Quantum Channel Learning
This work addresses quantum channel learning for applications in quantum information processing, representing an incremental advancement from unitary to mixed unitary mappings.
The paper tackles the problem of learning optimal mappings between Hilbert spaces using density matrix measurements, formulating it as an optimization problem to maximize total fidelity with constraints on Kraus operators, and demonstrates applications in unitary learning and quantum channels. It introduces generalizations from unitary learning to mixed unitary quantum channels, enabling distinction between probabilistic mixtures and superpositions.
The problem of an optimal mapping between Hilbert spaces $IN$ and $OUT$, based on a series of density matrix mapping measurements $ρ^{(l)} \to \varrho^{(l)}$, $l=1\dots M$, is formulated as an optimization problem maximizing the total fidelity $\mathcal{F}=\sum_{l=1}^{M} ω^{(l)} F\left(\varrho^{(l)},\sum_s B_s ρ^{(l)} B^{\dagger}_s\right)$ subject to probability preservation constraints on Kraus operators $B_s$. For $F(\varrho,σ)$ in the form that total fidelity can be represented as a quadratic form with superoperator $\mathcal{F}=\sum_s\left\langle B_s\middle|S\middle| B_s \right\rangle$ (either exactly or as an approximation) an iterative algorithm is developed. The work introduces two important generalizations of unitary learning: 1. $IN$/$OUT$ states are represented as density matrices. 2. The mapping itself is formulated as a mixed unitary quantum channel $A^{OUT}=\sum_s |w_s|^2 \mathcal{U}_s A^{IN} \mathcal{U}_s^{\dagger}$ (no general quantum channel yet). This marks a crucial advancement from the commonly studied unitary mapping of pure states $φ_l=\mathcal{U} ψ_l$ to a quantum channel, what allows us to distinguish probabilistic mixture of states and their superposition. An application of the approach is demonstrated on unitary learning of density matrix mapping $\varrho^{(l)}=\mathcal{U} ρ^{(l)} \mathcal{U}^{\dagger}$, in this case a quadratic on $\mathcal{U}$ fidelity can be constructed by considering $\sqrt{ρ^{(l)}} \to \sqrt{\varrho^{(l)}}$ mapping, and on a quantum channel, where quadratic on $B_s$ fidelity is an approximation -- a quantum channel is then obtained as a hierarchy of unitary mappings, a mixed unitary channel. The approach can be applied to studying quantum inverse problems, variational quantum algorithms, quantum tomography, and more.