QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

Error correction is important in classical and quantum computation. Decoherence caused by the inevitable interaction of quantum bits with their environment leads to dephasing or even relaxation. Correction of the concomitant errors is therefore a fundamental requirement for scalable quantum computation. Although algorithms for error correction have been known for some time, experimental realizations are scarce. Here we show quantum error correction in a heterogeneous, solid-state spin system.

We analyze the robustness of a quantum memory based on Majorana modes in a Kitaev chain. We identify the optimal recovery operation acting on the memory in the presence of perturbations and evaluate its fidelity in different scenarios. We show that for time-dependent Hamiltonian perturbations that preserve the topological features, the memory is robust even if the perturbation contains frequencies that lie well above the gap. We identify the condition that is responsible for this feature. At the same time we find that the memory is unstable with respect to particle losses.

The computational potential of a quantum processor can only be unleashed if errors during a quantum computation can be controlled and corrected for. Quantum error correction works if imperfections of quantum gate operations and measurements are below a certain threshold and corrections can be applied repeatedly. We implement multiple quantum error correction cycles for phase-flip errors on qubits encoded with trapped ions. Errors are corrected by a quantum-feedback algorithm using high-fidelity gate operations and a reset technique for the auxiliary qubits.

Projective measurement of single electron and nuclear spins has evolved from a gedanken experiment to a problem relevant for applications in atomic-scale technologies like quantum computing. Although several approaches allow for detection of a spin of single atoms and molecules, multiple repetitions of the experiment that are usually required for achieving a detectable signal obscure the intrinsic quantum nature of the spin’s behavior.