complete results. For N=4 partial results are obtained. An interesting difference between the two cases is that there is a ball of unistochastic matrices around the van der Waerden matrix for N=3, while this is not the case for N=4.

Birkhoff’s Polytope and Unistochastic Matrices, N = 3 and N = 4

The set of bistochastic or doubly stochastic N by N matrices form a convex set called Birkhoff's polytope, that we describe in some detail. Our problem is to characterize the set of unistochastic matrices as a subset of Birkhoff's polytope. For N=3 we present fairly complete results. For N=4 partial results are obtained. An interesting difference between the two cases is that there is a ball of unistochastic matrices around the van der Waerden matrix for N=3, while this is not the case for N=4.

Birkhoff's polytope and unistochastic matrices, N=3 and N=4

Complex Hadamard matrices, consisting of unimodular entries with arbitrary phases, play an important role in the theory of quantum information. We review basic properties of complex Hadamard matrices and present a catalogue of inequivalent cases known for dimension N=2,...,16. In particular, we explicitly write down some families of complex Hadamard matrices for N=12,14 and 16, which we could not find in the existing literature.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0512154.pdf

Wojciech Tadej

Papers

A Concise Guide to Complex Hadamard Matrices

Mutually unbiased bases and Hadamard matrices of order six

Birkhoff’s Polytope and Unistochastic Matrices, N = 3 and N = 4

Birkhoff's polytope and unistochastic matrices, N=3 and N=4

A concise guide to complex Hadamard matrices