Restoration of three-qubit entanglements and protection of tripartite quantum state sharing over noisy channels via environment-assisted measurement and reversal weak measurement

The restoration of three-qubit entanglement is investigated under the amplitude damping (AD) decoherence with environment-assisted measurement (EAM) and reversal weak measurement (RWM). The results show that there exists a critical strength of RWM dependent of the initial three-qubit entangled state under a given damping rate of the AD channel, i.e., if the selected RWM strength is higher than the critical strength, the entanglement will be reduced compared to one without RWM. Some three-qubit entangled states cannot be restored. We calculated the restorable condition of the initial entanglement and illustrated the valid area for three-qubit GHZ state and W state. Fortunately, an optimal strength of RWM corresponding to a certain damping rate of AD channels can be found within the valid area for a restorable initial state, by which a noise-infected entanglement can be restored to its maximum value. Particularly, when three qubits of W state are subjected to their respective AD channels, due to the symmetry of three qubits, the W state cannot be decohered provided the EAM is successful, and no RWM is required. This is beneficial to quantum communication over the noisy channel. Applying this protection regime to tripartite QSS and taking appropriate initial entangled state as the quantum channel, the fidelity of the shared state can be improved to the maximum 1 probabilistically. Thus, the decoherence effect of the noisy channels can be significantly suppressed or even avoided.     

Entangled state fusion with Rydberg atoms

We propose a scheme for preparation of large-scale entangled GHZ states and W states with neutral Rydberg atoms. The scheme mainly depends on Rydberg antiblockade effect, i.e., as the Rydberg–Rydberg interaction strength and the detuning between the atom transition frequency and the classical laser frequency satisfies some certain conditions, the effective Rabi oscillation between the two ground states and the two excitation Rydberg states would be generated. The prominent advantage is that both two multiparticle GHZ states and two multiparticle W states can be fused in this model, especially the success probability for fusion of GHZ states can reach unit. In addition, the imperfections induced by the spontaneous emission is also discussed through numerical simulation.     

Generating multi-mode entangled coherent W and GHZ states via optical system based fusion mechanism

Fusion technology has been demonstrated to be a good method for generating a large-scale entangled coherent W or GHZ state from two small ones in QED system. It is of importance to study how to fuse small-scale entangled coherent W or GHZ states via optical system. In this paper, we present a scheme for generating larger entangled coherent W or GHZ state in an optical system by virtue of fusion technology. The key fusion mechanism is realized by photon detectors and a Mach–Zehnder interferometer with its two arms immersed in Kerr media, by which an n-mode entangled coherent W state and an m-mode entangled coherent W state can be probabilistically fused into an (\(n+m-2\))-mode entangled coherent W state. This fusion scheme applies to entangled coherent GHZ state too but with a unit probability of success. Feasibility analysis indicates that our fusion scheme may be realized with current experimental technology. Large-scale entangled coherent W and GHZ states may find new applications in quantum communication.     

Preparing large-scale maximally entangled <Emphasis Type="Italic">W</Emphasis> states in optical system

We propose an optical scheme to prepare large-scale maximally entangled W states by fusing arbitrary-size polarization entangled W states via polarization-dependent beam splitter. Because most of the currently existing fusion schemes are suffering from the qubit loss problem, that is the number of the output entangled qubits is smaller than the sum of numbers of the input entangled qubits, which will inevitably decrease the fusion efficiency and increase the number of fusion steps as well as the requirement of quantum memories, in our scheme, we design a effect fusion mechanism to generate \(W_{m+n}\) state from a n-qubit W state and a m-qubit W state without any qubit loss. As the nature of this fusion mechanism clearly increases the final size of the obtained W state, it is more efficient and feasible. In addition, our scheme can also generate \(W_{m+n+t-1}\) state by fusing a \(W_m\), a \(W_n\) and a \(W_t\) states. This is a great progress compared with the current scheme which has to lose at least two particles in the fusion of three W states. Moreover, it also can be generalized to the case of fusing k different W states, and all the fusion schemes proposed here can start from Bell state as well.     

Adiabatic passage for one-step generation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states of superconducting qubits via quantum Zeno dynamics

An efficient scheme is proposed for generating n-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states of n superconducting qubits separated by (\(n-1\)) coplanar waveguide resonators capacitively via adiabatic passage with the help of quantum Zeno dynamics in one step. In the scheme, it is not necessary to precisely control the time of the whole operation and the Rabi frequencies of classical fields because of the introduction of adiabatic passage. The numerical simulations for three-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state show that the scheme is insensitive to the dissipation of the resonators and the energy relaxation of the superconducting qubits. The three-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state can be deterministically generated with comparatively high fidelity in the current experimental conditions, though the scheme is somewhat sensitive to the dephasing of superconducting qubits.     

SLOCC classification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> qubits invoking the proportional relationships for spectrums and standard Jordan normal forms

We investigate the proportional relationships for spectrums and standard Jordan normal forms (SJNFs) of the 4 by 4 matrices constructed from coefficient matrices of two SLOCC (stochastic local operations and classical communication) equivalent states of n qubits. The proportional relationships permit a reduction of SLOCC classification of n (\(\ge 4\)) qubits to a classification of 4 by 4 complex matrices. Invoking the proportional relationships for spectrums and SJNFs, pure states of n (\(\ge 4\)) qubits are partitioned into 12 groups or less and 34 families or less under SLOCC, respectively. Specially, it is true for four qubits.     

Creating maximally entangled states by gluing

We introduce a general method of gluing multi-partite states and show that entanglement swapping is a special class of a wider range of gluing operations. The gluing operation of two m and n qudit states consists of an entangling operation on two given qudits of the two states followed by operations of measurements of the two qudits in the computational basis. Depending on how many qudits (two, one or zero) we measure, we have three classes of gluing operation, resulting respectively in \(m+n-2\), \(m+n-1\), or \(m+n\) qudit states. Entanglement swapping belongs to the first class and has been widely studied, while the other two classes are presented and studied here. In particular, we study how larger GHZ and W states can be constructed when we glue the smaller GHZ and W states by the second method. Finally we prove that when we glue two states by the third method, the k-uniformity of the states is preserved. That is when a k-uniform state of m qudits is glued to a \(k'\)-uniform state of n qudits, the resulting state will be a \(\hbox {min}(k,k')\)-uniform of \(m+n\) qudits.     

Quantum secret sharing using orthogonal multiqudit entangled states

In this work, we investigate the distinguishability of orthogonal multiqudit entangled states under restricted local operations and classical communication. According to these properties, we propose a quantum secret sharing scheme to realize three types of access structures, i.e., the (n, n)-threshold, the restricted (3, n)-threshold and restricted (4, n)-threshold schemes (called LOCC-QSS scheme). All cooperating players in the restricted threshold schemes are from two disjoint groups. In the proposed protocol, the participants use the computational basis measurement and classical communication to distinguish between those orthogonal states and reconstruct the original secret. Furthermore, we also analyze the security of our scheme in four primary quantum attacks and give a simple encoding method in order to better prevent the participant conspiracy attack.     

Quantum sealed-bid auction using a modified scheme for multiparty circular quantum key agreement

A feasible, secure and collusion attack-free quantum sealed-bid auction protocol is proposed using a modified scheme for multiparty circular quantum key agreement. In the proposed protocol, the set of all (n) bidders is grouped into l subsets (sub-circles) in such a way that only the initiator (who prepares the quantum state to be distributed for a particular round of communication and acts as the receiver in that round) is a member of all the subsets (sub-circles) prepared for a particular round, while any other bidder is part of only a single subset. All n bidders and auctioneer initiate one round of communication, and each of them prepares l copies of a \(\left( r-1\right) \)-partite entangled state (one for each sub-circle), where \(r=\frac{n}{l}+1\). The efficiency and security of the proposed protocol are critically analyzed. It is shown that the proposed protocol is free from the collusion attacks that are possible on the existing schemes of quantum sealed-bid auction. Further, it is observed that the security against collusion attack increases with the increase in l, but that reduces the complexity (number of entangled qubits in each entangled state) of the entangled states to be used and that makes the scheme scalable and implementable with the available technologies. The additional security and scalability are shown to arise due to the use of a circular structure in place of a complete-graph or tree-type structure used earlier.     

Remote preparation of an arbitrary multi-qubit state via two-qubit entangled states

We propose a novel scheme for remote preparation of an arbitrary n-qubit state with the aid of an appropriate local \(2^n\times 2^n\) unitary operation and n maximally entangled two-qubit states. The analytical expression of local unitary operation, which is constructed in the form of iterative process, is presented for the preparation of n-qubit state in detail. We obtain the total successful probabilities of the scheme in the general and special cases, respectively. The feasibility of our scheme in preparing remotely multi-qubit states is explicitly demonstrated by theoretical studies and concrete examples, and our results show that the novel proposal could enlarge the applied range of remote state preparation.     

Restricted (<Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>)-threshold quantum secret sharing scheme based on local distinguishability of orthogonal multiqudit entangled states

In this work, we study a restricted (k, n)-threshold access structure. According to this structure, we construct a group of orthogonal multipartite entangled states in d-dimensional system and investigate the distinguishability of these entangled states under restricted local operations and classical communication. Based on these properties, we propose a restricted (k, n)-threshold quantum secret sharing scheme (called LOCC-QSS scheme). The k cooperating players in the restricted threshold scheme come from all disjoint groups. In the proposed protocol, the participants distinguish these orthogonal states by the computational basis measurement and classical communication to reconstruct the original secret. Furthermore, we also analyze the security of our scheme in three primary quantum attacks and give a simple encoding method in order to better prevent the participant conspiracy attack.     

Cyclic quantum teleportation

We propose a scheme of cyclic quantum teleportation for three unknown qubits using six-qubit maximally entangled state as the quantum channel. Suppose there are three observers Alice, Bob and Charlie, each of them has been given a quantum system such as a photon or spin-\(\frac{1}{2}\) particle, prepared in state unknown to them. We show how to implement the cyclic quantum teleportation where Alice can transfer her single-qubit state of qubit a to Bob, Bob can transfer his single-qubit state of qubit b to Charlie and Charlie can also transfer his single-qubit state of qubit c to Alice. We can also implement the cyclic quantum teleportation with \(N\geqslant 3\) observers by constructing a 2N-qubit maximally entangled state as the quantum channel. By changing the quantum channel, we can change the direction of teleportation. Therefore, our scheme can realize teleportation in quantum information networks with N observers in different directions, and the security of our scheme is also investigated at the end of the paper.     

Quantum-memory-assisted entropic uncertainty in two-qubit Heisenberg <Emphasis Type="Italic">XYZ</Emphasis> chain with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions and effects of intrinsic decoherence

Quantum-memory-assisted entropic uncertainty relation (QMA-EUR) in two-qubit Heisenberg XYZ spin chain model with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction has been investigated. The paper shows that the DM interactions and the spin interactions alone x, y, z directions can efficiently suppress the entropic uncertainty of Pauli observables (\(\sigma _{x}\) and \(\sigma _{z}\)), even make the entropic uncertainty close to zero. As well, it is pointed out that the entropic uncertainty reaches to zero at very low temperature, starts to increase with temperature after a threshold, and generally becomes constant at a fixed value. We also verified the Bob’s uncertainty about Alice’s measurement outcomes is anticorrelated with the sum of the accessible information of observer. Furthermore, the decoherence conditions including dephasing and noisy environments are considered. For the fixed initial state, the entropic uncertainty of the XYZ model with DM interaction in z-direction are independent of spin–spin coupling \(J_z\) and the anisotropy parameter \(\varDelta \). In the dephasing environment, the evolutions of entropic uncertainty and its lower bound \(U_{B}\) oscillate with the time and saturates at a finite value, and this value is varied with the purity parameter r of initial state. In the noisy environment, the entropic uncertainty and its lower bound monotonically increase with the time and will be stable at value 2 quickly. This is because the combined effects of the DM interaction and the decoherence force the various initial entanglement states to oscillate into an identical state, regardless of the value of \(D_{z}\) and the parameter r of initial state.     

Generalized Preparata codes and 2-resolvable Steiner quadruple systems

We consider generalized Preparata codes with a noncommutative group operation. These codes are shown to induce new partitions of Hamming codes into cosets of these Preparata codes. The constructed partitions induce 2-resolvable Steiner quadruple systems S(n, 4, 3) (i.e., systems S(n, 4, 3) that can be partitioned into disjoint Steiner systems S(n, 4, 2)). The obtained partitions of systems S(n, 4, 3) into systems S(n, 4, 2) are not equivalent to such partitions previously known.     

Efficient hyperentanglement concentration for <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-particle Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state assisted by weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity

In this scheme, based on the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity, an hyperconcentration protocol for the arbitrary partially hyperentangled N-particle Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state is presented. Considering the N photons initially in the nonmaximally hyperentangled GHZ state in which photons are entangled simultaneously in the polarization and the spatial-mode degrees of freedom, we can obtain the maximally hyperentangled N-particle GHZ state by the projection measurements on the additional photons. Numerical simulation demonstrates that by iterating the entanglement concentration process, we can improve the success probability of the scheme. Furthermore, we discuss the feasibility of the setups of the protocol, concluding that the present protocol is feasible with existing experimental technology. All these advantages make this scheme more efficient and more convenient in quantum communication.     

Generation and swapping of multi-qubit entangled state in a coupled superconducting resonator array

An efficient method is proposed for the generation and swapping of multi-qubit entangled state in an array of linearly coupled superconducting resonators, each of which is coupled to N superconducting qubits. With the external driving fields to adjust the desired qubit–resonator interaction, we firstly show that the multipartite entangled state of superconducting qubits hosted in two nearest-neighbor interacting resonators can be deterministically realized. Furthermore, by utilizing the produced entangled state, we put forward a protocol for the swapping of quantum entangled state in the coupled resonator array based on measurement, i.e., the multi-particle entangled state can be achieved for the qubits in long-distance separated resonators. The numerical simulation suggests that our scheme is feasible with current circuit QED technology.     

Disentanglement and quantum states transitions dynamics in spin-qutrit systems: dephasing random telegraph noise and the relevance of the initial state

Using negativity and realignment criterion as quantifiers of free and bound entanglements respectively, we present in details the analytical study of the entanglements and quantum states transitions dynamics in a two-qutrit system driven by dephasing random telegraph noise channel(s). Both collective and independent system–environment couplings as well as the Markovian and the non-Markovian regimes of the noise channel(s) are considered. Two non-equivalent initial states and their locally equivalent through a local unitary operation (LUO) are also considered. We demonstrate a stronger entanglement under independent Markovian environments than with a collective one; meanwhile, for the non-Markovian regime, entanglement is stronger under a collective environment than with independent ones. States transitions as well as the (re)activation of bound entanglement (for initially free entangled states) can be found for a specific class of initial states, but can, however, be avoided by means of a LUO on the initial state. While unavoidable disentanglement occurs for independents coupling, we demonstrate the possibility of indefinite free entanglement survival in the qutrit system under a common environment by converting the initial entangled state using the local unitary operation.     

Entangled photon-added coherent states

We study the degree of entanglement of arbitrary superpositions of m, n photon-added coherent states (PACS) \(\mathinner {|{\psi }\rangle } \propto u \mathinner {|{{\alpha },m}\rangle }\mathinner {|{{\beta },n }\rangle }+ v \mathinner {|{{\beta },n}\rangle }\mathinner {|{{\alpha },m}\rangle }\) using the concurrence and obtain the general conditions for maximal entanglement. We show that photon addition process can be identified as an entanglement enhancer operation for superpositions of coherent states (SCS). Specifically for the known bipartite positive SCS: \(\mathinner {|{\psi }\rangle } \propto \mathinner {|{\alpha }\rangle }_a\mathinner {|{-\alpha }\rangle }_b + \mathinner {|{-\alpha }\rangle }_a\mathinner {|{\alpha }\rangle }_b \) whose entanglement tends to zero for \(\alpha \rightarrow 0\), can be maximal if al least one photon is added in a subsystem. A full family of maximally entangled PACS is also presented. We also analyzed the decoherence effects in the entangled PACS induced by a simple depolarizing channel . We find that robustness against depolarization is increased by adding photons to the coherent states of the superposition. We obtain the dependence of the critical depolarization \(p_{\text {crit}}\) for null entanglement as a function of \(m,n, \alpha \) and \(\beta \).     

Entropic uncertainty relation in a two-qutrit system with external magnetic field and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction under intrinsic decoherence

In this paper, we explore the dynamic behaviors of entropic uncertainty relation in a two-qutrit system which is in the presence of external magnetic field and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction under intrinsic decoherence. The effects of the isotropic bilinear interaction, the external magnetic field, the DM interaction strength, as well as the intrinsic decoherence on the entropic uncertainty relation have been demonstrated in detail. Compared with previous results, our results show that, controlling the isotropic bilinear interaction parameter J, the external magnetic field strength \(B_{0}\), the DM interaction parameter D can result in inflation of the uncertainty, while increasing the intrinsic decoherence parameter can lift the uncertainty of the measurement. In particularly, under certain conditions (e.g., parameters J, \(B_{0}\) and D are large enough), the entropic uncertainty will ultimately tend to a stable value and be immune to decoherence.     

Biseparability of noisy pseudopure,W and GHZ states using conditional quantum relative Tsallis entropy

We employ the conditional version of sandwiched Tsallis relative entropy to determine \(1:N-1\) separability range in the noisy one-parameter families of pseudopure and Werner-like N-qubit W, GHZ states. The range of the noisy parameter, for which the conditional sandwiched Tsallis relative entropy is positive, reveals perfect agreement with the necessary and sufficient criteria for separability in the \(1:N-1\) partition of these one parameter noisy states.