Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing

Linear optical quantum computing (LOQC) seems attractively simple: Information is borne entirely by light and processed by components such as beam splitters, phase shifters, and detectors. However, this very simplicity leads to limitations, such as the lack of deterministic entangling operations, wh...

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Main Authors: Ying Li, Peter C. Humphreys, Gabriel J. Mendoza, Simon C. Benjamin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2015-10-01
Series:Physical Review X
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041007
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author Ying Li
Peter C. Humphreys
Gabriel J. Mendoza
Simon C. Benjamin
author_facet Ying Li
Peter C. Humphreys
Gabriel J. Mendoza
Simon C. Benjamin
author_sort Ying Li
collection DOAJ
description Linear optical quantum computing (LOQC) seems attractively simple: Information is borne entirely by light and processed by components such as beam splitters, phase shifters, and detectors. However, this very simplicity leads to limitations, such as the lack of deterministic entangling operations, which are compensated for by using substantial hardware overheads. Here, we quantify the resource costs for full-scale LOQC by proposing a specific protocol based on the surface code. With the caveat that our protocol can be further optimized, we report that the required number of physical components is at least 5 orders of magnitude greater than in comparable matter-based systems. Moreover, the resource requirements grow further if the per-component photon-loss rate is worse than 10^{−3} or the per-component noise rate is worse than 10^{−5}. We identify the performance of switches in the network as the single most influential factor influencing resource scaling.
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spelling doaj.art-da066a1a0a0048c0b81213909398d3252022-12-21T23:10:46ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082015-10-015404100710.1103/PhysRevX.5.041007Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum ComputingYing LiPeter C. HumphreysGabriel J. MendozaSimon C. BenjaminLinear optical quantum computing (LOQC) seems attractively simple: Information is borne entirely by light and processed by components such as beam splitters, phase shifters, and detectors. However, this very simplicity leads to limitations, such as the lack of deterministic entangling operations, which are compensated for by using substantial hardware overheads. Here, we quantify the resource costs for full-scale LOQC by proposing a specific protocol based on the surface code. With the caveat that our protocol can be further optimized, we report that the required number of physical components is at least 5 orders of magnitude greater than in comparable matter-based systems. Moreover, the resource requirements grow further if the per-component photon-loss rate is worse than 10^{−3} or the per-component noise rate is worse than 10^{−5}. We identify the performance of switches in the network as the single most influential factor influencing resource scaling.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041007
spellingShingle Ying Li
Peter C. Humphreys
Gabriel J. Mendoza
Simon C. Benjamin
Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
Physical Review X
title Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
title_full Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
title_fullStr Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
title_full_unstemmed Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
title_short Resource Costs for Fault-Tolerant Linear Optical Quantum Computing
title_sort resource costs for fault tolerant linear optical quantum computing
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041007
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