MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MIT 2.111/8.411/6.898/18.435
Quantum Information Science I
October 21, 2010

Midterm Examination Solution

1. Single qubit operations.

 
1 0
(a) Recall that S = . Give SXS † , SY S † , and SZS † , for X, Y , and Z being the usual Pauli
0 i
gates. (2 points each)
Answer:

     
1 0 0 1 1 0
† 0 −i
SXS = = =Y
0 i 1 0 0 −i i 0

    
† 1 0 0 −i 1 0 0 −1
SY S = = = −X
0 i i 0 0 −i −1 0

     
1 0 1 0
† 1 0 1 0
SZS = = =Z
0 i 0 −1 0 −i 0 −1

(b) Construct the single qubit gate U = eiπ/4 exp(−iπY /4) from S, H (Hadamard), and Pauli gates.
(14 points)
Answer:

SHSHS 3 = SHSHS † = eiπ/4 exp(−iπY /4)

2. Entanglement distillation √ by non-projective measurement. Suppose Alice and Bob share the
two-qubit state |ψAB i = ( 3|00i + |11i)/2. Recall that a quantum measurement is specified by a set
of operators {M0 , M1 } such that k Mk† Mk = I.
P

(a) Give a and b such that the quantum measurement outcome from operator√ M0 = a|0ih0| + b|1ih1|
acting on |ψAB i produces the post-measurement result (|00i + |11i)/ 2 with probability 1/4. (15
points)
Answer:
Post-measurement result(up to normalization) is

√ √
M0 |ψAB i = ( 3a|00i + b|11i)/2 ∝ |00i + |11i)/ 2

Therefore,

√
3a = b

With probability

hψAB |M0† M0 |ψAB i = (3|a|2 + |b|2 )/4 = 1/4

so,
 2

3|a|2 + |b|2 = 1

Therefore

1 1
a = √ eiθ , b = √ eiθ
6 2

where eiθ is an arbitrary phase.

(b) Give an operator M1 such that M0† M0 +M1† M1 = I. With what probability does the corresponding
outcome occur, acting on |ψAB i, and what is the post-measurement result? (10 points)
Answer:

1 1
M0† M0 = |0ih0| + |1ih1|
6 2
M1 can be chosen as

r
5 1
M1 = |0ih0| + √ |1ih1|
6 2

so that M0† M0 + M1† M1 = I

The probability for measurement result to be 1 is 1 − 1/4 = 3/4(can also be calculated from
hψAB |M1† M1 |ψAB i).
The post measurement state is

r r
5 1
q
M1 |ψAB i/ hψAB |M1† M1 |ψAB i = |00i + |11i
6 6

3. Quantum Circuits. Let |ψi = a|0i + b|1i and consider this circuit (recall that double lines represent
classical bits):

|0i ⊕ Z
_ _ _ _ _ _ L _ _ 
  
|ψi H • H  
_ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ 
 •

(a) What is the state |φi of the top qubit output? (15 points if you use circuit equivalences, 10 points
if you work it out with states)
Answer:
Classical control operation after measurement is equivalent to quantum control operation before
measurement, hence the circuit is equivalent to

Control-Z operation is symmetric between control bit and target bit, hence the circuit is equivalent
to
 3

Commuting control-Z through Hadamard we get control-not

Three control-nots with alternating control and target qubit gives swap gates, therefore the circuit
is equivalent to

which is equal to

The control-not operation does not change the state as it has |0i as control qubit, therefore it is
easy to see that the output qubit on the top line is |φi = H|ψi = a+b
√ |0i + a−b
2
√ |1i.
2
(Hint: if working out with states, it is only necessary to find the output when |ψi = |0i and
|ψi = |1i. For a general input |ψi, the output will be a linear superposition of the output for
|ψi = |0i and |ψi = |1i.)
(b) What operation relates |φi to |ψi? (10 points)
Answer:
The Hadamard operation, H.
4. Qubit tests. Consider the following three-qubit quantum circuit, in which |χi and |φi are arbitrary
qubits: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
 L 
|0i H • H 
 



_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

|χi ×
|φi ×
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
|ψ0 i |ψ1 i |ψ2 i |ψ3 i

(a) Give the intermediate states of the circuit, |ψ0 i, |ψ1 i, |ψ2 i, |ψ3 i. (4 points each)
Answer:

|ψ0 i = |0i|χi|φi

1
|ψ1 i = √ (|0i + |1i)|χi|φi
2

1 1
|ψ2 i = √ |0i|χi|φi + √ |1i|φi|χi
2 2

1 1 1 1
|ψ3 i = (|0i + |1i)|χi|φi + (|0i − |1i)|φi|χi = |0i(|χi|φi + |φi|χi) + |1i(|χi|φi − |φi|χi)
2 2 2 2
 4

(b) If the measurement result is zero (ie the top qubit is |0i), what is the state of the bottom two
qubits? (4 points)
Answer:
|χi|φi + |φi|χi
p
2(1 + |hχ|φi|2 )

(c) If |hχ|φi| = α, with what probability is the measurement result zero? (10 points)
Answer:
The measurement is going to result in 0 with probability

1 1 + α2
(hχ|hφ| + hφ|hχ|)(|χi|φi + |φi|χi) =
4 2
1−α2
(You can check that the probability of measuring in 1 is 2 , so the total probability adds up
to 1.)