Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs), which are such that the inner product between two vectors in different orthogonal bases is constant equal to the inverse $1/\sqrt{d}$, with $d$ the dimension of the finite Hilbert space, are becoming more and more studied for applications such as quantum tomography and cryptography, and in relation to entangled states and to the Heisenberg-Weil group of quantum optics. Complete sets of MUBs of cardinality $d+1$ have been derived for prime power dimensions $d=p^m$ using the tools of abstract algebra (Wootters in 1989, Klappenecker in 2003). Presumably, for non prime dimensions the cardinality is much less. The bases can be reinterpreted as quantum phase states, i.e. as eigenvectors of Hermitean phase operators generalizing those introduced by Pegg & Barnett in 1989. The MUB states are related to additive characters of Galois fields (in odd characteristic p) and of Galois rings (in characteristic 2). Quantum Fourier transforms of the components in vectors of the bases define a more general class of MUBs with multiplicative characters and additive ones altogether. We investigate the complementary properties of the above phase operator with respect to the number operator. We also study the phase probability distribution and variance for physical states and find them related to the Gauss sums, which are sums over all elements of the field (or of the ring) of the product of multiplicative and additive characters. Finally we relate the concepts of mutual unbiasedness and maximal entanglement. This allows to use well studied algebraic concepts as efficient tools in our quest of minimal uncertainty in quantum information primitives.
In this paper, we consider the problem of Mutually Unbiased Bases in prime dimension $d$. It is known to provide exactly $d+1$ mutually unbiased bases. We revisit this problem using a class of circulant $d \times d$ matrices. The constructive proof of a set of $d+1$ mutually unbiased bases follows, together with a set of properties of Gauss sums, and of bi-unimodular sequences.
Mutually unbiased bases are an important tool in many applications of quantum information theory. We present a new algorithm for finding the mutually unbiased bases for two-qubit systems. We derive a system of four equations in the Galois field GF(4) and show that the solutions of this system are sufficient for obtaining the most general set of mutually unbiased bases. Further, our algorithm is applied to an example and we show that there are three possible solutions of the system of four equations, each solution leading to a different set of mutually unbiased bases.
A new family of positive, trace-preserving maps is introduced. It is defined using the mutually unbiased measurements, which generalize the notion of mutual unbiasedness of orthonormal bases. This family allows one to define entanglement witnesses whose indecomposability depends on the characteristics of the associated measurement operators.
It has been conjectured that a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in a space of dimension d exists if and only if there is an affine plane of order d. We introduce affine constellations and compare their existence properties with those of mutually unbiased constellations, mostly in dimension six. The observed discrepancies make a deeper relation between the two existence problems unlikely.
Complete sets of mutually unbiased bases are only known to exist in prime-power dimensions. We will describe a few approaches to the problem proving the (non)-existence of four mutually unbiased bases in dimension 6. These will include the notions of Grassmannian distance, quadratic matrix programming, semidefinite relaxations to polynomial programming, as well as various tools from algebraic geometry.
We show how to transform the problem of finding d+1 mutually unbiased bases in the d-dimensional Hilbert space into the one of finding d(d+1) vectors in the N-dimensional Hilbert space with N=d**2. The transformation formulas admit a solution when d is a prime number.
Suppose that for some unit vectors $b_1,\ldots b_n$ in $\mathbb C^d$ we have that for any $j\neq k$ $b_j$ is either orthogonal to $b_k$ or $|\langle b_j,b_k\rangle|^2 = 1/d$ (i.e. $b_j$ and $b_k$ are unbiased). We prove that if $n=d(d+1)$, then these vectors necessarily form a complete system of mutually unbiased bases, that is, they can be arranged into $d+1$ orthonormal bases, all being mutually unbiased with respect to each other.
Two equivalent ways of looking for mutually unbiased bases are discussed in this note. The passage from the search for d+1 mutually unbiased bases in C(d) to the search for d(d+1) vectors in C(d*d) satisfying constraint relations is clarified. Symmetric informationally complete positive-operator-valued measures are briefly discussed in a similar vein.
We introduce a new generalization of the Pauli channels using the mutually unbiased measurement operators. The resulting channels are bistochastic but their eigenvectors are not unitary. We analyze the channel properties, such as complete positivity, entanglement breaking, and multiplicativity of maximal output purity. We illustrate our results with the maps constructed from the Gell-Mann matrices and the Heisenberg-Weyl observables.
It is conjectured that the question of the existence of projective planes whose order is not a power of prime is intimately linked with the problem whether there exists a set of d+1 mutually unbiased bases in a d-dimensional Hilbert space if d differs from a power of prime.
We propose a new method of finding the mutually unbiased bases for three qubits. The key element is the construction of the table of striation-generating curves in the discrete phase space. We derive a system of equations in the Galois field GF(8) and show that the solutions of these equations are sufficient for the construction of the general sets of complete mutually unbiased bases. A few examples are presented in order to show how our algorithm works in the cases: striation table with three, two axes, and one and no axis in the discrete phase space.
A new construction of complex Hadamard matrices of composite order d=pq, with primes p,q, is presented which is based on pairs of mutually unbiased bases containing only product states. For product dimensions d < 100, we illustrate the method by deriving many previously unknown complex Hadamard matrices. We obtain at least 12 new isolated matrices of Butson type, with orders ranging from 9 to 91.
We study the connection between mutually unbiased bases and mutually orthogonal extraordinary supersquares, a wider class of squares which does not contain only the Latin squares. We show that there are four types of complete sets of mutually orthogonal extraordinary supersquares for the dimension $d=8$. We introduce the concept of physical striation and show that this is equivalent to the extraordinary supersquare. The general algorithm for obtaining the mutually unbiased bases and the physical striations is constructed and it is shown that the complete set of mutually unbiased physical stria…
The Feynman integral can be seen as an attempt to relate, under certain circumstances, the quantum-information-theoretic separateness of mutually unbiased bases to causal proximity of the measuring processes.
All complex Hadamard matrices in dimensions two to five are known. We use this fact to derive all inequivalent sets of mutually unbiased (MU) bases in low dimensions. We find a three-parameter family of triples of MU bases in dimension four and two inequivalent classes of MU triples in dimension five. We confirm that the complete sets of (d+1) MU bases are unique (up to equivalence) in dimensions below six, using only elementary arguments for d less than five.
A complex Hilbert space of dimension six supports at least three but not more than seven mutually unbiased bases. Two computer-aided analytical methods to tighten these bounds are reviewed, based on a discretization of parameter space and on Grobner bases. A third algorithmic approach is presented: the non-existence of more than three mutually unbiased bases in composite dimensions can be decided by a global optimization method known as semidefinite programming. The method is used to confirm that the spectral matrix cannot be part of a complete set of seven mutually unbiased bases in dimension…
The Lie algebra of the group SU(2) is constructed from two deformed oscillator algebras for which the deformation parameter is a root of unity. This leads to an unusual quantization scheme, the {J2,Ur} scheme, an alternative to the familiar {J2,Jz} quantization scheme corresponding to common eigenvectors of the Casimir operator J2 and the Cartan operator Jz. A connection is established between the eigenvectors of the complete set of commuting operators {J2,Ur} and mutually unbiased bases in spaces of constant angular momentum.
In this work, the concept of mutually unbiased frames is introduced as the most general notion of unbiasedness for sets composed by linearly independent and normalized vectors. It encompasses the already existing notions of unbiasedness for orthonormal bases, regular simplices, equiangular tight frames, positive operator valued measure, and also includes symmetric informationally complete quantum measurements. After introducing the tool, its power is shown by finding the following results about the last mentioned class of constellations: (i) real fiducial states do not exist in any even dimens…
A simple recipe for generating a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in dimension (2j+1)**e, with 2j + 1 prime and e positive integer, is developed from a single matrix acting on a space of constant angular momentum j and defined in terms of the irreducible characters of the cyclic group C(2j+1). As two pending results, this matrix is used in the derivation of a polar decomposition of SU(2) and of a FFZ algebra.
The basic methods of constructing the sets of mutually unbiased bases in the Hilbert space of an arbitrary finite dimension are discussed and an emerging link between them is outlined. It is shown that these methods employ a wide range of important mathematical concepts like, e.g., Fourier transforms, Galois fields and rings, finite and related projective geometries, and entanglement, to mention a few. Some applications of the theory to quantum information tasks are also mentioned.
In our previous paper \cite{co1} we have shown that the theory of circulant matrices allows to recover the result that there exists $p+1$ Mutually Unbiased Bases in dimension $p$, $p$ being an arbitrary prime number. Two orthonormal bases $\mathcal B, \mathcal B'$ of $\mathbb C^d$ are said mutually unbiased if $\forall b\in \mathcal B, \forall b' \in \mathcal B'$ one has that $$| b\cdot b'| = \frac{1}{\sqrt d}$$ ($b\cdot b'$ hermitian scalar product in $\mathbb C^d$). In this paper we show that the theory of block-circulant matrices with circulant blocks allows to show very simply the known re…
Finding four six-dimensional mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) containing the identity matrix is a long-standing open problem in quantum information. We show that if they exist, then the $H_2$-reducible matrix in the four MUBs has exactly nine $2\times2$ Hadamard submatrices. We apply our result to exclude from the four MUBs some known CHMs, such as symmetric $H_2$-reducible matrix, the Hermitian matrix, Dita family, Bjorck's circulant matrix, and Szollosi family. Our results represent the latest progress on the existence of six-dimensional MUBs.
We work out the phase-space structure for a system of $n$ qubits. We replace the field of real numbers that label the axes of the continuous phase space by the finite field $\Gal{2^n}$ and investigate the geometrical structures compatible with the notion of unbiasedness. These consist of bundles of discrete curves intersecting only at the origin and satisfying certain additional properties. We provide a simple classification of such curves and study in detail the four- and eight-dimensional cases, analyzing also the effect of local transformations. In this way, we provide a comprehensive phase…
The study of Mutually Unbiased Bases continues to be developed vigorously, and presents several challenges in the Quantum Information Theory. Two orthonormal bases in $\mathbb C^d, B {and} B'$ are said mutually unbiased if $\forall b\in B, b'\in B'$ the scalar product $b\cdot b'$ has modulus $d^{-1/2}$. In particular this property has been introduced in order to allow an optimization of the measurement-driven quantum evolution process of any state $ψ\in \mathbb C^d$ when measured in the mutually unbiased bases $B\_{j} {of} \mathbb C^d$. At present it is an open problem to find the maximal umbe…
Based on maximally entangled states, we explore the constructions of mutually unbiased bases in bipartite quantum systems. We present a new way to construct mutually unbiased bases by difference matrices in the theory of combinatorial designs. In particular, we establish $q$ mutually unbiased bases with $q-1$ maximally entangled bases and one product basis in $\mathbb{C}^q\otimes \mathbb{C}^q$ for arbitrary prime power $q$. In addition, we construct maximally entangled bases for dimension of composite numbers of non-prime power, such as five maximally entangled bases in $\mathbb{C}^{12}\otimes…
A set of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) is said to be unextendible if there does not exist another basis that is unbiased with respect to the given set. Here, we prove the existence of smaller sets of MUBs in prime-squared dimensions ($d=p^{2}$) that cannot be extended to a complete set using the generalized Pauli operators. We further observe an interesting connection between the existence of unextendible sets and the tightness of entropic uncertainty relations (EURs) in these dimensions. In particular, we show that our construction of unextendible sets of MUBs naturally leads to sets of $p+1…
The basic combinatorial properties of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) of a q-dimensional Hilbert space H\_q, q = p^r with p being a prime and r a positive integer, are shown to be qualitatively mimicked by the configuration of points lying on a proper conic in a projective Hjelmslev plane defined over a Galois ring of characteristic p^2 and rank r. The q vectors of a basis of H\_q correspond to the q points of a (so-called) neighbour class and the q+1 MUBs answer to the total number of (pairwise disjoint) neighbour classes on the conic.
The $d^2$ Pauli operators attached to a composite qudit in dimension $d$ may be mapped to the vectors of the symplectic module $\mathcal{Z}_d^{2}$ ($\mathcal{Z}_d$ the modular ring). As a result, perpendicular vectors correspond to commuting operators, a free cyclic submodule to a maximal commuting set, and disjoint such sets to mutually unbiased bases. For dimensions $d=6,~10,~15,~12$, and 18, the fine structure and the incidence between maximal commuting sets is found to reproduce the projective line over the rings $\mathcal{Z}_{6}$, $\mathcal{Z}_{10}$, $\mathcal{Z}_{15}$, $\mathcal{Z}_6 \ti…
We investigate the interplay between mutual unbiasedness and product bases for multiple qudits of possibly different dimensions. A product state of such a system is shown to be mutually unbiased to a product basis only if each of its factors is mutually unbiased to all the states which occur in the corresponding factors of the product basis. This result implies both a tight limit on the number of mutually unbiased product bases which the system can support and a complete classification of mutually unbiased product bases for multiple qubits or qutrits. In addition, only maximally entangled stat…
All mutually unbiased bases in dimension six consisting of product states only are constructed. Several continuous families of pairs and two triples of mutually unbiased product bases are found to exist but no quadruple. The exhaustive classification leads to a proof that a complete set of seven mutually unbiased bases, if it exists, cannot contain a triple of mutually unbiased product bases.
We propose a group-theoretical approach to the generalized oscillator algebra Ak recently investigated in J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 43 (2010) 115303. The case k > or 0 corresponds to the noncompact group SU(1,1) (as for the harmonic oscillator and the Poeschl-Teller systems) while the case k < 0 is described by the compact group SU(2) (as for the Morse system). We construct the phase operators and the corresponding temporally stable phase eigenstates for Ak in this group-theoretical context. The SU(2) case is exploited for deriving families of mutually unbiased bases used in quantum information…
The present chapter [submitted for publication in "Fourier Transforms, Theory and Applications", G. Nikolic (Ed.), InTech (Open Access Publisher), Vienna, 2011] is concerned with the introduction and study of a quadratic discrete Fourier transform. This Fourier transform can be considered as a two-parameter extension, with a quadratic term, of the usual discrete Fourier transform. In the case where the two parameters are taken to be equal to zero, the quadratic discrete Fourier transform is nothing but the usual discrete Fourier transform. The quantum quadratic discrete Fourier transform plays…
The connection between maximal sets of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) in a prime-power dimensional Hilbert space and finite phase-space geometries is well known. In this article we classify MUBs according to their degree of covariance with respect to the natural symmetries of a finite phase-space, which are the group of its affine symplectic transformations. We prove that there exist maximal sets of MUBs that are covariant with respect to the full group only in odd prime-power dimensional spaces, and in this case their equivalence class is actually unique. Despite this limitation, we show that…
We express Alltop's construction of mutually unbiased bases as orbits under the Weyl-Heisenberg group in prime dimensions and find a related construction in dimensions 2 and 4. We reproduce Alltop's mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Clifford group in prime dimensions, in direct analogy to the well-known construction of mutually unbiased bases using abelian subgroups of the Weyl-Heisenberg group. Finally, we prove three theorems relating to the distances and linear dependencies among different sets of mutually unbiased bases.
We develop a strong connection between maximally commuting bases of orthogonal unitary matrices and mutually unbiased bases. A necessary condition of the existence of mutually unbiased bases for any finite dimension is obtained. Then a constructive proof of the existence of mutually unbiased bases for dimensions which are power of a prime is presented. It is also proved that in any dimension d the number of mutually unbiased bases is at most d+1. An explicit representation of mutually unbiased observables in terms of Pauli matrices are provided for d=2^m.
In this work we study the relation between the set of symmetric operators and the set of mutually unbiased operators from finite plane geometry point of view. Here symmetric operators are generalization of symmetric informationally complete probability-operator measurements (SIC POMs), while mutually unbiased operators are the operator generalization of mutually unbiased bases (MUB). We also discuss the implication of this relation to the particular cases of rank-1 SIC POMs and MUB.
The concept of mutually unbiased bases is studied for N pairs of continuous variables. To find mutually unbiased bases reduces, for specific states related to the Heisenberg-Weyl group, to a problem of symplectic geometry. Given a single pair of continuous variables, three mutually unbiased bases are identified while five such bases are exhibited for two pairs of continuous variables. For N = 2, the golden ratio occurs in the definition of these mutually unbiased bases suggesting the relevance of number theory not only in the finite-dimensional setting.
We study the robustness of various protocols for quantum key distribution. We first consider the case of qutrits and study quantum protocols that employ two and three mutually unbiased bases. We then derive the optimal eavesdropping strategy for two mutually unbiased bases in dimension four and generalize the result to a quantum key distribution protocol that uses two mutually unbiased bases in arbitrary finite dimension.
We show that maximal families of mutually unbiased bases are characterized in all dimensions by partitioned unitary error bases, up to a choice of a family of Hadamards. Furthermore, we give a new construction of partitioned unitary error bases, and thus maximal families of mutually unbiased bases, from a finite field, which is simpler and more direct than previous proposals. We introduce new tensor diagrammatic characterizations of maximal families of mutually unbiased bases, partitioned unitary error bases, and finite fields as algebraic structures defined over Hilbert spaces.
We study the entanglement detection by using mutually unbiased measurements and provide a quantum separability criterion that can be experimentally implemented for arbitrary $d$-dimensional bipartite systems. We show that this criterion is more effective than the criterion based on mutually unbiased bases. For isotropic states our criterion becomes both necessary and sufficient.
We derive a novel version of information-disturbance theorems for mutually unbiased observables. We show that the information gain by Eve inevitably makes the outcomes by Bob in the conjugate basis not only erroneous but random.
We relate the construction of a complete set of cyclic mutually unbiased bases, i. e., mutually unbiased bases generated by a single unitary operator, in power-of-two dimensions to the problem of finding a symmetric matrix over F_2 with an irreducible characteristic polynomial that has a given Fibonacci index. For dimensions of the form 2^(2^k) we present a solution that shows an analogy to an open conjecture of Wiedemann in finite field theory. Finally, we discuss the equivalence of mutually unbiased bases.
We derive new inequalities for the probabilities of projective measurements in mutually unbiased bases of a qudit system. These inequalities lead to wider ranges of validity and tighter bounds on entropic uncertainty inequalities previously derived in the literature.
We systematically study the construction of mutually unbiased bases in $\mathbb{C}^{2}\bigotimes\mathbb{C}^{3}$, such that all the bases are unextendible maximally entangled ones. Necessary conditions of constructing a pair of mutually unbiased unextendible maximally entangled bases in $\mathbb{C}^{2}\bigotimes\mathbb{C}^{3}$ are derived. Explicit examples are presented.
We formulate some properties of a set of several mutually unbiased measurements. These properties are used for deriving entropic uncertainty relations. Applications of mutually unbiased measurements in entanglement detection are also revisited. First, we estimate from above the sum of the indices of coincidence for several mutually unbiased measurements. Further, we derive entropic uncertainty relations in terms of the Rényi and Tsallis entropies. Both the state-dependent and state-independent formulations are obtained. Using the two sets of local mutually unbiased measurements, a method of en…
We prove tight entropic uncertainty relations for a large number of mutually unbiased measurements. In particular, we show that a bound derived from the result by Maassen and Uffink for 2 such measurements can in fact be tight for up to sqrt{d} measurements in mutually unbiased bases. We then show that using more mutually unbiased bases does not always lead to a better locking effect. We prove that the optimal bound for the accessible information using up to sqrt{d} specific mutually unbiased bases is log d/2, which is the same as can be achieved by using only two bases. Our result indicates t…
We present a systematic method to introduce free parameters in sets of mutually unbiased bases. In particular, we demonstrate that any set of m real mutually unbiased bases in dimension N>2 admits the introduction of (m-1)N/2 free parameters which cannot be absorbed by a global unitary operation. As consequence, there are m=k+1 mutually unbiased bases in every dimension N=k^2 with k^3/2 free parameters, where k is even. We construct the maximal set of triplets of mutually unbiased bases for two-qubits systems and triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets of mutually unbiased bases with free parame…
We investigate the $l_{1}$ norm of coherence of quantum states in mutually unbiased bases. We find that the sum of squared $l_{1}$ norm of coherence of the mixed state single qubit is less than two. We derive the $l_{1}$ norm of coherence of three classes of $X$ states in nontrivial mutually unbiased bases for $4$-dimensional Hilbert space is equal. We proposed "autotensor of mutually unbiased basis(AMUB)" by the tensor of mutually unbiased bases, and depict the level surface of constant the sum of the $l_{1}$ norm of coherence of Bell-diagonal states in AMUB. We find the $l_{1}$ norm of coher…
We rephrase the Wootters-Fields construction [Ann. Phys., {\bf 191}, 363 (1989)] of a full set of mutually unbiased bases in a complex vector space of dimensions $N=p^r$, where $p$ is an odd prime, in terms of the character vectors of the cyclic group $G$ of order $p$. This form may be useful in explicitly writing down mutually unbiased bases for $N=p^r$.
The density matrix of a qudit may be reconstructed with optimal efficiency if the expectation values of a specific set of observables are known. In dimension six, the required observables only exist if it is possible to identify six mutually unbiased complex 6x6 Hadamard matrices. Prescribing a first Hadamard matrix, we construct all others mutually unbiased to it, using algebraic computations performed by a computer program. We repeat this calculation many times, sampling all known complex Hadamard matrices, and we never find more than two that are mutually unbiased. This result adds consider…
Finding all the mutually unbiased bases in various dimensions is a problem of fundamental interest in quantum information theory and pure mathematics. The general problem formulated in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces is open. In the categorical approach to quantum mechanics one can find examples of categories which behave ``like'' the category of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces in various ways but are subtly different. One such category is the category of sets and relations, $\mathbf{Rel}$. One can formulate the concept of mutually unbiased bases here as well. In this note we classify all …
Semi-quantum key distribution is traditionally based on two-level quantum systems. In this paper, an unconditional security of a semi quantum key distribution protocol based on higher-dimensional systems using various mutually unbiased bases is presented. We first consider the three dimensional case using three and four mutually unbiased bases and derive a lower bound for the key rate as a function of the quantum channel's noise. We then generalize the result to a semi-quantum key distribution protocol that employs different number of mutually unbiased bases for four-dimensional states. It is …
Quantum systems with variables in ${\mathbb Z}(d)$ are considered. The properties of lines in the ${\mathbb Z}(d)\times {\mathbb Z}(d)$ phase space of these systems, are studied. Weak mutually unbiased bases in these systems are defined as bases for which the overlap of any two vectors in two different bases, is equal to $d^{-1/2}$ or alternatively to one of the $d_i^{-1/2},0$ (where $d_i$ is a divisor of $d$ apart from $d,1$). They are designed for the geometry of the ${\mathbb Z}(d)\times {\mathbb Z}(d)$ phase space, in the sense that there is a duality between the weak mutually unbiased bas…
The thesis is mainly about the construction and implementation of cyclic mutually unbiased bases, dealing with different entanglement structures by discussing the related group structures. A recursive construction for Fermat number dimensions is given and related to Wiedemann's conjecture for systems with more than 2048 qubits. The second part of the thesis analyses a quantum public-key encryption scheme.
We study a quantum process reconstruction based on the use of mutually unbiased projectors (MUB-projectors) as input states for a D-dimensional quantum system, with D being a power of a prime number. This approach connects the results of quantum-state tomography using mutually unbiased bases (MUB) with the coefficients of a quantum process, expanded in terms of MUB-projectors. We also study the performance of the reconstruction scheme against random errors when measuring probabilities at the MUB-projectors.
The question of determining the maximal number of mutually unbiased bases in dimension six has received much attention since their introduction to quantum information theory, but a definitive answer has still not been found. In this paper we move away from the traditional analytic approach and use a numerical approach to attempt to determine this number. We numerically minimise a non-negative function of a set of N+1 orthonormal bases in dimension d which only evaluates to zero if the bases are mutually unbiased. As a result we find strong evidence that (as has been conjectured elsewhere) ther…
