Assignment_1
Assignment_1
where the projections act on the system and identity or the Pauli
matrix act on the environment. Assuming the environment starts in
the state |0⟩, obtain the Kraus operators of the quantum operation on
the system for this process.
(ii) Repeat the exercise for the unitary process,
σX σY
USE = √ ⊗ (I)E + √ ⊗ (σX )E
2 S 2 S
(i) Show that the bit-flip channel, phase-flip and the depolarizing channel
are unital.
(ii) Consider a pair of probability distributions P ≡ {p(i)}, Q ≡ {q(j)}.
If there exists a doubly stochastic matrix D such that P = DQ , then,
P is said to be majorized by Q; this is denoted as P ≺ Q. A doubly
stochastic matrix is a matrix with P real, non-negativePentries whose
rows and columns sum to one: i Dij = 1, ∀j and j Dij = 1 ∀i.
Such a majorization relation indicates as to which distribution is more
mixed: if P is majorized by Q, then P is more mixed that Q, that is,
the corresponding Shannon entropies satisfy H(P ) ≥ H(Q).
Now, consider two quantum states ρ, σ. We know that their corre-
sponding eigenvalue spectra Λρ ≡ {λρ (i)}, Λσ ≡ {λσ (j)} can be re-
garded as probability distributions. We say ρ ≺ σ (ρ is majorized by
σ) if the corresponding eigenvalue distributions satisfy Λρ ≺ Λσ . Show
that, if E is a unital channel, the final state after the action of a unital
map is majorized by the initial state:
E(ρ) ≺ ρ.
Note: This result shows that unital maps are the natural quantum
generalizations of doubly stochastic maps. The final state after the
action of a unital map is no less random than the original state.
4. Single-qubit channels: Consider a single-qubit density operator ρ with
corresponding Bloch vector ⃗r ≡ (rx , ry , rz ). Recall that the phase-flip chan-
nel EP and the depolarizing channel ED are described by the following Kraus
operators:
√ √ √ r
√ p p p p 3p
EB ≡ { pσZ , 1 − pI}, ED ≡ { σX , σy , σZ , 1 − I}.
2 2 2 4
For each of these channels obtain the Bloch vector r⃗′ ≡ (rx′ , ry′ , rz′ ) of the
state ρ′ = E(ρ) = i Ei ρEi† , after a single application of the channel. Hence
P
represent pictorially, the effect of these channels on the Bloch sphere.
In this exercise, we will work out how such a noise channel can arise out of
a physical system-bath interaction.
(i) Check that the channel described by the two Kraus operators above
is trace preserving. Is it also unital?
(ii) Spontaneous emission as amplitude damping: The dynamics of
an idealized two-level atom in a cavity can be modeled via the stan-
dard Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian which describes the interaction
between a two-level atom in a cavity and a quantized mode of the
electromagnetic field. Specifically,
Finally, show that the quantum operation resulting from tracing out
the radiation field mode at zero-detuning (δ = 0) is indeed an ampli-
tude damping channel.
(iii) Circuit Model: In the figure below, the first wire represents a ‘sys-
tem’ (S) qubit and the second wire represents the ’environment’ (E).
The environment qubit starts out in |0⟩ and is measured in the {|0⟩, |1⟩}
in the end. The joint system-environment (SE) unitary is described
by a sequence of controlled-unitaries as specified in the figure. Work
ρin • ρout
|0⟩ RY (θ) •
out the Kraus operators Ei such that, ρout = i Ei ρin Ei† . Hence show
P
that this is a circuit model of the amplitude damping channel.