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Quantum optical coherence can survive photon losses using a continuous-variable quantum erasure-correcting code

Nature Photonics volume 4, pages 700–705 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

A fundamental requirement for enabling fault-tolerant quantum information processing is an efficient quantum error-correcting code that robustly protects the involved fragile quantum states from their environment1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Just as classical error-correcting codes are indispensible in today's information technologies, it is believed that quantum error-correcting code will play a similarly crucial role in tomorrow's quantum information systems. Here, we report on the experimental demonstration of a quantum erasure-correcting code that overcomes the devastating effect of photon losses. Our quantum code is based on linear optics, and it protects a four-mode entangled mesoscopic state of light against erasures. We investigate two approaches for circumventing in-line losses, and demonstrate that both approaches exhibit transmission fidelities beyond what is possible by classical means. Because in-line attenuation is generally the strongest limitation to quantum communication, such an erasure-correcting code provides a new tool for establishing quantum optical coherence over longer distances.

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Figure 1: Schematics of the experimental QECC set-up.
Figure 2: Results of the deterministic QECC protocol.
Figure 3: Results of the probabilistic QECC protocol.
Figure 4: Performance of the probabilistic QECC protocol.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Future and Emerging Technologies programme of the European Commission under the FP7 FET-Open grant no. 212008 (COMPAS), by the Danish Agency for Science Technology and Innovation under grant no. 274-07-0509, by the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, and by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles program of the Belgian Science Policy Office under grant IAP P6-10 (photonics@be).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark

    Mikael Lassen, Metin Sabuncu, Alexander Huck & Ulrik L. Andersen

  2. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Günther Scharowskystrasse 1, Erlangen, 91058, Germany

    Mikael Lassen, Metin Sabuncu & Gerd Leuchs

  3. Quantum Information and Communication, Ecole Polytechnique, CP 165, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, 1050, Belgium

    Julien Niset & Nicolas J. Cerf

  4. Department of Physics, Hunter College of CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10065, USA

    Julien Niset

  5. University Erlangen–Nürnberg, Staudtstrasse 7/B2, Erlangen, 91058, Germany

    Gerd Leuchs

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  1. Mikael Lassen
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  7. Ulrik L. Andersen
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Contributions

M.L. and M.S. performed the experiments. J.N. and N.J.C. performed the theoretical calculations. M.L., M.S. and A.H. performed the data analysis. M.L., N.J.C. and U.L.A. wrote the manuscript. M.L., M.S., U.L.A. and G.L. performed the project planing. All authors discussed the results and implications and commented on the manuscript at all stages. Correspondence and requests for additional materials should be addressed to M.L. or U.L.A.

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Correspondence to Mikael Lassen or Ulrik L. Andersen.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Lassen, M., Sabuncu, M., Huck, A. et al. Quantum optical coherence can survive photon losses using a continuous-variable quantum erasure-correcting code. Nature Photon 4, 700–705 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2010.168

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